Christmas Cat Corner

April 30

One of the biggest cat holiday temptations is the Christmas tree with its fresh smell and bright, colorful decorations. Dropped needles from the tree can become lodged in a cat’s esophagus if ingested, making it painful when swallowing. Tinsel from the tree may cause stomach problems or choking. Obviously any broken glass ornaments should be carefully removed so that there are no remnants to become stuck in paws.

Ribbon from packages makes tempting cat toys, but be sure not to leave kitty unsupervised as, again, there is a choking danger. One final Christmas tree concern is the water in the Christmas tree stand. Cover the tree base tightly with your tree skirting to keep your pet from drinking the water, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, or mouth sores.

From Humblest Beginnings

April 29

Bethlehem was not a very significant place in biblical times. It is the location of the story of Ruth the Moabitess. At an altitude of 2,350 feet, it spreads out between Wadi el Hrobbe in the north and Wadi er-Rahib in the south. The land of Moab is visible in the southeast. Largely under Muslim control now, the population is quickly dwindling as Christians leave the area. The main resources of Bethlehem are agriculture and the sale of religious articles. The city is also the marketplace of the peasants and Bedouins of the neighborhood.

Beaming In on Fiber Optics

April 28

An optical fiber is a flexible filament made of extruded glass or plastic. These optical fibers transmit light between the two ends of the fiber and find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at higher bandwidths (data rates) than wire cables.

Commonly, fiber optics are used for the transmission of light for decorative purposes. Fiber-optic technology is used in Christmas lighting, especially by incorporating it into artificial Christmas trees. Incandescent lamps or LEDs are located in the tree base, and many optic fibers extend from the lamps to the ends of the tree branches. These devices frequently use a step-down transformer because they have only one or two lamps or LEDs as the light on the source end, thus saving electricity.

The Case Against Flying Reindeer

April 27

This business of flying reindeer may be a complete accident of poor poetic interpretation. In the famous Clement Moore/Livingston poem, the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh are ground-bound but only because they are moving so quickly "As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly." It is only "when they meet with an obstacle" (i.e., the house), that they become airborne, blown up to the rooftop by the wind rush created by their speed.

All That Glitters Is, Well, Glitter

April 26

Henry Ruschmann of Bernardsville, New Jersey, figured out a way to grind up shiny plastic into glitter; and today his company, Meadowbrook Inventions, is a leading supplier of the sparkly stuff. Their slogan: "Our glitter covers the world."

Hogmaney

April 25

Although Christmas and its customs were in disfavor for only a short time in England (during the reign of Cromwell), Scotland ignored the holiday far longer. To the Scots, "Christmas" is "Christ's Mass," and Mass was banned in Scotland. Charges were brought against people for keeping "Yule," as it was called in Scotland. This less-than-festive attitude lasted for 400 years. It has only been in recent years that the Scots observed December 25 as a special day at all. Until the 1960s, Christmas Day was a normal working day for most people in Scotland. Rather, they would save their sense of celebration for a week and celebrate "Hogmanay," a greeting of the New Year.

It Makes A Village

April 24

Department 56 began as part of Bachman's, a premiere retail florist in Minneapolis. Bachman's used a numbering system to identify each of its departments. The number assigned to the wholesale gift imports division was -- you guessed it -- 56. The foundation of Department 56 took shape with the introduction of six charming, lighted, ceramic buildings. These six premiere items were the beginnings of The Original Snow Village®. In 1979, the original Original Snow Village designs were retired in order to accommodate 12 new introductions as well as the appearance of the first Village accessories.

Each Year in October Dept. 56 publishes a list of the designs that will be discontinued. New pieces are introduced every year.

You can display them on a table, bookshelf, in various parts of the room as floral centerpieces, or try installing them above kitchen cupboards to add a little decoration to your kitchen area (We've found it is easier to hide the cords up there)!

