THE REST –    December 21
  

TODAY'S QUESTION

Phillips Brooks's statue stands beside his church, historic Trinity Church in Boston. What famous Christmas carol is Brooks known for?

Previous Question and Answer: 

Question:  In Christmas celebrations in the U.S. Southwest, streets are often decorated with farolitos. What are they?


 Answer: Paper-bag lanterns, said to light the way for the Christ child  

 

Questions and answers from: J. Stephen Lang, The Big Book of American Trivia (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1997).

Merry Christmas

Christmas Quotation, Fact and Inspiration.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my human gave to me: 

Twelve bags of catnip! 

Eleven tasty cat treats,

Ten ornaments hanging, 

Nine wads of tissue,

Eight peacock feathers, 

Seven stolen Q-tips,

Six feathered balls, 

Five MILK JUG RINGS!

Four munchy house plants, 

Three running faucets,

Two fuzzy mousies, 

And a hamste-e-er in a plastic ball!! 

Wrapping Presents With the Help of Your Cat 


1. Clear large space on table for wrapping present. 
2. Go to closet and collect bag in which present is contained, and close door. 
3. Open door and remove cat from closet. 
4. Go to cupboard and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper. 
5. Go back and remove cat from cupboard. 
6. Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors, labels etc. 
7. Lay out presents and wrapping materials on table, to enable wrapping strategy to be formed. 
8. Go back to drawer to get string, remove cat that has been in the drawer since last visit and collect string. 
9. Reopen drawer and re-remove cat. 
10. Remove present from bag. 
11. Remove cat from bag. 
12. Open box to check present, remove cat from box, replace present. 
13. Lay out paper to enable cutting to size. 
14. Try and smooth out paper, realize cat is underneath and remove cat. 
15. Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight. 
16. Throw away first sheet as cat chased the scissors, and tore the paper. 
17. Cut second sheet of paper to size -- by putting cat in the bag the present came in. 
18. Place present on paper. 
19. Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don't reach. Realize cat is between present and paper. Remove cat and retry. 
20. Place object on paper, to hold in place, while cutting transparent sticky tape. 
21. Spend 20 minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from cat with pair of nail scissors. 
22. Seal paper with transparent sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible. 
23. Look for roll of ribbon. Chase cat down hall in order to retrieve ribbon. 
24. Try to wrap present with ribbon in a two-directional turn. 
25. Re-roll ribbon and remove paper, which is now torn due to cat's enthusiastic ribbon chase. 
26. Repeat steps 13-20 until you reach last sheet of paper. 
27. Decide to skip steps 13-17, in order to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper. Retrieve old cardboard box, that is the right size for sheet of paper. 
28. Put present in box, and tie down with string. 
29. Remove string, open box and remove cat. 
30. Put all packing materials in bag with present and head for lockable room. 
31. Once inside lockable room, lock door and start to re -- lay out packing materials. 
32. Remove cat from box, unlock door, put cat outside door, close door and re-lock. 
33. Repeat previous step as often as is necessary (until you can hear cries from cat outside door). 
34. Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best.) 
35. Discover cat has already torn paper. Unlock door go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of last year's paper. Remember that you haven't got any left because cat helped with wrapping last year. 
36. Return to lockable room, lock door, and sit on toilet and try to make torn sheet of paper look presentable. 
37. Seal box, wrap with paper and repair by very carefully sealing tears with transparent sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas. 
38. Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork, congratulate yourself on completing a difficult job. 
39. Unlock door, and go to kitchen to make drink and feed cat. 
40. Spend 15 minutes looking for cat, before coming to obvious conclusion. 
41. Unwrap present, untie box and remove cat. 
42. Retrieve all discarded sheets of wrapping paper. Feed cat. Return to lockable room for last attempt, making certain you are alone and the door is locked. 
43. Find least torn and wrinkled sheets of paper. Attempt to use sheets of same pattern. 
44. Vainly try and wrap present in patchwork of paper. Tie with now tattered ribbon and decorate with the now limp bows. Label and put present in bag, for fear of anyone seeing this disaster. 
45. When giving the gift, smile sweetly at receiver's face, as they try and hide their contempt at being handed such a badly wrapped present. 
46. Promise to yourself that next year, you will get the store to wrap the present for you. 
47. Smile smugly, knowing that the recipient could have received a cat! 

The Week Before Christmas
By Joyce Luke

From a school teacher

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the school
Not a pupil was silent, no matter what rule.
The children were busy with paper and paste;
The mess that they made with it couldn't be faced.

