It's Been a Long Hard Year, and It's Finally Winding Down.

Well, it's been a rough year, but I'm still around. I swore that I'd keep up with the blogging this year, but my life took many unexpected turns in 2014, and I got majorly sidetracked. First of all, just after my last post here, back in June, we were notified by our former landlord, the idiot that catered to the asshat immigrant neighbors next door, but yet would not come around to get the boiler in the basement working properly (I would always have to go down and reset the thing every time the power would go out, which was quite often) notified us that, because the neighbors were complaining about a smell that originated outside, and not from our house (something was living under their back porch), we would have to move out.  So we had roughly a month to get everything packed, and find a place. Things got pretty stressful, as you could well imagine, and we were down to the wire, not being able to find anything suitable, until about 5 days before we were scheduled to move out of the old place. We finally found a nice, albeit smaller, apartment in New Cumberland, about 10 or so blocks from my brother's place. The next problem we faced was finding a mover. Since it was the weekend that a lot of college students were supposed to be moving, we had a hard time finding someone to move us. I finally found a group on Craigslist (big mistake, but at the last minute, I was desperate) called "The Labor Team".  They showed up the afternoon of the move with 4 people, and a "supervisor" who was barely there. What was supposed to be a quick and easy 6 hour move turned out to be 11 hours, and it was all done haphazardly. They just threw stuff on the truck wherever they felt like it, and we had to make two trips instead of one (When we moved from Erie to Enola, the movers on both ends had everything loaded/unloaded in 3 hours each, with only 3 people on each end).  Then the idiots, instead of taking the legs off of an old desk to get it in the apartment, left it outside in the rain, and it ended up getting trashed. A lot of Kat's stuff that was in her drawers was scattered all over the truck, an antique rocking chair that my great grandfather built was ruined, and they totally wrecked the washing machine (we'll have to invest in another rental from Aaron's eventually). Then they kept harassing us for extra payment for the extra work they did. I agreed to $600, and they were to be done in 6 hours. Due to their messing around, and constant breaks (I think all totaled, we counted about five 1/2 hour breaks), we ended up having to do a lot of the loading and unloading ourselves, and it took way longer than it should have, so they got no more, and the police agreed when I told them, after the idiots tried to get them involved.  So word of warning- Do not answer ads for "professional" movers on Craigslist, unless it is from an established moving company, and NEVER answer an ad from "The Labor Team" unless you want to be scammed out of your money, and have your property carelessly handled and destroyed.

Secondly, over the summer, my dads health went into a very sudden downward spiral, and a lot of time was spent running back and forth to the nursing home where he was.  He suffered a bad fall in June, while we were on vacation, and hit his head.  He was supposed to be watched constantly as a fall risk, but they left him unattended in his chair and he fell. After the fall, he wasn't the same at all. He would have his good days, where he was lucid, and animated, other times he  hardly knew we were there. The last few weeks in September were the hardest. I kept expecting to get that dreaded call while I was at work, and always had my cell phone on vibrate just in case the call came. He passed away on October 4, at approximately 3am. I got the call from Kat and called everyone else to let them know. There was a small memorial service for family and friends at the chapel at the cemetery. Mom's oldest friend Judy, and her sister Matilda came down from NW PA, My cousin, Laurie, and her daughter, Leslie, came down from Edinboro, and we were able to get my sister, Melanie, down from Akron for the week as well. This is going to be a rough holiday without the old man, and he will be missed. Love you, Fott, and we'll meet again on the other side.
About a month and a half later, my mom took a fall in her apartment building, and broke her femur in 3 places. She had surgery to repair it, and is recovering in therapy until at least January, so we'll be spending a part of Christmas with her in the care facility where she's staying until she recovers.

Last and not least, we have the cool stuff, or fun stuff (I got this idea from my friend Tom Keyes- whose name rhymes with "eyes" and not "keys"[Hi Tom] who started a video blog of his own, while dealing with some pretty serious health issues.)  In my free time, I've gotten pretty active in an online game called "Neverwinter", which is based on the newest edition of Dungeons and Dragons.  Since starting up again in August, I have gotten four characters to level 60 (the current level cap) and have about seven more that I am working on. I joined a pretty cool guild called "the Neverwinter Nine" as well, which reminds me a lot of the old pre-endgame madness "Eternity Matters" guild that I belonged to when I played WoW. If I need help with a specific quest or boss, usually one or more of the members usually jumps in to assist.   The plus is that I got Kat active as well. She only has five characters, not quite as many as Altoholic me, but she enjoys the game.

Well, that's about it for this long-delayed post. Hopefully, I'll be able to be more active in 2015.  Happy Holidays, everyone!

 

Camping, Storms, Drama Queens, and Real Royalty (At Least Within the Community)

Well, vacation officially started Monday. Kat and I had the cars all packed up over the weekend -save for a few last minute things- and were on the road by 8:15am. We arrived at the campgrounds at 10am, and were completely set up by 12:30.  We were relaxing outside of our tent, under the canopy when the idiots we camped with last year came in.  Just to be assholes, and cause drama, they set up camp right next to us, even going so far to make things dangerous for anyone wishing to cross through outside of our tent by crossing support lines with ours.  They were extremely rude, loud, and obnoxious and tried everything in their power to annoy us. Of course, we just kept doing what we were doing and ignored them.  Around 5pm, they held the annual staff meeting for all staff that was on site, and since I was pre-designated staff (I'm apprentice Em-Cee this year) and Kat went along to see about volunteering for stuff.  The idiots, of course, didn't show up, and missed out on important information such as "no drama" and other things staff should know, and also missed out on some good pizza.  We returned to the tent and got a few things set up, ate dinner, and checked out the camp a bit before retiring to the tent for the night. Around 4am, I woke up thanks to my slightly sunburned shoulder, and was surprised by a very bright flash of lightning outside.

