~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 20,2013
★~ Today’s Quote: Be glad. Be good. Be brave. Eleanor H. Porter
★~ Go Caroling Day!
The tradition of Christmas carols hails back as far as the thirteenth century, although carols were originally communal songs sung during harvest tide celebrations. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church, and to be specifically associated with Christmas.
The Wassail Song celebrates the New Year! “Wassail” is an old English word that loosely means, “Good Health.” The drink wassail is made with spiced or mulled wine or ale. So some say that Wassail is the question one asked after the toast…Wassail! (What’s in this alel) The tradition of going wassailing dates back to 12th century England. The composer of the music to the wassail song is unknown.
★~Sangria Day:
This refreshingly fruity drink is the perfect toast to the Holiday Season. Sangria is made by combining sliced fruit, honey, sugar, juice, carbonated soda, red or white wine, and other alcohols.
★~ Fried Shrimp Day:
Frying up some shrimp to pair with your Sangria while you sing the Wassail Carol might be a fun Thursday night dinner.
★~ Today in History:
♥~ 1812 – 201 anniversary of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” a compendium of European folk tales first published in 1812 by German brothers Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm. Check out Googles Doodle!
♥~ 1946 – It’s A Wonderful Life 67th Anniversary date of its New York film premier.
♥~ 1952 – Jimmy Boyd reached the #1 spot on the record charts with the Christmas song of the year, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.
♥~ 1954 – Buick Motor Company signed Jackie Gleason to one of the largest contracts ever entered into with an entertainer. Gleason agreed to produce 78 half-hour shows over a two-year period for $6,142,500. How sweet it was!
♥~ 1969 – Peter, Paul & Mary’s Leaving on a Jet Plane reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
♥~ 1998 – A 15-pound concrete garden frog was returned to its home in Swansea, Massachusetts, after a seven-month vacation. The owners had received a letter, saying the frog just needed to get away from the grind of garden life, but would be home for the holidays. They also received photos and postcards from the frog in New York, Venezuela, Venice, and Indonesia.
★~Born Today:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/Y168CNQyO7g[/youtube]
♥~1932 – John Hillerman Emmy Award-winning actor: Magnum P.I.
♥~1933 – Dr. Samuel Mudd, MD, American physician who was convicted and imprisoned for aiding and conspiring with John Wilkes Booth in the 1865 assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. He was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and released from prison in 1869. Despite repeated attempts by family members and others to have it expunged, his conviction has never been overturned. After Booth shot Lincoln, he broke his leg while fleeing the theater and went to Mudd’s home seeking medical assistance. Exactly how much Mudd knew about Booth’s crime is unclear, but his delay in contacting police worked to tie him to the conspiracy. The moral of this story is never trust a man with a broken leg and a gun who shows up in the middle of the night.
♥~1944 – Bobby Colomby musician: drums, singer: group:Blood, Sweat & Tears: And When I Die, You Made Me So Very Happy, Spinning Wheel, Hi De Ho
♥~1945 – Peter Criss (Crisscoula) musician: drums: group: KISS [The Catman]: Strutter, Deuce, Got to Choose, Hotter Than Hell, C’Mon and Love, Rock and Roll All Nite, Detroit Rock City, Shout It Out Loud
♥~1946 – Uri Geller, illusionist, psychic, clairvoyant, spoon-bender
♥~1946 – John Spencer, Emmy Award-winning actor The West Wing (2002)
♥~1948 – Alan Parsons musician: keyboards; music engineer: worked on The Beatles’ Abbey Road LP and early Wings LPs; producer: The Alan Parsons Project: Eye in the Sky, Games People Play
♥~1957 – Billy (Steven) Bragg songwriter, musician: guitar, singer: The Milkman of Human Kindness, A New England, Man in the Iron Mask, St. Withins Day, Island of No Return,Between the Wars, World Turned Upside Down, Which Side are You On?, Levi Stubbs’ Tears
♥~1966 – Chris Robinson, singer: The Black Crowes,
♥~1982 – David Cook, Singer, “American Idol”
♥~1990 – JoJo (Joanna Noëlle Blagden Levesque) singer: Leave [Get Out], Too Little Too Late, In the Dark, Disaster
★~Good to Know:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/qJ_MGWio-vc[/youtube]
♥~ Felix Mendelssohn composed the tune to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” as a tribute to printer/inventor Johann Gutenberg.
♥~ Dick Smith wrote the words for “Winter Wonderland” while recovering from tuberculosis in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
♥~ Australians have their own version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” where all of the animals are replaced by wildlife from down under.
♥~ “Do You Hear What I Hear” was inspired by the Cuban Missile Crisis.
♥~“O Holy Night” was the second piece of music to ever be broadcast on radio, in 1906.
♥~ In “Up on the Housetop,” Santa brings one of the kids a hammer and tacks. Another child gets a whip.
♥~ Elvis recorded “White Christmas” in 1957. Composer Irving Berlin tried to get it banned from the radio.
♥~ Gemini 7 astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell asked to have “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” played for them while they were in orbit in 1965.
