~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 26,2012

★~ Today’s Quote: “I passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel.” ~  Buddy in Elf

★~ Boxing Day:

It’s a holiday with presents that have already been opened and a dinner that has been eaten. It’s a holiday best spent lounging around in brightly colored sweaters, wondering, lazily and lethargically, what to do next. Click for more about Boxing Day.

★~ Kwanzaa:

Kwanzaa means “first fruits of the harvest” in the Kishahili language and was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 to honor African American heritage. It reflects upon and celebrates seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Each day of the celebration, a candle is lit in a Kinara. Today, on the first day of Kwanzaa, a black candle is lit to symbolize the people. To the left of the black candle are three red candles, representing the people’s struggles. To the right of the black candle are three green candles, symbolizing the people’s hope for the future. The candles are lit from left to right, one candle for each day of the celebration.

★~ National Percolator Day:

Do you remember coffee percolators? Percolators were the main method of preparing coffee for over 100 years, to be gradually replaced by the automatic drip brewer in the 1970’s. Despite the difficulty in “perking” that perfect cup of coffee using a percolator this older method of coffee brewing  is making a comeback so if you have one in your attic you might want to bring it out and fill it up with cool water, add some coarse ground coffee – being sure to sniff that delicious aroma, add your heat source, sit back, and listen to your coffee make that distinctive “perking” sound.

★~  National Whiner’s Day: 

Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? Did you eat one too many sugar cookies? Are there gifts overtaking your living space? Go ahead and complain. No, really, you can actually whine today; cheese is optional. If you know others who want to want to whine with you, gather and have a whine and sheesh party.

★~ Thank You Note Day: 

Are you thinking about writing a few thank you notes, as you lounge around in a brightly colored sweaters sipping a little egg nog. Remember the hardest part is starting

★~ Candy Cane Day:

Two billion candy canes, about $214 million worth, were purchased this holiday season by consumers with a sweet tooth.  The original candy cane did not have stripes. Before the red stripe was introduced, a candy cane was simply a white, mint-flavored stick. Decorating the tree with candy canes became fashionable during the 1850s when a resident of Ohio, August Imgard, hung them on a Christmas tree to augment his homemade decorations. The modern candy cane was invented by Bob McCormack of Atlanta.  He started the curved candy trend sometime in the early 1920′s with handmade versions. Each year 1.76 billion candy canes are made — enough to stretch from Santa Clause, IN to North Pole, AK and back again 32 times. Candy canes were once considered “medicine”.  The soothing peppermint and sugar combo was used as a pacifier for children. Other flavors – including anise and cinnamon – were used by apothecaries to help soothe and calm their patients. The world’s largest candy cane was created by Paul Ghinelli and measured 58 feet 2 1/4 inches.  Turn left over Candy Canes into Candy Cane Bark

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1865 –James H. Mason of Franklin, MA patented the coffee percolator that makes coffee good to the last drop!

♥~ 1969 – The cover of LIFE Double Issue profiled the 1960s “Decade of Tumult and Change.”

♥~ 1977 –Anita Bryant was named one of People magazine’s 25 Most Intriguing People of 1977. U.S. President Jimmy Carter topped the list.

♥~ 1981 – AC/DC’s album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You was #1 in the U.S.  The tracks on the album were: For Those About To Rock (We Salute You), Put the Finger on You, Let’s Get It Up, Inject the Venom, Snowballed, Evil Walks, C.O.D., Breaking the Rules, Night of the Long Knives and Spellbound.

♥~ 1982 –The Man of the Year in TIME magazine was a non-human for the first time. A computer received the honors as 1982’s “greatest influence for good or evil.”

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1933 –  Caroll Spinney, Actor, Big Bird on “Sesame Street”

♥~ 1935 – Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir singer: group: The Four Tops

♥~ 1945 – John Walsh TV host: America’s Most Wanted; actor: Wrongfully Accused; his six-year-old son Adam was kidnapped and murdered in Florida in 1981; co-founder: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; author: Tears Of Rage, No Mercy, Public Enemies)

♥~ 1963 – Lars Ulrich musician: drums: group: Metallica: LPs: Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, …And Justice for All, Metallica or [Black Album], Load,Reload, Garage Inc.

★~ Did You Know: You don’t have to put those string lights away after the holidays. Here are a few bright Ideas about how to use them throughout the year.

★~ Drape bigger bulbs casually to create an effortless lamp.

★~ Create a lit-up display by poking holes in a canvas. More directions here.

★~ String lights around baskets, or fill baskets with lights.

★~ Fill wine bottles with lights to make a spectacular centerpiece.

★~ Cover lights with tiny mason jars 

★~ Use foil cupcake liners as light embellishments. This is a great idea for any holiday party.

★~ Wrap them around an interestingly shaped mirror.

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Did you have a Merry Christmas?  My Happy Campers are checking in, out, and racing all around so I will be back in a bit but in the meantime what’s new with you!

Odd Loves Company!