Boxing Day

"Some boys are rich by birth beyond all wants,
Belov'd by uncles, and kind good old aunts;
When time comes round, a Christmas-box they bear,
And one day makes them rich for all the year." -- John Gay, Trivia (1716),

December 26, Boxing Day, is not about the pugilistic sport nor is it about tossing out empty gift boxes, returning gifts, or getting great bargains. Some historians say the holiday got started when servants, who were required to work on Christmas Day, got the following day off to visit their families. The day took its name from the tradition of presenting gifts of cash, food, clothing and other goods wrapped up in boxes to servants on Dec 26. Another theory is that church donation boxes were opened on the Feast of St. Stephen (Dec 26) and the money distributed to the poor. Wikipedia disagrees with both these theories and claims the day is named after clay boxes that served as a collective piggy bank for servants/workers in a shop or home. On Dec 26 the boxes were smashed open and the contents shared as a Christmas bonus.

Boxing Day is a British holiday for giving gifts to everyone who had rendered a service during the previous year: tradesmen, mail carriers, maids, butlers, doormen, porters, etc. It officially began during the reign of Queen Victoria during the middle 19th century.

Boxing Day is celebrated in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, other Commonwealth of Nations, and Greece. It many of these countries it is a bank holiday. If Dec 26 falls on a weekend, the public holiday may be moved to Monday. So in a worst case, as a traveler in a British country, you could find yourself without access to a bank from Dec 24/25 thru Dec 27/28.

Bottom Line

Few people can be 100% self-sufficient. We all rely on others, especially during times of crisis. It is always a good idea to build a social network and to say thank you to those that have helped you during the year.

Merry Christmas!

"Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes."
~ Joan Winmill Brown, American author and editor.

"Remember, if Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree."
~ Charlotte Carpenter.

The best Christmas Music is old?

Decorations of red
On a green Christmas tree
Won't be the same
If you're not here with me
- Blue Christmas by Elvis

My current commuting lecture series is the History of Rock & Roll (Part 1) and it was just discussing the first song recorded by Elvis on 5 July 1954, That's All Right (Mama), as I arrived at the office. Before that it looked at the Mississippi Delta Blues and the Rhythm & Blues of New Orleans, Chicago and Memphis. I find it frustrating that the lecture CDs do not sample the songs discussed so I'm very appreciative that the old Blues songs can be found on YouTube, e.g. Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, and Lloyd Price.

This has made me aware that I'm not all familiar with the early Rock music of the 1950's. On the other hand I love the crooners and pop singers of the 50's: Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, as well as country's Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins.

So imagine my surprise, as I'm contemplating the 50's, to see the chart below from comic xkcd. Why is it that the 1950's were such an amazing time for Christmas songs?

Bottom Line

I tried finding new Christmas songs but nothing impressed me. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" became a hit in 1989 but uses a melody from 1964's "My Heart Belongs to Only You". Too many of the new songs are about boy-girl love affairs (or lack thereof) like "Last Christmas" (I gave you my heart) from 1982.

"Mary, Did You Know" (1992) is certainly religious and a nice song but does not "feel" like a Christmas song to me.

And what's up with Christmas blues? "Elf's Lament" (2004), "Even Santa Claus Gets the Blues" (2003)

I'm in the generation after the Baby Boomers so why do I love their music so much?

How to Save Money on a Fresh Christmas Tree

"Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, where are you?
We're lost in the woods and so are you."
-song made-up by daughter when family became lost on a Colorado mountain while searching for a tree.

Last weekend I saw a few Christmas trees tried to the top of cars as we were out shopping. It's that time of year and the WSJ offers some advice at Smartmoney.com for 8 Ways to Trim the Christmas Tree Costs.