Yes, it was storming, and it was a pretty decent sized severe storm as well. It lasted for about 2 hours, and I was worried about our tent/ camping space holding out, after our experiences last year. However, our tent/canopy fared extremely well, getting only about a couple tablespoons worth of water inside, while the idiots in the nice enclosed space next to ours struggled to keep water off of the poorly placed canopies and the tents. We listened to the chief idiot barking orders through-out the storm while we stayed nice and dry in our tent, throughout.

The rest of the week, so far, has been great, aside from the occasional sogginess and a certain drama queen claiming one of the best places to get wifi access for HIS program alone.  I've been working as assistant Em-Cee for a gentleman named Tom Swiss.  My duties, thus far (As "Minion Dave"), have been assisting with prepping the fire circle, and setting up ritual space as well as helping with setup for some of the concerts. Tom has been a great person to work with, and I look forward to working with him more in the future.  Last night, I attended a concert by a group called KIVA, and enjoyed it immensely, until I went down to the fire circle to greet people and enjoy some of the fire and drumming for a bit. Just about the time it started, another thunderstorm rolled through, which made it even more exciting.  However, it got a bit slick down there, so they closed the circle early. I am looking forward to other concerts (which I will report on later) and bonfires throughout the week.

We have also gotten to meet with a few people we haven't seen for a while, like some of the young people that we had the pleasure of working with last year, and the wonderful couple that married Kat and I fourteen years ago. Jim "Nybor" and Elspeth Odbert,

are very special people, and it's always a great pleasure to see them, visit with them, and learn from them whenever they're around. It's been about 9 years since we've seen either of them, and we were greeted with smiles and hugs, and we caught up on everything that transpired since the last time we met. Both of them were pleased to hear that we both went back to school, and that we both graduated with honors.  Nybor told me that it was time to continue my learning and learn to accept what advice and assistance I can get. Not ten minutes later, Elspeth and I sat down and talked, and (unaware of what was discussed between Nybor and myself) told me I should start learning a manual (crafting) trade such as carpentry or blacksmithing, possibly herbalism to enhance my cooking skills as well as some healing/ medicinal skills, as those will be more in demand once the infrastructure falls apart. I'm going to start researching herbalism, and look for someone who will apprentice this almost 50 year old in a crafting skill.

On that note, it is almost lunch time for me, and after that, time for more concert prep. I will update later in the week with my reviews on KIVA, HVBRIS and other performers here at FSG. Until then, I leave you with a giant bug.

WTF?!?! A GIANT BUG!! Quick, get the raid!
 

Tales of a Liar, Pervert, and Nobody

This has been bothering me for some time, now, and I've mulled it over in my mind how to approach exposing this idiot, and finally come to the conclusion that this is probably the best approach.  Now, before I continue, let it be known that I don't hold any prejudices against those with alternate lifestyles or different religions, but this one person in particular just sets my hackles on edge, and makes me want to vomit, scream, etc. 
The person in question is a (very) openly gay "leader" of a particular group in the local area.  I had my doubts about him from the moment I met him, but being the "fair" person that I am, I gave him the benefit of the doubt for the first few months I knew him, and then his true colors started to glare out of nowhere. First of all, he started to make subtle, and some not-so-subtle advances at me, all of which were politely declined by me, at first, and then quite firmly discouraged. In the time that I thought we were friends, this person "confided" in me about things that really made me think twice about his motives.  Apparently, at one point, he had a younger friend (a young boy) that used to spend weekends at his trashy dump of a trailer, whom he quite openly encouraged to run around his trailer and property in his underwear and in the nude. His tales never went beyond that, but his comments about the young boy's body, etc really made me wonder. I got really uncomfortable with these stories and finally told the guy that I didn't want to hear anymore.  That was just one of his true colors that began to show through.
Another thing was that this guy calls himself a "leader" and a "teacher", but there were times where he would "teach" about something of which I already had knowledge, and his information was so far off the mark that it wouldn't hit the broad side of a barn, to coin a phrase.  When confronted about this, he flat out told me "I'm the teacher, you're the student. It is not for you to question me." (Say what?  I was taught very early on that questioning leads to learning.) But, then again, what else can you say about someone whose chosen "name" has nothing to do with Fairies, as he thinks it does, but is more synonymous with both a certain Shakespearean fool and an ass.
The final straw was when I agreed to help said person with a few projects last year, and each time, when I volunteered my time, he never asked me to do anything (he outright ORDERED me around like I was some mindless slave) nor was he very appreciative of any of it.  I had at one point come up with a very good idea, and suggested that it be implemented, and instead of thanking me for it, he turned around and presented it as his OWN idea. That was it for me, and I confronted him about it, and quite calmly told him how I felt about him stealing credit for something that I had totally worked on without his help or input.  At that point, he threw a temper tantrum and called a "tribunal", lied to everyone else in the group and held a vote to have me removed from the group, without a warning.  What he didn't take into account was the fact that Kat would not choose his little group over me, and she told me about it. I presented my side of the story, all the while being threatened by his mindless sheep of students, to the point where I just turned and walked away. I let things cool down, but never trusted anyone in the group, least of all him, after that, and finally Kat and I made the ultimate decision to leave.  We made our intentions clear to everyone in the group one night, and stated that our paths were leading us elsewhere (neither of us was learning or getting any "enrichment" at that point in time), and left under the assumption that we were leaving on good terms, and were even told by Mister Asshead that we would be welcome back at anytime.
That was the last we'd heard from him until recently, when certain ideas that we had had for the up and coming event we're going to (that unfortunately, the ass and a couple of his toadies will also be attending) suddenly were nixed and re-presented as "his ideas". I very politely confronted him about this, and received a infantile rant as to how he would not take orders from me (I just stated that I didn't appreciate his actions), and proceeded to call me any number of names.  That was the end. I vowed that I would no longer deal with his assinine and infantile manner, and if I see him (which is almost inevitable) when we take our trip, I will not acknowledge him, and will let it be known that he will be welcome nowhere near our camping area.  He is dead to me.

