~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 9th

★~ Today’s Quote: “You cannot reach perfection however hard you try; there’s always one more friend or so you should have sent a card to,” Richard Armour.

★~ Christmas Card Day:

I love Christmas cards, I love family Christmas pictures inside Christmas cards, and I love Christmas letters. Yes, even Christmas letters that share about your family’s trip to Hawaii for the holidays while I freeze in Chicago. It’s Christmas, I’m merry for you—or, as our El Morno friend Julianne would say, “ I’m so effen merry for you.”

What I don’t love is opening a Christmas card with just a signature. It’s worse than when you were a kid and opened a birthday card without money in it. The card arrives in the mail…maybe the first one of the season. I open the envelope with some level of expectation, I’m greeted by a nice holiday message and a pleasing picture. I then open the card anticipating a family holiday picture, letter, or maybe just a few updating paragraphs…but nothing is inside but the name of the sender and perhaps a “love” or “fondly” tossed in for good measure. Not fair.

One of my Christmas dreams after I had Cole was to have a family holiday card with all three of us dressed in matching Lands’ End sweaters. I have a friend from way back who always seems to manage these kind of cards and moments: a Nashville family gathered before the fireplace, a Jesus kind of glow surrounding them, their outfits matching, and they are all smiling at the camera. I wanted that!! I managed it one year, short the Jesus glow and fireplace; I could only afford JC Penney pictures after I bought the sweaters. Look up ^ and try to admire my one Christmas card picture of the family.

Fewer people send Christmas or holiday cards these days, and I can understand the time and money spent might be put to better use…but if you are going to go to the effort to pick out, buy, stamp, and mail a Christmas card, for goodness’ sake at least try to make it a twinkling moment and worth the effort to open the envelope.

★~ National Pastry Day:

Pastries have been around forever. In 2600 B.C., the Egyptians were making doughnut-like pastries out of crude flour and honey, and dipping them in wine.

In the 7th century, pastry making developed as a culinary art form in the Middle East. It spread to Europe after the Crusades, and French and Italian chefs developed their own version of the recipes and experimented with new techniques. The result was yummy!

Why not pay a visit to your local bakery and pick up your favorite kind of pastry and celebrate Pastry Day? By the way, what is your favorite kind of pastry? I don’t think you have ever shared this with us, and inquiring minds always want to know these kinds of things.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1854 – Alfred Lord Tennyson’s noted poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” was published in England.

♥~ 1965 – The Peanuts gang made its TV debut this day. A Charlie Brown Christmas ran for the first time on CBS.

♥~ 1988 – According to a poll released in the US, the music of Neil Diamond was the best background music for sex, Beethoven was the second choice and Luther Vandross was voted third.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1916 – Kirk Douglas actor: Greedy, The Secret, Oscar, Queenie, Tough Guys, The Final Countdown, The Chosen, A Gunfight, There was a Crooked Man, The Arrangement, The Brotherhood, In Harm’s Way, Seven Days in May, Spartacus, Lonely are the Brave, Paths of Glory, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Lust for Life, Ulysses, Young Man with a Horn, Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful; father of actor Mike Douglas

♥~ 1928 – Dick Van Patten actor: Eight is Enough, When Things Were Rotten, WIOU, The Partners, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Mama, A Dangerous Place, Spaceballs,Westworld, Superdad, Son of Blob

♥~ 1934 – Judi Dench Academy Award-winning actress [Shakespeare in Love (1999)]; The Corrections, Casino Royale, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Pride and Prejudice,The Chronicles of Riddick, Die Another Day, Mrs. Brown, Chocolat, Iris

♥~ 1942 – Dick Butkus College and Pro Football Hall of Famer: Chicago Bears: middle linebacker: NFL Defensive Player of the Year [1969, 1970]; actor: Rich Man, Poor Man, Half Nelson

♥~ 1957 – Donny Osmond singer: Go Away Little Girl, Puppy Love; [w/sister, Marie]: I’m Leaving It All Up to You; group: Osmond Brothers: One Bad Apple; TV host:Donny and Marie; actor: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; dance champ: Dancing with the Stars [2009]

♥~ 1962 – Felicity Huffman actress: Desperate Housewives, Transamerica, Christmas with the Kranks, Raising Helen, Path to War, Snap Decision, Magnolia, Harrison: Cry of the City

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~ In 1843, Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first commercial Christmas cards in London. A simple, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You” was found on the inside of each card

♥~ The most valuable Christmas card was sold at an auction in Devizes, Wiltshire, UK in 2001 for $35,800. The card was hand-colored by illustrator John Calcott Horsley. The card was originally sent by Sir Henry Cole of Bath to his grandmother in 1843!

♥~ The first Christmas cards rarely showed winter or religious themes, instead favoring flowers, fairies and other fanciful designs that reminded the recipient of the approach of spring.

♥~ “Official” Christmas cards began with Queen Victoria in the 1840s. The British royal family’s cards are generally portraits reflecting significant personal events of the year. ♥~ In 1953, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first official White House Christmas cards. The cards usually depict White House scenes as rendered by prominent American artists. The number of recipients has snowballed over the decades, from just 2,000 in 1961 to 1.4 million in 2009.

♥~ 45% of all cards sent are Christmas cards.

♥~ Christmas cards are primarily women’s work. 85% of all Christmas cards are bought and sent by women.

♥~ The most Christmas cards sent by on person in one year was 62,824.

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TGIF! Hope everyone has fabulous day!

♥