1904 - The first New Year’s Eve celebration was held in Times Square, then known as Longacre Square, in NYC
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And from the Old Farmers Almanac:
If there is no wind on New Year’s Day, the summer will be dry; if there’s a good breeze, there will be rain enough for a decent crop.
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Mentalfloss.com had a great blog about Hangover cures! From B-12, to food, to pickle juice, even to Meundo (no not the singing group…well you really don’t want to know.) See the cures here..or decide to not drink or keep the hangover! # Wacky Things that Get Dropped on New Year’s Eve! And there are some strange festivals too! From the Peep show in Bethlehem Pa, to sausage fests in Ohio, and wait till you see what the drop in Key West!
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New Years Eve, and it’s resolution time for some. Here are some tips from Marie Claire to help you make them stick! From writing it down, to getting a buddy involved, and of course making it manageable!
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New Years probably has the most superstitions surrounding it, and Snopes.com has a great list of them. From Kissing at midnight, to paying bills, even who should be the first thru the door on New Years. There are many food superstitions as well, and this one deals with grapes:
For a long time, Spanish people have had a traditional custom of celebrating New Year’s Eve. On the last day of the year, the 31st of December, they wait until twelve p.m. Everybody has to have twelve grapes ready to eat when the clock starts to chime. It is traditional to eat them as you hear the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid chiming. When it is midnight, each time the clock chimes, they put a grape in their mouth. By the time the clock has finished chiming, everybody has to have finished their grapes and the New Year starts, but nobody ever finishes eating the grapes on time, and they start looking at each other and have to laugh. This tradition started in Spain because one year when there was a big grape harvest, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year’s Eve.
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Noisemaking at midnight on New Year’s Eve, is another tradition. Now looked upon as mere revelry, it once was considered protection against evil spirits, who would be scared off by all of the noise. Beware of the devil and his minnions! BUT!!!!!
Whistling, however, is strictly taboo; to whistle is to converse with the devil or invite him in. Sailors, actors and actresses, and miners are particularly cognizant of the ill luck associated with whistling. On board ship, whistling is thought to raise a storm. In the theatre, it is believed to close the show prematurely. For miners, it is a sign of alarm.
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Hope you all had a great holdiay! Back to business with things to celebrate today:

Sixth Day of Christmas - go see some geese!
Kwanzaa continues
Relaxation Day
Falling Needles Family Fest Day (is your tree drying out? Watch the needles fall today.
National Bicarbonate of Soda Day(doesn’t seem the right day..but go ahead!)
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 See the full lists here.
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“Treecycling” is the act of recycling your Christmas tree so that it can be turned into compost or mulch. In a national survey, 93 percent of consumers who used a real Christmas tree recycled theirs in some type of community program. Locally, Moore Tree Farm on Rt 34 recycles trees.
Why Recycle a Tree? 
Chipping (chippings are used for various things from mulch to hiking trails)
Beachfront erosion prevention
Lake and river shoreline stabilization
Fish habitat
River delta sedimentation management
 
Today around 98 percent of real Christmas trees are grown on farms throughout all 50 states and Canada. Real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource, and real trees are planted to be harvested just as corn and/or pumpkins are cultivated for a harvest.
 
For each real Christmas tree harvested, up to three new seedlings are planted in its place, depending on farm size and current field rotation. Young trees in their rapid growth years have a high rate of photosynthesis and thus produce more oxygen than older trees.
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Popcrunch.com did a poll on the sexiest actors and actresses, from the male and female perspective. See the results here.
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The American Film Institute, famous for its lists of the best movies in various categories, has come up with what it calls 2008’s “Moments of Significance in Film, TV and the Web.” Per E! Online, topping the list is British director Danny Boyle’s acclaimed Hollywood-meets-Bollywood indie film Slumdog Millionaire, which AFI cited for being “a monument to the possibilities of cross-cultural storytelling.” Other moments of significance singled out by AFI include:

-Tina Fey’s double-duty as Emmy-winning writer/co-star of NBC’s 30 Rock and hilarious Sarah Palin impersonator on Saturday Night Live.

-Television coverage of the presidential race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

-NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Summer Olympics and the network’s decision to install departing Tonight Show host Jay Leno into its 10 p.m. weeknight slot.

-Fast-growing website Hulu, a joint venture between various networks and film studios offering video of many popular shows.

-Joss Whedon’s surprise online hit, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a 43-minute musical comedy starring Neil Patrick Harris.