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times...

Yup, sounds like a line from "A Tale of Two Cities" doesn't it. (Ok, so it IS a line from AToTC.)  However, this pertains to a point in my life which was filled with endings and new beginnings, and new experiences.  This was the fall of 1990.  A relationship that I thought was on good ground had come to an abrupt end the summer before, and I was still reeling from the shock of it all. The group of mutual friends we had was somewhat divided, as there were those that were closer to me, and those that were closer to her, and those who maintained full neutrality throughout the whole ordeal. While it is true that the relationship was over, there were still periods where we would go away from everything alone just to talk. I had thought at the time that perhaps there was some hope in repairing the relationship, but I was wrong.  We still talked, and that was what was important- what happened to end that, however, still remains a mystery to me.  A few events stand out in my mind that I will cherish forever.  I remember one Friday evening in the campus computer center where she and I, along with two other friends (they were more friend to me, than to her, but still they didn't mind that she was there) were working on our homework on the computer mainframe system, when one of the professors from the math department came online and, out of the blue, invited the four of us to his place in the next town over to share some homemade corned beef and cabbage. Since most of us had skipped dinner that night, we were all hungry and agreed to go along. We all hopped into his truck when Dr. Lane arrived and had a wonderful evening, just talking, drinking beer, and listening to his stories about New England, where he was from, completely forgetting about the promised meal until well after midnight (it was around 3am, I believe). By then, the meat, which had been slow cooking for all those hours, was nice and tender, as was the cabbage.

 We all had our fill, and at around 4:30am, we all piled into Dr. Lane's truck for the ride home. Since he had had a few too many drinks, he took the back roads back to the boro, at about 20 miles/hour. She and I were in the back of the truck, and spent the entire trip back to campus talking and just looking at the stars. I don't think that they had ever been as clear as they seemed that night, but then again, it may have had something to do with the 4-5 beers I had in me. There were a few other special moments like this before the rift widened to the point where we were almost complete strangers.  I still think about that night often, when I'm alone with the stars, and wonder where it all went.  I still cherish those moments, and wonder if she still does deep down as well.  Someday, I hope, that rift will be bridged enough so that we can repair the friendship part of that relationship.  Only time will tell.

He's Baaaaaaack (again)

OK, I'm back after a long sabbatical. I had intended to start posting a lot earlier, but things got rather busy rather quickly around the holidays, and, in spite of my constantly telling myself that I would start posting once I got a job, and once things slowed down enough, I neglected to follow up on my promise to myself to start up again.
 All that aside, I finally was able to secure employment again in December, after close to a year (actually 10 days short of a full year) of being unemployed. I got a call in late November from PHEAA's (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, for those not in the know) FedLoan Servicing division requesting an interview. I passed the telephone interview, and was scheduled for a personal interview at the Mechanicsburg call center shortly afterward. After clearing up some issues with a private student loan that had defaulted, I was hired at the beginning of December.  After a four week crash course in training, I started on the floor as part of the team that handles the Direct Loan consolidations. The job is pretty good for the most part, but there are days that I wish would end as quickly as possible. Those are the days when I somehow get lucky enough to get all the difficult customers on my line (i.e. those who seem to think that they don't have to pay their loans, or think that they should be exempt from paying interest, or blame me (or FLS) for the fact that their loans have defaulted and were sent to collections).  Most of my coworkers are decent, my friend Peggy helped me to get the job, and my former manager from the Gobble Hell, Kim (the good manager) also works there. I've made a couple of new friends as well, such as a younger girl that was in my training class named Katalin (or Kate) who seems to be becoming my partner in crime, so to speak.

One thing that the new job necessitated was the purchase of a second vehicle.  Since, when I started there, my schedule would have me working into the time that Kat would need the car to get to work. So, with a little help from her mom, we were able to find another vehicle. I got a 2001 Dodge Stratus (it's slightly larger than my old 2000 Stratus which died shortly before we moved down here.) It has had a few problems since we got it, like losing most of its exhaust on the way home from work one night, and a massive repair bill so it could pass inspection (most of the repairs were most likely from an altercation with a tractor trailer the night before, which I hope insurance will cover).  Other than that, and a heater that's stuck on "high" with no AC (that will be the next thing I will get fixed), the car is pretty decent and gets me where I need to go.
I'm not really doing much gaming anymore, since I have less time, but will poke my nose into Star Trek Online once in a while. I've been spending more of my free time re-reading my favorite fantasy fiction series of books, Dragonlance, and just watching movies like Frozen and other DVDs.
Well, that's about all for now. I will endeavor to at least keep this updated about once/week, if not more, from here on out.  -peace!

Facts about Christmas

With the Christmas carols and such playing already, here is a list of gathered Christmas facts and trivia. enjoy.

