CARDS & CAROLS
Did you know that 60% of all greeting cards are Christmas cards -and of
those about 33% have religious themes, with snowmen, reindeer and Santa
also being popular?
There are around 800 greetings cards publishers in the UK, and the
greetings card industry employs over 100,000 people.
The term “Christmas card was first seen in 1869, pre-dating “birthday card”
by more than 30 years.
Wassailing was an ancient tradition of going from house to house in a “noisy,
lively way” to drink to the health of your friends and neighbours and has
been associated with Christmas as far back as the 1400s.
Bing Crosby’s White Christmas is the highest selling single of all time.
We Wish You A Merry Christmas is one of the oldest secular Christmas
songs, originating in 16 th century England. (For an alternative carol, go to
Page 32)
Songwriter Gloria Shayne Baker wrote Do You Hear What I Hear? As a plea
for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
BRIGHT IDEAS (Thanks to My Weekly and Aggie MacKenzie’s Expert tips)
Fun Vases
Mugs make fun vases. Simply add a stiff sponge inside so the flowers stand
upright.
Stain Away
If you have tea stains in your mug, put the juice of half a lemon in the mug
with a little bicarbonate of soda and fill with hot water. Leave to stand. Wash
the mug with a non-scratch sponge and there you are – a nice clean mug.
We’re Hugging
Wednesday 7 November was Hug a Bear Day and while no one
recommends getting up close and personal with the real thing, there’s
nothing like a quick cuddle from a teddy bear to make you feel good. Teddy
Bears are named after Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, US President at the
beginning of the 20 th century, although archaeologists believe that ancient
Egyptians had something similar. So, it’s never too late to give a teddy a big
bear hug!
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