Thursday 12/22/22
Celebrate:
Abilities Day
National Cookie Exchange Day
National Date Nut Bread Day
National Regifting Day
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You can always count on tourists to tick off the locals, no matter where they are. Here's another example . . .
Hawaii is having a big influx of visitors thanks to the two volcanos erupting right now. And Native Hawaiians are upset . . . because people keep throwing MARSHMALLOWS at the lava.
Volcanoes are considered sacred by a lot of people in Hawaii. So it's seen as disrespectful.
The mayor of Hawaii's Big Island said it might be a social media thing, and people are doing it for the 'gram. But he's also worried about tourists getting too close to the lava, where they might get hurt or need to be rescued.
He's now looking at upping the penalties for trespassing in those areas. Three tourists who got caught too close to the lava this week are facing $500 fines, or up to 30 days in jail for it.
So if you're heading to Hawaii to see the eruptions, officials would like you to please leave your marshmallows at home.
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The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, has been tracking Santa's journey around the world since 1958.
According to their website, the innovation was set into motion in 1955, when "a young child [accidentally] dialed the unlisted phone number of the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, believing she was calling Santa Claus after seeing a promotion in a local newspaper." The commander on duty, Colonel Harry Shoup, saw an opportunity to create a little Christmas magic, and assured the youngster that CONAD would guarantee Santa a safe journey from the North Pole, sparking the idea to track Santa's travels each year to the delight of children all over the world.
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The Statue of Liberty is the largest Christmas gift ever given.
Standing over 150 feet tall and weighing 225 tons, the Statue of Liberty is an impressive figure. And since it was considered a holiday gift when it was given to the U.S. by France in 1886, it's officially the largest Christmas present in the world. That's a lot of wrapping paper and ribbon!
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You’ve probably been on the receiving end of a few gifts that didn’t hit the mark. In that case, there’s nothing wrong with a little regifting . . . here and there.
But there are some rules.
-Make sure the gift tags are taken off.
-REWRAPPING is mandatory. Instead of letting the gift be a reminder of the person who gave it to you, you can give the gift new life. Let rewrapping the gift be a reminder of the person you’re giving it to.
-Remember who gave you the gift. This one is important.
- Put some thought into it. - Ramseysolutions.com says, "If your mom gave you a new necklace and it’s not quite your style—but it does remind you of your best friend—that’s a good regift! But if you got a furry keychain for Christmas and gave it to your coworker because you just don’t want it—that doesn’t count as meaningful."
Read more here
https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/10-rules-of-regifting
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No one knows exactly why it's now customary to leave out cookies and milk for Santa Claus,
but according to NPR, the first recorded reference to the tradition is from a Santa-themed magazine for children that was published in the late 19th century. A young girl wrote to St. Nicholas: An Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks that she and her brother were planning to leave the snack out for their Christmas visitor in case he was hungry.
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People in Iceland will often exchange books on Christmas Eve, then spend the rest of the night reading them and eating chocolate. The tradition is part of a season called Jolabokaflod, or “The Christmas Book Flood.”
As a result, Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country selling most of them between September and November.
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - Canada debuted the first Christmas postage stamp in 1898. America was VERY late to the game. The first U.S. Christmas stamp was issued in 1962 and featured a candle and wreaths in green and red.
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