1. Compare pricing methods - some price by the foot, others a fixed cost. Call around to find the best deal; "look beyond tree lots to garden centers, supermarkets and home improvement stores."
2. Compare species of trees - there are over 30 kinds of Christmas trees. The Fraser Fir has strong branches for heavy ornaments while the Blue Spuce has "sharp needles that deter a climbing housecat". Some species are more expensive than others
3. Shop Online?  Both Target & Sears are selling trees cuts to order online. It may cut more but will be very fresh.
4. Cut your own. "The U.S. Forest Service sells permits for consumers to cut down their own tree in a national forest. The price: as little as $10." [Just don't become lost while looking for the perfect tree to cut. "It's all woods. You are surrounded by woods until you get up on a ridge, you have no idea where you are going. But then every time we got to the top of a ridge, there was just another ridge,"]
5. Use Coupons - Groupon, LivingSocial, etc
6. Check the quality - you want a fresh tree that will last till Christmas. If the leaves are already falling off, walk away.
7. Wait till last minute - pricing often falls 4 or 5 days before Christmas. You can start a new tradition of decorating the tree Christmas Eve.
8. Haggle - the seller might have only paid $10 if they cut the tree with a US Forest permit.

Bottom Line

Here's some more useful things to know from the WSJ article:

• Despite weather extremes, "Christmas tree pricing nationwide has remained flat."
• "shoppers spent an average $36.12 last year for a real tree" but the price can easily be three times higher depending on tree height and type of tree.
• Christmas is about the people, not the tree which gets tossed out afterwards. Don't overspend on a tree.

My wife made a lovely table-top tree this year. It has red beads strung on a bare tree frame with red ornaments. We like to be creative.

Here are some posts from previous years regarding fresh trees
http://perpetualpreparedness.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-trees.html

and tree fires
http://perpetualpreparedness.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-fires.html
http://perpetualpreparedness.blogspot.com/2008/12/oh-christmas-tree-oh-christmas-tree-how.html

Gift Returns

"Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts"
- Laocoon in the Aeneid, book II

Almost one in five Americans expected to return at least one holiday gift. If you are one of these five then ConsumerReports has this advice for returning gifts at http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/2010/12/5-tips-to-make-returning-gifts-almost-as-easy-as-getting-them.html

1. Know the time frame
Large merchants usually allow 90 days for returns but some items like electronics, computers, music, and DVDs may have shorter return periods. software, and CDs and DVDs. For example electronics bought at Walmart must be returned within 15 or 30 days. But as a gesture of holiday goodwill, if a gift was purchased at Walmart between Nov. 15 and Dec. 25, the return clock doesn't start ticking until Dec. 26.

2. Use and Keep gift receipts
My wife requested gift receipts for items we bought at Toys-R-Us and I received a hobby kit this year with a gift receipt included. Merchants used to offer store credit without a receipt but don't count on that nowadays. You may have to ask the giver for the store receipt before making a return or exchange.

3. Take your driver's license
Some companies require a government-issued ID with a receipt. This way they can track serial returners who use and return items frequently.

4. Be sure before you open the box
Once you open a box the item is no longer new so merchants may charge a restocking fee, often 15 percent of the product's cost. Digital items that can be copied like computer software, CDs, and DVDs aren't usually returnable once they're unwrapped.

5. Know where to go
If an item was purchased online and the merchant has walk-in stores, check their website to see if you can return it at a store and avoid reshipping fees.

Bottom Line

I'll be sure to use more Gift Receipts in the future.

A Merry Bacon Christmas

A Merry Bacon & Sauerkraut Christmas?

"Remember
This December,
That love weighs more than gold!"
~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

Merry Christmas!

From TheConsumerist.com 

The Better Business Bureau recommends that you check if your Christmas toys have been recalled, and what do to if you find out they have been. Before throwing out the packaging, check out the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and ToyInfo sites for lists of active recalls.

It's probably easiest to take a recalled toy back to the retailer where it was purchased, but you can also check the US CPSC site for details on returning products to the manufacturer.

If you'd rather check for recalls over the phone, here's a BBB-provided list of toy recall hotlines:

* Consumer Products Safety Commission: (800) 638-2772
* Toy Industry Association: (888) 888-4TOYS
* Mattel: (800) 916-4498
* Fisher-Price: (800) 991-2444
* Toys R Us: (800) 869-7787

The Night Before Christmas!

"A Visit from St. Nicholas"
by Clement Clarke Moore (1779 - 1863)

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Are you Ready for Christmas?

“Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.”

- Oren Arnold

According to misconceptionjunction.com,

Black Friday is not the biggest shopping day of the year. In fact, it’s typically not even in the top five, though has cracked the ranks a few times in recent years.