-The endangered nature of independent filmmaking after major studios closed down specialty divisions such as Paramount Vantage, Warner Independent and New Line Cinema.

-The dwindling influence of mainstream media film critics caused by layoffs at big-name publications like Time, Newsweek and The Village Voice.

The American Film Institute’s “Moments of Significance” was chosen by a 13-person jury comprising scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees. The organization will officially recognize the moments in a January 9th ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.
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New words from this past year, and you can use them in the coming year, from Arizona Republic:

-Staycation (n.) also sta-cation - Came into wide use after gas hit $4 this summer, making family car trips an even less inviting prospect. Involves taking time off at or near home.

-401(k)o’d (adj.) - A retirement account that looks like it has gone 10 rounds with Oscar De La Hoya.

-Prehab: A program to prevent young stars from behaving inappropriately. “Looks like Miley Cyrus is the only one who’s been to prehab.”

-Ohnosecond: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you’ve just made a BIG mistake. “It took only an ohnosecond before Tim realized he’d hit ‘reply to all’ on his email trashing the boss.”

2 sites for you to find more:
Arizona Republic
Chattanooga Pulse
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Monday (12-22):
National Date Nut Bread Day

Tuesday (12-23):
Roots Day
Popcorn Popping Day

In Oaxaca, Mexico, today, they’re holding The Feast of Radishes. Figurines of people and animals are carved out of radishes and sold and eaten.

The poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” by Clement Clarke Moore was first published anonymously, 1823. The poem is also known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Wednesday (12-24):
National Egg Nog Day
Christmas Eve
Last-Minute Shopper’s Day

A plastic owl was confused for the real thing by RSPCA officers called to rescue it from a telegraph pole in Essex. The charity said it was contacted by a passer-by concerned for the welfare of the bird after seeing it perched in Rayleigh. Officers attended on Tuesday morning and called for help from fire crews. An RSPCA spokeswoman said “firefighters climbed the pole and realised it was a fake. It had been placed on the pole by BT to stop birds from perching there. It was a case of mistaken identity.”
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A 23-year-old mechanical engineering student downed 46 of the potato pancakes in eight minutes to win a contest at a Long Island deli.
Pete Czerwinski says he’d never eaten a latke before consuming about seven pounds of them Sunday at Zan’s in Lake Grove. The Toronto bodybuilder says he’s just “a power eater” whose brain never signals that he’s full, according to the Long Island daily Newsday.
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Santa’s reindeer might have been females! Here’s the story on that!
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For an all-day pick-me-up, dab a little lemon or orange essential oil on a handkerchief to tuck in your pocket. How will citrus make me calmer? Certain citrus fragrances boost feelings of well-being and alleviate stress, according to depression studies. Here are some more ways to be calmer.
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Thursday (12-18):
Bake Cookies Day
National Roast Suckling Pig Day
Wear A Plunger On Your Head Day
International Migrants Day.

Friday (12-19): 
Oatmeal Muffin Day
Look for an Evergreen Day
Underdog Day

Saturday (12-20):
Go Caroling Day

Sacagawea Day (anniversary of her death in 1812)She was the Indian guide /interpreter for the Lewis and Clark expedition and is credited with its success. She’s now on the U-S gold dollar coin.

It’s also Mudd day –when you’re supposed to consider the fate of Dr Samuel Mudd, who was sentenced to life in jail after giving aid to John Wilkes Booth, who was in disguise and fleeing for his life after shooting President Lincoln. He was actually jailed for four years before being pardoned by President Johnson. I wonder if this is where the old saying “Your name is mudd” comes from.

The U-S bought more than a million square miles from France for around $15-million in cash, or $20 bucks a square mile on this date in 1803. We now know it as the Louisiana Purchase, and most people believe it was the greatest real estate deal ever.   
  
Sunday: (12-21):
Hannukah begins at sunset.

Winter officially begins (Winter solstice) at 7:04 am. It’s also the shortest day of the year –nine hours and 28 minutes– and the longest night of the year.

Don’t Be A Scrooge Day
Flashlight Day
Forefathers’ Day anniversary of Plymouth Rock landing, 1620.
Humbug Day
World Peace Day
National Haiku Poetry Day.

On this day in 1999, Neli van der Hoven and Wanderley Costa de Silvaa completed the world’s longest kiss. They puckered up and locked lips in the Netherlands for 34 hours, 11 minutes and 37 seconds. They also won the first place prize of close to $7-thousand. (FYI: the old record was 30 hours, 45 minutes). Wonder if it was under the mistletoe.