Colors of Christmas

April 23

Why are red and green considered the two main colors of Christmas? Red represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all of us. Green is the color of the evergreen tree, which represents everlasting life through the sacrifice of Christ.

The Legacy of Alfred Burt

April 22

Alfred Burt was born in Marquette, Michigan, on April 22, 1920. His father, Bates Burt, became pastor of an Episcopal church in Pontiac, Michigan, where the family moved when Alfred was two. Though he would learn several other instruments, including the piano, Alfred spent most of his life playing cornet and trumpet in bands and orchestras, with a special interest in jazz. He studied music at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1942.

A tradition that the elder Burt had begun upon moving to Pontiac in 1922 was the creation of a Christmas card, which he sent to family members and parishioners. On these cards were original Christmas carols with both the words and music by the Reverend Burt. For the family Christmas card in 1942, Bates asked his son to write the music for that year's carol, "Christmas Cometh Caroling." From then on, Alfred would write the music for the family's Christmas cards, and the "Alfred Burt Carols" were born.

Here is a list of the carols, in order they were written:

Christmas Cometh Caroling (1942)
Jesu Parvule (1943)
What Are the Signs (1944)
Ah, Bleak and Chill the Wintry Wind (1945)
All on A Christmas Morning (1946)
Nigh Bethlehem (1947)
Christ in the Stranger's Guise (1948)
Sleep Baby Mine (1949)
This Is Christmas (1950)
Some Children See Him (1951)
Come, Dear Children (1952)
O, Hearken Ye (1953)
Caroling. Caroling (1954)
We'll Dress the House (1954)
The Star Carol (1954)

Christmas In Vestments

April 21

Traditionally, vestments worn during Advent season are purple, which is a color that symbolizes royalty, in honor of the anticipated arrival of the King. There is a growing interest in and acceptance of the color blue as an alternative. The United Methodist Book of Worship of 1992 identifies purple or blue as appropriate colors for Advent. However, there is some controversy in it. Traditionally, blue was liturgically reserved for celebrations involving Mary, the mother of Jesus -- a practice not endorsed by the Methodist church.

Save Energy with LED lights

April 20

Light-emitting diode (LED) Christmas lights are quickly gaining popularity in many places due to their low energy usage (about one tenth the energy used by incandescent bulbs), very long lifetimes, and associated low maintenance. Colored LEDs are also far more efficient at producing light than their colored incandescent counterparts.

Parang

April 19

You might not think of Christmas carols when visiting Trinidad or Tobago, but from October to January, singers go from house to house singing Parang, a song style identified with these tropical Caribbean islands. Similar in intent to Christmas caroling, Parang bands, or "Parenderos," consist of about five singers and musicians who play guitar, mandolin, violin, cello, clapper, claves, tiple, guiro, and maracas.

The Legend of the Christmas Rose

April 18

A young girl named Madelon wanted to worship the Christ Child. Seeing the gold, frankincense, and myrrh brought by the Magi, she searched the countryside for a flower that she might bring; but the winter had been cold and harsh, and there were no flowers to be found. Saddened, Madelon began to weep. With the help of a passing angel, a bush that bloomed of white roses sprouted in the ground where her tears fell. "No gift is offering more to the Christ Child than these pure Christmas roses born from the tears of innocence." And thus young Madelon went her way and worshipped the Prince of Peace, bearing the gift of her heart and tears.

A Wilder Christmas

April 17

Thornton Wilder wrote the lyrics to a bittersweet operetta by German composer Paul Hindemith entitled “The Long Christmas Dinner. “ A series of Christmas dinners are compressed into a single meal spanning a 90-year period. The work is Paul Hindemith's final opera, composed in 1960-61. "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" thematically works its way in and out of the music, where each character at the dinner is a thematic force driving to Wilder's conclusion that all that has been done will occur again -- a common theme for Wilder.

