Author Topic: Holiday Puzzlers, Jokes and Games  (Read 22417 times)

Offline dot-matrix

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Christmas Quiz Part II ~ Master Level
« Reply #10 on: December 06, 2006, 03:25:19 am »
Christmas Trivia Test ~  Master Level


1. How to build a goat



In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small figurine of a goat. Of what material is it usually made?

A) Candy
B) Straw
C) Uranium
D) Fir wood

2. Feeding the wren



What is the Irish custom of "feeding the wren" or "hunting the wren" on December 26?

A)Taking one’s in-laws out to dinner
B) Carrying a wren door to door, to collect money for charity
C) Leaving a basket of cakes at the door for passers-by
D) Putting out suet and seeds for the wild birds

3. The Nutcracker’s enemy



In Tchaikovsky’s ballet "The Nutcracker", who is the nutcracker’s main enemy?

A) A girl called Clara
B) The King of the Mice
C) Dr. Almond
D) Drosselmeyer the magician

4. The which of endor



At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served "endored". What does that mean?

A) The feet and beaks were coated with gold
B) The guests knelt in adoration as the birds were brought in
C) The birds had been raised on grain soaked in brandy
D) The flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter

5. Christmas shear



All through the Christmas season in old England, "lambswool" could be found in the houses of the well-to-do. What was it?

A) Imitation snow used in decorations
B) A brew of hot ale with roast apples floating in it
C) The material used for knitting Christmas gifts
D) A fluffy confection made from almonds and sugar


6. Snip, snap, dragon!



The ancient game of Snapdragon has been part of English Christmases for over 300 years. Players are egged on by a chant, part of which goes, "Take care you don’t take too much, Be not greedy in your clutch, Snip, snap, dragon!" What is "the dragon" in this game?

A) A costumed child
B) Flames of burning brandy
C) The oldest male in the room
D) A “snapper” made from fireplace tongs

7. A well-run gaggle?



In Victorian times, most Londoners would have been familiar with the "goose club". What was it?
A) A pantomime troupe specializing in slapstick
B) A stout stick used for slaughtering geese
C) A banjo-like instrument used in door-to-door caroling
D) A method of saving to buy a goose for Christmas

8. The mystery of the smoking bishop



After Scrooge has reformed his life at the end of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, he invites Bob Cratchit to join him for some "smoking bishop". What did he mean?

A) A fast variation of chess popular in Victorian London
B) A premium pipe tobacco
C) A hot spiced drink
D) A Christmas pudding, soaked in brandy and set alight


9. Traveling turkeys



In Victorian England, turkeys were popular for Christmas dinners. Some of the birds were raised in Norfolk, and taken to market in London. To get them to London, the turkeys:

A) Were herded by sheep dogs
B) Flew
C) Rode in huge wagons called “turkey-vans”
D) Were supplied with boots made of sacking or leather


10. Cratchit if you can



Many movies on Christmas themes have been made for television and the cinema over the years, including dozens of versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Which of the following films has NOT yet been made?

A) The Jetsons’ Christmas Carol
B) Popeye’s Christmas Carol
C) Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol
D) Mickey’s Christmas Carol

Answers



















Answers[/u]

1 B Scandinavian Christmas festivities feature a variety of straw decorations in the form of stars, angels, hearts and other shapes, as well as the Julbukk.

2 B One explanation for this St. Stephen’s day custom refers to a legend in which the saint was given away by a chattering wren while hiding from his enemies. Children cage the wren to help it do penance for this misdeed. Often the children carry a long pole with a holly bush at the top — which is supposed to hide a captured wren. An artificial wren may also be used.

3 B The King of the Mice, usually represented with seven heads, leads his troops against the nutcracker’s toy soldiers. He loses the battle when Clara, the heroine, stuns him with a shoe.

4 D In addition to their painted flesh, endored birds were served wrapped in their own skin and feathers, which had been removed and set aside prior to roasting.

