Holiday Trivia

[nudeyorker]

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy and prosperous 2011!

Cheers!

 

[nudeyorker]

More New Years Day superstitions...

* A first-footer is the first person through the door after the stroke of midnight. This person should be a good-looking, dark-haired man. He has to knock and be let in – not use a key to enter. He would ideally be carrying a piece of coal (the house will always be warm), bread (the household will always have food), money (obvious), and greenery (for long life). The first-footer brings extra luck if he happens to have a high in-step, or comes on a horse.
* Do something you are good or successful at on New Year’s Day – especially if it’s work related. This will tell how the rest of the New Year will go.
* Any baby born on New Year’s Day has good luck the rest of his/her life. The baby also brings good luck to the family.
* Nothing goes out – not even the garbage. The flip version of this rule is that nothing goes out until something new comes in.
* No money should be spent (that would be going out).
* No sweeping or dusting the first day of the year. The good luck could be swept out. If you have to sweep, you should sweep towards the center of the house and use a dust pan. (Some cultures "sweep out" the old year.)
* No crying January 1st or you will be crying all year long.

 

[nudeyorker]

I was planning to include this today but another member did it better so I'll link it instead... http://www.lpsg.org/218563-the-three-wise-men-day.html
My partner was raised Serbian Orthodox and grew up with some wonderful traditions that I have loved sharing. I'm always delighted to see who the first visitor will be tomorrow morning and what he brings. (my father in-law always arranges something delightful)
Serbian Christmas traditions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
All that aside I had a wonderful time researching this thread and am thankful to those who shared.

 

[nudeyorker]

I decided to revive this thread for the holidays. I was watching a movie last night and they stated that the reason people started lighting trees outside and decorating their houses was in WWII when wives and mothers did it as a symbol as a beacon of hope and light that their men in service would return home.... I could not find any evidence of that on line but if anyone else can please post it because I thought it was very touching.

What I did learn was...

In 1895, U.S. President Grover Cleveland proudly sponsored the first electrically lit Christmas tree in the White House. It was a huge specimen, featuring more than a hundred multicolored lights. The first commercially produced Christmas tree lamps were manufactured in strings of multiples of eight sockets by the General Electric Co. of Harrison, New Jersey. Each socket took a miniature two-candela carbon-filament lamp.
From that point on, electrically illuminated Christmas trees, but only indoors, grew with mounting enthusiasm in the United States and elsewhere. San Diego in 1904 and New York City in 1912 were the first recorded instances of the use of Christmas lights outside.

 

[nudeyorker]

The poinsettia plant was brought into the United States from Mexico by Joel Poinsett in the early 1800's and contrary to popular belief they are non-toxic.

 

[cruztbone]

in santa cruz CA, the first weekend of every December finds surfing Santa come ashore on his board for kids on the beach. a wonderful, fun tradition that is uniquely part of the beautiful central coast of CA,

 

[nudeyorker]

in santa cruz CA, the first weekend of every December finds surfing Santa come ashore on his board for kids on the beach. a wonderful, fun tradition that is uniquely part of the beautiful central coast of CA,

I once went to surfing camp in Santa Cruz. I would love to see surfing Santa; I'm putting this on my bucket list.

 

[516778]

The first state to recognize the Christmas holiday officially was Alabama. Christmas became a national holiday in America on June, 26, 1870

 

[nudeyorker]

No real trivia today... but I hung the wreath on the door and pinned my X-mas tree pin to my ski coat (I hope there is enough snow for decent skiing this year... last year was abysmal)

 

[516778]

super cute nudie

 

[witch]

Since the 1970’s, the Kennedy Space Center has made their shuttle landing facility available for emergency landing by Santa Claus should problems develop during his annual visit to children around the world

 

[nudeyorker]

I love that fact about Kennedy Space Center. Hanukkah starts this coming Saturday so I guess I have candles to buy and better start thinking about making Sufganiyot and Potato Latkes.

Sufganiyot (Hanukkah Doughnuts)

Preparing doughnuts for Hanukkah takes real motivation for eight nights so I make a big batch and freeze them and fry them each day.

2 oz fresh yeast
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
7 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
8 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of half a lemon
Zest of half an orange
3 TBL rum or brandy
6 oz soft butter
I use sunflower oil for these because the oil burns slowly and leaves no aftertaste
I also make fresh strawberry jam during the summer and reserve a jar for the doughnuts during Hanukkah (You can use whatever is your favoriot and you will need a cup) Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar to serve.

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the milk. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, citrus zest and rum and the remaining milk with a mixer fitted with a dough hook add the yeast mixture and knead for five minutes.
Gradually add the butter and continue to knead for 10 minutes on on medium speed until the dough is smooth. Sprinkle some flour over the dough and cover with a warm wet towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Knead the dough for a minutes and shape into a ball and place on a work surface sprinkled with flour and cover with a warm moist towel and let rise for 20 minutes.. Divide the dough into 30 doughnuts (If you have a large crowd you can make 50 mini doughnuts) Arrange evenly spaced on a greased cookie sheet sprinkled with flour. (If you are making ahead then at this point I separate the dough into a plastic container and freezer bags for each night and thaw them each day in the refrigerator for eight hours and then continue) Transfer the pan of dough to a preheated oven of 110 degrees. Place a saucepan with boiling water on the bottom of the oven to provide the necessary moisture. Allow them to rise until they double in size.

