Before we get into a few fun facts about Christmas I located on the internet, I want to announce November's Harlequin American Blog winner. Congratulations to Nathalie! To claim your prizes, please contact the following authors through their websites with your name and snail-mail address. (Roz Denny Fox, Ann Defee, Barbara White Daille, Ann Roth and Lee McKenzie) Keep those comments coming...we'll draw another winner for December and post the winner's name Jan 2nd.
Christmas Fun Facts
In 1836, Alabama is the first state in the USA to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
In 1907, Oklahoma became the last USA state to declare Christmas a legal holiday
The first American Christmas carol was written in 1649 by a minister named John de Brebeur and is called "Jesus is Born".
Mexicans call the poinsettia "Flower of the Holy Night" - the Holy Night is the Mexican way of saying "Christmas Eve".
Births on 25 December:
W C Field (1946)Alice Cooper (1945)Princess Alexandra (1936) Paul Borget (1935)Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889)
W C Field (1946)Alice Cooper (1945)Princess Alexandra (1936) Paul Borget (1935)Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889)
Deaths on 25 December:
Conrad Hilton (1979)Humphrey Bogart (1957)Dorothy Wordsworth (1855)Sir Isaac Newton (1727)
The biggest selling Christmas single of all time is Bing Crosby's White Christmas.
Santa's Reindeers are Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donder, Blitzen, Cupid and Comet.
A Christmas Story (My all-time favorite holiday movie!)
1983, 98 minutes, Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, Tedde Moore.Movie about growing up the 1940s. Billingsley plays the young boy and we discover the simple yearnings, like wanting to own a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
1983, 98 minutes, Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, Tedde Moore.Movie about growing up the 1940s. Billingsley plays the young boy and we discover the simple yearnings, like wanting to own a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
Strange but TRUE:
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created for Montgomery Ward department stores. (Rudolph began in 1939 when the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward company (a chain of department stores) asked one of their writers, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to come up with a Christmas story which could be given away to shoppers as a promotional gimmick. The chain had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year. To save money, they wanted to create their own booklet. It was loosely based on the Ugly Duckling.)
Anyone else want to share a Christmas Fun Fact?
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created for Montgomery Ward department stores. (Rudolph began in 1939 when the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward company (a chain of department stores) asked one of their writers, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to come up with a Christmas story which could be given away to shoppers as a promotional gimmick. The chain had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year. To save money, they wanted to create their own booklet. It was loosely based on the Ugly Duckling.)
Anyone else want to share a Christmas Fun Fact?
Happy Holiday Shopping--and don't forget to add a Harlequin American Romance to a friend's stocking!
Marin
*Hearts of Appalachia*
For the Children (Oct 07)
In a Soldier's Arms (Feb 08)
A Coal Miner's Wife (Aug 08)
9 comments:
Thank you very much!
Congratulations Nathalie.
Thank you for those wonderful Christmas fun facts Marin
Congratulations, Nathalie!
Marin, my favorite Christmas story is "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. He apparently wrote it at Pete's Tavern in NYC - two blocks south of Gramercy Park at the corner of 18th Street & Irving Place. A couple of years ago my daughter and I had lunch there and we think we may have sat in the booth where O. Henry wrote many of short stories, including our holiday favorite. How's that for trivia :)
What great info!
Lee--how cool is that!! Did you "feel" O. Henry's spirit hovering while you ate :-)
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
I love random bits of trivia like that. My poor friends, though... I'm always spouting things I've read at them.
Thanks for adding fuel to the fire. ;)
Thank you for the fun facts
Congrats Nathalie! Cool fun facts!
Thanks for all these cool fun stuff!!
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