I was going through my saved emails and found this email that I sent out to a bunch of friends years ago. It is a short history of my life since High School.
I'll start my story with, I did graduate from High School, that was also the same year that my Father retired from the US Air Force after 20 years. It also became the end of my travels although I didn't know it at the time. After High school we moved to the Shenandoah Valley, VA. To the college town of Harrisonburg, (JMU). I tried my hand at the Veterinarian Technology (Vet Nursing school basically) program at BRCC. I found out that I really didn't want to knuckle and study at the time and quit after 1 semester. I was thinking I would go back later, Heavenly Father had other plans for me, I didn't know at the time that I would never be able to work in the field of animals again. I have a child that is allergic to animals, but more about her later. After College I went to work for Lowe's Home Center's, and left the valley for a few years to live closer to my Grandparents, actually lived with them for a while. During the 1st couple of months I was very rebellious and didn't go to church and was even a little on the bad side. I eventually went back to church and after about 2 years in Elizabeth City, NC I decided to go back to the Valley with my family. But not before I had meet and become Friends with a girl that I knew during 4th and 5th grade. She and I have remained friends since. I was still working for Lowe's during all this time, luckily they where continuing to open new stores and I was able to transfer and work my way up in Management. About 1 year after returning to the Valley I met my Future husband Lyston (Sounds like Listen but with the "T" sound) we dated for a while. It took him longer to realized that I was the love of his life, I knew after the 1st date. But on March 2, 1995 while we where on vacation together visiting family in NC, he proposed during a trip to visit the Cape Hatteras lighthouses (before it was moved). Well I have jumped ahead so let me back up a little. The 1st Sunday that Lyston was at church I was not there because I was working, when I got home my Mother told me that there was someone new at church and he had a "Cute Butt", her words honest. So the next Sunday I go and meet him I thought not bad. He asked to sit with me, we were sitting behind my parents when I hear my dad lean over and ask mom "Whose the big gorilla sitting with Kasandra" I thought I would just die but Lyston said he didn't hear him, but it has become the family joke now.
We where married August 5, 1995, in the Washington DC, LDS Temple. A little over 2 years later our beautiful Elisabeth Victoria was born, on Halloween. I didn't want a Halloween baby but once they start you really can't stop them. She was and still is a goblin, her favorite color is orange. Then in March 2001 we added Evelyn Lee, she is the total opposite of her sister, she is the angel of the family. Lyston and I have had our ups and downs, there have even been weeks that I have not spoken to him for days at a time but that is just the wonderful joys of married life. The best thing we ever did was go to marriage counseling, it has help us so much.
Other notes on my Family; my Mother and Father decided after 36 years together to divorce, but don't feel sorry for me as they are Best Friends or more like a Brother/ Sister relationship now and I wish that it had happened before so I could see that my parents did and do care about each other. Mom still lives in the valley with in 20 minutes drive of us. Dad now lives near Nags Head, NC, so we get to take free family vacations there every summer. Dad just lost his home to a gas explosion so he is in the processes of deciding what he wants to do now.
My litttle sister Christina is still single she lives in the valley with her crazy dog Bodhi. She is a Retired (Medically) LPN, she worked in Hospital, for an Oral Surgeon and lastly for a Pediatrics office. She now does computer graphics and photography.
My little bother Benjamin (Ben) is a Master Mechanic for VW and lives about 30 minutes from us also. He is married to his High School Sweetheart, they where married in October of 2009. She works in Hospital as a Nuclear Medicine Tech. in Radiology.
My life has been full and I would not change a thing. There have been many ups and downs and I know that there will be many more to come, but that is a shortened version.
Tell me what has happened since I last saw you if you will.
your Friend
Kasandra Williams Barker
18 March 2011
17 March 2011
Spring, Green and Dad
If you have known me for very long you will know that I Love, LOVE, LOVE winter. So with that being said, I'm glad that spring is in the air. Today in the one day when I love the fact that I have maybe 1 drop of Irish in me, and that I can let me red hair down. I wore a big green leprechaun hat to school today and you would not believe the kids I was asked are you a Leprechaun? Do you know any Leprechauns? Is there a Leprechaun in your hat? and Where's your pot of gold? but I loved every minute of it.
I also have noticed that with all the rain we have had that a lot of the ponds and streams around here are filling up. I drive past 11 ponds on my Bus route every day and the last year or so has been very depressing because all the pounds where very low or some where even dry. But as of this last rain I'm glad to say that they all look almost full and that the birds and wildlife are coming back to them with the warm weather. I like to watch the animals wake up and return to their homes when spring comes, that is my favorite part about it, I hate the fact that at the end of spring comes summer and the HOT.
A quick update on my Dad this is from an email that my sister sent me about 2 days ago... "The plastic surgeon yesterday and was given a "clean bill of health", he was impressed with how well the burns were doing, but upset the hospital didn't call him when dad was in the er. He was on call that night. they also didn't send dad home with instructions on how to care for the burns, so the dr is going to lodge a formal complaint. He ordered new glasses today, and they should be in in a week. He sounded upbeat until he mentioned meeting with the landlords and still having a big decision to make. (He still is undecided on what to do) But other then that he sounded good, said he went to the trailer on Monday and went through stuff for about 20 minutes before feeling really tired and sick."
If you can add him to your prayer I would be grateful and if you have already been praying for him Thank you and could you add that the Lord help him make the right decision for HIM!
I also have noticed that with all the rain we have had that a lot of the ponds and streams around here are filling up. I drive past 11 ponds on my Bus route every day and the last year or so has been very depressing because all the pounds where very low or some where even dry. But as of this last rain I'm glad to say that they all look almost full and that the birds and wildlife are coming back to them with the warm weather. I like to watch the animals wake up and return to their homes when spring comes, that is my favorite part about it, I hate the fact that at the end of spring comes summer and the HOT.
A quick update on my Dad this is from an email that my sister sent me about 2 days ago... "The plastic surgeon yesterday and was given a "clean bill of health", he was impressed with how well the burns were doing, but upset the hospital didn't call him when dad was in the er. He was on call that night. they also didn't send dad home with instructions on how to care for the burns, so the dr is going to lodge a formal complaint. He ordered new glasses today, and they should be in in a week. He sounded upbeat until he mentioned meeting with the landlords and still having a big decision to make. (He still is undecided on what to do) But other then that he sounded good, said he went to the trailer on Monday and went through stuff for about 20 minutes before feeling really tired and sick."
If you can add him to your prayer I would be grateful and if you have already been praying for him Thank you and could you add that the Lord help him make the right decision for HIM!
11 March 2011
Colonel Bogey March, Preformed by the Pride of Montevideo 7th & 8th Grade band. this was a pre-Festival concert that they gave Wednesday night. They went to Festival this morning and got Superiors in all the graded categories, this the highest marks that are given. I think their name says it all they are the PRIDE of their school.
06 March 2011
Dad exploded
It has been a while since I posted anything real on here. This week has been very interesting. Friday March 25 at about 5pm my Father's Trailer exploded, caused by a gas leak. He was at the center of the explosion when it happened, but Luckily he basically walked out. He was able to get to his front porch where a Neighbor/Hero was trying to get the porch door open they worked together and got dad out and away from the fire. He lives only 1 block from the VFD actually I could probably hit the building with a baseball if I tried. So they where on the scene right away and the EMS took him to OBX Hospital, he has 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his hands, face and abdomen, But no lung damage or blindness. The Fire destroyed his home and almost nothing survived. The only things that didn't burn in some way where his Scriptures, and his Temple clothing. He is staying at his Baby brothers beach rental until he decides what he is going to do.
This is the second time in 2 years that Heavenly Father has saved my Dad's life. I'm very great full for His hands in my life. My girls believe that the ghost that lived with Granddaddy are the ones that saved him. All I know is that he has some very wonderful guardian angels.
If you want to Help please just say a Prayer to Heavenly Father and ask him to Bless my dad to heal quickly, then call up your Dad or your Mother or someone in your Family that you have not spoken too lately and tell them how much you love them because you never know when Heavenly Father will call them home.
Never Been there or done that and don't want a repeat.
This is the second time in 2 years that Heavenly Father has saved my Dad's life. I'm very great full for His hands in my life. My girls believe that the ghost that lived with Granddaddy are the ones that saved him. All I know is that he has some very wonderful guardian angels.
If you want to Help please just say a Prayer to Heavenly Father and ask him to Bless my dad to heal quickly, then call up your Dad or your Mother or someone in your Family that you have not spoken too lately and tell them how much you love them because you never know when Heavenly Father will call them home.
Never Been there or done that and don't want a repeat.
04 February 2011
27 January 2011
Snow Bus
If you know me then you know that I drive a big yellow school bus, and it is my Favorite job.
But I have to say to those people that think that the schools close for no reason, You are wrong. When I drive a bus load of kids I am responsible for their lives, that is 60+ lives plus mine. I was not trained on how to drive a BIG bus in the snow or on ice. I know that in some places where they get more snow yearly than we do they do train their drivers on snow course. If that was available here I would do it only if I was paid better. I care for each of the kids on my bus and I want them to be safe and get to and from school safely. But I don't have an aide nor am I paid well enough to risk my life or the lives of my kids to get them to school when the roads are covered in snow and ice. Just because the road outside your house and the main road that you drive to and from work are OK or in great shape does not mean that every road in the county that the school buses go on are in great shape. Believe me we the teachers and staff of the school system don't want to lose our Spring Break or have to go to school longer into the summer either. But we want the kids to be safe.
Because Heaven forbid if a school bus was in an accident because of weather, there would be parents lining up and knock on there lawyers doors to see if they could sue the school division and the bus driver. I don't want that.
So next time schools are closed because of snow on a day when you think they should be open just thank your Father in Heaven that the person in charge cares enough to keep your child safe, and enjoy the time you have to get to know your child better you can learn a lot from them.
But I have to say to those people that think that the schools close for no reason, You are wrong. When I drive a bus load of kids I am responsible for their lives, that is 60+ lives plus mine. I was not trained on how to drive a BIG bus in the snow or on ice. I know that in some places where they get more snow yearly than we do they do train their drivers on snow course. If that was available here I would do it only if I was paid better. I care for each of the kids on my bus and I want them to be safe and get to and from school safely. But I don't have an aide nor am I paid well enough to risk my life or the lives of my kids to get them to school when the roads are covered in snow and ice. Just because the road outside your house and the main road that you drive to and from work are OK or in great shape does not mean that every road in the county that the school buses go on are in great shape. Believe me we the teachers and staff of the school system don't want to lose our Spring Break or have to go to school longer into the summer either. But we want the kids to be safe.
Because Heaven forbid if a school bus was in an accident because of weather, there would be parents lining up and knock on there lawyers doors to see if they could sue the school division and the bus driver. I don't want that.
So next time schools are closed because of snow on a day when you think they should be open just thank your Father in Heaven that the person in charge cares enough to keep your child safe, and enjoy the time you have to get to know your child better you can learn a lot from them.
Peanut Butter Allergies
I couple of Weeks ago a friend of mine posted on Facebook the Following
"What can we do to keep kids safe from food allergies? I'm post this for a friend. Still trying to figure out how to keep peanut butter out of schools, I mean geez, can't the kids eat something else for lunch? they can eat a jar of it when they get HOME. why risk a childs life over a pb & J.... seriously?! what if peanut butter didn't exist? what would you pack your kid then? literal food for thought....hmmmm."
Well it really bothered me because I HAVE a Child with Food Allergies and I'm sorry I don't think you need to remove PB from Schools you teach your child to stay away from it. If we had to remove every allergy from schools then what would the point of going to school be. Here is a list of Common food Allergies: Peanut, Tree Nuts (All other nuts), Wheat, Milk, eggs, Soy, fish, then don't forget the child that is allergic to Insect bites are you going to tell them they can't ever go out side. Then there are kids that are allergic to Dust, Mold, soaps, Smoke etc. We can't take everything out of the schools, you have to Teach the Child when they are young to be careful of what they eat, if you don't know don't bite. We need to teach awareness, in fact I just spoke with our School Nurse today and she is going to be teaching all of the students in one Kindergarten class about there friend that has a Peanut allergy.
I realize that Peanuts also can have an airborne reaction but Banning them from school is not the answer, I don't know what is. I know that some schools have already banned them. I have to watch and so does my child what she eats at school there have been a few occasions where they gave her something that had Nuts in it but she read the package and didn't eat it.
Someone posted to the comment that they had been threatened by a co-worker by having PB placed on all of the door knobs. To me this is a threat against your live and should be reported to the police.