The real biggest shopping day of the year is nearly always the Saturday before Christmas, excepting a few occasions where it typically then ends up being the Thursday or Friday before Christmas, when Christmas falls on a weekend day. 

Bottom Line

Expect the stores to be extra busy today and tomorrow. Happy Holidays!

Christmas Trees

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. 
~Roy L. Smith

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum
Wie true sind deine Blätter
- German lyrics to O Christmas Tree, your leaves are so reliable.

Welcome to December and Merry Christmas! Locally we have a radio station that plays Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. And I noticed the malls are playing Christmas songs and decorated for the holiday. So perhaps you're ready to buy a Christmas Tree? Here's some advice from http://www.moneytalksnews.com/.

Buying a cut Christmas tree

1. Choose the place you’re putting the tree and take some measurements: Height is obvious, but don’t forget the width of the doors you’ll be going through or the area of the room you’ll be putting your tree in. You’ll want to keep your tree as far away as possible from heat sources like vents, fireplaces, or radiators.
2. The sooner you buy one, the better: Ask the dealer when their trees were cut: the fresher the better. Many people assume that getting a tree early is a bad idea, because it might wither and start shedding needles before New Year’s. While this seems logical, a cut Christmas tree is only going to last so long – it doesn’t care whether it’s sitting in a lot down the street or in your living room. In other words, once it’s cut, it’s cut, so put it in your home as soon as possible. Buying early also means a better selection.
3. Do your own freshness test: There are several things you can do to test the freshness of a Christmas tree: First, grab a branch by the needles and pull it – the needles should stay on. Next, bend a branch and see if it’s supple: Ideally, it should bend without snapping. Finally, pick up the tree and drop it to see how many needles shake loose: the fewer the better.
4. Inspect the base: Ever brought home that perfect tree, only to find that the base isn’t straight and the tree leans to one side? Me too. That’s why now I make sure the last foot of the trunk is totally straight.
5. Look at it again before you bring it inside: Make sure there’s no insects or other unpleasantness hiding in the branches. Pick it up and drop it again.

Making your tree last

Properly cared for, your cut Christmas tree should last well over a month. Here’s what to do …

1. When you buy your tree from the lot, they’ll cut an inch or so off the bottom – get the tree into water as soon as possible.
2. When it comes to making a Christmas tree last, water isn’t the main thing: It’s the only thing. Use a stand that holds as much water as possible, then keep it filled at all times. If the bottom of the trunk is exposed to air, resin will form over it and it will no longer be able to absorb water: game over. Check the water supply every day without fail. To make your life easier, get a funnel, connect it to a short length of tubing that empties into the stand, and then hide it all in the branches when you’re not using it.
3. You don’t need distilled or other specialty water, nor do you need chemical preservatives. Tap water is fine – just make sure the supply is sufficient.
4. Remember that heat is not your friend – if your Christmas lights generate heat, use them sparingly and always turn them off at night. Miniature lights produce less heat than bigger ones.

Bottom Line

Keep your tree well watered and alive. A dry or dead tree is a fire hazard as discussed in my post, Christmas Trees = Fire Trap?  Don't miss the burning tree video at www.fire.gov/newsletter/summer2001/page_two.htm

Russian Orthodox Christmas

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."-Calvin Coolidge

In my workplace we have citizens of many nations - Japan, Russia, Poland, India and more. Today I learned that some of my colleagues (of Russian Orthodox faith) will be home celebrating a late Christmas? The web site Russian Crafts has a great explanation for celebrating Christmas on Jan 7.

In ancient times, many, mostly unreliable methods had been used to calculate the dates according to either the lunar or solar cycles. By Roman times, the calendar had become three months out with the seasons, so in 46 BC, Julius Caesar commissioned the astronomer, Sosigenes to devise a more reliable method. This, we know as the Julian Calendar and was used widely for 1500 years. The month of his birth, Caesar had named Quintilis, but the Roman Senate later re-named it Julius (July) in his honour. In those days, February had 30 days every 4 years.