"Hot cockles" was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. It was a game in which the other players took turns striking the blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. "Hot cockles" was still a Christmas pastime until the Victorian era.

"White Christmas" (1954), starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, was the first movie to be made in Vista Vision, a deep-focus process.

"The Nutcracker" is the name for the ballet performed around Christmas time each year. "The Nutcracker Suite" is the title of the music Tchaikovsky wrote.

"Wassail" comes from the Old Norse "ves heill"--to be of good health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health.

A Christmas club, a savings account in which a person deposits a fixed amount of money regularly to be used at Christmas for shopping, came about around 1905.

A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.

According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners.

According to historical accounts, the first Christmas in the Philippines was celebrated 200 years before Ferdinand Magellan discovered the country for the western world, likely between the years 1280 and 1320 AD.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans buy 37.1 million real Christmas trees each year; 25 percent of them are from the nation's 5,000 choose-and-cut farms.

After "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens wrote several other Christmas stories, one each year, but none was as successful as the original.

Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday. This tradition began in 1836.

Although many believe the Friday after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year, it is not. It is the fifth to tenth busiest day. The Friday and Saturday before Christmas are the two busiest shopping days of the year.

American billionaire Ross Perot tried to airlift 28 tons of medicine and Christmas gifts to American POW's in North Vietnam in 1969.

America's official national Christmas tree is located in King's Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the "General Grant Tree," is over 300 feet (90 meters) high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.

An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

An average household in America will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 eight cards return in their place.

Animal Crackers are not really crackers, but cookies that were imported to the United States from England in the late 1800s. Barnum's circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.

As early as 1822, the postmaster in Washington, D.C. was worried by the amount of extra mail at Christmas time. His preferred solution to the problem was to limit by law the number of cards a person could send. Even though commercial cards were not available at that time, people were already sending so many home-made cards that sixteen extra postmen had to be hired in the city.

At Christmas, Ukrainians prepare a traditional twelve-course meal. A family's youngest child watches through the window for the evening star to appear, a signal that the feast can begin.

At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served "endored." This meant the flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter. In addition to their painted flesh, endored birds were served wrapped in their own skin and feathers, which had been removed and set aside prior to roasting.

Before settling on the name of Tiny Tim for his character in "A Christmas Carol," three other alliterative names were considered by Charles Dickens. They were Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam.

California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the top Christmas tree producing states. Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees - 8.6 million in 1998.

Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used to decorated the Christmas trees. A choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral decided have the ends bent to depict a shepherd's crook and he would pass them out to the children to keep them quiet during the services. It wasn't until about the 20th century that candy canes acquired their red stripes.

Charles Dickens' initial choice for Scrooge's statement "Bah Humbug" was "Bah Christmas."

Child singer Jimmy Boyd was 12 years and 11 months old when he sang the Christmas favorite, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." The song hit the top of the pop charts.

Christmas caroling began as an old English custom called Wassailing - toasting neighbors to a long and healthy life.

Christmas Day in the Ukraine can be celebrated on either December 25, in faithful alliance with the Roman Catholic Gregorian calendar, or on January 7, which is the Orthodox or Eastern Rite (Julian calendar), the church holy day.

Christmas is a summer holiday in South Africa. Children are fond of the age-old custom of producing pantomimes - for instance, "Babes in the Wood," founded on one of the oldest ballads in the English language. Boxing Day on December 26th, when boxes of food and clothing are given to the poor, is observed as a holiday.

Christmas is not widely celebrated in Scotland. Some historians believe that Christmas is downplayed in Scotland because of the influence of the Presbyterian Church (or Kirk), which considered Christmas a "Papist," or Catholic event. As a result, Christmas in Scotland tends to be somber.

Christmas presents were known in antiquity among kings and chieftains, especially on the European continent. However, they have been common among ordinary people in Iceland only during the past 100 or so years.

Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition.

Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen Victoria's husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest known mention of a Christmas tree is in the diary of a German who settled in Pennsylvania.

Christmas was once a moveable feast celebrated at many different times during the year. The choice of December 25, was made by Pope Julius I, in the 4th century A.D., because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one.

Cultured Christmas trees must be shaped as they grow to produce fuller foliage. To slow the upward growth and to encourage branching, they are hand-clipped in each spring. Trees grown in the wild have sparser branches, and are known in the industry as "Charlie Brown" trees.

During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, the log burned was called the "Yule log." Sometimes a piece of the Yule log would be kept to kindle the fire the following winter, to ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule log custom was handed down from the Druids.

During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States.

During the Christmas/Hanukkah season, more than 1.76 billion candy canes will be made.

During World War II it was necessary for Americans to mail Christmas gifts early for the troops in Europe to receive them in time. Merchants joined in the effort to remind the public to shop and mail early and the protracted shopping season was born.

Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in 1895. The idea for using electric Christmas lights came from an American, Ralph E. Morris. The new lights proved safer than the traditional candles.

Following Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997, the Ty toy company, famous in the late 1990s for its popular Beanie Baby line of beanbag animals, issued a "Princess" bear in tribute. The royal purple Beanie, bearing an embroidered white rose on its chest, became so desired that at Christmas time, American collectors were willing to spend up to $300 for one on the secondary market.

For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.

There are two Christmas Islands.
The Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean was formerly called Kiritimati. Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is 52 square miles.

Frankincense is a sweet smelling gum resin derived from certain Boswellia trees which, at the time of Christ, grew in Arabia, India, and Ethiopia. Tradition says that it was presented to the Christ Child by Balthasar, the black king from Ethiopia or Saba. The frankincense trade was at its height during the days of the Roman Empire. At that time this resin was considered as valuable as gems or precious metals. The Romans burned frankincense on their altars and at cremations.

