~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 24

★~ Today’s Quote:  Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!  ~Hamilton Wright Mabie

★~ Peace Day: 

The moon seemed a little closer to Earth this day … and the world got a little smaller. It was 1968 and three astronauts, James A. Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman, had reached the moon. It had been just three days earlier that Borman, Captain of Apollo 8, and his team left Cape Kennedy.

Before their return to Earth, the three astronauts would orbit the moon ten times, paving the way for the first Earthling to walk on the lunar surface some seven months down the road.

People all around the globe were able to see (via direct TV transmission) the most important parts of the Apollo 8 mission. This night proved to be one of the most emotional moments of the space flight. It was Christmas Eve, and Lovell, Anders and Borman, 250,000 miles from home, were reading verses from their bible and transmitting a message to all mankind calling for “peace on earth.”

Peace Be with You….celebrated today by passing this message along.

★~ Egg Nog Day:

A frothy, fattening holiday favorite, eggnog is traditionally made from milk, cream, sugar, beaten raw eggs, spices, and sometimes alcohol. The type of alcohol added depends on the country where it is made. In Europe, eggnog is made typically with white wine. Americans on the other hand drink it with bourbon or rum, while Peruvians use pomace brandy, and Germans use beer. Historically, the alcohol added to eggnog was meant to help combat the danger of eating raw eggs. Raw eggs aren’t allowed in the eggnog sold in stores,of-course, but don’t let that stop you from spicing your nog up a bit. Alton Brown Eggnog recipe.

I used my noggin to find out how egg nog was named. More than likely it was originally called”egg n’ grog” which eventually was shortened to “egg nog.” Nog is the old English word for strong ale.

Let’s drink a toast to Peace-God Bless Us Everyone.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1818 – Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for Silent Night to words written by Josef Mohr. The traditional song was sung for the first time during Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

♥~ 1867 – “Oh by gosh by golly!” Is it that time already? It was Christmas Eve that R.H. Macy’s Department Store in New York City remained open until midnight to catch last-minute shoppers. The store took in a record $6,000, giving itself a very Merry Christmas.

♥~ 1977 – The Bee Gees spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve at the top of the music charts. How Deep is Your Love became #1 this day and stayed that way for three weeks.

★~ Born Today: 

♥~ 1905 – Howard Hughes industrialist: Hughes Aircraft; pilot [the ‘Spruce Goose’]; Hollywood producer: Jean Harlow’s career; The Front Page, Scarface, The Outlaw; eccentric recluse: long fingernails; died Apr 5, 1976

♥~ 1922 – Ava Gardner actress: Actress and leading sex symbol of the 1940s and ’50s, Ava Lavinnia Gardner was born at Smithfield, NC. Among Gardner’s numerous movies are The Barefoot Contessa, Bhowani Junction, The Sun Also Rises and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. Gardner was married to Mickey Rooney (1942–43), Artie Shaw (1945–46) and Frank Sinatra (1951–57).

♥~ 1927 – Mary Higgins Clark novelist, author: A few of her best selling titles include-All Through the Night, Before I Say Goodbye, Daddy’s Little Girl, On the Street Where You Live, We’ll Meet Again

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~ In the Ukraine it’s considered good luck if a spider appears on your Christmas tree. This stems from a folk tale about an old woman too poor to afford ornaments, who found that spiders had inhabited her tree overnight and decorated its branches with their webs. If you wake to a spider on your tree on Christmas morning you’ll be blessed with good fortune.

♥~ In the Czech Republic, Single women stand with their backs to the door and throw a shoe over their shoulder. If the shoe’s toe points towards the door they’ll get married in the coming year. If not…better luck next year.

♥~ According to German tradition, the pickle brings good luck and was the last ornament placed on the Christmas tree. On Christmas morning the first child to find the pickle will have good luck for the coming year, and receives an extra gift.

♥~ In Slovakia, a sloppy ceiling on Christmas Eve is a boon to farming. People throw a lump of bread, water, and poppy seeds, called Loksa, onto the ceiling. If the Loksa sticks, crops will be bountiful in the following year.

♥~ In Norway, witches steal brooms on Christmas Eve, and ride around in the sky. So Norwegian safely put away their brooms and mops before sleep.

♥~ In Caracas, Venezuela, it’s not uncommon for streets to be blocked off on Christmas Eve to allow churchgoers to roller skate to church.

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“..It was Christmas Eve in the barnyard. Seven ordinary animals had just settled down for the night. It was just a typical night — or so they thought. The hour of midnight drew near. Silent snow fell gently to the ground. And then something quite amazing happened. These seven ordinary animals, in this simple barn, became seven special animals, if only for this one night. . .” Click here for the rest of the story.

When I was a dumb little kid, my sweet mother, would tell me the story of how the animals could talk on Christmas Eve at 12m. I loved the story when I little and I still love it.

Wishing you a magical Christmas Eve.

♥