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In 1939, Robert May wrote a promotional Christmas poem for a department store in Chicago. He called it, "Rollo the Red-Nosed Reindeer" but corporate didn't like the name. They also didn't like his second choice, "Reginald." It was actually Robert's four-year-old daughter who came up with Rudolph.
Reg-in-ald the Red Nose Reindeer...had a very shiny nose! Yeah, I'm not feeling it!
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So this book is copyright 2003, so the numbers that were averaged for this are likely based in that time. The price for all the gifts in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song is pretty hefty. Also, apparently "Golden rings" are pheasants, not jewelry which whoa! Doug says that the price for all these gifts comes to $15,944.20!
But seriously PHEASANTS?!
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Okay, wow. I was reading the description for some of the "bizarre ingredients in history's most exotic Christmas pies" and just whoa!! The records (likely from early English times) show that LIVING CREATURES were baked in pies at temperatures there were not hot enough to kill! The creatures ranged from blackbirds, pheasants, foxes, rabbits, and A DWARF in one case! It was a highlight of the celebration that once the crust was broken the creatures would hop, fly, or run among the guests.
And this is where we get the story of Hansel and Gretel! Okay, that's not true...I don't think butt that's what came to mind! And that nursery rhyme about Old King Cole--right? There was some dude who was going to eat pie and I thought birds flew out of it! Lol. And eww!
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During the Middle Ages, Christmas dinner started at three in the afternoon and with appetizers and ten main courses would last until midnight! Today (2003) it's calculated that North Americans (combined) would consume 24 million turkeys, 112 million cans of cranberries, 108 million quarts of eggnog and 89 million gallons of liquor. This amounts to an average weight gain of 4-6 pounds.
Sounds about right, though I want to know the cookie count! Okay...maybe not! LOL!
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In the Middle Ages, Boxing Day was known as St. Stephen's Day. This is a holiday that is more known in Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. It gets it name from the time period when the wealthier people would box up gifts to give to their staff and the churches would open their charity boxes to the poor.
That's en eye-opener! I never did know what this holiday was about!