Franklin Pierce was the first United States' president to decorate an official White House Christmas tree .

Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It is thought to be the forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It has its origins in a Celtic legend of the harvest god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the Earth.

Frustrated at the lack of interest in his new toy invention, Charles Pajeau hired several midgets, dressed them in elf costumes, and had them play with "Tinker Toys" in a display window at a Chicago department store during the Christmas season in 1914. This publicity stunt made the construction toy an instant hit. A year later, over a million sets of Tinker Toys had been sold.

George Washington spent Christmas night 1776 crossing the Delaware River in dreadful conditions. Christmas 1777 fared little better - at Valley Forge, Washington and his men had a miserable Christmas dinner of Fowl cooked in a broth of Turnips, cabbage and potatoes.

Greeks do not use Christmas trees or give presents at Christmas. A priest may throw a little cross into the village water to drive the kallikantzari (gremlin-like spirits) away. To keep them from hiding in dark, dusty corners, he goes from house to house sprinkling holy water.

Hallmark introduced its first Christmas cards in 1915, five years after the founding of the company.

Historians have traced some of the current traditions surrounding Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, back to ancient Celtic roots. Father Christmas's elves are the modernization of the "Nature folk" of the Pagan religions; his reindeer are associated with the "Horned God," which was one of the Pagan deities.

If traveling in France during the Christmas season, it is interesting to note that different dishes and dining traditions reign in popularity in different parts of the country. In south France, for instance, a Christmas loaf (pain calendeau) is cut crosswise and is eaten only after the first part has been given to a poor person. In Brittany, buckwheat cakes and sour cream is the most popular main dish. In Alsace, a roasted goose is the preferred entrée. In Burgundy, turkey and chestnuts are favored. In the Paris region, oysters are the favorite holiday dish, followed by a cake shaped like a Yule log.

In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that made Christmas illegal. Festivities were banned by Puritan leader, Oliver Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry, on what was supposed to be a holy day, to be immoral. The ban was lifted only when the Puritans lost power in 1660.

In 1752, 11 days were dropped from the year when the switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar was made. The December 25, date was effectively moved 11 days backwards. Some Christian church sects, called old calendarists, still celebrate Christmas on January 7 (previously December 25 of the Julian calendar).

In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.

In 1937, the first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria.

In 1947, Toys for Tots started making the holidays a little happier for children by organizing its first Christmas toy drive for needy youngsters.

In 1996, Christmas caroling was banned at two major malls in Pensacola, Florida. Apparently, shoppers and merchants complained the carolers were too loud and took up too much space.

In an effort to solicit cash to pay for a charity Christmas dinner in 1891, a large crabpot was set down on a San Francisco street, becoming the first Salvation Army collection kettle.

In America, the weeks leading up to Christmas are the biggest shopping weeks of the year. Many retailers make up to 70% of their annual revenue in the month preceding Christmas.

In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of fried fish, lettuce, and spinach. The meal is traditionally eaten after the Christmas Eve service, in commemoration of the supper eaten by Mary on the evening before Christ's birth.

In Britain, eating mince pies at Christmas dates back to the 16th century. It is still believed that to eat a mince pie on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas will bring 12 happy months in the year to follow.

In Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551, which has not yet been repealed, states that every citizen must attend a Christian church service on Christmas Day, and must not use any kind of vehicle to get to the service.

In Finland and Sweden an old tradition prevails, where the twelve days of Christmas are declared to be time of civil peace by law. It used to be that a person committing crimes during this time would be liable to a stiffer sentence than normal.

In France, Christmas is called Noel. This is derived from the French phrase "les bonnes nouvelles," which means literally "the good news" and refers to the gospel.

In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi (also spelled Kallikantzari) sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. According to the legend, to get rid of them, you should burn either salt or an old shoe. Apparently the stench of the burning shoe (or salt) drives off the Kallikantzaroi. Other effective methods include hanging a pig's jawbone by the door and keeping a large fire so they can't sneak down the chimney.

In Guatemala, Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25; however, Guatemalan adults do not exchange gifts until New Year's Day. Children get theirs (from the Christ Child) on Christmas morning.

In Medieval England, Nicholas was just another saint - he had not yet been referred to as Santa Claus and he had nothing to do with Christmas.

In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time. Their Dutch counterparts, however, use shoes. Dutch children set out shoes to receive gifts any time between mid-November and December 5, St. Nicholas' birthday.

In Norway on Christmas Eve, visitors should know that after the family's big dinner and the opening of presents, all the brooms in the house are hidden. The Norwegians long ago believed that witches and mischievous spirits came out on Christmas Eve and would steal their brooms for riding.

In Portugal, the traditional Christmas meal (consoada) is eaten in the early hours of Christmas Day. Burning in the hearth is the Yule log (fogueira da consoada). The ashes and charred remains of the Yule log are saved; later in the year, they are burned with pine cones during Portugal's thunderstorm season. It is believed that no thunderbolt will strike where the Yule log smoke has traveled.

In southern France, some people burn a log in their homes from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day. This stems from an ancient tradition in which farmers would use part of the log to ensure a plentiful harvest the following year.

In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbock. Made from straw, it is a small figurine of a goat. A variety of straw decorations are a usual feature of Scandinavian Christmas festivities.

In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by one of the Wise Men's camels. The gift-giving camel is said to have been the smallest one in the Wise Men's caravan.

