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A final reason Hanukkah feels better than Christmas – No pine needles to vacuum. You’ve probably run out of gifts at this point, wrap your family’s fresh laundry as the gift that shows you’ve done the laundry. At this point, look up a local oil recycler – it will do better for everyone as aContinue reading “Okay, you can stop eating oily food”

December 24, 1955 –NORAD tracked Santa for the first time in what will become an annual Christmas Eve tradition, thanks to a misprinted phone number in a Sear’s retail catalogue, on this date. For the first several years, it was run by the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center. (Psst bunkies don’t worry – EvenContinue reading “They do more than just protect the country”

December 24, 1968 –Apollo VIII astronauts read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis and transmitting a message to all mankind calling for ‘peace on earth‘, during a Christmas Eve television broadcast. The three astronauts, James A. Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman (our friend with the messy space suit,) had reached the Moon.Continue reading “Orbiting the Moon, for the first time”

December 24, 1953 – Jack Webb’s series Dragnet aired a special episode, The Big Little Jesus on this date. The episode was network television’s first half-hour color film. It was the only color show of the series. Those of you with very sharp eyes can tell with some prompting that this is not the colorContinue reading “Yes ma’am, It’s Christmas”

December 24, 1951 –Gian Carlo Menotti’s one act opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors premiered on this date. It has become a Christmas classic. The one surviving kinescope of this first production was thought to have been lost forever, accidentally destroyed by someone at NBC after it had been screened for an executive, but anotherContinue reading “Amahl and the Night Visitors premiered”

December 23, 1823 –The famous poem A Visit From St. Nicholas was first published on this date. It begins, Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house / Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse …. Fourteen years after its first publication, an editor attributed the poem to a wealthy professorContinue reading “A Visit From St. Nicholas published”

Festivus for the rest of us As not to embarrass yourself tonight at your Festivus family gathering, here are the four tenets of the holiday: The Festivus Pole: During Festivus, an unadorned aluminum pole is displayed. The pole was chosen apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, because it is “veryContinue reading “Tinsel is distracting”

December 23, 1964 –The Beach Boys made their first appearance on ABC-TV’s musical variety series Shindig!, on this date The performance was tape on December 14th. Besides Dance, Dance, Dance, the band went on to perform Little Saint Nick, Monster Mash, Papa Oom Mow Mow, Johnny B. Goode,and We Three Kings of Orient Are. (OnlyContinue reading “The Beach Boys on Shindig”

December 23, 1954 –Walt Disney’s live-action film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, premiered on this date. In 1969, Captain Nemo’s pipe organ, which had been on display in Disneyland, was redressed and now resides in the ballroom of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. A duplicate was constructed for the ballroom of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom HauntedContinue reading “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea premiered”

December 22, 1975 – Archie Bunker’s “little girl” Gloria gave birth to a son, Joseph Michael Stivic, on CBS’s All in the Family, on this date The birth occurred in the second part of a two-part episode, The Baby, which begins with Edith and Archie (Jean Stapleton and Carroll O’Connor) beating Mike and Gloria (RobContinue reading “The birth of Joey Stivic”