December 21 is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. After Dec. 21, the days start getting longer and nights begin getting shorter. Many cultures celebrate and acknowledge the Winter Solstice with festivals and rites to welcome the start of winter. Also known as hi
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12/21/2023
Who else remembers that plaintive "Hard Candy Christmas" song by Dolly Parton?As a child, my favorite hard candy was a butterscotch. Besides butterscotch, who could forget the many LifeSaver flavor treats? I also loved Wild Cherry, the Mixed Fruit collection and Butter Rum.It was amazing to disco
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12/20/2023
What do The Nutcracker, Piltdown Man and Chicago Bears have in common?All share an important newsworthy anniversary on December 18th. Read on to learn more about these and other interesting tales that occurred in history on Dec. 18th. 1892– Premiere performance of The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich T
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12/18/2023
One of my all-time favorite Christmas movies is Elf. Comedian Will Farrell portrayed the title character, a human raised by elves, in the 2003 movie Elf.It's the story of a human baby raised by elves who goes back to the human world as an adult to try to connect with his father, a very cynical Ja
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12/17/2023
Advent is a time of preparing one's heart for not just Christmas, but for Jesus Christ Himself. On Week 3, the third Sunday of Advent, we like to read The Prodigal Son, that wonderful story of a parent's Love and Forgiveness (Luke 15:11-32).Another way to expand the spiritual experience of Advent
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12/16/2023
Who else fondly remembers enjoying hot cakes with maple syrup as a child? I loved eating pancakes, waffles or even French Toast with maple syrup when I was young. Sadly, one time I got sick after eating pancakes with maple syrup and I've never wanted to eat maple syrup since. (I make an exceptio
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12/16/2023
Who doesn't love chocolate? While some prefer the milder taste of milk chocolate, others favor the more bitter dark chocolate, which is allegedly healthier for one's heart. Some even prefer white chocolate, which is technically not even chocolate. As December 16 is Chocolate-Covered Anything Da
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12/16/2023
What do Sitting Bull and Gone With The Wind share? They both have an important newsworthy anniversary on December 15th.Read on to find out about these and other interesting tales that happened in history on Dec. 15th. 1791– The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virgini
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12/16/2023
The weather outside may be frightful, but it can be perfect for eating ice cream, especially when one is savoring it on Ice Cream Day, December 13th.What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?My favorite at this time of year is Dryer's Peppermint Stick (only available in December) or Marianne's (fo
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12/13/2023
In Sweden, December 13 is an important cultural holiday known as Saint Lucia Day or Santa Lucia's Day. It is a day and night filled with celebration.Saint Lucia's Day celebrates the life (and death) of St. Lucy, one of the early Christian martyrs. According to legend, she would carry food and wat
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12/13/2023
