Mittens, we have all used them in our lives, some of us probably still do. They are our favorite things to use when making snowballs or making a snowman. They keep our hands warm from the cold and crunchy snow that we pick up and throw at each other, and are a good way to make sure our hands are colorful against the bright whiteness of the snowy ground. We are here today to learn about a day just for these little colorful, fuzzy, and soft hand covers, a day called Mitten Tree Day!
Created by school teachers as a way to have a fun Christmastime activity for the children to make while they were in school. Others would claim that the holiday was created because of a book with the title “The Mitten Tree” which was written by author Candace Christiansen, in the book the main character Sarah is bundling up to walk through the cold winter weather, and on her trek she sees a group of children placing their mittens on a small dead tree.
No matter where the origin for the holiday came from, children will always enjoy making little mitten trees. But what about mittens? Where do they come from? Well, Mitten is derived from the Old French word mitaine which was an old pet name for a cat, because back then mittens were made of animal fur. The earliest mittens known to man date back to around the year 1000 A.D. and originally were used as sheaths for gloves since mittens did not have any separate finger openings to allow finger mobility. They were believed to have been made out of wool due to the discovery of a woolen mitten found in the harbor area of Dorestad in the Netherlands, determined to be from the 8th or 9th century AD based on surrounding archaeological evidence.
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (noun) One born of, begotten by, or derived from another. | ||
| Synonyms: | issue, offspring | ||
| Usage: | He was naturally a very nervous, shuddering sort of little fellow, this bread-faced steward; the progeny of a bankrupt baker and a hospital nurse. | ||
Idiom of the Day
kiss and cry— An area in an ice skating rink where figure skaters rest while awaiting their results after a competitive performance. So named because competitors typically celebrate or commiserate (depending on their performance) with coaches, friends, or family in this location. |
History
US Federal Judge Rules James Joyce's Ulysses Not Obscene (1933)
For more than a decade after its debut, James Joyce's masterpiece, Ulysses, was banned in the US. A literary magazine had attempted to publish it in serial form, but the series was cut short after the publishers ran a rather suggestive passage and were convicted of obscenity. When the implicit ban on the book was finally challenged in 1933, Judge John M. Woolsey praised the work for its literary merits and ruled that it was not obscene.
Joyce Kilmer (1886)
| Kilmer was a prolific poet who celebrated nature and faith in short, sentimental verse. His works, now mostly forgotten, have been dismissed by modern scholars as overly simplistic. Today, his reputation largely rests on the wide popularity of a single 1913 poem, "Trees." It begins, "I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree," and many specific trees have been proposed as Kilmer's inspiration. |
The True Story Behind The Pickle Christmas Ornament Tradition
The Christmas pickle is part of many holiday celebrations in American families. Traditionally, a Christmas ornament in the shape of a pickle is hidden somewhere on the tree. Whoever finds the special pickle ornament is said to have good fortune in the coming yearREAD MORE:
The True Story Behind The Pickle Christmas Ornament Tradition
1774 - Austria became the first nation to introduce a state education system.
1865 - The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The amendment abolished slavery in the U.S.
1883 - "Ladies' Home Journal" was published for the first time.
1884 - The construction of the Washington Monument was completed by Army engineers. The project took 34 years.
1917 - Finland proclaimed independence from Russia.
1923 - U.S. President Calvin Coolidge became the first president to give a presidential address that was broadcast on radio.
1947 - Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by U.S. President Truman.
1973 - Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the vice-president of the United States after vice-president Spiro Agnew resigned.
1990 - U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle was enshrined in the Little League Museum's Hall of Excellence.
1998 - Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Endeavour connected the first two building blocks of the international space station in the shuttle cargo bay.
2002 - Officials released the detailed plans for a $4.7 million memorial commemorating Princess Diana. The large oval fountain was planned to be constructed in London's Hyde Park.
DAILY SQU-EEK
If You Were Born Today, December 6
You are always searching for truths in this lifetime, and you love to explore and learn. In fact, you are thirsty for knowledge. There is a flair for the dramatic in you, although you do come across as straightforward, personable, and frank. You make snap decisions. For the most part, you are able to complete what you start, and when you don’t, it stems from over-estimating your human capabilities, not from lack of follow-through! You require intellectual stimulation in order to hold your interest in relationships, as you are restless and desirous of change. Famous people born today: Ira Gershwin, Charles Hall, Steven Wright, Peter Buck.
READERS INFO
1.