My post to that was "If an angry child wants to hurt you they can still bring it in, My Child has a Life threatening allergy to TREE NUTS, she carries an Epi-pen at all times. My child can't even touch a leaf from a nut tree, but I don't tell her she can't go hiking or playing in the woods. Allergies are around everywhere and I have seen people with allergies to animals react to someone that has a pet at home and that person comes to Wal-mart and the pet hair gets in the air around the person who is allergic, now do we need to tell Wal-mart that they can't let people in that have pets."
I realize that not everyone is going to agree with me on this but I had to get it off my chest it has been bugging me for a few weeks.
"What can we do to keep kids safe from food allergies? I'm post this for a friend. Still trying to figure out how to keep peanut butter out of schools, I mean geez, can't the kids eat something else for lunch? they can eat a jar of it when they get HOME. why risk a childs life over a pb & J.... seriously?! what if peanut butter didn't exist? what would you pack your kid then? literal food for thought....hmmmm."
Well it really bothered me because I HAVE a Child with Food Allergies and I'm sorry I don't think you need to remove PB from Schools you teach your child to stay away from it. If we had to remove every allergy from schools then what would the point of going to school be. Here is a list of Common food Allergies: Peanut, Tree Nuts (All other nuts), Wheat, Milk, eggs, Soy, fish, then don't forget the child that is allergic to Insect bites are you going to tell them they can't ever go out side. Then there are kids that are allergic to Dust, Mold, soaps, Smoke etc. We can't take everything out of the schools, you have to Teach the Child when they are young to be careful of what they eat, if you don't know don't bite. We need to teach awareness, in fact I just spoke with our School Nurse today and she is going to be teaching all of the students in one Kindergarten class about there friend that has a Peanut allergy.
I realize that Peanuts also can have an airborne reaction but Banning them from school is not the answer, I don't know what is. I know that some schools have already banned them. I have to watch and so does my child what she eats at school there have been a few occasions where they gave her something that had Nuts in it but she read the package and didn't eat it.
Someone posted to the comment that they had been threatened by a co-worker by having PB placed on all of the door knobs. To me this is a threat against your live and should be reported to the police.
My post to that was "If an angry child wants to hurt you they can still bring it in, My Child has a Life threatening allergy to TREE NUTS, she carries an Epi-pen at all times. My child can't even touch a leaf from a nut tree, but I don't tell her she can't go hiking or playing in the woods. Allergies are around everywhere and I have seen people with allergies to animals react to someone that has a pet at home and that person comes to Wal-mart and the pet hair gets in the air around the person who is allergic, now do we need to tell Wal-mart that they can't let people in that have pets."
I realize that not everyone is going to agree with me on this but I had to get it off my chest it has been bugging me for a few weeks.
19 December 2010
Christmas Quiz #3
3rd Quiz
1) In Shakespeare's "Hamlet", one character describes a common belief
that in the Christmas season:
A) Dogs and cats refrain from fighting
B) Roosters crow all night long
C) Unpenned sheep will gather at the church
D) White horses should be ridden only by children
2) "Oidhche na ceapairi" is a term the Irish use for Christmas Eve. It
means:
A) Come to the dance
B) Day of Waiting
C) End of the fast
D) Night of cakes
3) Which well-known fantasy author also created a book called "The
Father Christmas Letters"?
A) Lewis Carroll
B) J.R.R. Tolkien
C) E. Nesbit
D) C.S. Lewis
4) Santa's reindeer are most closely related to which of the following
animals?
A) Caribou
B) Elk
C) Moose
D) White-tailed deer
5) In E. Nesbit's Christmas story "The Conscience Pudding", what is the
problem with the Christmas pudding?
A) It tastes of soap, and is undercooked
B) The family dog has eaten half of it
C) The children used peppercorns instead of dried currants
D) It has rolled behind the stove, and no one can get it out
6) "Oplatek" is an important part of a Polish Christmas. It is:
A) A decoration made from cherry boughs
B) An empty place left at the table during the Christmas meal
C) A special wafer shared by all who are present
D) The name of the traditional gift-bringer
7) Christmas is often associated with particular flowers (like the
poinsettia) and other members of the plant kingdom such as
"Schlumbergera bridgesii", more commonly known as:
A) The Christmas cactus
B) The holly tree
C) The mistletoe
D) The snowberry bush
8) On December 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico, the "Night of the Radishes"
festival is celebrated. On this night:
A) A spicy pudding of radishes and fenugreek is served
B) Red and white radishes are put up for Christmas decorations
C) Children hunt for hidden radishes
D) Radish carvings of Nativity scenes are displayed
9) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer made his first appearance in 1939, in
a story that was written to:
A) Advertise a new brand of light-bulb
B) Be read on a Christmas radio broadcast
C) Entertain the author's sick daughter
D) Promote a department store
10) A colorful, musical Santa Claus parade marks the approach of
Christmas in many North American cities. The first one:
A) Was Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City
B) Was held in Toronto, Ontario in 1905
C) Included cowboy singer Gene Autry and his horse Champion
D) Had to be postponed until Boxing Day
11) Many of us are quite familiar with the first verses of the
traditional Christmas carols, but how well do you know the rest of
the lyrics? For instance, what is the first line of the second
verse of "Angels from the Realms of Glory"?
A) "Christ by highest heav'n adored"
B) "Shepherds in the fields abiding"
C) "Shepherds why this jubilee?"
D) "Don we now our gay apparel"
12) The jolasveinar, or "yule lads", are a traditional part of an
Icelandic Christmas. The jolasveinar are:
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
13) Near Christmas time, Scottish children may sometimes "cry up the
lum", meaning that they:
A) Weep, upon being given a lump of coal instead of a gift
B) Shout their Christmas wishes up the chimney
C) Sing carols outdoors
D) Moan from stomach ache after Christmas dinner
14) Which Christmas song contains the line "Susy wants a dolly; Nellie
wants a story book; she thinks dolls are folly"?
A) Up on the Housetop
B) All I Want for Christmas
C) Grandma's Christmas List
D) Jolly Old St. Nicholas
15) After Scrooge has reformed his life at the end of Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol", he proposes getting together with Bob Cratchit
for some "smoking bishop", which was:
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
16) Tom Smith, an English confectioner, invented the Christmas cracker
in 1847, drawing his inspiration from packaged French sweets, or
"bon-bons". The original crackers were much like those of today,
but the name was different. Smith called his crackers by the French
word for:
A) Bangers
B) Hiccups
C) Goblins
D) Cossacks
17) The popular Christmas song, "Six White Boomers", tells of Santa
Claus making an extra delivery on Christmas Day in a vehicle drawn
by six:
A) Bears
B) Kangaroos
C) Moose
D) Swans
18) 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
19) Because holly remains green even in the depths of December, it has
been credited with many mysterious powers. In England, if prickly
holly is brought into the house before the smooth-leafed kind,
folklore holds that for the next year:
A) There will be many visitors to the house
B) Knives and needles will remain sharp
C) Illness will plague the family
D) The husband will rule the household
20) The custom of hanging out stockings or setting out shoes in the
hope of receiving Christmas gifts is said to have begun with:
A) A promotional campaign by the Cobblers' Guild
B) The traveler's practice of concealing valuable papers in
one's stocking
C) St. Nicholas supplying the gold for a dowry
D) A method of avoiding a Christmas tax
21) The ancient game of Snapdragon has been part of English Christmases
for over 300 years. Participants 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!" The dragon in this game is:
A) A costumed child
B) Flames of burning brandy
C) The oldest male in the room
D) A "snapper" made from fireplace tongs
22) In many households, part of the fun of eating Christmas pudding is
finding a trinket that predicts your fortune for the coming year.
For instance, finding a coin means you will become wealthy. Finding
a button means that you will be:
A) Poor
B) Famous
C) A bachelor
D) Called away on a trip
23) February 2nd is Groundhog Day in North America, but it is also
Candlemas, which is celebrated by lighting many candles to chase
the winter away. Christmas seems long past, yet there is a
traditional connection. By this day:
A) The last Christmas cake must be eaten
B) Next year's Christmas goose must be chosen and separated
from the flock
C) Persons accused of petty crimes over Christmas must be
released
D) All Christmas greenery must be removed from the house
24) Most of us like to spend Christmas with our families, but sometimes
we must be far away. Even then, most of us get to stay on the
planet. Prior to the continuous occupation of the International
Space Station in 2001, how many people actually spent Christmas Day
in space?
A) None - mission planners have always worked around it
B) Just three - the Apollo-8 team
C) Twelve
D) Thirty-five
25) The idea of Christmas seals began in 1903 with Einar Holboell, a
postal clerk from Copenhagen. By 1904, with the King of Denmark
taking an interest, the first seals were printed and sold, raising
funds that were used to:
A) Help children with tuberculosis
B) Build a statue overlooking the harbor
C) Feed the poor and homeless
D) Throw a Christmas party for the city
26) Christmas tree decorations have changed considerably over the
years. Which of the following well-known products became popular
after being promoted as a Christmas tree "decoration"?
A) The yo-yo
B) Decorative nutcrackers
C) Animal Crackers
D) Doughnuts
27) Christmas is celebrated even at wizard school. On his first
Christmas morning at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Harry Potter receives a number of Christmas gifts, including:
A) A pair of gloves and a pointed hat
B) A hairbrush and a wand of lightning
C) A hand-knit sweater and a cloak of invisibility
D) A pet frog and a magic broomstick
28) 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
29) In the isolated outports of Newfoundland and Labrador on the
eastern coast of Canada, unique Christmas customs evolved. In the
old days, one of these was called "blowing the pudding". This meant:
A) The pudding had to be eaten in a single sitting
B) Putting out the flames of brandy with the fireplace bellows
C) Boasting extravagantly that this year's pudding was the best
of all
D) A gun was fired as the pudding was lifted from the pot
30) Many movies on Christmas themes have been made for television and
the cinema over the years, including literally dozens of
adaptatations - albeit sometimes rather loose - of Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol". One film that has NOT yet been made, however,
is:
A) "The Jetsons' Christmas Carol"
B) "Popeye's Christmas Carol"
C) "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol"
D) "Mickey's Christmas Carol"
1) In Shakespeare's "Hamlet", one character describes a common belief
that in the Christmas season:
A) Dogs and cats refrain from fighting
B) Roosters crow all night long
C) Unpenned sheep will gather at the church
D) White horses should be ridden only by children
2) "Oidhche na ceapairi" is a term the Irish use for Christmas Eve. It
means:
A) Come to the dance
B) Day of Waiting
C) End of the fast
D) Night of cakes
3) Which well-known fantasy author also created a book called "The
Father Christmas Letters"?
A) Lewis Carroll
B) J.R.R. Tolkien
C) E. Nesbit
D) C.S. Lewis
4) Santa's reindeer are most closely related to which of the following
animals?
A) Caribou
B) Elk
C) Moose
D) White-tailed deer
5) In E. Nesbit's Christmas story "The Conscience Pudding", what is the
problem with the Christmas pudding?
A) It tastes of soap, and is undercooked
B) The family dog has eaten half of it
C) The children used peppercorns instead of dried currants
D) It has rolled behind the stove, and no one can get it out
6) "Oplatek" is an important part of a Polish Christmas. It is:
A) A decoration made from cherry boughs
B) An empty place left at the table during the Christmas meal
C) A special wafer shared by all who are present
D) The name of the traditional gift-bringer
7) Christmas is often associated with particular flowers (like the
poinsettia) and other members of the plant kingdom such as
"Schlumbergera bridgesii", more commonly known as:
A) The Christmas cactus
B) The holly tree
C) The mistletoe
D) The snowberry bush
8) On December 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico, the "Night of the Radishes"
festival is celebrated. On this night:
A) A spicy pudding of radishes and fenugreek is served
B) Red and white radishes are put up for Christmas decorations
C) Children hunt for hidden radishes
D) Radish carvings of Nativity scenes are displayed
9) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer made his first appearance in 1939, in
a story that was written to:
A) Advertise a new brand of light-bulb
B) Be read on a Christmas radio broadcast
C) Entertain the author's sick daughter
D) Promote a department store
10) A colorful, musical Santa Claus parade marks the approach of
Christmas in many North American cities. The first one:
A) Was Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City
B) Was held in Toronto, Ontario in 1905
C) Included cowboy singer Gene Autry and his horse Champion
D) Had to be postponed until Boxing Day
11) Many of us are quite familiar with the first verses of the
traditional Christmas carols, but how well do you know the rest of
the lyrics? For instance, what is the first line of the second
verse of "Angels from the Realms of Glory"?