In the British armed forces it is traditional that officers wait on the men and serve them their Christmas dinner. This dates back to a custom from the Middle Ages.

In the Netherlands, Christmas centers on the arrival of Saint Nicholas, who is believed to come on horseback bearing gifts. Before going to bed, children leave out their shoes, hoping to find them filled with sweets when they awaken.

In the Thomas Nast cartoon that first depicted Santa Claus with a sleigh and reindeer, he was delivering Christmas gifts to soldiers fighting in the U.S. Civil War. The cartoon, entitled "Santa Claus in Camp," appeared in Harper's Weekly on January 3, 1863.

In the Ukraine, a traditional Christmas bread called "kolach" is placed in the center of the dining table. This bread is braided into a ring, and three such rings are placed one on top of the other, with a candle in the center of the top one. The three rings symbolize the Trinity.

In Victorian England, turkeys were popular for Christmas dinners. Some of the birds were raised in Norfolk, and taken to market in London. To get them to London, the turkeys were supplied with boots made of sacking or leather. The turkeys were walked to market. The boots protected their feet from the frozen mud of the road. Boots were not used for geese: instead, their feet were protected with a covering of tar.

It is a British Christmas tradition that a wish made while mixing the Christmas pudding will come true only if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction.

It is estimated that 400,000 people become sick each year from eating tainted Christmas leftovers.

Jesus Christ, son of Mary, was born in a cave, not in a wooden stable. Caves were used to keep animals in because of the intense heat. A large church is now built over the cave, and people can go down inside the cave. The carpenters of Jesus' day were really stone cutters. Wood was not used as widely as it is today. So whenever you see a Christmas nativity scene with a wooden stable -- that's the "American" version, not the Biblical one.

La Befana, a kindly witch, rides a broomstick down the chimney to deliver toys into the stockings of Italian children. The legends say that Befana was sweeping her floors when the three Wise Men stopped and asked her to come to see the Baby Jesus. "No," she said, "I am too busy." Later, she changed her mind but it was too late. So, to this day, she goes out on Christmas Eve searching for the Holy Child, leaving gifts for the "holy child" in each household.

Long before it was used as a "kiss encourager" during the Christmas season, mistletoe had long been considered to have magic powers by Celtic and Teutonic peoples. It was said to have the ability to heal wounds and increase fertility. Celts hung mistletoe in their homes in order to bring themselves good luck and ward off evil spirits.

Mistletoe, a traditional Christmas symbol, was once revered by the early Britons. It was so sacred that it had to be cut with a golden sickle.

More diamonds are purchased at Christmas-time (31 percent) than during any other holiday or occasion during the year.

More than three billion Christmas cards are sent annually in the United States.

Myrrh is an aromatic gum resin which oozes from gashes cut in the bark of a small desert tree known as Commifera Myrrha or the dindin tree. The myrrh hardens into tear-dropped shaped chunks and is then powdered or made into ointments or perfumes. This tree is about 5-15 feet tall and 1 foot in diameter. Legend says Caspar brought the gift of myrrh from Europe or Tarsus and placed it before the Christ Child. Myrrh was an extremely valuable commodity during biblical times and was imported from India and Arabia.

New York City's Empire State Building's world famous tower lights are turned off every night at midnight with the exception of New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and St. Patrick's Day, when they are illuminated until 3 a.m.

On Christmas Day, 1989, Eastern Europe was permitted to celebrate Christmas freely and openly for the first time in decades. Church masses were broadcast live for the first time in history.

One Norwegian Christmas custom begins in late autumn at harvest time. The finest wheat is gathered and saved until Christmas. This wheat is then attached to poles made from tree branches, making perches for the birds. A large circle of snow is cleared away beneath each perch. According to the Norwegians, this provides a place for the birds to dance, which allows them to work up their appetites between meals. Just before sunset on Christmas Eve, the head of the household checks on the wheat in the yard. If a lot of sparrows are seen dining, it is suppose to indicate a good year for growing crops.

One notable medieval English Christmas celebration featured a giant 165-pound pie. The giant pie was nine feet in diameter. Its ingredients included 2 bushels of flour, 20 pounds of butter, 4 geese, 2 rabbits, 4 wild ducks, 2 woodcocks, 6 snipes, 4 partridges, 2 neats' tongues, 2 curlews, 6 pigeons, and 7 blackbirds.

Originally, Christmas decorations were home-made paper flowers, or apples, biscuits, and sweets. The earliest decorations to be bought came from Nuremburg in Germany, a city famous for the manufacture of toys. Lauscha in Germany is famous for its glass ornaments. In 1880, America discovered Lauscha and F.W. Woolworth went there and bought a few glass Christmas tree ornaments. Within a day he had sold out so next year he bought more and within a week they, too, had sold. The year after that be bought 200,000 Lauscha ornaments. During the First World War supplies of ornaments from Lauscha ceased, so American manufacturers began to make their own ornaments, developing new techniques that allowed them to turn out as many ornaments in a minute as could be made in a whole day at Lauscha.

Per a November 2000 Gallup poll, 60 percent of Americans thought they would spend at least $500 that year on Christmas gifts. This was a slight drop from 1999 gift-spending.

Postmen in Victorian England were popularly called "robins." This was because their uniforms were red. The British Post Office grew out of the carrying of royal dispatches. Red was considered a royal color, so uniforms and letter-boxes were red. Christmas cards often showed a robin delivering Christmas mail.

Queen Elizabeth's Christmas message to the nation was televised for the first time on December 25, 1957. For the next 40 years, the BBC aired the event.

