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12/4/24 - 12 Days Gifts, Winter Weather Folklore, and Workplace Taboos

Wednesday 12/4/24


Celebrate:

Cabernet Franc Day

Choose Women Wednesday

Extraordinary Work Team Recognition Day

International Cheetah Day

National Cookie Day

National Dice Day

National Package Protection Day

National Sock Day

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting

Santa's List Day

Special Kids Day

Wear Brown Shoes Day

Wildlife Conservation Day


"The New York Post" did a big article on how overdecorated Christmas trees are a hot trend this year.

It's a throwback to how people did them in the '80s and '90s, with tacky ornaments, lots of lights, and plenty of tinsel.  So, the opposite of trying to make it look clean and uniform, like a tree at the mall.

Some people love it, some think it's ugly, and others say it's how they've ALWAYS done their tree.


A survey asked parents with kids under 14 what category of gifts they're shopping for this year . . . and the top response was "clothing, shoes, and accessories."  60% of parents say that's a priority.

42% said they're shopping for toys . . . 37% said tech and electronics . . . 33% said entertainment, like books and video games . . . 31% said arts and crafts . . . and 24% said they're looking for "beauty, health, and wellness" stuff.

About 30% of parents are planning to primarily shop at "big-box stores," like Walmart and Target . . . but others are focusing on department stores, discount stores, and small businesses and locally-owned boutiques.

33% of parents aren't sure where they're going to spend the most money this holiday season, but the most important deciding factors are:  Deals and discounts, free shipping, and product availability. 


"Rolling Stone" released their list of the Top 100 Albums of 2024.

1.  "Brat",  Charli XCX

2.  "Cowboy Carter",  Beyoncé

3.  "Manning Fireworks",  MJ Lenderman

4.  "Short n' Sweet",  Sabrina Carpenter

5.  "Hit Me Hard and Soft",  Billie Eilish

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Shaboozey's “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” didn't get to have it's 20th record setting week at #1. Over the chart’s 66-year history, it remains tied for the longest reign with Lil Nas X’s 2019 smash “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. (Which by the way Six years ago - In 2018, Lil Nas X released "Old Town Road". The Billy Ray Cyrus remix came out five months later.)

Kendrick Lamar's new album has garnered the top 5 songs on the Hot 100. (also 8 and 9) Kendrick messed up a lot of chart things with a surprise drop of his album. The Wicked soundtrack would have made it's debut at #1, and Tipsy would have been the outright winner of the most weeks at #1

PS..Mariah Carey and the 30th anniversary of All I Want for Christmas is You is now at #10.


PNC Bank released its annual report on how much it would cost to buy ALL the gifts from "The 12 Days of Christmas".  They've been tracking the prices for over 40 years.  And once again, it's an all-time high.

Everything on the list would run you $49,263 this year, up around 5%.  But three of the gifts represent more than 35 grand of that.  Here's how much everything would cost this year . . .


Twelve drummers drumming . . . $4,017 to hire them.


Eleven pipers piping . . . $3,715.


Ten lords-a-leaping . . . $15,580.  They base it on how much it would cost to hire professional ballet dancers.


Nine ladies dancing . . . $8,557.


Eight maids-a-milking . . . $58, and the cheapest on the list.  It's if you hired them for an hour at minimum wage. 


Seven swans-a-swimming . . . $13,125.  It's the second most expensive gift.  (That plus the lords-a-leaping and ladies dancing adds up to just over $37,000.  So, everything else on the list costs about 12 grand.)


Six geese-a-laying . . . $900.


Five gold rings . . . $1,245.


Four calling birds . . . $600.


Three French hens . . . $347.


Two turtle doves . . . $750.


And a partridge in a pear tree . . . $370. 


They also do the math on how much it would cost to buy all the stuff over and over again, like the song suggests.  To do that, you'd need to spend a grand total of $209,272.

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The Old Farmers Almanac has collected a bunch of folklore predictions for winter weather. Most are fanciful fun with no basis in scientific fact, while others have been found to have a kernel of truth at their core. 


Acorns… that fall heavily mean a cold winter is coming. Similarly, a large crop of walnuts means a snowy, cold season. Thick nutshells predict a severe winter. Also, An abundant crop of berries… is also a sign of a cold, snowy winter. Similarly, a plentiful crop of berries means the following winter will be cold.


Flowers… that have a second bloom in the fall or hold onto their blooms late in the season forecast a colder winter.  


Onion, Apple Skins and Corn Husks… which are thicker than usual, indicate a rough winter ahead.


Squirrels… with very bushy tails in the fall cue a colder winter. If squirrels stash their nuts high in the trees, the snow will be deep.


Beavers… were important forecasters for Native Americans. The thickness of their coats, the amount of body fat, where they hide their food caches, and how they build their winter dens were all used to predict winter weather. Indigenous peoples believed that the larger and stronger the beaver lodge, the harsher the winter to come.


When wild turkeys… perch in trees and refuse to come down, snow is imminent. If turkey feathers are unusually thick, look for a hard winter.


The woolly bear caterpillar has long been a favorite of backyard weather predictors. (This is the larva of the Isabella moth.) The wider the brown band in the middle of the caterpillar, the milder the winter will be. (Hate to tell you, but the band are actually based on last winter!)


Date of the First Snow

There are many similar variations in forecasting snow, based on the date of the very first snowfall.


The date of the first snowflakes tells how many times it will snow. Should the year’s first snow, for example, come down on the 12th of the month, you can expect 12 more storms before the winter’s done.


The number of days from Christmas when the first snowflakes fall will tell you how many times it will snow this winter.


The date of the first snowflakes plus the number of days past the new moon tells how many times it will snow this winter.

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A Harris Poll asked 1,000 Americans to name the top "workplace taboos."  So, things you should NEVER do at work. Here are the top five 

1.  Getting drunk during work hours.  74% say it's never acceptable.

2.  Using drugs during work, 65%.

3.  Drinking any amount of alcohol, 65%.

4.  Dating a manager or anyone above you, 52%.

5.  Gossiping about a colleague, 51%.

Even though most people consider those things taboos, plenty of us have done them before:  12% have consumed alcohol on the clock . . . 5% have gotten drunk . . . 6% have done drugs . . . 5% have dated a manager . . . and 25% admitted to gossiping about a coworker before.

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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - Americans spend about 37 billion hours total waiting in line every year.

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