A) "Christ by highest heav'n adored"
B) "Shepherds in the fields abiding"
C) "Shepherds why this jubilee?"
D) "Don we now our gay apparel"
12) The jolasveinar, or "yule lads", are a traditional part of an
Icelandic Christmas. The jolasveinar are:
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
13) Near Christmas time, Scottish children may sometimes "cry up the
lum", meaning that they:
A) Weep, upon being given a lump of coal instead of a gift
B) Shout their Christmas wishes up the chimney
C) Sing carols outdoors
D) Moan from stomach ache after Christmas dinner
14) Which Christmas song contains the line "Susy wants a dolly; Nellie
wants a story book; she thinks dolls are folly"?
A) Up on the Housetop
B) All I Want for Christmas
C) Grandma's Christmas List
D) Jolly Old St. Nicholas
15) After Scrooge has reformed his life at the end of Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol", he proposes getting together with Bob Cratchit
for some "smoking bishop", which was:
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
16) Tom Smith, an English confectioner, invented the Christmas cracker
in 1847, drawing his inspiration from packaged French sweets, or
"bon-bons". The original crackers were much like those of today,
but the name was different. Smith called his crackers by the French
word for:
A) Bangers
B) Hiccups
C) Goblins
D) Cossacks
17) The popular Christmas song, "Six White Boomers", tells of Santa
Claus making an extra delivery on Christmas Day in a vehicle drawn
by six:
A) Bears
B) Kangaroos
C) Moose
D) Swans
18) 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
19) Because holly remains green even in the depths of December, it has
been credited with many mysterious powers. In England, if prickly
holly is brought into the house before the smooth-leafed kind,
folklore holds that for the next year:
A) There will be many visitors to the house
B) Knives and needles will remain sharp
C) Illness will plague the family
D) The husband will rule the household
20) The custom of hanging out stockings or setting out shoes in the
hope of receiving Christmas gifts is said to have begun with:
A) A promotional campaign by the Cobblers' Guild
B) The traveler's practice of concealing valuable papers in
one's stocking
C) St. Nicholas supplying the gold for a dowry
D) A method of avoiding a Christmas tax
21) The ancient game of Snapdragon has been part of English Christmases
for over 300 years. Participants 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!" The dragon in this game is:
A) A costumed child
B) Flames of burning brandy
C) The oldest male in the room
D) A "snapper" made from fireplace tongs
22) In many households, part of the fun of eating Christmas pudding is
finding a trinket that predicts your fortune for the coming year.
For instance, finding a coin means you will become wealthy. Finding
a button means that you will be:
A) Poor
B) Famous
C) A bachelor
D) Called away on a trip
23) February 2nd is Groundhog Day in North America, but it is also
Candlemas, which is celebrated by lighting many candles to chase
the winter away. Christmas seems long past, yet there is a
traditional connection. By this day:
A) The last Christmas cake must be eaten
B) Next year's Christmas goose must be chosen and separated
from the flock
C) Persons accused of petty crimes over Christmas must be
released
D) All Christmas greenery must be removed from the house
24) Most of us like to spend Christmas with our families, but sometimes
we must be far away. Even then, most of us get to stay on the
planet. Prior to the continuous occupation of the International
Space Station in 2001, how many people actually spent Christmas Day
in space?
A) None - mission planners have always worked around it
B) Just three - the Apollo-8 team
C) Twelve
D) Thirty-five
25) The idea of Christmas seals began in 1903 with Einar Holboell, a
postal clerk from Copenhagen. By 1904, with the King of Denmark
taking an interest, the first seals were printed and sold, raising
funds that were used to:
A) Help children with tuberculosis
B) Build a statue overlooking the harbor
C) Feed the poor and homeless
D) Throw a Christmas party for the city
26) Christmas tree decorations have changed considerably over the
years. Which of the following well-known products became popular
after being promoted as a Christmas tree "decoration"?
A) The yo-yo
B) Decorative nutcrackers
C) Animal Crackers
D) Doughnuts
27) Christmas is celebrated even at wizard school. On his first
Christmas morning at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Harry Potter receives a number of Christmas gifts, including:
A) A pair of gloves and a pointed hat
B) A hairbrush and a wand of lightning
C) A hand-knit sweater and a cloak of invisibility
D) A pet frog and a magic broomstick
28) 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
29) In the isolated outports of Newfoundland and Labrador on the
eastern coast of Canada, unique Christmas customs evolved. In the
old days, one of these was called "blowing the pudding". This meant:
A) The pudding had to be eaten in a single sitting
B) Putting out the flames of brandy with the fireplace bellows
C) Boasting extravagantly that this year's pudding was the best
of all
D) A gun was fired as the pudding was lifted from the pot
30) Many movies on Christmas themes have been made for television and
the cinema over the years, including literally dozens of
adaptatations - albeit sometimes rather loose - of Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol". One film that has NOT yet been made, however,
is:
A) "The Jetsons' Christmas Carol"
B) "Popeye's Christmas Carol"
C) "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol"
D) "Mickey's Christmas Carol"
14 December 2010
Christmas Quiz #2 Answers
2nd Answers
1) If you were given some frumenty at a Medieval Christmas party, you
would probably:
A) Eat it
Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It is
thought to be the forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It has its
origins in a Celtic legend of harvest god, Dagda, who stirred a porridge
made up of all the good things of the earth.
2) The first charity Christmas card was produced by UNICEF in 1949. The
picture chosen for the card was painted not by a professional artist but by:
C) A seven-year-old girl
The girl was Jitka Samkova of Rudolfo, a small town in what was then
Czechoslovakia. The town received assistance from UNICEF after the
Second World War, inspiring Jitka to paint some children dancing around
a maypole. She said her picture represented "joy going round and round".
3) "Hot cockles" was popular at Christmas in medieval times. It was:
C) A game in which a blindfolded person was struck
"Hot cockles" was still a Christmas pastime until the Victorian era (if
anyone out there STILL plays it, please email us and tell us all about
it!). The other players took turns striking the blindfolded one, who had
to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. Ouch!
4) During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, it was considered
unlucky to:
A) Let the log in the fireplace stop burning
The log burned at Christmas time was called the "Yule Log". Sometimes a
piece of the Yule Log would be kept to kindle the fire next winter, to
ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule Log
custom was handed down from the Druids.
5) "Mumming plays" with traditional plots have been enjoyed at Christmas
time in Europe since the Middle Ages. In England, the central character
is usually:
D) St. George
Mumming plays were passed down through generations. Some bits seem to
have nothing to do with the overall plot but are demanded by tradition.
In England, St. George fights a Turk, who defeats him, to much booing
and hissing from the audience. A Good Doctor then comes and saves St.
George, to wild cheering.
6) At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks
were sometimes served "endored". This means:
D) The flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter
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.
7) One of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes takes place during the
Christmas season. The tale hinges upon:
B) A blue diamond found in a goose
In "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" Holmes manages to recover the
jewel but, in the spirit of the Christmas season, allows the repentant
thief to go free - on the condition that he leave England for ever.
8) In the Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas
morning it is believed to mean:
A) Good luck
One Christmas morning, a poor woman, who could not afford decorations,
found that spiders had trimmed her children's tree with their webs. When
the morning sun shone on them, the webs turned to silver. An artificial
spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian
Christmas trees.
9) Postmen in Victorian England were popularly called "robins". This was
because:
B) Their uniforms were red
The British Post Office grew out of the carrying of royal dispatches.
Red was considered a royal color, so uniforms and letter-boxes were red.
Victorian Christmas cards often showed a robin delivering Christmas
mail.
10) "Little Jack Horner" in the nursery rhyme may refer to the man who
was chief steward to the Abbot of Glastonbury in the early sixteenth
century. If so, then the "plum" he pulled from his Christmas pie was
actually:
D) A deed to a manor in Glastonbury
The Abbot of Glastonbury, seeking favor with the king, sent Jack Horner
to the palace with the gift of a pie in which had been placed twelve
deeds to manor houses. When the King received the pie, there were only
eleven deeds - the deed to the Manor of Mells was missing. The Horner
family lives in the Manor of Mells to this day, but they have always
denied that the rhyme refers to them.
11) As early as 1822, the postmaster in Washington, D.C. was worried by
the amount of extra mail at Christmas time. His preferred solution to
the problem was to:
D) Limit by law the number of cards a person could send
Even though commercial cards were not available at that time, people
were already sending so many home-made cards that sixteen extra postmen
had to be hired in the city. The proposed law was never passed, however,
which in turn made possible Werner Erhard's entry into the Guinness Book
of Records in 1975 for sending the most Christmas cards: 62,824 in a
single year.
12) George Frederick Handel's great Christmas oratorio, "The Messiah",
was first performed in 1742, in:
B) Dublin
Handel (1685-1759) seems to have been a kind and generous man. "The
Messiah" was written for the benefit of charities in Ireland, and was a
success at 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.
13) For the winter solstice, Druids in ancient Britain would gather a
forest plant that we now associate with Christmas. It was:
C) Mistletoe
In the time of the Druids, mistletoe was believed to have magical
properties. People who met under a tree bearing mistletoe were forbidden
to fight, even if they were enemies, and anyone who entered a home
decorated with mistletoe was entitled to shelter and protection.
Mistletoe may even have been part of Druidic wedding ceremonies.
14) 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:
D) Were supplied with boots made of sacking or leather.
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.
15) America's official national Christmas tree is:
C) Located in King's Canyon National Park in California
The tree, a giant sequoia called the "General Grant Tree", is over 90
metres (300 feet) high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.
16) The Philadelphia Mummers parade is a Christmas tradition of long
standing. Many members of Mummers clubs call themselves "two-streeters".
This is because:
C) The original Mummers clubs were mostly located on Second Street
Twenty Mummers clubs are still located on Second Street. There are four
types of clubs: the Comics, the oldest type; the Stringbands, who play
live music; the Fancies, with enormous costumes; and the Fancy Brigades,
the newest type. The parade takes place on January 1.
17) The first commercial Christmas card is generally agreed to have been
the one illustrated above. The card had a hostile reception from some
people because:
A) It depicted a family, children as well as adults, drinking wine
The card was the brainchild of Sir Henry Cole, a leading cultural light
in Victorian England who was later to become director of the Victoria
and Albert Museum, among many other accomplishments. The card was
painted by John Calcott Horsley. It depicts 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.
18) The Irish custom of "feeding the wren" on December 26 consists of:
B) Carrying a wren door to door, to collect money for charity
The custom is based on a legend of St. Stephen. Once he was forced to
hide in a bush, but a chattering wren gave him away. 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.
19) A modern Christmas custom borrowed from ancient Rome's New Year's
celebrations is:
C) Displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house
Romans wished each other "good health" by exchanging branches of
evergreens. They called these gifts "strenae" after Strenia, the goddess
of health. It became the custom to bend these into a ring and display
them on doorways.
20) St. Nicholas is a very hard-working saint, being the patron saint of
children, merchants, apothecaries, pawnbrokers, scholars and:
C) Mariners
St. Nicholas is reputed to be able to calm storms and rescue sailors.
Even pirates have claimed his protection. There are almost 400 churches
of St. Nicholas in England, more even than churches of St. George,
England's patron. As for the other choices in our question: St. John de
la Salle protects teachers, St. Lawrence librarians, and St. Cecilia is
the patron saint of music.
21) The fifth Sunday before Christmas has been called "Stir-up Sunday".
On this day, it is considered lucky to:
B) Have everyone in the family help to stir the Christmas pudding
The day got its name from a prayer-book verse used on that Sunday. The
verse begins, "Stir up, we beseech..." It was also considered the last
day that cakes and puddings could be made and still be ready in time for
Christmas.
22) The tradition of erecting a tree at Christmas is believed to have
started in:
C) Germany
Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as
the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen
Victoria's husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of
the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest
known mention of a Christmas tree is in the diary of a German who
settled in Pennsylvania.
23) In Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551, which has
not yet been repealed, states that every citizen must attend a Christian
church service on Christmas Day, and must NOT:
A) Use any kind of vehicle to get to the service
There must be a large number of Britons who break this law every year.
The law may have been intended to encourage humility by forcing even the
wealthy to attend the church on foot, or perhaps it was simply to avoid
the traffic and parking crush that universal attendance would otherwise
have brought about.
24) 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. The object was:
D) A dried bean
During the Roman festival of Saturnalia, 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.
25) Louis Prang, a 19th-century German immigrant to the United States,
made an important contribution to Christmas in popular culture by:
D) Popularizing the sending of printed Christmas cards
Prang was a Bavarian-born lithographer who 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.
