Have a great holiday season. No editorial comments today. Let your celebration include prayers of peace, love, and goodwill on earth. Remember those who are lonely or isolated and need a "touch" of contact, be it a call, an e-mail, or a visit. 

The monetary gifts are for the kids. We adults need to find a warm glow of friends, family, and quiet reflection. God bless you all.

Just for fun, here is a Christmas quiz that centers on American government and history. Try your luck with these brainteasers. Don't cheat while answering the questions and look at the answers provided after the quiz. Remember, Santa sees everything.

Here are the two main sources for the questions. Please read the articles after you take the little test. Just click on them to take you to the great reading.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/23/opinion/frum-war-on-christmas/index.html?hpt=hp_t4

http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/ch/in_america.htm

Christmas American Style Quiz


1. ___  Christmas has not always been a national holiday. The Americans of the founding generations insisted upon separation of church and state not because they were irreligious, but because so many of them were

a. non-church goers without denominations
b. not in favor of Washington favoring some religious practices over others
c. still a majority of heathen rift raft
d. not interested in government


2. ___  The early National government was also "rather cool" to establishing Christmas as a holiday because of its many non-Christian origins. For example, Christmas is celebrated near the date of

a. the first British coronation
b. the Celtic festival of Samhain
c. the Roman holiday of Saturnalia
d. Parentalia, the Druid festival of the dead


3. ___  The traditions of the Christmas tree, the hanging of wreaths and house-to-house caroling have their origins in

a. the pre-Christian German holiday of Yule
b. the celebration of winter in neolithic times (10,200 BC)
c. Festivus, a secular holiday celebrated on December 23
d. Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamils


4. ___ It is claimed that the first eggnog made in the United States was consumed 

a. at the inauguration of President George Washington
b. in the Monticello home of President Thomas Jefferson
c. in the Pilgrim colony at Plymouth
d. in Captain John Smith's 1607 Jamestown settlement.


5. ___The Advent season was originally a religious time

a. for prayer of the gift of Jesus's birth
b. for granting fertility
c. for fasting to point to the Second Coming of Jesus
d. for the celebration of the Last Supper of Jesus


6. ___  From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone found guilty of exhibiting the Christmas spirit was 

a. confined to the stockade
b. fined five shillings
c. tarred and feathered
d. confined to his own quarters


7. ___  The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. Who is given much credit for helping change the image of Christmas to a warm-hearted holiday with the publication of The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon in 1819?

a. Henry Thoreau
b. John James Audubon
c. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
d. Washington Irving

8. ___  In 1804, The New York Historical Society was founded with St. Nicolas as its patron saint. Its members engaged in the practice of gift-giving at Christmas introduced by


a. the French
b. the Dutch
c. the Native Americans
d. the Irish


9. ___  In 1834, Illinois voted whether to adopt Christmas as a legal holiday. Among those voting "nay" was 

a. Abraham Lincoln
b. Steven Douglas
c. John Brown
d. Harriet Beecher Stowe

10. ___ In 1836, the first state to recognize Christmas as a holiday was

a. Alabama
b. Ohio
c. Massachusetts
d. Pennsylvania


11. ___ During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln had Thomas Nast, an illustrator for Harper's Magazine create a drawing associated with Christmas that effectively used psychological warfare to demoralize Confederate troops. Describe the drawing.

a. Santa with Union soldiers
b. a nativity scene with the caption "E Pluribus Unum"
c. a heavenly angel overlooking Union troops
d. the Christmas star shining on the White House


12. ___ Christmas was not declared as a federal holiday until 

a. December 24, 1836
b. April 16, 1861
c. June 26, 1870
d. February 4, 1905


13. ___ What President sent out the first "seasonal" White House Christmas card

a. Woodrow Wilson
b. Theodore Roosevelt
c. Harry S. Truman
d. Dwight D. Eisenhower


14. ___ What President sent our the first Christmas card depicting a nativity scene?

a. Franklin D. Roosevelt
b. John F. Kennedy
c. Lydon B. Johnson
d. Richard M. Nixon

____________________________________________________________________________

ANSWERS:

1. B    2. C    3. A    4. D    5. C    6. B    7. D    8. B    9.  A   10. A    11. A    12. C    13. D     14. B   

2010 Christmas Quiz

It's educational trivia day on the blog. Time for some Christmas questions to quiz those in the holiday spirit. As with most trivial pursuits, the quiz provides answers that may be challenged; however, that is half the fun. So, nip your eggnog and give this 20 question entry a try. Good luck. Answers are provided after the questions. Feel free to record your scores. Merry Christmas, all.