Heat the oil in a skillet to 375 degrees (I have an electric skillet and it's much easier than fooling with a gas cooktop) Make sure there is no excess flour on the dough as it will cloud the oil and burn. Place them in the hot oil bottom side up. (This will help it to form into a perfectly round shape) Fry for about two minutes on each side (if it's brown on the outside and sticky on the inside the oil is too hot) Place the fried doughnuts on a rack to allow the oil to drip.
To fill the doughnuts use a special syringe or pastry bag with a long nozzle. If your jam is too thick to inject then thin it with a little water. I puncture the doughnut in the center on the side. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.

 

[516778]

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

 

[nudeyorker]

I have penciled in my calendar to set up the tree next Monday 10, December for no other reason then that my other half is off that day and it's easier with two. If you decorate when do you put your tree up? How long do you leave it up?

In many areas, it has become customary to set up one's Christmas tree at the beginning of the Advent season. Some families in the U.S. and Canada will put up a Christmas tree soon after American Thanksgiving (the 4th Thursday of November) Some households do not put up the tree until the second week of December, and leave it up until 6 January (Epiphany). In Germany, traditionally the tree is put up on 24 December and taken down on 7 January, though many start one or two weeks earlier, and in Roman Catholic homes the tree may be kept until late January.
In Italy and Argentina, along with many countries in Latin America, the Christmas tree is put up on 8 December (Immaculate Conception day) and left up until 6 January. In Australia, the Christmas tree is usually put up on 1 December which occurs about a week before the school summer holidays; except for South Australia, where most people put up their tree after the Adelaide Christmas Pageant in late November. Some traditions suggest that Christmas trees may be kept up until no later than 2 February, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, when the Christmas season effectively closes. Superstitions say that it is a bad sign if Christmas greenery is not removed by Candlemas Eve.

We usually take our tree down on 7, January.

 

[516778]

We always took our tree down before the start of the new year. I was always told not to carry last years things into the new year. I, personally don't follow it. I usually take it down sometime in Jan.

 

[nudeyorker]

We always took our tree down before the start of the new year. I was always told not to carry last years things into the new year. I, personally don't follow it. I usually take it down sometime in Jan.

By that logic you should get rid of all your clothing and personal possessions too. My partner was raised Serbian Orthodox and I was raised Jewish and we celebrate with our friends so the holiday is non stop from Thanksgiving until 7 December for us. We just say we celebrate "The Winter Holidays" Serbian Christmas Traditions - How Serbians Celebrate Christmas - Serbian Christmas Customs and Recipes

 

[Pandora77]

Nudie, you are absolutely right about germans putting up the tree on the 24th. But I found that, considering the time and effort I make to decorate it, I should keep it longer. So I usually put it up the week before Christmas now.
I throw it out on January, 6th, cause it gets picked up the following day. Otherwise I might leave it up a little longer. :biggrin1:
A traditional dinner for the 24th in Germany, or at least Bavaria, is Wiener sausages and potatoe salad. Don't ask me why, maybe cause it's easy and quick to make

 

[nudeyorker]

Nudie, you are absolutely right about germans putting up the tree on the 24th.

One of my oldest and dearest friends is from Munich and I helped her put her tree up one year on 24 December (I think she had about a trillion ornaments) and I convinced her to put it up a little earlier after that.

 

[516778]

By that logic you should get rid of all your clothing and personal possessions too. My partner was raised Serbian Orthodox and I was raised Jewish and we celebrate with our friends so the holiday is non stop from Thanksgiving until 7 December for us. We just say we celebrate "The Winter Holidays" Serbian Christmas Traditions - How Serbians Celebrate Christmas - Serbian Christmas Customs and Recipes

Probably so but it only applies to the tree. It's considered bad luck to have this years tree up after the new year starts.

 

[nudeyorker]

This was interesting... Eggnog: Everything you need to know - CNN.com
But instead of buying that wretched eggnog in the store consider making your own.

Eggnog
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
5 large eggs separated
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups dark rum
whole nutmeg

In a saucepan heat two cups milk but do not boil Turn off heat.
In a mixing bowl gradually add the sugar to the egg yolks while beating on med/low or whisking.
Whisk in 1 cup of the warm milk to the egg yolk mixture then add it back into the milk in the pan; stir over low heat until thickened and well blended. Turn off heat and quickly stir in the cream. Place pan in a large bowl half filled with ice water. Stir until chilled. Stir into punch bowl and add rum and remaining milk and put into refrigerator. In another mixing bowl beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold into the chilled nog mixture. Top each serving with freshly grated nutmeg.