26) In many countries, Christmas is considered a propitious time for
fortune-telling. In Switzerland, an onion and salt are traditionally
used to predict:
B) The weather for the coming year
On Christmas Eve, the grandmother of the house cuts an onion in two and
peels off twelve layers. Each layer represents one month in the coming
year. Each is filled with salt. If the salt is dry on Christmas morning,
the corresponding month will have fair weather; if damp, there will be
rain.
27) An ancient religion, which has since died out, celebrated the birth
of a god on December 25th. The god was:
B) Mithras, the Persian god of war
Although the cult of Mithras began in Persia, it later spread and became
popular in Rome. Romans celebrated the birth of Mithras on December 25.
28) All through the Christmas season in old England, "lambswool" could
be found in the houses of the well-to-do. It was:
B) A brew of hot ale with roast apples floating in it
The drink that filled the wassail bowl was known as "lambswool". 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.
29) One Christmas ritual NOT drawn from an ancient tradition is the
British monarch's broadcast on Christmas day. The tradition began in
1932 with a speech written by:
C) Rudyard Kipling
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 tradition to this day.
30) In Victorian times, most Londoners would have been familiar with the
"goose club", which was:
D) A method of saving to buy a goose for Christmas
Goose clubs were popular with working-class Londoners, who paid a few
pence a week towards the purchase of a Christmas goose. The week before
Christmas, London meat markets were crammed with geese and turkeys, many
imported from Germany and France.
1) If you were given some frumenty at a Medieval Christmas party, you
would probably:
A) Eat it
Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It is
thought to be the forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It has its
origins in a Celtic legend of harvest god, Dagda, who stirred a porridge
made up of all the good things of the earth.
2) The first charity Christmas card was produced by UNICEF in 1949. The
picture chosen for the card was painted not by a professional artist but by:
C) A seven-year-old girl
The girl was Jitka Samkova of Rudolfo, a small town in what was then
Czechoslovakia. The town received assistance from UNICEF after the
Second World War, inspiring Jitka to paint some children dancing around
a maypole. She said her picture represented "joy going round and round".
3) "Hot cockles" was popular at Christmas in medieval times. It was:
C) A game in which a blindfolded person was struck
"Hot cockles" was still a Christmas pastime until the Victorian era (if
anyone out there STILL plays it, please email us and tell us all about
it!). The other players took turns striking the blindfolded one, who had
to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. Ouch!
4) During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, it was considered
unlucky to:
A) Let the log in the fireplace stop burning
The log burned at Christmas time was called the "Yule Log". Sometimes a
piece of the Yule Log would be kept to kindle the fire next winter, to
ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule Log
custom was handed down from the Druids.
5) "Mumming plays" with traditional plots have been enjoyed at Christmas
time in Europe since the Middle Ages. In England, the central character
is usually:
D) St. George
Mumming plays were passed down through generations. Some bits seem to
have nothing to do with the overall plot but are demanded by tradition.
In England, St. George fights a Turk, who defeats him, to much booing
and hissing from the audience. A Good Doctor then comes and saves St.
George, to wild cheering.
6) At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks
were sometimes served "endored". This means:
D) The flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter
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.
7) One of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes takes place during the
Christmas season. The tale hinges upon:
B) A blue diamond found in a goose
In "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" Holmes manages to recover the
jewel but, in the spirit of the Christmas season, allows the repentant
thief to go free - on the condition that he leave England for ever.
8) In the Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas
morning it is believed to mean:
A) Good luck
One Christmas morning, a poor woman, who could not afford decorations,
found that spiders had trimmed her children's tree with their webs. When
the morning sun shone on them, the webs turned to silver. An artificial
spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian
Christmas trees.
9) Postmen in Victorian England were popularly called "robins". This was
because:
B) Their uniforms were red
The British Post Office grew out of the carrying of royal dispatches.
Red was considered a royal color, so uniforms and letter-boxes were red.
Victorian Christmas cards often showed a robin delivering Christmas
mail.
10) "Little Jack Horner" in the nursery rhyme may refer to the man who
was chief steward to the Abbot of Glastonbury in the early sixteenth
century. If so, then the "plum" he pulled from his Christmas pie was
actually:
D) A deed to a manor in Glastonbury
The Abbot of Glastonbury, seeking favor with the king, sent Jack Horner
to the palace with the gift of a pie in which had been placed twelve
deeds to manor houses. When the King received the pie, there were only
eleven deeds - the deed to the Manor of Mells was missing. The Horner
family lives in the Manor of Mells to this day, but they have always
denied that the rhyme refers to them.
11) As early as 1822, the postmaster in Washington, D.C. was worried by
the amount of extra mail at Christmas time. His preferred solution to
the problem was to:
D) Limit by law the number of cards a person could send
Even though commercial cards were not available at that time, people
were already sending so many home-made cards that sixteen extra postmen
had to be hired in the city. The proposed law was never passed, however,
which in turn made possible Werner Erhard's entry into the Guinness Book
of Records in 1975 for sending the most Christmas cards: 62,824 in a
single year.
12) George Frederick Handel's great Christmas oratorio, "The Messiah",
was first performed in 1742, in:
B) Dublin
Handel (1685-1759) seems to have been a kind and generous man. "The
Messiah" was written for the benefit of charities in Ireland, and was a
success at 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.
13) For the winter solstice, Druids in ancient Britain would gather a
forest plant that we now associate with Christmas. It was:
C) Mistletoe
In the time of the Druids, mistletoe was believed to have magical
properties. People who met under a tree bearing mistletoe were forbidden
to fight, even if they were enemies, and anyone who entered a home
decorated with mistletoe was entitled to shelter and protection.
Mistletoe may even have been part of Druidic wedding ceremonies.
14) 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:
D) Were supplied with boots made of sacking or leather.
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.
15) America's official national Christmas tree is:
C) Located in King's Canyon National Park in California
The tree, a giant sequoia called the "General Grant Tree", is over 90
metres (300 feet) high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.
16) The Philadelphia Mummers parade is a Christmas tradition of long
standing. Many members of Mummers clubs call themselves "two-streeters".
This is because:
C) The original Mummers clubs were mostly located on Second Street
Twenty Mummers clubs are still located on Second Street. There are four
types of clubs: the Comics, the oldest type; the Stringbands, who play
live music; the Fancies, with enormous costumes; and the Fancy Brigades,
the newest type. The parade takes place on January 1.
17) The first commercial Christmas card is generally agreed to have been
the one illustrated above. The card had a hostile reception from some
people because:
A) It depicted a family, children as well as adults, drinking wine
The card was the brainchild of Sir Henry Cole, a leading cultural light
in Victorian England who was later to become director of the Victoria
and Albert Museum, among many other accomplishments. The card was
painted by John Calcott Horsley. It depicts 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.
18) The Irish custom of "feeding the wren" on December 26 consists of:
B) Carrying a wren door to door, to collect money for charity
The custom is based on a legend of St. Stephen. Once he was forced to
hide in a bush, but a chattering wren gave him away. 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.
19) A modern Christmas custom borrowed from ancient Rome's New Year's
celebrations is:
C) Displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house
Romans wished each other "good health" by exchanging branches of
evergreens. They called these gifts "strenae" after Strenia, the goddess
of health. It became the custom to bend these into a ring and display
them on doorways.
20) St. Nicholas is a very hard-working saint, being the patron saint of
children, merchants, apothecaries, pawnbrokers, scholars and:
C) Mariners
St. Nicholas is reputed to be able to calm storms and rescue sailors.
Even pirates have claimed his protection. There are almost 400 churches
of St. Nicholas in England, more even than churches of St. George,
England's patron. As for the other choices in our question: St. John de
la Salle protects teachers, St. Lawrence librarians, and St. Cecilia is
the patron saint of music.
21) The fifth Sunday before Christmas has been called "Stir-up Sunday".
On this day, it is considered lucky to:
B) Have everyone in the family help to stir the Christmas pudding
The day got its name from a prayer-book verse used on that Sunday. The
verse begins, "Stir up, we beseech..." It was also considered the last
day that cakes and puddings could be made and still be ready in time for
Christmas.
22) The tradition of erecting a tree at Christmas is believed to have
started in:
C) Germany
Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as
the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen
Victoria's husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of
the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest
known mention of a Christmas tree is in the diary of a German who
settled in Pennsylvania.
23) In Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551, which has
not yet been repealed, states that every citizen must attend a Christian
church service on Christmas Day, and must NOT:
A) Use any kind of vehicle to get to the service
There must be a large number of Britons who break this law every year.
The law may have been intended to encourage humility by forcing even the
wealthy to attend the church on foot, or perhaps it was simply to avoid
the traffic and parking crush that universal attendance would otherwise
have brought about.
24) 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. The object was:
D) A dried bean
During the Roman festival of Saturnalia, 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.
25) Louis Prang, a 19th-century German immigrant to the United States,
made an important contribution to Christmas in popular culture by:
D) Popularizing the sending of printed Christmas cards
Prang was a Bavarian-born lithographer who 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.
26) In many countries, Christmas is considered a propitious time for
fortune-telling. In Switzerland, an onion and salt are traditionally
used to predict:
B) The weather for the coming year
On Christmas Eve, the grandmother of the house cuts an onion in two and
peels off twelve layers. Each layer represents one month in the coming
year. Each is filled with salt. If the salt is dry on Christmas morning,
the corresponding month will have fair weather; if damp, there will be
rain.
27) An ancient religion, which has since died out, celebrated the birth
of a god on December 25th. The god was:
B) Mithras, the Persian god of war
Although the cult of Mithras began in Persia, it later spread and became
popular in Rome. Romans celebrated the birth of Mithras on December 25.
28) All through the Christmas season in old England, "lambswool" could
be found in the houses of the well-to-do. It was:
B) A brew of hot ale with roast apples floating in it
The drink that filled the wassail bowl was known as "lambswool". 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.
29) One Christmas ritual NOT drawn from an ancient tradition is the
British monarch's broadcast on Christmas day. The tradition began in
1932 with a speech written by:
C) Rudyard Kipling
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 tradition to this day.
30) In Victorian times, most Londoners would have been familiar with the
"goose club", which was:
D) A method of saving to buy a goose for Christmas
Goose clubs were popular with working-class Londoners, who paid a few
pence a week towards the purchase of a Christmas goose. The week before
Christmas, London meat markets were crammed with geese and turkeys, many
imported from Germany and France.
11 December 2010
Christmas Quiz #2
2nd Quiz
1) If you were given some frumenty at a Medieval Christmas party, you
would probably:
A) Eat it
B) Burn it
C) Put it in your sweetheart's hair
D) Use it to polish your boots
2) The first charity Christmas card was produced by UNICEF in 1949. The
picture chosen for the card was painted not by a professional artist but
by:
A) A chimpanzee
B) A blind man
C) A seven-year-old girl
D) A Buddhist monk
3) "Hot cockles" was popular at Christmas in medieval times. It was:
A) A dish of oysters and mussels
B) A hot spiced drink
C) A game in which a blindfolded person was struck
D) The title of a popular drinking song
4) During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, it was considered
unlucky to:
A) Let the log in the fireplace stop burning
B) Sneeze
C) Spill wine or ale
D) Hunt reindeer
5) "Mumming plays" with traditional plots have been enjoyed at Christmas
time in Europe since the Middle Ages. In England, the central character
is usually:
A) King Arthur
B) Pinnochio
C) Robin Hood
D) St. George
6) At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks
were sometimes served "endored". This means:
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
7) One of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes takes place during the
Christmas season. The tale hinges upon:
A) A burglar disguised as Father Christmas
B) A blue diamond found in a goose
C) A cat trapped in an organ pipe
D) A poisoned flask of Napoleon brandy
8) In the Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas
morning it is believed to mean:
A) Good luck
B) Misfortune will strike in the coming year
C) The winter will be unusually cold
D) Your house needs cleaning!
