(aka Bill Quinn) Welcome to a Saturday edition of Christmas Factoids! Amaze and astound your friends and relatives - and even strangers - with what Im about to share! *If you knew what the name mistletoe actually meant, youd be less inclined to stand under it. The quasi-parasitic plant has a symbiotic relationship with a bird called the mistle thrush. The bird eats the berries, digests the seeds and then leaves droppings which eventually grow into new mistletoe plants. Which explains why the Germanic word for mistletoe literally means dung on a twig. :::washing my hands now after having touched the mistletoe::: *The oldest fake trees date back to 1886 in London and were made out of green raffia, the twine that is more commonly used to make grass hula skirts. Other varieties were made in the latter part of the 19th century in Germany and used tabletop feathers from geese that were dyed pine-green. Then along came the Addis Brush Company which used their toilet brush weaving machinery to create pine-like branches for their fake Christmas trees. *If you thought making children believe in one Santa was hard enough, be thankful you dont live in Iceland. Their Christmas tradition has 13 Yuletide Lads who either leave presents or pull pranks for children during the 26 day holiday season as a reward or punishment for their behavior. For instance, Grýla is a horrifying old woman who kidnaps children on Christmas if they have been naughty. Wow. Harsh. *The first retail Christmas tree lot in the U.S. opened in New York City in 1851. Its now a Starbucks. Im only joking...but its probably true. :-) As I turn the musical wheel for a Saturday morning lets go to the blues, boys and girls. Albert King is layin down the law for someone whos done him wrong. ow.ly/FZXR3
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 11:00:43 +0000
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