Questions

1. ___ Symbolizing the prayers and praises of the faithful as well as Christ's sacrifice and the divine name of God, Frankincense is the purest of

a. incense,
b. linen,
c. oils,
d. jewels.

2. ___ Named for its bitter taste and symbolizing the Suffering Savior, the Great Physician, and Christ's human nature, myrrh is an aromatic gum resin used to make ointments and

a. teas,
b. perfumes,
c. disinfectants,
d. poisons.

3. ___ One of the holiday's best-loved songs, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," marks the longest holiday in the Christian calendar -- the time between Christmas Day and Epiphany, celebrated on January 6. Epiphany is a Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by

a. the Magi,
b. the Trinity,
c. the Virgin Mary,
d. the appearance of the angel Gabriel.

4. ___ Some people think of Xmas as a contemporary, sacrilegious abbreviation of the word Christmas. On the contrary, the first letter of the word ________ (fill in) in the Greek language is chi, which is identical to the modern Roman alphabet's X.

a. Mary,
b. God,
c. Virgin,
d. Christ.

5. ___ Americans did not have a detailed description of St. Nicholas until they viewed a drawing of him included in the 1809 publication A History of New York. The drawing was created by

a. Johnathan Edwards,
b. James Fenimore Cooper,
c. Washington Irving,
d. Norman Rockwell.





6. ___ Before you sing, "Now bring us some figgy pudding," it might be helpful to know exactly what you are requesting. Figgy pudding is an English dish similar to

a. mincemeat pie,
b. mulled wine,
c. bread pudding,
d. spiced eel.

7. ___ What are sugarplums?

a. hard sugar sweets,
b. evil fairies,
c. baked apples,
d. holiday punches.

8.___ In 1670, a choirmaster in Cologne, Germany, handed candy canes out to children during church services to keep them quiet. They were meant to resemble bent the ends to resemble

a. a walking cane,
b. a deacon's hook,
c. a shepherd's staff,
d. a wilted evergreen.

9.___ What seasonal character was actually created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's for a holiday promotion?

a. Frosty the Snowman,
b. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,
c. Ebenezer Scrooge,
d. Jack Frost.

10.___ If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," you would receive

a. 545 gifts,
b. 364 gifts,
c. 288 gifts,
d. 105 gifts.

11.___ At the time of Jesus' birth, the Roman Caesar was

a. Caesar Tiberius,
b. Caesar Vespasian,
c. Constantine I,
d. Caesar Augustus.

12.___ In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Scrooge's deceased business partner is

a. Jacob Marley,
b. Martin Chuzzlewit,
c. Bob Cratchit,
d. Benjamin Havisham.

13.___ The setting for the film A Christmas Story is a town in Indiana, but the movie was actually filmed in

a. New York City,
b. Cleveland, Ohio,
c. Chicago, Illinois,
d. Louisville, Kentucky.

14.___ The "major award" in A Christmas Story is based on a real lamp: an illuminated

a. Tiffany original,
b. Victorian brothel replica,
c. Nehi soda logo,
d. Marilyn Monroe souvenir.

15.___ A Tannebaum is

a. mistletoe,
b. a wreath,
c. a Christmas tree,
d. a dance.

 

16.___ One of the most traditional Christmas dinner entrees in early England was

a. sturgeon,
b. the head of a pig,
c. mutton pie,
d. venison stew.

17.___ Beginning in medieval times and through the Victorian era, "Hot Cockles" was a popular Christmas guessing game in which a player was blindfolded and

a. struck by others,
b. kissed by others,
c. whispered to by others,
d. made to drink alcohol by others.

18.___ The Christmas story Bible verses come from the scriptures of Matthew and

a. Luke,
b. John,
c. Mark,
d. Bocephus.

19.___ The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells," compose by James Lord Pierpont in 1850, was actually written to celebrate

a. New Year's,
b. Halloween,
c. Thanksgiving,
d. birthdays.

20.___ According to Norse myths, if enemies met by chance beneath mistletoe in a forest, they

a. immediately fought to the death,
b. each offered a virgin sacrifice to Odin,
c. laid down their arms and maintained a one day truce,
d. left each other in lasting peace.

Answers: 

 1. a 2. b 3. a 4. d 5. c 6. c 7. a 8. c 9. b 10. b 

 11. d 12. a 13. b 14. c 15. c 16. b 17. a 18. a 19. c 20. c