5 B "Lambswool" was the drink that filled the wassail bowl. Sugar, eggs and spices were added to the ale, and toast floated on top with the apples. Poor people would bring their mugs to the door hoping for a share of the steaming drink.

6 B When the room is dark, a bowl of raisins soaked in brandy is lit. Who will be brave enough to claim the prize from the fierce dragon flames?

7 D Goose clubs were popular with working-class Londoners, who paid a few pence a week towards the cost of a Christmas goose. The week before Christmas, London meat markets were crammed with geese and turkeys, many imported from Germany and France.


8 C Mulled wines were popular festive drinks in 19th-century London. They were undoubtedly much safer to drink than the untreated water. To make Smoking Bishop, take 6 bitter oranges and stick them with 6 cloves each. Put them in a bowl, cover with (cheap) red wine, and set in a warm place for a day. Squeeze the oranges into the wine and strain. Add port. Heat, and serve with a cinnamon stick.

9 D The turkeys were walked to market. The boots protected their feet from the frozen mud of the road. Boots were not used for geese: instead, their feet were protected with a covering of tar.

10 B The Internet Movie Database lists hundreds of movies with "Christmas" in the title. Amongst those you may not yet have seen: A Messy Christmas (1921), An All Dogs Christmas Carol (1998), Goat Christmas (1997) and The Bad Man’s Christmas Gift (1910).

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Offline dot-matrix

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Christmas Quiz Part III ~ Expert Level
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2006, 03:29:31 am »
Christmas Trivia Test ~  Expert Level


This is the Expert Level quiz, featuring ten of the more arcane questions from the AHA! Christmas trivia collection. I hope you enjoy it. ;D

1. Imp repulsion



In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. What should you do to get rid of them?

A) Placate them with gifts of rice pudding
B) Burn either salt or an old shoe
C) Sing hymns in a loud voice
D) Throw your sandals at them

2. The merry lads of Yule



The jólasveinar, or "yule lads", are a traditional part of an Icelandic Christmas. What are they?

A) A band of thirteen gift-giving goblins
B) In charge of Santa’s reindeer
C) Woodcutters
D) The best male singers from each village

3. Opening night



George Frederick Handel’s great Christmas oratorio, The Messiah, was first performed in 1742. Where did the performance take place?

A) London
B) Dublin
C) Vienna
D) Jerusalem

4. Greetings and grumbles



The first commercial Christmas card is generally agreed to have been the one shown above. The card had a hostile reception from some people. Why?

A) It depicted a family, children as well as adults, drinking wine
B) A mass-produced card was felt to violate the Christmas spirit
C) The ivy leaves bordering the design were once a pagan symbol
D) The card’s popularity raised fears of a paper shortage

5. Whence the poinsettia?


The poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. Where did it originally grow?

A) Canada
B) China
C) Mexico
D) Spain

6. What’s in Caesar’s salad?



Some people like to hide a coin or trinket in the Christmas pudding. This may have originated in the ancient custom, in Rome and elsewhere, of concealing a particular object in food. What was it?

A) A key
B) A piece of parchment with a fortune written on it
C) A ruby or sapphire
D) A dried bean


7. The merry Prangster



What important contribution to our Christmas customs was made by Louis Prang, who came to the USA from Germany in the 19th century?

A) Printing the first special Christmas edition of a major magazine
B) Being first to use an image of Santa Claus in an advertisement
C) Publishing the first children’s book featuring Santa Claus
D) Popularizing the sending of printed Christmas cards

8. Christmas message, by George



One fairly modern Christmas ritual is the British monarch’s broadcast to the people on Christmas day. The first was given by George V in 1932. Who wrote the king’s speech?

A) The king himself
B) Children’s author Enid Blyton
C) Rudyard Kipling
D) Sir Winston Churchill


9. Urning your keep



The “Urn of Fate” is part of the Christmas celebrations in many Italian households. What is it?