The teacher half frantic and almost in tears,
Had just settled down to work with her dears,
When out in the hall there arose such a clatter
up sprang the kids to see what was the matter!

Away to the door they all flew like a flash;
The one who was leading went down with a crash.
Then what to their wondering eyes did appear
But a green Christmas tree! (To decorate I fear!)

When the teacher saw this, she almost grew sick.
She knew in a moment it must be Old Nick!
She ran to the door (all her efforts were vain)
But she shouted, and stamped, and she called them by name;

"Now Tommy! Now Sandy, Now Judy and Harry!
Stop Billy! Stop Robert! Stop Donny and Sherry!
Now get to your places get away from the hall
Now get away! Get away! Get away all!

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly
The pupils, pell mell, started scurrying by.
They ran to the blackboard and skipped down the aisle;
Their faces were shining and each had a smile.

First came a basket of popcorn to string
-Then came the Christmas tree (menacing thing).
As the tree was brought in there arose a great shout;
The pupils were merrily romping about.

The state they were in could lead to a riot;
The teacher was sure, if allowed, they would try it.
Her nerves how they jangled! Her temples were throbbing!
The rush of her breath sounded almost like sobbing!

The lines of her face were as fixed as a mask;
It was plain that she didn't feel up to her task.
The look in her eye would have tamed a wild steer,
But the children ignored it; they did every year.

A tear from her eye and a shake of her head
Soon led me to think that she wished she were dead.
She spoke not a word but went straight to her work,
Strung all the popcorn which broke with a jerk.

But at last it was finished and placed on the tree;
Then came the bell and the children were free.
Their shrill little voices soon faded away
And peace was restored at the end of the day.
As she looked at the Christmas tree glistening and tall,
She smiled as she whispered, Merry Christmas to all!

HOW TO SAY "MERRY CHRISTMAS"
IN OVER 33 LANGUAGES!
ZONDERVAN PUBLISHING 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

          Afrikander - Een Plesierige Kerfees
          Arabic - I'D MIILAD SAID OUA SANA SAIDA
          Argentine - Felices Pasquas Y felices ano Nuevo
          Armenian - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
          Azeri - Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
          Basque - Zorionstsu Eguberri. Zoriontsu Urte Berri On
          Bohemian - Vesele Vanoce
          Brazilian - Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
          Breton - Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
          Bulgarian - Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
                 Chinese
          (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
          (Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
          Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
          Cree - Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
          Croatian - Sretan Bozic
          Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
          Danish - Gladelig Jul
          Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
          English - Merry Christmas
          Esperanto - Gajan Kristnaskon
          Estonian - Roomsaid Joulu Puhi
          Farsi - Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
          Finnish - Hyvaa joulua
          French - Joyeux Noel
          Frisian - Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it
          Nije Jier!
          German - Froehliche Weihnachten
          Greek - Kala Christouyenna!
          Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka
          Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
          Hindi - Shub Naya Baras
          Hungarian - Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
          Icelandic - Gledileg Jol
          Indonesian - Selamat Hari Natal
          Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
          Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit
          Italian - Buone Feste Natalizie
          Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
          Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha
          Latvian - Priecigus Ziemas Svetkus un Laimigu Jauno Gadu
          Lettish - Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
          Lithuanian - Linksmu Kaledu
          Manx - Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
          Maori - Meri Kirihimete
          Marathi - Shub Naya Varsh
          Navajo - Merry Keshmish
          Norwegian - God Jul Og Godt Nytt Aar
          Pennsylvania German - En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en
          hallich Nei Yaahr!
          Polish - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia
          Portuguese - Boas Festas
          Rapa-Nui - Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
          Rumanian - Sarbatori vesele
          Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim
          Godom
          Serbian - Hristos se rodi
          Slovakian - Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce
          Samoan - La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
          Scottish - Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur
          Serb-Croatian - Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
          Singhalese - Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak
          Vewa
          Slovak - Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
          Slovene - Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto
          Spanish - Feliz Navidad
          Swedish - God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt Ar
          Tagalog - Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
          Tamil - Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
          Thai - Sawadee Pee Mai
          Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
          Ukrainian - Srozhdestvom Kristovym
          Urdu - Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
          Vietnamese - Chung Mung Giang Sinh
          Welsh - Nadolig Llawen
          Yugoslavian - Cestitamo Bozic

It seems they're suffering from Low Elf Esteem!

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