9) Postmen in Victorian England were popularly called "robins". This was
because:
A) The British postal service was founded by Sir Robin Spence
B) Their uniforms were red
C) They were famous for whistling as they made their rounds
D) They also delivered eggs
10) "Little Jack Horner" in the nursery rhyme may refer to the man who
was chief steward to the Abbot of Glastonbury in the early sixteenth
century. If so, then the "plum" he pulled from his Christmas pie was
actually:
A) A gem - a gift from the abbot for faithful service
B) Six golden guineas
C) An order banishing him from England
D) A deed to a manor in Glastonbury
11) As early as 1822, the postmaster in Washington, D.C. was worried by
the amount of extra mail at Christmas time. His preferred solution to
the problem was to:
A) Recruit volunteer postmen for the Christmas season
B) Raise the price of postage to reduce the number of cards sent
C) Request that people put holiday greetings in the newspaper instead
D) Limit by law the number of cards a person could send
12) George Frederick Handel's great Christmas oratorio, "The Messiah",
was first performed in 1742, in:
A) London
B) Dublin
C) Vienna
D) Jerusalem
13) For the winter solstice, Druids in ancient Britain would gather a
forest plant that we now associate with Christmas. It was:
A) Holly
B) Ivy
C) Mistletoe
D) Poinsettia
14) 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
15) America's official national Christmas tree is:
A) Displayed at the Rockefeller Center in New York
B) Brought from Canada and erected in Washington each year
C) Located in King's Canyon National Park in California
D) A Scotch pine
16) The Philadelphia Mummers parade is a Christmas tradition of long
standing. Many members of Mummers clubs call themselves "two-streeters".
This is because:
A) The parade route covers the whole of two main streets
B) Two popular Mummers songs are "Easy Street" and "Lonely Street"
C) The original Mummers clubs were mostly located on Second Street
D) The din of the parade can easily be heard two streets away
17) The first commercial Christmas card is generally agreed to have been
the one illustrated above. The card had a hostile reception from some
people because:
A) It depicted a family, children as well as adults, drinking wine
B) A mass-produced card was felt to be contrary to the Christmas spirit
C) The ivy leaves surrounding the design were originally a pagan symbol
D) They feared that overuse of the cards would lead to a paper shortage
18) The Irish custom of "feeding the wren" on December 26 consists of:
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
19) A modern Christmas custom borrowed from ancient Rome's New Year's
celebrations is:
A) Putting up mistletoe to make a "kissing bough"
B) Decorating a tree
C) Displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house
D) Hanging stockings by the fireplace
20) St. Nicholas is a very hard-working saint, being the patron saint of
children, merchants, apothecaries, pawnbrokers, scholars and:
A) Teachers
B) Librarians
C) Mariners
D) Music
21) The fifth Sunday before Christmas has been called "Stir-up Sunday".
On this day, it is considered lucky to:
A) "Stir up" the house by cleaning it from top to bottom
B) Have everyone in the family help to stir the Christmas pudding
C) Rouse the neighbors out for a community sing-song
D) Make a big pot of soup or stew for the poor
22) The tradition of erecting a tree at Christmas is believed to have
started in:
A) England
B) France
C) Germany
D) Norway
23) In Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551, which has
not yet been repealed, states that every citizen must attend a Christian
church service on Christmas Day, and must NOT:
A) Use any kind of vehicle to get to the service
B) Consume any meat that day
C) Give presents or put up decorations
D) Sing in public thoroughfares
24) 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. The object was:
A) A key
B) A piece of parchment with a fortune written on it
C) A ruby or sapphire
D) A dried bean
25) Louis Prang, a 19th-century German immigrant to the United States,
made an important contribution to Christmas in popular culture by:
A) Printing the first special Christmas edition of a major magazine
B) Being the 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
26) In many countries, Christmas is considered a propitious time for
fortune-telling. In Switzerland, an onion and salt are traditionally
used to predict:
A) Whether a girl will marry in the coming year
B) The weather for the coming year
C) The outcome of a journey
D) The state of the family's health
27) An ancient religion, which has since died out, celebrated the birth
of a god on December 25th. The god was:
A) Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods
B) Mithras, the Persian god of war
C) Odin, the chief of the Norse gods
D) Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom and learning
28) All through the Christmas season in old England, "lambswool" could
be found in the houses of the well-to-do. It was:
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
29) One Christmas ritual NOT drawn from an ancient tradition is the
British monarch's broadcast on Christmas day. The tradition began in
1932 with a speech written by:
A) The king himself, George V
B) Children's author Enid Blyton
C) Rudyard Kipling
D) Sir Winston Churchill
30) In Victorian times, most Londoners would have been familiar with the
"goose club", which was:
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
1) If you were given some frumenty at a Medieval Christmas party, you
would probably:
A) Eat it
B) Burn it
C) Put it in your sweetheart's hair
D) Use it to polish your boots
2) The first charity Christmas card was produced by UNICEF in 1949. The
picture chosen for the card was painted not by a professional artist but
by:
A) A chimpanzee
B) A blind man
C) A seven-year-old girl
D) A Buddhist monk
3) "Hot cockles" was popular at Christmas in medieval times. It was:
A) A dish of oysters and mussels
B) A hot spiced drink
C) A game in which a blindfolded person was struck
D) The title of a popular drinking song
4) During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, it was considered
unlucky to:
A) Let the log in the fireplace stop burning
B) Sneeze
C) Spill wine or ale
D) Hunt reindeer
5) "Mumming plays" with traditional plots have been enjoyed at Christmas
time in Europe since the Middle Ages. In England, the central character
is usually:
A) King Arthur
B) Pinnochio
C) Robin Hood
D) St. George
6) At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks
were sometimes served "endored". This means:
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
7) One of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes takes place during the
Christmas season. The tale hinges upon:
A) A burglar disguised as Father Christmas
B) A blue diamond found in a goose
C) A cat trapped in an organ pipe
D) A poisoned flask of Napoleon brandy
8) In the Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas
morning it is believed to mean:
A) Good luck
B) Misfortune will strike in the coming year
C) The winter will be unusually cold
D) Your house needs cleaning!
9) Postmen in Victorian England were popularly called "robins". This was
because:
A) The British postal service was founded by Sir Robin Spence
B) Their uniforms were red
C) They were famous for whistling as they made their rounds
D) They also delivered eggs
10) "Little Jack Horner" in the nursery rhyme may refer to the man who
was chief steward to the Abbot of Glastonbury in the early sixteenth
century. If so, then the "plum" he pulled from his Christmas pie was
actually:
A) A gem - a gift from the abbot for faithful service
B) Six golden guineas
C) An order banishing him from England
D) A deed to a manor in Glastonbury
11) As early as 1822, the postmaster in Washington, D.C. was worried by
the amount of extra mail at Christmas time. His preferred solution to
the problem was to:
A) Recruit volunteer postmen for the Christmas season
B) Raise the price of postage to reduce the number of cards sent
C) Request that people put holiday greetings in the newspaper instead
D) Limit by law the number of cards a person could send
12) George Frederick Handel's great Christmas oratorio, "The Messiah",
was first performed in 1742, in:
A) London
B) Dublin
C) Vienna
D) Jerusalem
13) For the winter solstice, Druids in ancient Britain would gather a
forest plant that we now associate with Christmas. It was:
A) Holly
B) Ivy
C) Mistletoe
D) Poinsettia
14) 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
15) America's official national Christmas tree is:
A) Displayed at the Rockefeller Center in New York
B) Brought from Canada and erected in Washington each year
C) Located in King's Canyon National Park in California
D) A Scotch pine
16) The Philadelphia Mummers parade is a Christmas tradition of long
standing. Many members of Mummers clubs call themselves "two-streeters".
This is because:
A) The parade route covers the whole of two main streets
B) Two popular Mummers songs are "Easy Street" and "Lonely Street"
C) The original Mummers clubs were mostly located on Second Street
D) The din of the parade can easily be heard two streets away
17) The first commercial Christmas card is generally agreed to have been
the one illustrated above. The card had a hostile reception from some
people because:
A) It depicted a family, children as well as adults, drinking wine
B) A mass-produced card was felt to be contrary to the Christmas spirit
C) The ivy leaves surrounding the design were originally a pagan symbol
D) They feared that overuse of the cards would lead to a paper shortage
18) The Irish custom of "feeding the wren" on December 26 consists of:
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
19) A modern Christmas custom borrowed from ancient Rome's New Year's
celebrations is:
A) Putting up mistletoe to make a "kissing bough"
B) Decorating a tree
C) Displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house
D) Hanging stockings by the fireplace
20) St. Nicholas is a very hard-working saint, being the patron saint of
children, merchants, apothecaries, pawnbrokers, scholars and:
A) Teachers
B) Librarians
C) Mariners
D) Music
21) The fifth Sunday before Christmas has been called "Stir-up Sunday".
On this day, it is considered lucky to:
A) "Stir up" the house by cleaning it from top to bottom
B) Have everyone in the family help to stir the Christmas pudding
C) Rouse the neighbors out for a community sing-song
D) Make a big pot of soup or stew for the poor
22) The tradition of erecting a tree at Christmas is believed to have
started in:
A) England
B) France
C) Germany
D) Norway
23) In Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551, which has
not yet been repealed, states that every citizen must attend a Christian
church service on Christmas Day, and must NOT:
A) Use any kind of vehicle to get to the service
B) Consume any meat that day
C) Give presents or put up decorations
D) Sing in public thoroughfares
24) 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. The object was:
A) A key
B) A piece of parchment with a fortune written on it
C) A ruby or sapphire
D) A dried bean
25) Louis Prang, a 19th-century German immigrant to the United States,
made an important contribution to Christmas in popular culture by:
A) Printing the first special Christmas edition of a major magazine
B) Being the 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
26) In many countries, Christmas is considered a propitious time for
fortune-telling. In Switzerland, an onion and salt are traditionally
used to predict:
A) Whether a girl will marry in the coming year
B) The weather for the coming year
C) The outcome of a journey
D) The state of the family's health
27) An ancient religion, which has since died out, celebrated the birth
of a god on December 25th. The god was:
A) Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods
B) Mithras, the Persian god of war
C) Odin, the chief of the Norse gods
D) Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom and learning
28) All through the Christmas season in old England, "lambswool" could
be found in the houses of the well-to-do. It was:
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
29) One Christmas ritual NOT drawn from an ancient tradition is the
British monarch's broadcast on Christmas day. The tradition began in
1932 with a speech written by:
A) The king himself, George V
B) Children's author Enid Blyton
C) Rudyard Kipling
D) Sir Winston Churchill
30) In Victorian times, most Londoners would have been familiar with the
"goose club", which was:
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
08 December 2010
Christmas Quiz #1- Answers
Answers
1) The first instrument on which the carol "Silent Night" was played was:
C) A guitar
The carol was first sung as part of a church service in Oberndorf,
Austria. The unusual choice of guitar for the accompaniment rather
than the traditional church organ has given rise to a number of
picturesque stories (the organ bellows had been damaged by mice;
the organ had been sabotaged; etc.), but in fact it was simply a
matter of preference on the part of the author, Joseph Mohr.
2) In Guatemala, Christmas Day is celebrated:
B) On December 25
Guatemalan adults, however, do not exchange gifts until New
Year's Day. Children get theirs (from the Christ Child) on
Christmas morning.
3) Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in:
B) 1895
The idea for using electric Christmas lights came from an
American, Ralph E. Morris. The new lights proved safer than the
traditional candles. NB: A correspondent has informed us that the General Electric
company claims to have originated Christmas tree lighting in
1882, fully 13 years earlier than the date given in our answer.
Unfortunately, we do not have access to an independent authority
who could settle the matter beyond argument. In either case,
however, answer (B) is clearly the best of the four choices
given, so we will let it stand until further information becomes
available.
4) Good King Wenceslas was king of which country?
C) Bohemia
The historical Wenceslas was actually only Duke of Bohemia, not
a king. He lived in the tenth century.
5) Medieval English Christmas pantomimes did not include which character?
A) St. Nicholas
In Medieval England, Nicholas was just another saint - he had not
yet metamorphosed into Santa Claus and had nothing to do with
Christmas.
6) The name of Scrooge's deceased business partner in Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol" was:
D) Jacob Marley
Jacob Marley's spirit was the first of four to appear to Scrooge
on Christmas Eve.
7) In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time.
Their Dutch counterparts use:
C) Shoes
Traditionally, the shoes used are wooden ones called sabots.
8) The poinsettia, a traditional Christmas flower, originally grew in
which country?
C) Mexico
In Mexico, the poinsettia is known as the 'Flower of the Holy
Night'. It was first brought to America by Joel Poinsett in 1829.
9) Which name does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer?
D) Klaxon
A klaxon is actually an electric horn.
10) In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by:
C) One of the Wise Men's camels
The gift-giving camel is said to have been the smallest one in
the Wise Men's caravan.
11) One notable medieval English Christmas celebration featured:
A) A giant, 165-pound pie
The giant pie was nine feet in diameter. Its ingredients included
2 bushels of flour, 20 pounds of butter, 4 geese, 2 rabbits, 4
wild ducks, 2 woodcocks, 6 snipes, 4 partridges, 2 neats'
tongues, 2 curlews, 6 pigeons and 7 blackbirds.