Right behind Christmas and Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday ranks as the third-largest occasion for Americans to consume food, according to the National Football League.

Santa's Reindeers are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.

Silent Night was written in 1818, by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr. He was told the day before Christmas that the church organ was broken and would not be prepared in time for Christmas Eve. He was saddened by this and could not think of Christmas without music, so he wanted to write a carol that could be sung by choir to guitar music. He sat down and wrote three stanzas. Later that night the people in the little Austrian Church sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time.

Since the 1840s, the residents of Pietarsaari, a town on Finland's coast, have decorated a Christmas street, Storgatan, since the 1840s. Suspended over the street are three large illuminated decorations: a cross symbolizing faith, an anchor representing h

St. Nicholas was bishop of the Turkish town of Myra in the early fourth century. It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.

Telesphorus, the second Bishop of Rome (125-136 AD) declared that public Church services should be held to celebrate "The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour." In 320 AD, Pope Julius I and other religious leaders specified 25 December as the official date of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The "Twelve Days of Christmas" was originally written to help Catholic children, in England, remember different articles of faith during the persecution by Protestant Monarchs. The "true love" represented God, and the gifts all different ideas:
The "Partridge in a pear tree" was Christ.
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity-- the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which relays the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of Creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

NOTE: Urban Legends Reference Pages says the above fact is False.
The abbreviation of Xmas for Christmas is not irreligious. The first letter of the word Christ in Greek is chi, which is identical to our X. Xmas was originally an ecclesiastical abbreviation that was used in tables and charts.

The actual gift givers are different in various countries:
England: Father Christmas
France: Pere Noel (Father Christmas)
Germany: Christkind (angelic messenger from Jesus) She is a beautiful fair haired girl with a shining crown of candles.
Holland: St Nicholas.
Italy: La Befana (a kindly old witch)
Spain and South America: The Three Kings
Russia: In some parts - Babouschka (a grandmotherly figure) in other parts it is Grandfather Frost.
Scandinavia: a variety of Christmas gnomes. One is called Julenisse.

The best selling Christmas trees are Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir and white pine.

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia leads the world in exporting lobster, wild blueberries, and Christmas trees.

The Christmas season begins at sundown on 24th December and lasts through sundown on 5th January. For that reason, this season is also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The Christmas turkey first appeared on English tables in the 16th century, but didn't immediately replace the traditional fare of goose, beef or boar's head in the rich households.

The custom of singing Christmas carols is very old - the earliest English collection was published in 1521.

The day after Christmas, December 26, is known as Boxing Day. It is also the holy day called The Feast of St. Stephen. Some believe the feast was named for St. Stephen, a 9th century Swedish missionary, the patron saint of horses. Neither Boxing Day or St. Stephen have anything to do with Sweden or with horses. The Stephen for whom the day is named is the one in the Bible (Acts 6-8) who was the first Christian to be martyred for his faith.

The first British monarch to broadcast a Christmas message to his people was King George V.

The first charity Christmas card was produced by UNICEF in 1949. The picture chosen for the card was painted not by a professional artist but by a seven-year-old girl. The girl was Jitka Samkova of Rudolfo, a small town in the former nation of Czechoslovakia. The town received UNICEF assistance after World War II, inspiring Jitka to paint some children dancing around a maypole. She said her picture represented "joy going round and round."

The first Christmas card was created in England on December 9, 1842.

The first commercial Christmas card sold was designed by London artist John Calcott Horsley. He was hired by a wealthy British man to design a card that showed people feeding and clothing the poor with another picture of a Christmas party. The first Christmas card said, "Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you." Of the original one thousand cards he printed for Henry Cole, only twelve exist today.

The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531.

The four ghosts in Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" were the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, Christmas Yet to Come, and the ghost of Jacob Marley.

The movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000) features more than 52,000 Christmas lights, about 8,200 Christmas ornaments, and nearly 2,000 candy canes.

The modern Christmas custom of displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house, is borrowed from ancient Rome's New Year's celebrations. Romans wished each other "good health" by exchanging branches of evergreens. They called these gifts strenae after Strenia, the goddess of health. It became the custom to bend these branches into a ring and display them on doorways.

The northern European custom of the candlelit Christmas tree is derived from the belief that it sheltered woodland spirits when other trees lost their leaves during winter.

The poem commonly referred to as "The Night Before Christmas" was originally titled "A Visit From Saint Nicholas." This poem was written by Clement Moore for his children and some guests, one of whom anonymously sent the poem to a New York newspaper for publication.

The poinsettia, traditionally an American Christmas flower, originally grew in Mexico; where it was known as the "Flower of the Holy Night". It was first brought to America by Joel Poinsett in 1829.

The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called "One-Horse Open Sleigh."

The Puritans forbade the singing of Christmas carols.

The real St. Nicholas lived in Turkey, where he was bishop of the town of Myra, in the early 4th century. It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.

The Super Ball® was born in 1965, and it became America's most popular plaything that year. By Christmas time, only six months after it was introduced by Wham-O, 7 million balls had been sold at 98 cents apiece. Norman Stingley, a California chemist, invented the bouncing gray ball. In his spare time, he had compressed a synthetic rubber material under 3,500 pounds of pressure per square inch, and eventually created the remarkable ball. It had a resiliency of 92 percent, about three times that of a tennis ball, and could bounce for long periods. It was reported that presidential aide McGeorge Bundy had five dozen Super Balls® shipped to the White House for the amusement of staffers.

