The Times Square ball has lit up NYC on New Year’s Eve at midnight every year since 1907. There has only been two times in history when it didn’t. Both happened during the World War II light restrictions in 1942 and 1943. Times Square had to remain dark on New Years Eve and there was…
Before celebrating with champagne toasts, confetti, noise makers, resolutions we won’t keep… people used to say farewell to the previous year and welcome the new one by ringing actual bells, often in churches. Decades before people stood in Times Square for hours without going to the bathroom to watch the ball drop, crowds of people…
I know, I know, seems like an insane question. But you’ll be surprised by the answer! Here’s the thing… if you are really in to recycling, you actually can eat your Christmas tree. The needles provide vitamin C. And if your tree comes with pinecones, the pine nuts can be healthy too. Some Christmas trees…
This is a very random one today, but do you remember those old school boxes of animal crackers? The package had that white string on top. I always wondered why? Just a fun handle? To make it easier to hang in the stores? Nope. None of those reasons. It’s actually more festive than that. Animal…
It’s that time of year you’ve probably seen the Salvation Army red pots outside the stores lately. But why do they use the red pot? The first ever Salvation Army collection kettle took place in San Francisco at the Oakland Ferry located at the foot of Market St. It was actually a large crab pot…
You may have already eaten a few candy canes this year. It’s certainly the season for it. But why? The National Confectioners Association (yes, a real thing) says it all started with a choirmaster in a church who originally gave the red and white peppermint sticks to young children to keep them quiet during the…
I wonder this every time I hear the song. When are we supposed to start the “12 days” in the “The 12 Days of Christmas”? I always thought it was before or sometime in early December. Nope. It is actually about the 12 days AFTER Christmas, not before. The last day always ends on January…
Santa is busy up in the North Pole getting ready for his big trip next weekend. But where exactly is the North Pole? Which country? Kind of a trick question since no country owns the North Pole currently. It actually exists in international waters. The closest land is the Canadian territory of Nunavut and Greenland…
Poinsettias are a really beautiful plant, but why are they so popular to decorate with at Christmas time? Besides the obvious fact that they are Christmas colors, red and green. The poinsettia story all goes back to plant’s native Mexico, where legend has it a little girl left some seeds from a weed as a…
Now that you’ve pulled all of your snow globes out from the basement to put on display for the holidays you’ve probably been wondering what the snow particles are made of? No? You’re not? Well I’m going to tell you anyway… The snow, or the technical term for it “flitter”, was originally bone chips or…