Who is this reindeer named Rudolf?
…who guides Santa’s sleigh with the biological aberration of a red, glowing nose capable of penetrating thick fog?

The whole story of Rudolf appeared, out of nowhere, in 1939. Santas at Montgomery Ward stores gave away 2.4 million copies of a booklet entitled “Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer.” The story was written by a person in the advertising department named Robert May, and the booklet was illustrated by Denver Gillen. The original name of the reindeer was not Rudolf, according to the book “Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things,” by Charles Panati. The original name was Rollo, but executives did not like that name, nor Reginald. The name Rudolf came from the author’s young daughter! In 1949, Gene Autry sang a musical version of the poem and it was a run-away best-seller. The Rudolf song is second only to “White Christmas” in popularity

An Axe to Grind

A boy begs his father to get him a Christmas tree this year.
Each year, the boy asks and the father tells him, “I don’t
want to pay for it.”

But the son kept begging. Unable to bear his son’s whining,
he picks up his axe one day and heads out of the house. 
Thirty minutes later he returns with a great big Christmas tree. “How did you cut it down so fast?” his son asks.

“I didn’t cut it down,” the father replies. 
“I got it at a tree lot.”

“Then why did you bring an axe?”

“Because I didn’t want to pay.”

 I have a list of folks I know, all written in a book
And every year when Christmas comes, I go and take a look,
And that is when I realize that these names are a part
Not of the book they are written in, but really of my heart.
For each name stands for someone who has crossed my path sometime,
And in the meeting they’ve become the rhythm in each rhyme.
And while it sounds fantastic for me to make this claim,
I really feel that I’m composed of each remembered name.

And while you may not be aware of any special link
Just meeting you has changed my life a lot more than you think.
For once I’ve met somebody, the years cannot erase
The memory of a pleasant word or of a friendly face.

So never think my Christmas cards are just a mere routine
Of names upon a Christmas list, forgotten in between,
For when I send a Christmas card that is addressed to you,
It is because you’re on the list that I’m indebted to.

For I am but a total of the many folks I’ve met,
And you happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget.
And whether I have known you for many years or few,
In some ways you have a part in shaping things I do.

And every year when Christmas comes, I realize anew,
The best gifts life can offer is meeting folks like you.
And may the spirit of Christmas that forever endures
Leave its richest blessings in the hearts of you and yours.

 

  1. What American state was the first to make Christmas an official holiday?
    a. Connecticut
    b. Alabama
    c. Alaska
    d. North Carolina

(1.) b

  1. What is the shape of the candy cane modeled after?
    a. A fish hook
    b. A consillation of stars
    c. The cane St. Nicholas used
    d. A shepards crook

(2.) d

  1. What was the name of the dog that belonged to the Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”?
    a. Rudolph
    b. Toto
    c. Max
    d. Cerberus

(3.) c

4. Which star led the Three Kings to Jesus?
a. Star of David
b. North Star
c. Star of Bethlehem
d. Angel Star

(4.) c

  1. What was the name of Scrooges’ dead business partner in “A Christmas Carol”?
    a. Jacob Marley
    b. Bob Cratchit
    c. Tiny Tim
    d. Bill Sykes

(5.) a

6. Where did the real St. Nicholas live?
a. In Holland
b. At the North Pole
c. In Turkey
d. In Germany

(6.) c

  1. What brought Frosty the Snowman to life?
    a. Pixie Dust
    b. An old silk hat
    c. A kiss
    d. A fresh snowfall

(7.) b

  1. When you go Wassailing, what is it that you are doing?
    a. Giving out gifts to your friends & neighbors
    b. Going out in the woods to cut down your Christmas tree
    c. Challenging as many of your neighbors as you can to a snowball fight
    d. Going to visit neighbors and receiving goodies!

(8.) d

  1. In the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” how do you know that an angel has received his wings?
    a. A light flashes
    b. It starts raining
    c. A trumpet sounds
    d. A bell rings

(9.) d

  1. Who was the author of “A Christmas Carol”?
    a. Hans Christian Anderson
    b. Charles Dickens
    c. Thomas M. Sawyer
    d. Mark Twain

(10.) b

11. What was pictured on the first stamp printed for the Christmas season?
a. Santa Claus
b. An Angel
c. A Star
d. A Rose

(11.) d

12. The poem commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas” was originally titled:
a. The Night Before Christmas
b. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
c. A Visit From Saint Nicholas
d. The Night Visitor

(12). c

  1. Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in what year?
    a. 1925
    b. 1700
    c. 1895
    d. 1750

(13.) c

14. At Christmas, it is customary to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of which plant?
a. Holly
b. Mistletoe
c. Ivy
d. Pine

(14.) b

  1. Which of these events did NOT occur on Christmas Day?
    a. Hong Kong fell to the Japanese in WWII.
    b. Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by four ghosts.
    c. King Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone.
    d. Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

(15.) b