On this day in 1882, for the first time, electric lights replaced candles on Christmas trees. It was Tom Edison that strung together the first lights.
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Making holiday cookies and they aren’t coming out like mom or grandma’s did?? The reason could be…..the butter!
“It seems that home bakers don’t always follow instructions precisely,” said Amy Scherber, the owner of Amy’s Bread stores in Manhattan.
The most common mistakes made by home bakers, professionals say, have to do with the care and handling of one ingredient: butter. Creaming butter correctly, keeping butter doughs cold, and starting with fresh, good-tasting butter are vital details that professionals take for granted, and home bakers often miss. Read the full, highly technical but interesting article here.
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Great pictures of kids scard of santa!
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Ever make a gingerbread house? I did, and my friend and I got frosting on the ceiling. And I still really don’t know how. Anyway, check out these interesting houses.
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A Christmas Carol is actually the short title for A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. It has been made into countless theater productions and films.
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An NYU graduate student created a pregnancy belt worn by his wife that notifies him via Twitter whenever their unborn baby kicks inside the womb. The New York Daily News reported that small sensors attached directly to the band transmit small but detectable voltages when they are triggered by movement underneath and a micro-controller wirelessly transmits the signals out to the Internet. Corey Menscher told the paper, “I have a vibrating device in my pocket at all times. Every time the baby kicks, it uploads a message to the server and I get a text message on my phone as well.”
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Clean Air Day
Maple Syrup Day
Cookie Cutter Day
The ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia was traditionally celebrated on this date. Ancient Roman god of agriculture.

The Simpsons premiered, 1989.

Anniversary of the first Wright Brothers plane flight –the first successful man-powered airplane flight– Dec 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, NC, at precisely 10:35 am.
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A Do or a Don’t: Regifting I know that many people are scaling down holiday celebrations this year, including shopping, which is probably why 64 percent of Glamour magazine readers admitted to regifting. It might not be the most PC thing to do, but if you’re going to do it, I’d say this is the year to do so. Is it ok? Another poll found these results!
71% see it as a do
29% for them it’s a don’t.
Here’s a great article from MSN Money, with some do’s and don’ts on regifting!
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Tips For Minimizing Holiday Weight Gain from the DesMoines Register.
Did you know that most Americans gain 5 to 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas?  Here are some tips for avoiding holiday weight gain.

1. Don’t save your favorite treats for only at the end of the year. If you know you’ll have it again within a year, you won’t feel the need to overindulge.

2. Offer more healthful hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy cheese-filled celery sticks and veggies with dip rather than meat and cheese trays and shrimp or bacon-wrapped chicken livers. Many crackers come in a reduced-fat version as well.

3. Don’t overload meals with starch. If you are serving stuffing with turkey, cut back on the potato or corn dishes. Serve more vegetables, and if serving bread, consider breadsticks instead of rolls to reduce the amount of starch consumed.

4. Don’t fill your plate to the max. Take something of everything you like, but in moderation. Once your plate is empty, take seconds only of your most favorite foods.

5. Don’t hurry through the meal. Social interaction is an important part of celebration. It’s a shame when preparing a meal can take five hours to make and 10 minutes to eat. Take a moment for meaningful discussion.

6. Take care with alcohol.  Use diet soda or reduced-sugar juice as a mixer to lower calorie intake.

7. Don’t gorge out of guilt. If Grandma thinks you don’t love her if you don’t eat her food, tell her you plan on eating more later.

8. Drink water during meals. It helps fill you up without adding calories from wine or eggnog.

9. Don’t get sucked into snacking. If certain snacks, such as mixed nuts or peanut brittle, keep drawing you back, don’t eat any. Instead choose a less-addicting alternative, hopefully more healthful.

10. Eat at home before the party. Eat a healthy snack a few hours before the party, and you’ll be less ravenous at mealtime.

11. Choose desserts with fewer calories. Pick pumpkin custard over pumpkin pie; fruit and pumpkin bread instead of cake and ice cream, etc. Try using wheat flour in some of your holiday desserts to add more fiber. Numerous low-fat and reduced sugar options are available in most stores that can be incorporated into your holiday recipes.

12. Schedule time for physical activity. Involve the whole family for sledding or ice skating. If group activity isn’t possible, steal some time to go for a walk or to walk the dog. If you have eaten extra calories, you may want to go for a walk twice a day.
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The Christmas Star, is it real? YES!!! But in June! Here’s the story.
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