12) In Australia, usual Boxing Day activities include:
D) Surfing
In Australia, as everywhere in the southern hemisphere,
Christmas comes in the middle of summer.
13) In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small
figurine of a goat. It is usually made of what material?
B) Straw
A variety of straw decorations are a usual feature of
Scandinavian Christmas festivities.
14) The real St. Nicholas lived:
C) In Turkey
St. Nicholas was bishop of the Turkish town of Myra in the early
4th century. It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas
gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his
name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.
15) Which of the following was not one of the Three Kings?
C) Teleost
A teleost is actually a bony fish.
16) In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of:
A) Fried fish, lettuce and spinach
The meal was eaten after the Christmas Eve service, in
commemoration of the supper eaten by Mary on the evening before
Christ's birth.
17) In Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker", the Nutcracker's main
enemy is:
B) The King of the Mice
The King of the Mice, usually represented with seven heads, leads
his troops against the nutcracker's toy soldiers, but loses the
battle when Clara, the heroine, stuns him with a hurled shoe.
18) The day after Christmas, December 26, is known as Boxing Day.
It is also the holy day of which saint?
D) St. Stephen
And here, we used to say: St. Stephen, a 9th century Swedish
missionary, is the patron saint of horses.
Further research, and a kind note from Pastor Philip A. Gardner
of Lancaster, Ohio, reveals that the Boxing Day St. Stephen has
in fact nothing at all to do with Sweden or with horses. The
Stephen for whom the day is named is the one in the Bible (Acts
6-8) who was the first Christian to be martyred for his faith.
19) In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes
play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. To get rid of them, you
should:
B) Burn either salt or an old shoe
Apparently the stench of the burning shoe (or salt) drives off
the Kallikantzaroi. Other effective methods include hanging a
pig's jawbone by the door and keeping a large fire so they can't
sneak down the chimney.
20) When visiting Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh behind and rides on:
C) A goat named Ukko
Finnish folklore has it that Ukko is made of straw, but is strong
enough to carry Santa Claus anyway.
21) A boar's head is a traditional Christmas dish. According to a
popular story, the unlucky boar whose head began the custom in
the Middle Ages was killed by:
A) Choking to death on a book of Greek philosophy
The story tells us that a university student saved himself from a
charging boar by ramming a book of Aristotle's writings down its
throat. He then cut off the boar's head and brought it back to his
college.
22) When distributing gifts in Holland, St. Nicholas is accompanied by:
B) His servant, Black Peter
Black Peter is responsible for actually dropping the presents
down their recipients' chimneys, but he also punishes bad
children by putting them in a bag and carrying them away to
Spain.
23) At Christmas, it is customary to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of
which plant?
D) Mistletoe
Mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship in ancient
Scandinavia, which may account for the practice of kissing
beneath it.
24) Believe it or not, one Indiana town is called:
D) Santa Claus
There is also a Santa Claus, Idaho.
25) Who was the author of "A Christmas Carol"?
B) Charles Dickens
After "A Christmas Carol" Dickens wrote several other Christmas
stories, one each year, but none was as successful as the
original.
26) Which popular Christmas song was actually written for Thanksgiving?
C) Jingle Bells
The song was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was
originally called "One Horse Open Sleigh".
27) A favorite Christmas story is Dylan Thomas' "A Child's
Christmas in..."
C) Wales
This charming and poetic story is based partly on Thomas'
memories of his own childhood. Originally a radio script,
"A Child's Christmas in Wales" is now sold as a book and has
been made into a television special.
28) In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that:
A) Made Christmas illegal
Christmas festivities were banned by Puritan leader Oliver
Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry on what was
supposed to be a holy day to be immoral. The ban was lifted only
when the Puritans lost power in 1660.
29) The world's largest Christmas cracker was made (and pulled)
in which country?
B) Australia
The cracker, 150 feet long and 10 feet in diameter, was made by
Ray Price in 1991.
30) The poem commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas" was
originally entitled:
B) A Visit From Saint Nicholas
This poem was written by Clement Moore for his children and some
guests, one of whom anonymously sent the poem to a New York
newspaper for publication.
1) The first instrument on which the carol "Silent Night" was played was:
C) A guitar
The carol was first sung as part of a church service in Oberndorf,
Austria. The unusual choice of guitar for the accompaniment rather
than the traditional church organ has given rise to a number of
picturesque stories (the organ bellows had been damaged by mice;
the organ had been sabotaged; etc.), but in fact it was simply a
matter of preference on the part of the author, Joseph Mohr.
2) In Guatemala, Christmas Day is celebrated:
B) On December 25
Guatemalan adults, however, do not exchange gifts until New
Year's Day. Children get theirs (from the Christ Child) on
Christmas morning.
3) Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in:
B) 1895
The idea for using electric Christmas lights came from an
American, Ralph E. Morris. The new lights proved safer than the
traditional candles. NB: A correspondent has informed us that the General Electric
company claims to have originated Christmas tree lighting in
1882, fully 13 years earlier than the date given in our answer.
Unfortunately, we do not have access to an independent authority
who could settle the matter beyond argument. In either case,
however, answer (B) is clearly the best of the four choices
given, so we will let it stand until further information becomes
available.
4) Good King Wenceslas was king of which country?
C) Bohemia
The historical Wenceslas was actually only Duke of Bohemia, not
a king. He lived in the tenth century.
5) Medieval English Christmas pantomimes did not include which character?
A) St. Nicholas
In Medieval England, Nicholas was just another saint - he had not
yet metamorphosed into Santa Claus and had nothing to do with
Christmas.
6) The name of Scrooge's deceased business partner in Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol" was:
D) Jacob Marley
Jacob Marley's spirit was the first of four to appear to Scrooge
on Christmas Eve.
7) In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time.
Their Dutch counterparts use:
C) Shoes
Traditionally, the shoes used are wooden ones called sabots.
8) The poinsettia, a traditional Christmas flower, originally grew in
which country?
C) Mexico
In Mexico, the poinsettia is known as the 'Flower of the Holy
Night'. It was first brought to America by Joel Poinsett in 1829.
9) Which name does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer?
D) Klaxon
A klaxon is actually an electric horn.
10) In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by:
C) One of the Wise Men's camels
The gift-giving camel is said to have been the smallest one in
the Wise Men's caravan.
11) One notable medieval English Christmas celebration featured:
A) A giant, 165-pound pie
The giant pie was nine feet in diameter. Its ingredients included
2 bushels of flour, 20 pounds of butter, 4 geese, 2 rabbits, 4
wild ducks, 2 woodcocks, 6 snipes, 4 partridges, 2 neats'
tongues, 2 curlews, 6 pigeons and 7 blackbirds.
12) In Australia, usual Boxing Day activities include:
D) Surfing
In Australia, as everywhere in the southern hemisphere,
Christmas comes in the middle of summer.
13) In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small
figurine of a goat. It is usually made of what material?
B) Straw
A variety of straw decorations are a usual feature of
Scandinavian Christmas festivities.
14) The real St. Nicholas lived:
C) In Turkey
St. Nicholas was bishop of the Turkish town of Myra in the early
4th century. It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas
gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his
name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.
15) Which of the following was not one of the Three Kings?
C) Teleost
A teleost is actually a bony fish.
16) In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of:
A) Fried fish, lettuce and spinach
The meal was eaten after the Christmas Eve service, in
commemoration of the supper eaten by Mary on the evening before
Christ's birth.
17) In Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker", the Nutcracker's main
enemy is:
B) The King of the Mice
The King of the Mice, usually represented with seven heads, leads
his troops against the nutcracker's toy soldiers, but loses the
battle when Clara, the heroine, stuns him with a hurled shoe.
18) The day after Christmas, December 26, is known as Boxing Day.
It is also the holy day of which saint?
D) St. Stephen
And here, we used to say: St. Stephen, a 9th century Swedish
missionary, is the patron saint of horses.
Further research, and a kind note from Pastor Philip A. Gardner
of Lancaster, Ohio, reveals that the Boxing Day St. Stephen has
in fact nothing at all to do with Sweden or with horses. The
Stephen for whom the day is named is the one in the Bible (Acts
6-8) who was the first Christian to be martyred for his faith.
19) In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes
play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. To get rid of them, you
should:
B) Burn either salt or an old shoe
Apparently the stench of the burning shoe (or salt) drives off
the Kallikantzaroi. Other effective methods include hanging a
pig's jawbone by the door and keeping a large fire so they can't
sneak down the chimney.
20) When visiting Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh behind and rides on:
C) A goat named Ukko
Finnish folklore has it that Ukko is made of straw, but is strong
enough to carry Santa Claus anyway.
21) A boar's head is a traditional Christmas dish. According to a
popular story, the unlucky boar whose head began the custom in
the Middle Ages was killed by:
A) Choking to death on a book of Greek philosophy
The story tells us that a university student saved himself from a
charging boar by ramming a book of Aristotle's writings down its
throat. He then cut off the boar's head and brought it back to his
college.
22) When distributing gifts in Holland, St. Nicholas is accompanied by:
B) His servant, Black Peter
Black Peter is responsible for actually dropping the presents
down their recipients' chimneys, but he also punishes bad
children by putting them in a bag and carrying them away to
Spain.
23) At Christmas, it is customary to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of
which plant?
D) Mistletoe
Mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship in ancient
Scandinavia, which may account for the practice of kissing
beneath it.
24) Believe it or not, one Indiana town is called:
D) Santa Claus
There is also a Santa Claus, Idaho.
25) Who was the author of "A Christmas Carol"?
B) Charles Dickens
After "A Christmas Carol" Dickens wrote several other Christmas
stories, one each year, but none was as successful as the
original.
26) Which popular Christmas song was actually written for Thanksgiving?
C) Jingle Bells
The song was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was
originally called "One Horse Open Sleigh".
27) A favorite Christmas story is Dylan Thomas' "A Child's
Christmas in..."
C) Wales
This charming and poetic story is based partly on Thomas'
memories of his own childhood. Originally a radio script,
"A Child's Christmas in Wales" is now sold as a book and has
been made into a television special.
28) In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that:
A) Made Christmas illegal
Christmas festivities were banned by Puritan leader Oliver
Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry on what was
supposed to be a holy day to be immoral. The ban was lifted only
when the Puritans lost power in 1660.
29) The world's largest Christmas cracker was made (and pulled)
in which country?
B) Australia
The cracker, 150 feet long and 10 feet in diameter, was made by
Ray Price in 1991.
30) The poem commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas" was
originally entitled:
B) A Visit From Saint Nicholas
This poem was written by Clement Moore for his children and some
guests, one of whom anonymously sent the poem to a New York
newspaper for publication.
05 December 2010
Christmas Quiz #1
I love Trivia and Christmas time so i thought I would share with you some of my Christmas trivia that I have collected. Later in the Week I will try to remember to Post the answers for you.
Christmas Quizzes Questions
1st Quiz
1) The first instrument on which the carol "Silent Night" was played was:
A) A harp
B) A pipe organ
C) A guitar
D) A kazoo
2) In Guatemala, Christmas Day is celebrated:
A) On January 6
B) On December 25
C) On October 31
D) Never
3) Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in:
A) 1492
B) 1895
C) 1944
D) 1976
4) Good King Wenceslas was king of which country?
A) Abyssinia
B) England
C) Bohemia
D) Gondor
5) Medieval English Christmas pantomimes did not include which character?
A) St. Nicholas
B) The Bold Slasher
C) Father Christmas
D) The Turkish Knight
6) The name of Scrooge's deceased business partner in Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol" was:
A) Bob Cratchit
B) Jerry Cornelius
C) Bill Sykes
D) Jacob Marley
7) In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time.
Their Dutch counterparts use:
A) Old hats
B) Beer mugs
C) Shoes
D) Stockings, just like everybody else!
8) The poinsettia, a traditional Christmas flower, originally grew in
which country?
A) Canada
B) China
C) Mexico
D) Spain
9) Which name does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer?
A) Comet
B) Prancer
C) Blitzen
D) Klaxon
10) In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by:
A) The Three Kings
B) Tom o'Bedlam
C) One of the Wise Men's camels
D) Father Christmas
11) One notable medieval English Christmas celebration featured:
A) A giant, 165-pound pie
B) Snowball fights between rival courtiers
C) A swimming race across the English Channel
D) Huge crackers that sometimes exploded fatally
12) In Australia, usual Boxing Day activities include:
A) Building snowmen
B) Tobogganing
C) Wombat hunting
D) Surfing
13) In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small
figurine of a goat. It is usually made of what material?