A) A jar full of fortunes
B) A game in which players toss coins into a cup
C) An actual urn containing presents
D) A special decoration that recalls the fragility of life

10. Grandfather clause



In Lithuania, if Kaledu Senelis, or Grandfather Christmas, appears to the children on Christmas Eve to hand out presents, the recipient must:

A) Find the gift while blindfolded
B) Guess what the gift is, or pay a forfeit
C) Kneel to receive the gift
D) Perform a song or poem before receiving the gift



Answers


















Answers[/u]

1 B The pungent burning stench drives off, or at least helps discourage, the Kallikantzaroi. Other techniques include hanging a pig’s jawbone by the door and keeping a large fire so they can’t sneak down the chimney.
2 A From December 12 until Christmas Eve, the yule lads come down one at a time from the mountains. Each has a personal trick, such as stealing milk or slamming doors. They often leave presents for good children, and sometimes a potato for the bad ones. In olden times, the yule lads — who were themselves the children of monsters — had a much darker nature. They were so feared that in 1746 a law was passed to prevent them being used to frighten children.

3 B Handel (1685-1759) seems to have been a kind and generous man. The Messiah was written to aid charities in Ireland. It was a success there from its original performance, though it was not immediately popular in England. Handel’s favorite charity in London was the Foundling Hospital. He conducted performances of The Messiah there until 1754.

4 A The card was the brainchild of Sir Henry Cole, a leading cultural light in Victorian England. He later became director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among many other accomplishments. The card was painted by John Calcott Horsley. It shows a family feast, under which appear the words, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". Side panels illustrate Christmas charity — feeding and clothing the poor.

5 C In Mexico, the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night". It was brought to America by the diplomat Joel Poinsett in 1829. Among other accomplishments, Poinsett also played an important part in founding the Smithsonian Institution.

6 D During the Roman Saturnalia festival, a dried bean would be hidden in the food. Whoever found it was then "master of the revels" — a king for the holidays. Even a slave could be the lucky one. In medieval times, a cake was eaten on Twelfth Night (January 6), during the most boisterous party of the year. The "King of the Bean" ruled the whole party.

7 D Prang was a Bavarian-born lithographer. He settled in Boston, Massachusetts in the 1850s and established a successful printing business. He invented a way of reproducing color oil paintings, the "chromolithograph technique", and created a card with the message "Merry Christmas" as a way of showing it off. He went on to produce a series of popular Christmas cards. By 1881 he was printing more than five million cards annually.
8 C No doubt Kipling’s fine writing contributed to the enormous success of the broadcast, which was also heard overseas. It began, "I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all..." Queen Elizabeth II continues the Christmas broadcast tradition to this day.

9 C The Urn of Fate is brought out on Christmas Eve. It holds a wrapped present for everyone. The mother tries her luck first, then the others in turn. If you get a present with your name on it, you keep it; otherwise, you put it back and try again. Italian children also put out shoes or stockings to receive presents on Epiphany (January 6). Their gift-giver, Befana, rides through the air and slips down the chimney to deliver presents.

10 D The gifts are usually given after the traditional Christmas feast of twelve meatless dishes, which itself does not begin until the first star appears. Each diner at this special meal — the Kucios — must at least sample each of the dishes
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Dre

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Holiday Song Puzzlers
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2006, 02:44:12 pm »
20.  A way to travel during the holidays.  ???


Holiday song answer: Sleigh Ride :D
(highlight to read)
« Last Edit: December 10, 2006, 05:02:51 pm by Dre »

Offline dot-matrix

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Re: Holiday Puzzlers, Jokes and Games
« Reply #13 on: December 07, 2006, 07:14:54 pm »
Urban Myths of Christmas

No celebration is more intwined in urban myths, religious or secular, than is Christmas. Some Christmas "myths" turn out to be true and some "truths" turn out to by myths!

Untrue Urban Myths:
Jesus was born on December 25. (The idea of celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25 was first suggested early in the fourth century. This was a clever move on the part of Church fathers, who wished to eclipse the December 25 festivities of a rival pagan religion.The celebration of Christmas took permanent hold in the Western world in 337 with the Roman emperor Constantine. Christianity had become the official state religion in 313 AD. By 354, Bishop Liberius of Rome reiterated the importance of celebrating not only Christ's death but also his birth.)

