Saturday, December 25, 2010

eleemosynary \el-uh-MOS-uh-ner-ee\, adjective:

1. Of or for charity; charitable; as, "an eleemosynary institution."

2. Given in charity; having the nature of alms; as, "eleemosynary assistance."

3. Supported by or dependent on charity; as, "the eleemosynary poor."

The source of eleemosynary is Medieval Latin eleemosynarius, from Late Latin eleemosyna, "alms," from Greek eleemosyne, from eleemon, "pitiful," from eleos, "pity."

Christmahannukwanzadan

• A combination of the main holiday terms; Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, and Ramadan. To be used in this age of correctness where people may be offended by wishing one person a seasonal greeting but leaving another person out, thereby offending their race or creed.

"Happy Christmahannukwanzadan everybody... and I think that covers everybody "

Trivia

What did Germans use to make artificial Christmas trees when they were banned from cutting down fir trees in the 19th century?

• Goose feathers that were dyed green, wound around small sticks to resemble branches, and then inserted into a bigger stick that served as a tree trunk. They were made as tabletop ornaments after forest preservation laws were passed to stop the decapitation of fir trees.

Today's Holiday

• Christmas Day (Christian)

History

• William the Conqueror: monarch also known as William the Bastard was crowned king of England (1066)
• George Washington: crossed the Delaware River to attack British forces in New Jersey (1776)
• Nicolae Ceauşescu: Romanian leader and his wife were executed (1989)

Birthdays

• Jesus of Nazareth (c.4 BCE-c.30 CE): teacher and prophet, considered by Christians to be the Messiah; his birth is celebrated today
• Isaac Newton: physicist who explained gravity (1642-1727 [OS])
• Clara Barton (1821-1912): nurse who founded the American Red Cross
• Robert L. Ripley (1890-1949): cartoonist, Ripley's Believe it or Not!
• Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957): tough-guy actor, Casablanca; also, actors Sissy Spacek (61) and CCH Pounder (58)
• Rod Serling (1924 - 1975) sci-fi guy, The Twilight Zone
• Anwar al-Sadat (1918-1981): president of Egypt who signed a peace treaty with Israel; also, founder of Pakistan Mohammed Ali Jinnah (1876-1948)
• Larry Csonka (64): NFL hall-of-famer
• Jimmy Buffett (64): singer/songwriter and author; plus, musicians Cab Calloway (1907-1994), Tony Martin (97), Barbara Mandrell (62), Annie Lennox (56) and Dido (39)