Argosy Christmas Ship Festival 2017
Nov 24 - Dec 23, 2017 | Seattle, WA
Lake Union Park & Other Puget Sound Communities|860 Terry Ave N
For fans of Christmas cheer and brisky Northwestern seaside breezes, the Argosy Christmas Ship Festival comes to town each year to delight thousands of revelers aboard a floating parade festooned with lights. Travelling along the Puget Sound and making stops to various waterfront towns and cities, the ship features a variety of holiday festivities to keep revelers on board smiling and dancing to a variety of performances by choirs and other live musical acts. What’s more, when revelers are guided back to shore, they can enjoy complimentary bonfires and fireside treats.
further information: Christmas Ship™ Festival
2.
NYBG Holiday Train Show 2017
Nov 22, 2017 - Jan 15, 2018 | Bronx, NY
Every family has that little kid who's fascinated with toy trains, but their messy bedroom doesn't complement the choo-chooing action very well. The New York Botanical Garden, however, gives you something to awe while trains run simultaneously. Model trains will race through the gardens and its hundreds of recreated landmarks made out of bark, leaves and other woodsy materials. If trains are your daily enemies during the morning commute, there's fun tours you can take of NYBG, live concerts and poetry reading to keep you entertained.
further information: About the Holiday Train Show® » New York Botanical Garden
3.
Wonderland of Lights 2017
Nov 22 - Dec 31, 2017 | Marshall, TX
Wonderland of Lights is one of the top Christmas lighting events in the country. The month-long event launches the end of November in Marshall, Texas, with the Annual Lighting Ceremony. Throughout the following weeks, guests can enjoy the outdoor ice-skating rink, Santa’s Workshop, carriage rides and family fun and entertainment. The lights and activities will remain open every evening through the end of the year.
One of the first issue of coins for the Japanese yen. This coin was introduced in 1870 as part of the Meiji government's modernization program, replacing the Tokugawa coinage with silver 5-, 10-, 20- and 50-sen and 1-yen pieces, as well as gold 2-, 5-, 10- and 20-yen pieces. The 20 gold yen contained (on average) 33.33 grams of gold (0.9000 fine) and weighed 0.9645 ounces.
“The Day We Bought the Family Van (1999) to the Day We Sold It (2017)”
Mom strength on full display!
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Garter Stitch Ridge Baby Mittens
knit
Flying Pig Mittens
knit
Fibermania
knit, Christmas
knit, Christmas ornament
Crochet Mittens Pattern
crochet
Hands Full Crochet Mittens
crochet, vintage
Children's Crocheted Mittens No. 634 pattern by Bernhard Ulmann Co.
crochet, Christmas
crochet, Christmas ornament
thanks, Shelley
CRAFTS
thanks, Iris
Post Box Ireland Jigsaw Puzzle
| adage bounds burrow cairn client corrupt diverse engineer | feeling gather gold great hasp honor incongruous jester | knee leak machine might mistaken mixed more motel mutual | neon operator poke phony piano pleas police | rampart rear simple slogan spoil think woman |
solution:
thanks, Helen
thanks, Amy
Watch this Artist Instantly Create a Mirror
with Liquid Silver Nitrate
gizmodo
Although mirrors have been around for thousands of years, a German chemist named Justus von Liebig made a breakthrough in 1835 that would make the modern manufacture of them possible. Add some sugar to ammoniated silver nitrate, pour it onto glass, and blammo: you’ve got yourself a mirror.
Have You Ever Wondered ... Why does Hanukkah change dates every year?
What do you look forward to when the winter holidays
couple of weeks of vacation from school.
You might also look forward to receiving some cool presents. If you celebrate Christmas, then you know the date you'll get to open your Christmas gifts: December 25.
If you're Jewish, though, you might need to double-check the calendar to figure out exactly when Hanukkah begins this year. Why? Does Hanukkah change dates every year? Well, the answer is yes…and no!
Hanukkah is sometimes spelled Hanuka, Chanukah, or one of several other variations. This is because it's a Hebrew word (meaning "dedication"), and the symbols of the Hebrew language represent sounds rather than specific letters. Thus, they can be transliterated a number of different ways into English and mean the same thing (since they all sound the same).
Hanukkah, also known as the Jewish Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication in 165 B.C. of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The annual celebration lasts for eight days.
Hanukkah usually begins sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The exact date changes from year to year…sort of. In reality, Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of Kislev, which is the ninth month on the Jewish calendar.
The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, which means it's based upon the cycles of the Moon. The modern secular calendar most people around the world use (known as the Gregorian calendar), is a solar calendar, which means it's based upon Earth's revolution around the Sun.
There are about twelve and a half lunar months in a solar calendar year. To make sure that lunar months always occur in the same seasons, the Jewish calendar incorporates a leap month every few years.
Since the Jewish and Gregorian calendars are based upon different cycles, set dates on one calendar correlate to different dates on the other calendar each year. Although Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of Kislev, that date can fall anywhere between late November and late December on the Gregorian calendar.
So that's why Hanukkah always changes dates every year on the Gregorian calendar…while always being on the same date every year on the Jewish calendar!
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