Angels Sang at Christmas (The Bible never says that the Angels sang! Read it closely!!) The Bible tells of three wise men who travelled from afar on camels to visit the infant Jesus as he lay in the manger.(Mathew 2:1 tells us: "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem . . . ". That is the extent of it. There is no mention of THREE wisemen and no mention of camel! Also, Matt 2:11 states "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him . . . ". Note that it mentions a child in a house, rather than a baby in a manger... so this is a postbirth event.)
 
The modern image of Santa Claus was created by Coca-Cola(Haddon Sundblom drew his first Santa portrait for Coca-Cola in 1931... which popularized an existing image of Claus. In 1804, the New York Historical Society was founded with Nicholas as its patron saint, reviving the Dutch tradition of St. Nicholas as a bringer of gifts. In 1809, Washington Irving published his satirical A History of New York, by one "Diedrich Knickerbocker," poking fun at New York's Dutch past, St. Nicholas included... in Dutch, "Sinterklaas". Irving revised his History of New York in 1812, adding details about Nicholas' "riding over the tops of the trees, in that selfsame waggon wherein he brings his yearly presents to children." In 1821,William Gilley wrote a poem about a "Santeclaus" who dressed all in fur and drove a sleigh pulled by one reindeer. On Christmas Eve of 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, wrote down and read to his children a series of verses; his poem was published a year later as "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" ...more commonly known today by its opening line, "'Twas the night before Christmas . . .")

Two of Santa's reindeer were named 'Donner' and 'Blitzen.' (In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote down in his "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" ...more commonly known today by its opening line, "'Twas the night before Christmas . . And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name. "Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now, dash away! dash away! dash away all! " The song about Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer first made the mistake in Donder's and Blizten's names! )
 
The suicide rate increases significantly during the winter holiday season. (1985 Mayo Clinic report: "Fewer suicides than expected may occur on weekends and major holidays because it may be easier to repress troublesome thoughts during these times of greater social interaction." )

Poinsettia plants are poisonous to humans. (The poinsettia poison myth had its origin when a young child of an Army officer in Hawaii died of poisoning, incorrectly assumed to be a poinsettia leaf. A 50 lb. child would have to eat more than 1.25 lbs. or 500 - 600 leaves , according to the POISINDEX Information Service. Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants lists the symptoms of eating Poinsetta as vomiting as a side effect of ingesting otherwise harmless poinsettia leaves.)
Man dressed as Santa Claus gets stuck in chimney and dies. (This story has been around for almost as long as the Santa Claus legend itself. It is a variation of the motif of juxtaposing an otherwise happy occasion with a senseless tragedy. Note Ella Fitzgerald's "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney," Jimmy Boyd's "Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney," and Gisele MacKenzie's "Too Fat for the Chimney." )

The "Immaculate Conception" refers to the birth of Jesus. (The Immaculate Conception has nothing to do with either the birth of Jesus or any virgin birth. It is a specific dogma of Roman Catholicism which decrees that the Virgin Mary was preserved free from original sin by divine grace from the moment of her conception. Although this dogma had been argued since the 12th century, it was not made official Pope Pius X did so in 1854. Since then December 8 has been observed as a Roman Catholic feast in commemoration of the Immaculate Conception.)
 
Candy canes were created to symbolize Jesus, their shape representing the letter "J" and their colors standing for the purity and blood of Christ... and were started in Indiana (Candy canes were most assuredly NOT created by "a candymaker in Indiana" who "stained them with red stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received." Candy canes have been in existance long before there ever was an Indiana! They initially bore neither red coloration nor striping -- the red stripes were a feature that did not appear until a few hundred years later, at the beginning of the 20th century. More elaborate Christmas coloration and decoration have been added to these candies in recent years ... for purely marketing purposes.)