Wilder was born on April 17, 1897

Laughter Therapy

April 16

Santa Claus may be on to something with his frequent "Ho Ho Ho." Research shows there are therapeutic benefits of laughter and humor. The Laughter Heals Foundation provides easily accessible “laughter therapy” materials for the use of patients, residents, and caregivers in hospitals, cancer recovery facilities, children’s hospitals, orphanages, nursing homes, drug and alcohol treatment centers, assisted living facilities, and mental hospitals.

Luke 2:1-7

April 15

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. “

—Luke 2:1-7 (KJV).

A Classic Verse

April 14

"Whatever else be lost among the years,
Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing;
Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears,
Let us hold close one day, remembering
It's poignant meaning for the hearts of men.
Let us get back our childlike faith again."

—Grace Noll Crowell

Lenox Holiday China

April 13

Even though Congress had decreed that all furnishings for the White House be manufactured in the United States, it was not until the Theodore Roosevelt administration that any china was deemed worthy for the State Dining Room. Walter Scott Lenox changed that. In his determination to devise the perfect porcelain, the ambitious potter created wares that were indeed fit for Presidents, and Lenox became the first American china to be used in the White House.

Between 1918 and the present, five Presidents have commissioned Lenox to issue new State services, each reflecting both period tastes and the timeless beauty of Lenox's renowned ivory china. The most cherished seasonal pattern, Holiday™, has become one of the most familiar and beloved family traditions of the holiday season. “Holiday” is distinguished by its graceful holly- and-berries motif.

April 12

Sand Tarts

1 c. butter
5 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream sugar and butter. Blend in flour, vanilla, and nuts. Flour hands well and roll out 1/2-1 teaspoons each into balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool.

ICING:
1 stick butter
1/2 box confectioners' sugar, sifted
1-2 tbsp. water, more if needed

Combine in double boiler. Remove from heat. Dip top half of sand tarts in icing. Icing may be tinted pink or green or may be left white.

April 11

Little worlds of winter scenes are common themes in snow globes, which first appeared at the Paris Universal Expo in 1878. It is believed that they are an offshoot of the interest in glass paperweights, which were popular in France in preceding years. They grew in popularity in England around the turn of the 19th to 20th century, when decorative items depicting nature and small scenes were considered chic. They became popular advertising items in the 1940s, and those with religious themes, such as Christmas, were popular gifts to children. In 1941, their influence on pop culture obtained cinematic status as a key ingredient to the visual imagery in Orson Welles’ famous picture, "Citizen Kane." Fiona on "Burn Notice" collected them, but lost them all when her house exploded. And Desmond, one of the captive survivors in the cult TV phenomenon, "Lost," believes no one can ever escape because their island is inside a snow globe.

A Novel Approach

April 10

Born on April 10, 1827, Lew Wallace was a state senator for Indiana and served as a general during the Civil War, saving Washington, DC, from a Confederate attack in 1864. In 1873, he achieved some success with a novel called "The Fair God." Believing it would be possible to make a successful career as an author, Wallace began writing a story that followed the life of Jesus from birth to his crucifixion -- but with a twist. The novel follows a young Jewish nobleman who falls out of favor with Rome and whose life intertwines with Jesus at various points. The novel became one of the most successful novels of all time and was later made into a stage production and eventually, after Wallace's death, two films. The book: Ben Hur.

The Tooth about Santa

April 9

Perhaps one of the strangest Christmas songs to become popular was written by Donald Gardner in 1944. A schoolteacher in Smithtown, New York, he asked the class what they all wanted for Christmas. Since most of them were of the age where baby teeth begin to fall out, he noticed that nearly all the kids answered him in a lisp. So he wrote "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth"... and the rest is history.

Yule Love It

April 8
When the Norse became Christians, they retained their winter solstice log-burning custom and gave the name "Yule" to mean Christmas. The tradition found its way to the Anglo Saxons, and the log became equally important in England. A portion of the Yule log is saved each year to light the next year's Yule fire.