♥~ The original lyric for “Silver Bells” was actually “Tinkle Bells,” inspired by a tiny bell on the desk of composers Livingston and Evans.
♥~ The Grand Hotel from “It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas” is believed to be in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
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Christmas is wrapped up and ready to go and now I need a Christmas clean up—time for a mani-pedi.
It’s raining in Chicago which is turning snow into slush, but if the weatherman is on the same page as the weather gods it should all turn back into snow and ice this weekend.
I’ll leave you on this fun note—my favorite song of the Holiday season!
[youtube]http://youtu.be/TX9EAavxrus[/youtube]
Do you have a favorite Christmas carol?
Odd Loves Company!
Morno,
Looks like a good day. Except maybe for the slush. Our weather is mild and beautiful. Unfortunately not mild enough for golf, but I’ll still take it.
We are going out for seafood tomorrow night. it’s my nephews birthday and he chose a seafood place we all like.
I’ll share your song with my sister who faces a lot of the same frustrations. Fortunately, the family eats everything. My daughter, the vegetarian, can always find something on the menu to quietly pick and choose from.
I like Jingle Bells.
Have a good one.
Sounds like a good day despite the lack of golf.
Yes, do share the song. Misery always loves company.
Jiggle bells is always fun to sing!
Are you having comment issues again? Mine keep disappearing. Sorry if this is a duplicate.
My church group will carol tomorrow at the nursing homes and hospitals. People seem to appreciate our effort and there is an abundance of Christmas cookies. My favorite is Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
Shrimp and sangria sound good.
Funny video and I can relate the last get together I hosted people spent most of the time talking about what they could or could not eat. I feel for the people who genuine food issues and I am happy to accommodate them, but it really has gone too far.
Enjoy your mani/pedi—on my list for tomorrow!
Yes. We are having comment issues. Sorry for the poofs and duplicate comment. I am hoping the problem is solved. The caroling sounds fun. I am sure the listeners love it, and the cookies are a nice bonus!
Ditto with the comment issue. I keep trying tho because I know how much you miss me. I’m well! Just in time, too. Busy weekend and lots to do before Santa arrives. I have cleared the calendar for Monday tho. My husband is home I just want to spend the day together doing simple, fun things. Home movies, cookies, or whatever.
The hostess at tomorrow nights party will make a punch bowl full of Sangria. It’s really good.
Favorite carol is Silent Night.
Hope your slush turn into snow.
TTFN
I do miss you! Thanks for sticking with me. Taking a day off and regrouping before Christmas. What a great idea. The movie Mr. Banks is suppose to be fun–not great but fun.
Enjoy your parties!
hip hip hooray for carolers. they’re still a joy for people to listen to.
i always enjoyed john hillerman’s character, higgins, in the magnum, pi series.
i never put together the alan parson who worked with the beatles to the alan parsons project. ding!
nice christmas songs facts. love christmas songs. my favorite today is do you hear what i hear?
holiday dinner video is humorous yet telling. people need to take the attitude of mike’s daughter ^. it’s only food, not a spectacle.
today was overcast & humid. supposed to cool down for christmas. hope so.
good evening!
I know it’s bad enough that people have so many can and can haves but the constant conversation about is for the most part boring. And it is downright annoying if you have hosted, tried to meet everyone needs in advance. I alway tell people come for the company and not the food.
Caroling is fun, we use to go with a group Coles kindergarten teacher pulled together. Dessert and carols.
I have my fingers crossed you have a chilly Christmas eve and day—we will also try to blow some snow your way. Ha.
Well, I’ll try to comment, but I’m not optimistic. I’ve been trying for DAYS and everything I write just goes Poof! I’d blame my iffy Internet connection, but if others ^ are having issues, maybe it’s not me.
Favorite Christmas song is “O Holy Night.” My mom’s late uncle used to sing it solo at Midnight Mass, and it was something to behold!
Today was 70 degrees but cloudy. At least I’m not shoveling! Still fighting this cold, too. Sigh.
Sorry. It looks like everything is up and working finally this morno. Of-course who knows what tomorrow will bring–I’m hopeful. Thanks for hanging in with me. It’s not you!
O’Holy Night is beautiful.
That cold is really hanging on. 70 is warm! Hope every day brings you closer to silent coughs, and a dripless nose.
No need to drive your car today….it just went were it wanted to.And usually into another car, Roads were ice rinks this morning here in the Rockford/Belvidere area. All schools were closed and I imagine all the kids were really disappointed!! By around 10 a.m. roads were improving due to being salted. Millie would go out to do her pottying and her hind feet would be moving, but she wasnt going anywhere. It is being advised to stay off all the roads again tonight because of freezing drizzle. Hope people take that advice.
Wow your weather conditions were really bad. Poor Millie! It was just wet and slushy in Chicago. It’s suppose to freeze over today and snow. I try to schedule as little as possible so if there are delayed people don’t feel too rushed dropping off their pups at camp.
Stay warm, dry, and on your feet!
That Xmas song is almost to true to be funny!
We are supposed to be getting some flurries today.
Xmas is all wrapped up.
TTFN
MJ
I think people should pack their own food and come to dinner for the company. Me too. I’m done!