The song The Twelve Days of Christmas was created as a coded reference to important articles of the Christian faith. (See our Twelve Days of Christmas site for the complete low down. This 1870 English Christmas song with origins running deeper in history in France was merely a silly Children's memory game.)

'Xmas' is a modern, disrespectful abbreviation of the word 'Christmas'. (X is a substitute for the Greek, Chi, which was an early church representation of Christ. It has been around for a long time and had no meaning of disrespect.)


Strange but TRUE:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created for Montgomery Ward department stores. (Rudolph began in 1939 when the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward company (a chain of department stores) asked one of their writers, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to come up with a Christmas story which could be given away to shoppers as a promotional gimmick. The chain had been been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year. To save money, they wanted to create their own booklet. It was loosely based on the Ugly Duckling.)
 
Christmas cards date to 1843. (English school children made their own and sent gave them to each other before this date. The first formal card was designed in 1843, by J.C. Horsley, in England. It was lithographed on dark cardboard. It consisted of a color print of a party of grownups and children with glasses of wine raised in a toast over the words "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." Since it only cost 1 penny to send a card at that time, the custom caught on quickly.)

The holiday season abounds with superstitions. (There are too many to mention! Why do we put up Christmas trees? Why do we kiss under mistletoe? Why do we "deck the halls" with green branches? Does Holly and Ivy really have healing powers? How did caroling get started? Which story is true about Green and Red? Which of the many versions of the Yule Log is correct? The list goes on!) 
« Last Edit: December 11, 2006, 04:56:45 am by dot-matrix »
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Dre

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Holiday Puzzlers and Trivia
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2006, 05:08:27 pm »
Hey, Holiday Dottie, full of incredible Xmas information!!

In Santa's reindeer trivia You mention two reindeers names were changed Donner and Blitzen.  At the end You say Donder (that one I get why) and Vixen.  So is it Blitzen or Vixen and what was it changed from??

Dre ;) and thanks for your pmail re ABCz "W".

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Re: Holiday Puzzlers and Trivia
« Reply #15 on: December 11, 2006, 04:58:29 am »
Hey, Holiday Dottie, full of incredible Xmas information!!

In Santa's reindeer trivia You mention two reindeers names were changed Donner and Blitzen.  At the end You say Donder (that one I get why) and Vixen.  So is it Blitzen or Vixen and what was it changed from??

Dre ;) and thanks for your pmail re ABCz "W".

Hi Dre!  I love Christmas and I love my neices..so I'm always gathering info to play games with them...hence all this trivia.  As for the reindeer:  Ooops typo on my part, the problem was with Blitzen, in the first renditions of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Blitzen was sung and published as Blixen (sounds like Vixen)  ::) Sorry for the confusion.
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Re: Holiday Puzzlers, Jokes and Games
« Reply #16 on: December 11, 2006, 05:00:30 am »
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Re: Holiday Puzzlers, Jokes and Games
« Reply #17 on: December 12, 2006, 11:14:22 pm »
Did you know:

The twelve days of Christmas are the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6th), which is when the three wise men supposedly arrived on the scene. It is NOT the twelve days before Christmas as many erroneously believe.

The tradition of giving a gift on each of the twelve days is pretty much gone, at least as practiced in the USA. However, in some families, the tradition of giving Christmas gifts on each of those twelve days persists.
Most people know of The Twelve Days of Christmas from the song of that name.
 
ORIGIN OF "THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS"

Below is printed a popular urban myth about "The Twelve Days of Christmas" that first hit the net in 1995 via an article from Catholic Information Network (by Fr. Hal Stockert of Fishnetsite) that later withdrew its page. However, the urban myth has spread through the net like DNA, though the original source as long withdrawn its claim to the story. (Don't feel bad. We were taken by that page, too!) However, according to A Celebration and History(ISBN 0-679-74038-4), by Leigh Grant, the written lyrics to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" first appeared in Mirth without Mischief in the early 1780s in England. Grant states that the tune to which these words are sung apparently dates back much further and came from France. Mirth without Mischief describes "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as a type of memory game played by children at that time. A leader recited the first verse, the next child recited the second verse, and so on until someone missed a verse and had to pay some kind of penalty in the game. There was no religious significance. At anyrate the popular urban myth makes a good story... at least as good as the song itself, so here is a slice of urban myth culture for you:

An Underground Catechism (**an urban myth**)

Most folks, I believe, are familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas". If you listen to the words carefully, it seems like nonsence set to rhyme and music. However, it was written with a serious purpose.
It is more than just a list of twelve silly gifts. Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic. [Note: Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.]

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song. Actually, the catecism to which it referred was rather ecumenical so could probably be claimed to be protestant if cornered.
 
The song's gifts had hidden meanings to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the church. The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..."

Here is a complete list of the 12 symbols with their meanings*:

1 Partridge in a pear tree = The One true God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch" which contain the law condemning us of our sins.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments of the Catholic faith
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

*original source of symbol meaning: an article from Catholic Information Network that we discovered in 1995 by Fr. Hal Stockert of Fishnet. We then discovered some other resources that backed-up this article, but later discovered that these all linked back to Stockert's article. In actuality, it seems that the words originated around 1780 in England and the music much earlier from France. The song was merely a child's game with no religious significance.

« Last Edit: December 12, 2006, 11:36:28 pm by dot-matrix »
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Offline David In Indy

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Re: Holiday Puzzlers, Jokes and Games
« Reply #18 on: December 13, 2006, 02:41:36 am »
Thanks for posting this Dottie. I have ALWAYS wondered what this song meant. I always thought "somebody is getting an awful lot of presents" and who would want a bunch of swans, geese, turtle doves and partridges?

It's also interesting you mentioned Jesus revealed as a partridge. I have seen him dipicted as a stork too. The Catholic church I went to as a child had a large stork etched into the front of the altar. He had his wings spread out wide, and blood dripping from his breast where his heart had been pierced. Jesus is often depicted as another animal - the lamb, but rarely a stork. I wish I could remember the story behind the stork the nuns told us in Catholic school. It was very beautiful!  :D

Thanks for posting this Dottie!
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Re: Holiday Puzzlers, Jokes and Games
« Reply #19 on: December 13, 2006, 12:05:08 pm »
7 Sinful Santas

Wrath, sloth, greed, lust... These Kris Kringles have a ho-ho-whole lotta explaining to do ~by Michael Slezak  from EW
 
Sloth
The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

Dude literally works one day per year, gets a case of the sniffles, and thinks he's gonna call in sick? Hell to the Noel!


Envy
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Santa, or rather the Grinch in Santa's clothing, was literally green with envy when he stole the Whos' holiday booty in the beloved animated TV special.

Wrath
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

He knows if you've been bad or good, and in this 1984 horror flick, Santa took an ax to folks who fell into the latter category. Thankfully, blood went well with his classic crimson suit.

Greed
Bad Santa (2003)

Okay, so Billy Bob Thornton's title character could've been the poster child for any number of deadly sins, but using his job as a shopping-mall Santa to case the joint definitely qualifies as greedy.

Lust
The Santa Clause 2 (2002)

We just made ourselves a little queasy associating Tim Allen's Kringle with holiday lovin', but then again, he did attempt to get his sexy on with the local principal (Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell) in the second chapter of Disney's holiday trilogy. Sorry, that was horrible; we'll never say anything like it again.

Hubris
The Spirit of Christmas (1995)

If Merriam-Webster were up-to-speed on profanity-laden animated shorts, it would certainly illustrate the word ''hubris'' with a picture of Santa from this South Park precursor — perhaps one of him tossing Jesus over his head like a rag doll.

Gluttony
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Far be it from us to ridicule anyone for packing on some extra insulation during the chilly holiday season, but the St. Nick of Rankin/Bass' 1964 special was a few pounds away from eligibility on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club. We totally blame that enabler, Mrs. Claus.


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