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12/5/24 - Krampus, Dark, and Real Trees

Thursday 12/5/24


Celebrate:

AFL-CIO Day

Bathtub Party Day

Day of the Ninja

International Volunteer Day

National Blue Jeans Day

National Comfort Food Day

National Communicate With Your Kids Day

National Commute With Your Baby Day

National Sacher Torte Day

Repeal Day (of Prohibition) - 92 years ago- In 1933, Prohibition Ended at 5:32 P.M. as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment.  That one repealed the ridiculous 18th Amendment that had outlawed all booze for nearly 14 years.

World Soil Day

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KrampusNacht - popular in Germany and Europe, the day is based on Krampus, a mythical beast that is half-demon and half-goat. Characteristically similar to some creatures in Greek mythology, it has fangs, horns, cowbells on its waist, and a switch made of birch sticks meant for whipping or swatting naughty children. The harshness of its appearance is fitting, as Krampus comes from the German word "krampen," which means claw.

According to folklore, on the evening of December 5, Krampus punishes children who have been bad by whipping them with his switch. He then takes them to his lair. He is the counterpart to St. Nicholas, a European gift giver who arrives the following day. He is also contrasted with Santa, who rewards those who have been good and are on his "nice" list.


Does it feel darker this time of year? Many folks think it’s darkest on the winter solstice. But it’s actually in early December! Bob Berman explains this phenomenon.


To most of us in North America, this is a dark time of year—and you’re right. The sunsets come exceedingly early. It might surprise you to learn that the earliest sunsets come several weeks before the winter solstice, not on the solstice, as many would guess.


The degree of darkness varies, depending on how far north you live. The time the clock reads at sunset also depends on how far east or west your home sits relative to your standard time zone.

For northern latitudes, the earliest sunsets of the year happen around December 7. Think about 40 degrees latitude, and pretty much that's us.

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According to a new survey, REAL Christmas tree shoppers fall into SIX categories, based on when they buy their tree.  

Here's the breakdown:

1.  The early birds who put it up BEFORE Thanksgiving, 14%.  This group REALLY has to work to keep their tree from drying out by Christmas.


2.  The people who buy their tree over Black Friday weekend, 33%.


3.  The "seasonal purists" who get a tree the first weekend of December, 33%.  So basically, two out of three people get a REAL Christmas tree about a month out.  That also means we're in the middle of a 10-day stretch were MOST people get their tree.


4.  Then, there's the people who wait until the second week of December, 16%.  That's NEXT week.


5.  The people who put it off until the THIRD week of December, 3%.


6.  The "Christmas Eve Traditionalists," who put it up ON Christmas Eve, 1%.

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Billboard announced the #1 entry on its list of the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century, and it's Beyoncé.

Billboard says, quote, "You can watch her on stage for half a minute and instantly recognize that she's an all-timer . . .

"Her inherent combination of dazzling beauty, impeccable fashion, captivating staging, otherworldly physicality and simultaneously earthy and skyscraping vocals all speaks for itself.

"Few artists this period can match her in any of the most critical basic categories of pop stardom:  commercial success, performance abilities, critical acclaim and accolades, industry influence, iconic cultural moments.  And absolutely no one can equal her in all of them.  

"Even Taylor Swift, the lone artist who really challenged Beyoncé for the top spot on these rankings and came in second, simply hasn't been around for long enough to be able to match the expansiveness of her quarter-century of dominance." 

Rihanna was third followed by

Drake

Lady Gaga

Britney Spears

By the way, Beyonce's hubby Jay-Z is 16th.

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Oxford Dictionary's word of the year is "brain rot."

They define it as, "The supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of [online content] considered to be trivial or unchallenging."

According to their stats, usage of the term "brain rot" steadily grew by 230% over the course of the year.  But it's not a new term.

The first recorded use was in Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden" in 1854.  So, people were already complaining about brain rot in the 1850s!

Oxford picks their word by choosing six finalists and letting people vote.  The other five this year were "slop" . . . "dynamic pricing" . . . "romantasy" . . . "lore" . . . and "demure (Dictonary.com’s for the year)

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Someone noticed something about the calendar for 2025.  It starts on a Wednesday, so the first three days are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

And on a calendar . . . where the days of the week are shortened to just an INITIAL . . . that means the calendar starts with "WTF."

The post said, "Should we be worried that 2025 begins with 'WTF'?"  It's accumulated 12 million views, 344,000 Likes, and 1,300 comments in three days.

Some people thought it could be a good thing but the scariest comment was the person who noticed that the last time this happened was 2020. (yea..that was kind of bad.)

What other years can you reuse? 1969, 1975, 1986, 1997, 2003, and 2014.

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If you're sad "The Great British Baking Show" is done for the year, here's something new:  A couple in England launched a TikTok account in September called Cooking with Carter, where their three-year-old son gives cooking lessons. 

He's a huge hit, and people think his accent is cute.  But they're also impressed at how good of a cook he is, and how good of a teacher.  He's got over 250,000 followers already. 

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When you sleep, your body is working to repair itself.  So, if you sleep in the wrong position, it can really mess up your whole day.

According to a sleep medicine physician, the ideal sleeping position is one that promotes spinal alignment from your head to your hips.  Here are some other helpful sleeping tips:


Overall, sleeping on your back or side is better than your stomach because it's easier to keep your spine supported.

We spend less than 10% of our time on our stomach, so it's the least popular position. It's not great for your neck. And it can be harder to breathe, which might make your sleep feel less restful.

It does work for some people though. So, things that can help stomach sleepers include a firmer mattress, a thin pillow under your hips, and using a very thin pillow for your head, or no pillow at all.


60% of people sleep on their side. The best way to do it is with a pillow between your knees. It'll even out your hips, and keep the spine straight.

Sleeping on your side also cuts down on snoring. Your left side is best, because it puts less pressure on your internal organs.  Sleeping on your right side can also make heartburn worse.


If you have neck pain or a stuffy nose, try sleeping on your back.  Propping yourself up with a pillow can help with congestion.

Sleeping on your back is the worst position for snoring though. So, your partner might not appreciate it.

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Today’s Useless Fact of the Day - "Friends" went through three other titles first:  "Insomnia Cafe" . . . "Six of One" . . . and "Friends Like Us".

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