A) Candy
B) Straw
C) Uranium
D) Fir wood
14) The real St. Nicholas lived:
A) At the North Pole
B) On the island of Malta
C) In Turkey
D) In Holland
15) Which of the following was NOT one of the Three Kings?
A) Caspar
B) Balthazar
C) Teleost
D) Melchior
16) In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of:
A) Fried fish, lettuce and spinach
B) Square meat pies
C) Broiled partridges with gooseberry sauce
D) Turkey and plum pudding
17) In Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker", the Nutcracker's main
enemy is:
A) A girl called Clara
B) The King of the Mice
C) Dr. Almond
D) Drosselmeyer the magician
18) The day after Christmas, December 26, is known as Boxing Day.
It is also the holy day of which saint?
A) St. Eustace
B) St. Brigit
C) St. Nicholas
D) St. Stephen
19) In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes
play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. To get rid of them, you
should:
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
20) When visiting Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh behind and rides on:
A) Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
B) A giant ptarmigan
C) A goat named Ukko
D) A flying carpet
21) A boar's head is a traditional Christmas dish. According to a
popular story, the unlucky boar whose head began the custom in
the Middle Ages was killed by:
A) Choking to death on a book of Greek philosophy
B) King Wenceslas, who speared it from horseback
C) A falling fir tree
D) Remorse, after goring St. Nicholas
22) When distributing gifts in Holland, St. Nicholas is accompanied by:
A) His wife Lucy
B) His servant, Black Peter
C) Thirteen elves
D) St. Stephen
23) At Christmas, it is customary to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of
which plant?
A) Ivy
B) Yew
C) Holly
D) Mistletoe
24) Believe it or not, one Indiana town is called:
A) Christmasville
B) Wenceslas
C) Noel
D) Santa Claus
25) Who was the author of "A Christmas Carol"?
A) Mark Twain
B) Charles Dickens
C) Hans Christian Andersen
D) Thomas M. Sawyer
26) Which popular Christmas song was actually written for Thanksgiving?
A) Away in a Manger
B) Frosty the Snowman
C) Jingle Bells
D) Joy to the World
27) A favorite Christmas story is Dylan Thomas' "A Child's
Christmas in..."
A) Maryland
B) Boarding school
C) Wales
D) China
28) In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that:
A) Made Christmas illegal
B) Recognized Christmas as an official holiday
C) Let prisoners spend Christmas Day at home
D) Gave Santa immunity to break-and-enter charges
29) The world's largest Christmas cracker was made (and pulled)
in which country?
A) Sweden
B) Australia
C) England
D) The United States
30) The poem commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas" was
originally entitled:
A) Santa's Secret Visit
B) A Visit from St. Nicholas
C) The Night Before Christmas
D) The Midnight Guest
Christmas Quizzes Questions
1st Quiz
1) The first instrument on which the carol "Silent Night" was played was:
A) A harp
B) A pipe organ
C) A guitar
D) A kazoo
2) In Guatemala, Christmas Day is celebrated:
A) On January 6
B) On December 25
C) On October 31
D) Never
3) Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in:
A) 1492
B) 1895
C) 1944
D) 1976
4) Good King Wenceslas was king of which country?
A) Abyssinia
B) England
C) Bohemia
D) Gondor
5) Medieval English Christmas pantomimes did not include which character?
A) St. Nicholas
B) The Bold Slasher
C) Father Christmas
D) The Turkish Knight
6) The name of Scrooge's deceased business partner in Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol" was:
A) Bob Cratchit
B) Jerry Cornelius
C) Bill Sykes
D) Jacob Marley
7) In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time.
Their Dutch counterparts use:
A) Old hats
B) Beer mugs
C) Shoes
D) Stockings, just like everybody else!
8) The poinsettia, a traditional Christmas flower, originally grew in
which country?
A) Canada
B) China
C) Mexico
D) Spain
9) Which name does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer?
A) Comet
B) Prancer
C) Blitzen
D) Klaxon
10) In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by:
A) The Three Kings
B) Tom o'Bedlam
C) One of the Wise Men's camels
D) Father Christmas
11) One notable medieval English Christmas celebration featured:
A) A giant, 165-pound pie
B) Snowball fights between rival courtiers
C) A swimming race across the English Channel
D) Huge crackers that sometimes exploded fatally
12) In Australia, usual Boxing Day activities include:
A) Building snowmen
B) Tobogganing
C) Wombat hunting
D) Surfing
13) In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small
figurine of a goat. It is usually made of what material?
A) Candy
B) Straw
C) Uranium
D) Fir wood
14) The real St. Nicholas lived:
A) At the North Pole
B) On the island of Malta
C) In Turkey
D) In Holland
15) Which of the following was NOT one of the Three Kings?
A) Caspar
B) Balthazar
C) Teleost
D) Melchior
16) In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of:
A) Fried fish, lettuce and spinach
B) Square meat pies
C) Broiled partridges with gooseberry sauce
D) Turkey and plum pudding
17) In Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker", the Nutcracker's main
enemy is:
A) A girl called Clara
B) The King of the Mice
C) Dr. Almond
D) Drosselmeyer the magician
18) The day after Christmas, December 26, is known as Boxing Day.
It is also the holy day of which saint?
A) St. Eustace
B) St. Brigit
C) St. Nicholas
D) St. Stephen
19) In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes
play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. To get rid of them, you
should:
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
20) When visiting Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh behind and rides on:
A) Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
B) A giant ptarmigan
C) A goat named Ukko
D) A flying carpet
21) A boar's head is a traditional Christmas dish. According to a
popular story, the unlucky boar whose head began the custom in
the Middle Ages was killed by:
A) Choking to death on a book of Greek philosophy
B) King Wenceslas, who speared it from horseback
C) A falling fir tree
D) Remorse, after goring St. Nicholas
22) When distributing gifts in Holland, St. Nicholas is accompanied by:
A) His wife Lucy
B) His servant, Black Peter
C) Thirteen elves
D) St. Stephen
23) At Christmas, it is customary to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of
which plant?
A) Ivy
B) Yew
C) Holly
D) Mistletoe
24) Believe it or not, one Indiana town is called:
A) Christmasville
B) Wenceslas
C) Noel
D) Santa Claus
25) Who was the author of "A Christmas Carol"?
A) Mark Twain
B) Charles Dickens
C) Hans Christian Andersen
D) Thomas M. Sawyer
26) Which popular Christmas song was actually written for Thanksgiving?
A) Away in a Manger
B) Frosty the Snowman
C) Jingle Bells
D) Joy to the World
27) A favorite Christmas story is Dylan Thomas' "A Child's
Christmas in..."
A) Maryland
B) Boarding school
C) Wales
D) China
28) In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that:
A) Made Christmas illegal
B) Recognized Christmas as an official holiday
C) Let prisoners spend Christmas Day at home
D) Gave Santa immunity to break-and-enter charges
29) The world's largest Christmas cracker was made (and pulled)
in which country?
A) Sweden
B) Australia
C) England
D) The United States
30) The poem commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas" was
originally entitled:
A) Santa's Secret Visit
B) A Visit from St. Nicholas
C) The Night Before Christmas
D) The Midnight Guest
Thanksgiving Weekend
Oh I had the best Thanksgiving weekend this year. We Barker's all went down to OBX to visit my Dad. I made the dinner everything except for the turkey on my own, 1st time ever and I think it was great and by Saturday there where only mashed potatoes left, well I did make 10lbs of them. We spend time together on the beach getting our toes wet the water was cold but the times with family is what mattered, I also got my dad to drive us out of the beach in the jeep so that we could look for shells and stuff after a small nor'easter that blew through on Friday night. I found 4 nice pieces of sea glass this now brings my collection to about 12 pieces. We hated to say good bye on Sunday to return home but we were able to stop in Hampton at the Pro-Bass Shop, if you haven't ever been to one of these and you like the outdoors you should definitely stop in sometime. We also stopped in Richmond to visit with the In-laws it was a nice evening I think almost everyone stopped by and brought over their left overs from Thanksgiving diner to share. I think the best part of the weekend was spending it together with Family.
Bus Stuck in the Mud
How can it be December already? And really was the last time I blogged in August? I have got to get better.
Well to the title of this one. the Wednesday after Thanksgiving I got my bus STUCK, and I mean STUCK in the mud. I had a problems with a student that doesn't stay in his seat very well and I was moving him to the front seat where I have a seat belt that was installed a few years ago when there was another problem child. Well I found a safe spot to pull over (you know big Yellow buses can't just pull over anywhere) I took care of the trouble student. When i pulled off the road I remembered that it had been raining for about 24hrs before but I thought I would be OK. BIG mistake at I got ready to pull away I realized I was stuck, No Problem, I'm not a Williams for nothing, we figure things out and try to solve problems ourselves. So I thought I have snow chains in my storage box on the side of the bus, I'll use them to give me some traction. Mistake Number 2, they got lost in the Mud (the Mechanics finally founds them both and returned them to my bus, but now they are all muddy). I finally decided I needed to call the big guys out to help me.They came to the rescue and we evacuated the bus so they could pull the bus out of the mud. All the kids on the bus where great they really wanted to help and most of my 5th graders where a great help. I did have 2 little ones that where upset and crying, they where afraid that mommy wouldn't know where they where (one of them was Spanish and mommy didn't speak English) but 45 minutes later they where all safe and sound at home and I got home. I now have brown-wall-tires and a nice coating of mud on the underside of the bus. Mud coating is good right it protects from sunburn right? Oh yeah I for got that is for pigs and elephants.
Oh Well Just another one for the file of Been There, Now I've done that, and I don't want to repeat it, but I'm not a Williams for nothing (we don't always learn from our mistakes)
Well to the title of this one. the Wednesday after Thanksgiving I got my bus STUCK, and I mean STUCK in the mud. I had a problems with a student that doesn't stay in his seat very well and I was moving him to the front seat where I have a seat belt that was installed a few years ago when there was another problem child. Well I found a safe spot to pull over (you know big Yellow buses can't just pull over anywhere) I took care of the trouble student. When i pulled off the road I remembered that it had been raining for about 24hrs before but I thought I would be OK. BIG mistake at I got ready to pull away I realized I was stuck, No Problem, I'm not a Williams for nothing, we figure things out and try to solve problems ourselves. So I thought I have snow chains in my storage box on the side of the bus, I'll use them to give me some traction. Mistake Number 2, they got lost in the Mud (the Mechanics finally founds them both and returned them to my bus, but now they are all muddy). I finally decided I needed to call the big guys out to help me.They came to the rescue and we evacuated the bus so they could pull the bus out of the mud. All the kids on the bus where great they really wanted to help and most of my 5th graders where a great help. I did have 2 little ones that where upset and crying, they where afraid that mommy wouldn't know where they where (one of them was Spanish and mommy didn't speak English) but 45 minutes later they where all safe and sound at home and I got home. I now have brown-wall-tires and a nice coating of mud on the underside of the bus. Mud coating is good right it protects from sunburn right? Oh yeah I for got that is for pigs and elephants.
Oh Well Just another one for the file of Been There, Now I've done that, and I don't want to repeat it, but I'm not a Williams for nothing (we don't always learn from our mistakes)
28 August 2010
Back to school
Well week 1 of a new school year is done... lets see 1st day had a kid on the bus with diarrhea(you guessed it I had to clean the bus)... Day 2 I forgot to stop for some kids... by day 3 we had everything dialed in and running smoothly... then on day 4 had a 5th grader that wanted to decided for their-self what bus they could ride... So now we wait until Monday and start all over a gain and I have decided to bring out the seating chart on Monday , the kids are going to Love me for this one.
Lets see Elisabeth started 7th grade this year where has the time gone? She will definitely get her exercise this year. Homeroom in up stairs then she goes down stairs for a class then back upstairs again then back down then back up. So if she doesn't come home tired I will know that she must have skipped school...LOL. If you asked her she would tell you that she hates school but I really think she likes it, and not only for the social aspect.
Evelyn is now in the 4th grade and raring to go. She has the same teacher that her sister had in 4th Mrs. Fulk (our favorite 4th grade teacher) This is the one that Evelyn wanted all summer she had talked about wanting Mrs.Fulk. She has complained a few times of not having any real work yet but I keep telling her JUST wait it's coming.
I am also working in the Lunchroom again this year as a monitor again not much has changed their except we are hoping to get another full-time monitor so I get to train a newbie and then we should be all set for the year.
We are hoping for a Fun and Learning filled year and it seems to be off to a good start.