However, this calendar was still 11 minutes and 14 seconds longer than the solar year, so that by the year 1580, the calendar had accumulated 10 days off again. In 1582, therefore, Pope Gregory XIII corrected the difference between the sun and calendar by ordering 10 days dropped from October, the month with the least Roman Catholic Feast days. His calendar, we know as the Gregorian Calendar, which is used in almost all of the world today. Pope Gregory made further changes to keep the calendar in line, which on average is only 26.3 seconds longer than the solar year. The Gregorian Calendar is so accurate that it will take until the year 4316 to gain a whole day on the sun.

That year, 1582, October 5th became October 15th and was immediately adopted in most Roman Catholic nations of Europe. Various German states kept the Julian Calendar until 1700. Britain and the American Colonies didn't change until 1752, but Russia and Turkey did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until the early 1900's. So, January 7th by the Georgian Calendar would have been December 25th by the old Julian Calendar [used in Russia] and is therefore why it is still Christmas Day for the Russian Orthodox Church. Many Russians will have celebrated along with the rest of us and will then celebrate again on the Orthodox date.

Bottom Line

When Pope Gregory skipped 10 days in 1582, fixed calendar date holidays shifted to 10 days earlier than under the Julian calendar. If you kept your birthday on the same calendar date, then in 1583 your next birthday occurred only 355 days after your party in 1582 (instead of 365 days). If you wanted to track your "real" date of birth by the sun and 365-day years, then you had to add 10 days to your date of birth. The Russian Orthodox Church choose to add 10 days to Dec 25 to keep Christmas on the same 365-day cycle it had always been celebrated on in Russia.
Does this matter today? Surprising yes. If you do genealogy you'll often see two sets of dates for birth and death for persons living several centuries ago. One date will be their birthday on the Gregorian calendar and the other (+10 days) on the Julian calendar. Since not everyone used the same calendar, your April 1st might not be the same date as my April 1st. How confusing!

Christmas Fires

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall."-Larry Wilde

Here is an interesting story of holiday events gone wrong at wwwStraightDope.com

My assistant Una had an Uncle Bob, a manly man who felt throwing the Christmas tree away was a waste of good firewood. So he tossed it in the fireplace — gave him a nice warm glow.
Unfortunately what was glowing was the roof, presumably ignited by embers.
Fortunately the fire was small and anybody with a hose could have put it out. Unfortunately the hose was frozen solid and the fire department had trouble getting the nearest hydrant to work.
Fortunately the firefighters were able to throw a ladder up against the house and put out the fire with a chemical extinguisher. They then hacked off a small hunk of charred roof with axes, peered into the crawl space, and declared the fire out.
Unfortunately, having by now found an operational hydrant, the firemen declared they needed to hose down the roof "as policy," sending a torrent of water through the hole and collapsing the living room ceiling.
Really unfortunately, the house that all this happened in belonged not to Uncle Bob but his in-laws. Bob bought them an RV and matters were pronounced square, but it was a lesson he won't soon forget, and neither should you.

Bottom Line

I recommend reading the entire StraightDope story at Why is it dangerous to burn wrapping paper? And check out this classic of how quickly a dry christmas tree can go up in flame - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIQY7x6MwMg

Safely dispose of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried-out trees are highly flammable and should not be left in a house or garage, or placed against the house.

Christmas Aftershock

"I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph."-Shirley Temple

I'm always amazed that radio stations can play a month of solid Christmas songs and then go cold turkey and stop on Dec 26. There are many songs like Winter Wonderland that could still be played but everything gets tossed out and back to regular programming.

For anyone wishing to enjoy the spirit of the season for an extra day, try celebrating Boxing Day on Dec 26.

Bottom Line

Now that the holiday is over it's time to put away the decorations like the Christmas Truck.

Merry Christmas!

A Merry Christmas to loyal readers!

As I teenager I lived in Naples, Italy while my father was an Air Force media specialist working with NATO. What I remember most about Christmas in Italy is the nativity scenes, called 'presepio' in Naples.

The Nativity Scene was invented by Saint Francis of Assisi as he stuggled to find a way to deliver the message of the Christmas Story to the poor and uneducated. He used real animals and people and the story was a hit! So it is no surprise that all of Italy takes pride in local church and town crèches. But it is in Naples that nativity scenes reached their most elaborate display. I saw presepios with incredible detail and hundreds of figures - entire towns depicted with butchers, bakers, candlestick makers and more, with Jesus and Mary at the center.

