Some Christmas Trivia

By jeri741

Every Christmas I go through routines or traditions that my family has passed down from one to the other. And as families grow each adds a new tradition. There are things I like doing for the Holiday's that when I'm gone my kids may not keep doing. Most of what I do my mom did. But I have adapted some things to my own style. Here are a few fun facts about Christmas I would like to share.

The poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night
If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," you would receive 364 gifts.
It was once believed that any woman who went under a mistletoe and was not kissed would not marry the coming year
In 1843, "A Christmas Carol" was written by Charles Dickens in just six weeks.
Jingle Bells" was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.

And in my house every year we watch the classic movies I love Its a Wonderful Life.

My mom sat us kids in front of the TV to watch these movies. I guess it kept us quiet while she took care of the house. I know thats why I sat my kids in front of the TV to watch these movies when they were small. But now I just like to watch them. These movies were made when life moved at a simpler pace. They didnt have explosions every minute or all kinds of super heroes...just people.

Here is a list of great classic movies for the Holiday season.

It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)

Product Description George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all – and it’s Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide?

Amazon Price: $11.22
List Price: $19.99

	Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition) Product Description Six year old Susan has doubts childhood's most enduring miracle Santa Clause. Her mother told her the "secret" about Santa a long time ago, so Susan doesn't expect to receive the most important gifts on her Christmas list. But after meeting a special departement stare Santa who's convinced he's the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all - something to believe in. Amazon Price: $4.34 List Price: $14.98
	A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered Deluxe Edition) This television classic features the Peanuts characters in the story of Charlie Brown's problematic efforts to mount a school Christmas pageant. Everybody's on board: Lucy, Snoopy, Schroeder, Pig-Pen, but the biggest impression is surely made by Linus, who stops the show with his recitation from the gospels of the story of Christ's birth. --Tom Keogh Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $19.97
	White Christmas (Anniversary Edition) This semi-remake of Holiday Inn (the first movie in which Irving Berlin's perennial, Oscar-winning holiday anthem was featured) doesn't have much of a story, but what it does have is choice: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, an all-Irving Berlin song score, classy direction by Hollywood vet Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood), VistaVision (the very first feature ever shot in that widescreen format), and ultrafestive Technicolor! Crosby and Kaye are song-and-dance men who hook up, romantically and professionally, with a "sister" act (Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to put on a Big Show to benefit the struggling ski-resort lodge run by the beloved old retired general (Dean Jagger) of their WWII Army outfit. Crosby is cool, Clooney is warm, Kaye is goofy, and Vera-Ellen is leggy. Songs include: "Sisters" (Crosby and Kaye do their own drag version, too), "Snow," "We'll Follow the Old Man," "Mandy," "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," and more. Christmas would be unthinkable without White Christmas. --Jim Emerson Amazon Price: $12.74 List Price: $19.99