Lets see Elisabeth started 7th grade this year where has the time gone? She will definitely get her exercise this year. Homeroom in up stairs then she goes down stairs for a class then back upstairs again then back down then back up. So if she doesn't come home tired I will know that she must have skipped school...LOL. If you asked her she would tell you that she hates school but I really think she likes it, and not only for the social aspect.
Evelyn is now in the 4th grade and raring to go. She has the same teacher that her sister had in 4th Mrs. Fulk (our favorite 4th grade teacher) This is the one that Evelyn wanted all summer she had talked about wanting Mrs.Fulk. She has complained a few times of not having any real work yet but I keep telling her JUST wait it's coming.
I am also working in the Lunchroom again this year as a monitor again not much has changed their except we are hoping to get another full-time monitor so I get to train a newbie and then we should be all set for the year.
We are hoping for a Fun and Learning filled year and it seems to be off to a good start.
12 August 2010
The Phone
I now have my phone up and running but boy did it take long enough. Below you will see the letter I sent to Best Buy and as of today 8/12/10 I have not heard a word back from them. the Picture below is all five phones in the house lined up waiting for a call. the bottom middle is my new phone waiting to be activated, the house phone is the biggest, the middle top one is my Hubs because that was the number I gave them to call me on. and the other 2 belong to Elisabeth and I was transporting numbers. but my girls thought I had lost my mind with 5 phones in bed with me. Lets just say I like to be connected.
On Thursday August 5 2010 I decided to return a virgin mobile phone that I had bought earlier in the week that was not working and I was going to upgrade and buy a Virgin Mobile LG Rumor Touch at the Best Boys Store in Harrisonburg Va. I declined to have them activate it since I have been a Virgin Mobile customer for about 10 year. I came home and went online to activate the phone, I connected to the Virgin Mobile website at www.virginmobileusa.com went to my account and selected the “Swap phones” link. Then I proceeded to type in the information that was asked for. And I received a message stating that I needed to call Virgins Customer Service and ask for a “Live Advisor” which I did and the told the lady (some ne with and Indian accent that was very hard to understand) there what had happened she then told me that Best Buy had not unlocked my phone and that I needed to return to the store I purchased it from and have them unlock it. I then went back to the store in Harrisonburg a 7 mile drive from my house and told them what I had just been told over the phone from Virgin. They laughed at me and said that that was impossible and then told me that they were having will all of the Virgin Mobile phones. So I was asked for my Name and Phone number and was told that if they got a fix they would call me. So I left the store and went home when I got there I had a message on my home phone from “Zack at Best Buy that they had a fix and if I came back to the store they would be able to fix my phone.” So I returned to the store and talked to Zack he then told me that they didn’t have a fix but they had a phone number that I could call, the phone number was the same one that I called earlier for Virgin Mobile. He told me there was nothing else that they at best buy could do. I questioned him as to why my receipt for my Phone that I bought earlier in the week had the serial # on it and that the LG phone did not he said that that had nothing to do with the unlocking of the phone that when they are scanned into the computer it is automatically unlocked. Again he said that really there was nothing he could do, that I should good home and call Virgin Mobile again.
I didn’t get to call Virgin again until 7am Friday morning; I spoke to another person with a very thick accent and told her the whole story from above. She told me that she could put a work order in and have them expedite it she told me it could take 24 hrs and that I would receive a call from Virgin headquarters. I waited all day Friday for someone to call me and got no call. By Saturday afternoon I was getting very upset because I did not have a cell phone and was out of town and couldn’t stay in touch with my children. I then decided to go back to Best Buy and see if they had had any new fixes. Again I spoke with Zack he took my phone and told me he could help me. Before I knew it he had returned my phone and was handing me back Money, gift cards, etc. (had used to purchase) he never asked me if I wanted to return the phone. I then asked him could I buy another Virgin phone from them because I needed a cell phone that is when he told me that all of the virgin phones had been pulled from the sales floor at all of their store because of the problems that they had been having. So I walked out empty handed with no phone.
When I got home I called another store in the area about 1hour from my home. I asked them if they had Virgin Mobile phones on their sale floor and was told that they did and they also told me that they had the LG Rumor Touch I then drove to their store bought my phone and activated it without any problem. I also noticed that on my sales receipt from this purchase the phone’s serial # was included on the receipt. I had asked Zack if that was the reason Virgin said that my phone was not unlocked and he told me that it had nothing to do with it.
I am very disappointed in the customer service that I received from Best Buy in Harrisonburg Va. I feel as if they didn’t care that I was having a problem and even when I asked them about the problem with the serial # I was laughed at and told that Virgin was trying to blame them but to me it looks like they made the mistake.
From the mouths of Babes
The other night Evelyn got in trouble and was sent to bed early, a little while later she came down and handed me a note which said.
Dear Mom,
I'm very very sorry for what I did.
I'm very very sorry that I am not a perfect child.
I'm sorry you are not a perfect parent.
Sorry, Evelyn
PS. I can go to bed happy or sad it all depends on you.
Dear Mom,
I'm very very sorry for what I did.
I'm very very sorry that I am not a perfect child.
I'm sorry you are not a perfect parent.
Sorry, Evelyn
PS. I can go to bed happy or sad it all depends on you.
16 July 2010
40 things about me (if I can remember enough)
OK I really don't want to admit it but my birthday is coming up soon, too soon for my taste. Nobody will believe me when I tell them that I'm celebrating the 11th anniversary of my 29th birthday just say yeah right! But it's true I am. Now lets see if I can do the list.
1- love chocolate.
2- have over 100 teddy bears.
3- I'm can be a citizen of the Queen if I wish, but I don't wish for that.
4- I was not born in America, as if you couldn't tell by #3.
5- I'm very shy.
6- I have a temper to rival any redheads.
7- I want to travel, to Ireland, Alaska, and Australia then if I have time I want to go to Antarctica.
8- I have a very deep love from my Heavenly Father.
9- Family means the world to me, so glad that mine is an Eternal one.
10- I have worked for a bank.
11- I have worked for a retail home improvement company.
12- I also have worked in a book binding company, we printed and bound the Harry Potter books.
13- My Favorite job is working in the schools especially being a school bus driver.
14- I read all the time, for some reason I can't stop it.
15- I'm OCD at work but not at home.
16- I can play the violin
17- I can play the harmonica
18- I also think that I can play the mandolin, but mine is broken :o(
19- I love listening to music, infact right now I'm listening to music while I write.
20- 1/2 way there
21- I love playing video games, blame my granny she played them and got me hooked.
22- When I was in High school I hated computers and swore that I would never have one in my home.
23- I'm a mother of 2 beautiful daughters that have names start with E so we call them E-squared.
24- I love naps any time of day.
25- Was my favorite year.
26- I was born on a Sunday
27- Red English phone booths mean something to me, I collect them.
28- I love to laugh and see others laugh, even if it means they are laughing at me.
29- I love animals but because I have a child allergic to them I can't have any.
30- Only 10 more now I think I can do this.
31- Did I say I LOVE Chocolate.
32- I wake up some mornings thinking I'm back in high school.
33- Sometimes I wish I was back in high school, I would love to have the carefree life again.
34- I love my girls, I wanted to collect children but I only got a pair but they will do I don't think I have enough love for more.
35- Ok only 5 more, I got this.
36- I'm a Child of God, and so are you.
37- I love living in the mountains but wouldn't mind if we moved to the beach for a while.
38- Being a mom is the best thing that ever happened to me.
39- Did I say I LOVE LOVE Chocolate, the darker the better.
40- OK I got nothing else, I guess this is it.
Been there, Done that, and still enjoying the journey.
1- love chocolate.
2- have over 100 teddy bears.
3- I'm can be a citizen of the Queen if I wish, but I don't wish for that.
4- I was not born in America, as if you couldn't tell by #3.
5- I'm very shy.
6- I have a temper to rival any redheads.
7- I want to travel, to Ireland, Alaska, and Australia then if I have time I want to go to Antarctica.
8- I have a very deep love from my Heavenly Father.
9- Family means the world to me, so glad that mine is an Eternal one.
10- I have worked for a bank.
11- I have worked for a retail home improvement company.
12- I also have worked in a book binding company, we printed and bound the Harry Potter books.
13- My Favorite job is working in the schools especially being a school bus driver.
14- I read all the time, for some reason I can't stop it.
15- I'm OCD at work but not at home.
16- I can play the violin
17- I can play the harmonica
18- I also think that I can play the mandolin, but mine is broken :o(
19- I love listening to music, infact right now I'm listening to music while I write.
20- 1/2 way there
21- I love playing video games, blame my granny she played them and got me hooked.
22- When I was in High school I hated computers and swore that I would never have one in my home.
23- I'm a mother of 2 beautiful daughters that have names start with E so we call them E-squared.
24- I love naps any time of day.
25- Was my favorite year.
26- I was born on a Sunday
27- Red English phone booths mean something to me, I collect them.
28- I love to laugh and see others laugh, even if it means they are laughing at me.
29- I love animals but because I have a child allergic to them I can't have any.
30- Only 10 more now I think I can do this.
31- Did I say I LOVE Chocolate.
32- I wake up some mornings thinking I'm back in high school.
33- Sometimes I wish I was back in high school, I would love to have the carefree life again.
34- I love my girls, I wanted to collect children but I only got a pair but they will do I don't think I have enough love for more.
35- Ok only 5 more, I got this.
36- I'm a Child of God, and so are you.
37- I love living in the mountains but wouldn't mind if we moved to the beach for a while.
38- Being a mom is the best thing that ever happened to me.
39- Did I say I LOVE LOVE Chocolate, the darker the better.
40- OK I got nothing else, I guess this is it.
Been there, Done that, and still enjoying the journey.
Return with Honor
I was blessed to have the best parents for me. I know as a child I always wanted the parents of friends (you know the grass is always greener on the other side stuff) but my parents where the ones that Heavenly Father decided I needed to help me grow here on earth. He even bless our family to find the true Church of Christ on the earth today, I am proud to say that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon). My parents where converted in Italy by 2 very special missionaries. I have had many struggles in my life with my Faith but I always remember that I KNOW the truth. I was also blessed with seeing a vision of my Granny about a year after her death, in the dream I spoke to her for hours but was only allowed to remember 2 things the most important was I asked her if IT was true? her answer was "remember what you have been taught." that is all I have to remember because I have been taught since I was 5 years old (that was the age my parents joined the church). Am I perfect, No not by a very long shot, but does that mean that I should give up? NO!!!! I must "remember all that I have been taught."
What I have been taught is the I have a Heavenly Father that loves me more than I will ever understand in this life. I have been taught that He sent his son Jesus Christ to die for us so that we can return to live with Him forever. Jesus Christ is my elder brother, as a child I always wanted an older brother I just didn't understand that I already had one, and just as an older brother on earth would look after my welfare so will Christ. I have been taught that I have a special guide through this life and that I am never alone even when I think I am, the Holy Ghost is my companion in all that I do. I have also been taught that we have living Prophets on the earth again today, they help to guide us back to our Heavenly Father. These are some of the things I have been taught but they are also the things the I Know without a shadow of a doubt I will not change my mind on any of these things. I pray that Heavenly Father will continue to bless me to Know the truth of all things that I need to return to Him with honor.
I want to have the arms of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ out streched for me and hear them say "well done you have returned with honor."
What I have been taught is the I have a Heavenly Father that loves me more than I will ever understand in this life. I have been taught that He sent his son Jesus Christ to die for us so that we can return to live with Him forever. Jesus Christ is my elder brother, as a child I always wanted an older brother I just didn't understand that I already had one, and just as an older brother on earth would look after my welfare so will Christ. I have been taught that I have a special guide through this life and that I am never alone even when I think I am, the Holy Ghost is my companion in all that I do. I have also been taught that we have living Prophets on the earth again today, they help to guide us back to our Heavenly Father. These are some of the things I have been taught but they are also the things the I Know without a shadow of a doubt I will not change my mind on any of these things. I pray that Heavenly Father will continue to bless me to Know the truth of all things that I need to return to Him with honor.
I want to have the arms of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ out streched for me and hear them say "well done you have returned with honor."
04 July 2010
Reading
As a child I learned to read just Like everyone else, well maybe like everyone else. I was always in the "special" reading group or class, you know the kids that went with another teacher to get help reading. Well I hated to read as a child, but now I can't get enough time to read. I have read all the Harry Potter books (my Favorite) at least twice some of them as many as 5 times. I have read Lord of the Rings series, the Narnia books all 4 of the Twilight Saga. I have even read all of James Herriots books.
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