Bottom Line

While Santa is fun, let's not forget the real reason for Christmas.

Christmas Traditions

Groucho: "That's in every contract, that's what you call a sanity clause."
Chico: "You can't a fool a me, there ain't no sanity clause"
- A Night at the Opera (the Marx brothers)

Merry Christmas Eve!
What are the Christmas traditions in your family? In our house we open the gifts on Christmas day and enjoy two holiday foods. First – Christmas Lasagna. My wife makes a great lasagna and loves spinach so we decided spinach lasagna is green, red and white – just the right colors for Christmas! Second - each year we try a different game meat – past holiday meals have included rabbit, boar, buffalo, emu, duck, quail, and venison.
In this blog I’d like to look at the American tradition of Santa Claus.

In many countries the time of giving was Saint Nicholas day (Dec 6) with a tall, skinny St. Nick dressed in the robes of a Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Bishop. The Dutch named him Sinterklaas, which was Americanized to “Santa Claus” by Washington Irving. Irving lampooned the Dutch culture of New Amsterdam and in his book, History of New York (1809), St. Nick lost his bishop’s apparel and was pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. This influenced Clement Moore in 1822 when he wrote the "Night before Christmas", originally titled “A visit from St. Nicholas”. Moore described St. Nick this way,

“He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!”

The poem was quite popular and 59 years later, on January 1, 1881, it inspired Thomas Nast to draw the jolly “elf” for Harper's Weekly magazine (shown above). It was Nast who gave Santa his North Pole home, originated the elves and workshop making toys, letter writing to Santa and he also conceived the idea of "bad" children not getting gifts! [Nast also created the image of Uncle Sam and first used the Donkey and Elephant for the American political parties.]

If you look at Nast’s Santa pictures you’ll see that his St. Nick has a mischievous air, perhaps a little dangerous. It was Norman Rockwell in the 1920s who softened the image of Santa Claus into the friendly and lovable figure we know today.

Bottom Line

Traditions can be fun for adults as well as children. What I’ve written here just scratches the surface of the tradition of “Santa Claus”. Check out Wikipedia and other sources for different Santa traditions around the world:

Papa Noel in Latin America, France and Spain,
Babbo Natale in Italy,
Father Christmas in England with Charles Dickens overtones,
Kris Kringle in America
Sinterklaas in Scandinavia with a Yule Goat

Christmas Ghost Stories

"There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago" - lyrics from It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

My wife volunteers her time one day a month by telling stories to school children. She does this as a member of Spellbinders, an organization dedicated to oral storytelling.

In October she was worried about telling Halloween stories that might be too scary for third graders but they said, "nah, we can handle it", and they did. They loved the scary stories. During her November visit the children asked for scary Thanksgiving stories but she didn't know any. So she called me up afterwards and asked me to find out if there were any scary Christmas stories available. My wife is not the only one asking this question. Check out the post by a "Good Morning Carolina" TV co-anchor who ponders why "Scary ghost stories" are mentioned in the Christmas song It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.

There is clearly a British tradition of Christmas ghosts. The English story, "A Christmas Carol", is filled with ghosts who scare Scrooge to a better life. There was a Dr Who episode that begins with Charles Dickens reciting "A Christmas Carol" and then seeing an actual ghost in the audience. The classic novel, A Turn of the Screw, begins at Christmastime and there is mention of telling ghost stories. In the 1970s the BBC aired ghost stories at Christmastime.

Karen Michelle Nutt explains that there is a connection between Christmas Ghost Stories and Celtic Spirits. December 21 is the longest night of the year and the second most haunted day (Halloween being #1). The Celtic Yuletide season originally represented the death and rebirth of the sun and became associated with death and spirits in general. In modern times the Catholic Church substituted Christmas Eve, Dec 24, for the Winter Solstice with Christ bring light to the world and ending darkness.

Bottom Line

Perhaps Tim Burton's, A Nightmare Before Christmas, is no so far off the mark? With stores celebrating Christmas now the day after Halloween, why not let some Halloween invade Christmastime?