The table for Christmas Eve dinner in the Ukraine is set with two tablecloths: one for the ancestors of the family, the other for the living members. In pagan times, ancestors were believed to be benevolent spirits who, when shown respect, brought good fortune.

The tradition of Christmas lights dates back to when Christians were persecuted for saying Mass. A simple candle in the window meant that Mass would be celebrated there that night.

The traditional flaming Christmas pudding dates back to 1670 in England, and was derived from an earlier form of stiffened plum porridge.

The world's first singing commercial aired on the radio on Christmas Eve, 1926 for Wheaties cereal. The four male singers, eventually known as the Wheaties Quartet, sang the jingle. The Wheaties Quartet, comprised of an undertaker, a bailiff, a printer, and a businessman, performed the song for the next six years, at $6 per singer per week. The commercials were a resounding success.

Theodore Roosevelt, a staunch conservationist, banned Christmas trees in his home, even when he lived in the White House. His children, however, smuggled them into their bedrooms.

There are twelve courses in the Ukrainian Christmas Eve supper. According to the Christian tradition, each course is dedicated to one of Christ's apostles.

When Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, died on December 4, 1894, he willed his November 13 birthday to a friend who disliked her own Christmas birthday.

Yuletide-named towns in the United States include Santa Claus, located in Arizona and Indiana, Noel in Missouri, and Christmas in both Arizona and Florida.

Christmas comes from Old English; Cristes maesse or Mass of Christ

Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made of goose feathers and dyed green.

"It's a Wonderful Life" appears on TV more often than any other holiday movie.

Rudolph" was actually created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's for a holiday promotion. The rest is history.

The Nutcracker" is the most famous Christmas ballet.

Jingle Bells" was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.

If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," you would receive 364 gifts.

Holly berries are poisonous.

Contrary to common belief, poinsettia plants are non-toxic.

Mistletoe was chosen as Oklahoma's state flower in 1893 and later changed to the state floral emblem.

In 1843, "A Christmas Carol" was written by Charles Dickens in just six weeks.

Christmas became a national holiday in America on June, 26, 1870.

An angel told Mary she was going to have a baby.

Traditionally, Christmas trees are taken down after Epiphany.

In Mexico, wearing red underwear on New Year's Eve is said to bring new love in the upcoming year.

Santa Claus was born in 280AD as Nicholas, he wore a red and white Bishop's robe

The first electric Christmas tree lights were telephone switchboard lights

Joseph could have had Mary stoned to death for becoming pregnant

Christ was most likely born in the summer, as the Gospels state that shepherds who saw the star were watching their flocks in the fields at night. Judean winters are cold and rainy, and the flocks were more likely to be sheltered in caves during the winter months.

The "Christmas star" is thought to be Sirius, the "Dog Star" which is the birghtest star in the night sky.

The number of wise men that sought to find the new Messiah is not mentioned anywhere in the bible, nor is it mentioned that they were kings. They were more likely either persian priests or astronomers.

Reflections

It happened 24 years ago. I was a young man in college, doing semi-well in all my classes, had a girl that I loved and was engaged to, and seemingly had it all. The only problem in my life at the time was that my parents had split, and it was causing some added stress, but for the most part, I was fine. Then, one night, it happened. I was working late at the campus computer lab, and the director of computer services came by and started talking to me. I didn't think much of it, since he was in charge of the facility and came by at night on occasion. We talked for a while before it was time to close the building, and I did the rounds to the other labs in the building, making sure that all the computers were shut off before logging out. On the way out, I stopped to use the restroom downstairs, and then it happened. The DoCS came in to use the restroom, and made advances at me. I didn't know what to do at first, all I knew was that I was scared. I mean, I was just a skinny little guy and this guy was taller, older, and obviously quite a bit stronger than I was, so I just stood there. Next thing I knew, he had his hand on my shoulder and was pushing me down toward his crotch area. I still remember his exact words: "There's no one else here, so do as I say, and you will be fine." What could I do but comply? So I let him have his way with me, and waited for him to finish and leave. After he left, I felt sick, and nasty. I washed up, drank water and spit out the taste that was left in my mouth and left to go back to my dorm room. I wanted to tell my friends, especially my then fiancée, what happened, but was too afraid to, afraid that he might find out, and would do something further to me. I began to withdraw, and my moods would change quickly and often, to the point where my then fiancée gave the engagement ring back to me one night after an argument, and I flung it into the nearest snow bank (I was able to retrieve it right away), and the relationship went downhill from there. I grew more and more insecure and eventually, the relationship fell apart. Still, nobody knew what was really wrong. I had started seeing a university psychologist, and he focused on my family problems, but- since he worked for the university, I told him nothing about what happened, for fear that it would get back to him. Eventually, others did come forward with allegations of rape (because that is what it was) and sexual intimidation by the man, and encouraged me to do the same. I had figured there was safety in numbers so filed my report as well. All was going well until one of the plaintiffs retracted his story and admitted to an ongoing thing with the man and that he did it willingly. After this, the campus police threw the whole thing out claiming the rest of us were lying as well. I soon lost my student job at the computer center, and got a job working at the library, thanks to my one friend's mom. Since I no longer worked at the main computer lab, I stayed away from there for the remainder of my time on campus. I still saw the man on occasion, and he would look at me knowingly, but I'd quickly turn around and go the other way. To this day, the memory still haunts me, and until now, nobody but myself knew the full story. Would things have been different had I said something when it happened? Maybe- maybe not. Back then, men reporting rape or sexual harassment from another man was not something that was done. But thinking back on it all, I wish I had. I at least wish that I had told the one that mattered most to me at the time. All I can do now is move on.