Goodness – you did a lot of research! I like the snapdragons game. Sounds exciting! LOL. The Shoeing the Wild Mare sounds like a dangerous teeter-totter game. This was a fun read and now I know how to say merry christmas in a bunch of languages (well, at least until I leave this page when they will immediately be lost in the dark recesses of my terrible memory). Yikes.
LOL Teens,
You have dark recesses in your memory too?
WC
The info about the candy cane was something I knew. Very cool.
The different translations of “Merry Christmas” enlightened me.
I really like “God Jul”.
God Jul, cool.
I even knew about Silent Night.
Great story, even better song.
Thank you for spreading the “Yuletide news”.
The ‘net needs more posts like this.
~m
Oh what a cute name for xmas website – Yuletide News – I wonder if anyone has taken it?
A
Those games sound like something a group of drunk teens would come up with. “Hmmm….how can we injure, maim, or kill ourselves tonight, all in the name of Christmas fun?” lol
Interesting reading Annie! Lots of good fun and I needed that smile tonight. Thanks!
Jennifer
Hey Jennifer,
They do sound like drunken teen aged fun, don’t they? At least they’re PG, right?
A
Good stuff, but you left out that the best Xmas poem, The Night Before Christmas, was written as a present to the author’s family, and was never intended to go public, and that many of our Christmas traditions, such as having a tree in the house, were adopted from various European pagan religions by the Catholic Church, as was the winter date, in an effort to supplant those cults.
Still, except for having it start before Thanksgiving these days, I like what we’ve done with the idea.
A very merry Christmas to all,
the Grit
Hey Grit!
You know, I ddint’ know that. I tried to find all the strange little items I could but there are so many, one measely writer chick is barely able to gather them all. Please forgive.
A very Merry Christmas to you and yours too, Grit. Hope it’s wonderful for you.
You should be getting mine today, no later than tomorrow. I had a little white dove fly it there and sometimes she’s slow. Seriously though you should get it by the end of the week for sure.
kimmie
Aw, the white dove express – well that explains it. I look forward to getting it, sweetie.
Annie
[...] If you love trivia and Christmas, here’s a great post by Writer Chick Talks that combines the best of both worlds… Shoeing the Wild Mare is a traditional Christmas game that goes back to at least the early 17th cent… [...]
13 Comments
December 11, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Goodness – you did a lot of research! I like the snapdragons game. Sounds exciting! LOL. The Shoeing the Wild Mare sounds like a dangerous teeter-totter game. This was a fun read and now I know how to say merry christmas in a bunch of languages (well, at least until I leave this page when they will immediately be lost in the dark recesses of my terrible memory). Yikes.
LOL Teens,
You have dark recesses in your memory too?
WC
December 11, 2007 at 7:26 pm
The info about the candy cane was something I knew. Very cool.
The different translations of “Merry Christmas” enlightened me.
I really like “God Jul”.
God Jul, cool.
I even knew about Silent Night.
Great story, even better song.
Thank you for spreading the “Yuletide news”.
The ‘net needs more posts like this.
~m
Oh what a cute name for xmas website – Yuletide News – I wonder if anyone has taken it?
A
December 11, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Wow! Thanks Mother Christmas! I feel so knowledgeable now!!
Oh dear, I’m Mother Christmas now? Does it mean I have to wear red velvet and carry a muff, all year round?
WC
December 11, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Those games sound like something a group of drunk teens would come up with. “Hmmm….how can we injure, maim, or kill ourselves tonight, all in the name of Christmas fun?” lol
Interesting reading Annie! Lots of good fun and I needed that smile tonight. Thanks!
Jennifer
Hey Jennifer,
They do sound like drunken teen aged fun, don’t they? At least they’re PG, right?
A
December 11, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Wow.
It amazes me how arbitrary many of the traditions started out, how entirely inaccurate and random. LOL.
Feliz Natal!
BTW, you forgot to post that in NYC, it is very popular to eat Chinese on Christmas day… if you’re Jewish!
Oooh, I didn’t know that one. I likey. Cuz I really like Chinese food – can never get enough of shrimp chow mein or orange chicken. Yummy!
A
December 12, 2007 at 6:16 am
And a joyeux noel to you wc from pere noel
Joyeux Noel to you Pere Noel – have you gotten your red suit out of the dry cleaners yet?
WC
December 12, 2007 at 7:31 am
I loved these. Geez, I didn’t know anything about the holiday. I got your card, btw, thanks it was so great to get it.
kim
They are fun little factoids, eh?
Cool, you got the card – still waiting for yours. In fact, still waiting for most of them.
A
December 12, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Hi WC,
Good stuff, but you left out that the best Xmas poem, The Night Before Christmas, was written as a present to the author’s family, and was never intended to go public, and that many of our Christmas traditions, such as having a tree in the house, were adopted from various European pagan religions by the Catholic Church, as was the winter date, in an effort to supplant those cults.
Still, except for having it start before Thanksgiving these days, I like what we’ve done with the idea.
A very merry Christmas to all,
the Grit
Hey Grit!
You know, I ddint’ know that. I tried to find all the strange little items I could but there are so many, one measely writer chick is barely able to gather them all. Please forgive.
A very Merry Christmas to you and yours too, Grit. Hope it’s wonderful for you.
Annie
December 12, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Santa Claus, Indiana has the BEST water park. The theme park is Christmas-themed, but the water park is freaking awesome. We go there every summer.
Wow, you’ve been there? Tre’s cool, Red. Send pics!
WC
December 13, 2007 at 7:10 am
You should be getting mine today, no later than tomorrow. I had a little white dove fly it there and sometimes she’s slow. Seriously though you should get it by the end of the week for sure.
Aw, the white dove express – well that explains it.
I look forward to getting it, sweetie.
Annie
December 13, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Excellent trivia post. Being avid trivialist, you even found stuff I didn’t know. Thanks!
wow, I’m impressed that you’re impressed. I love trivia – I need things to occupy my mind.
WC
December 13, 2007 at 5:13 pm
[...] If you love trivia and Christmas, here’s a great post by Writer Chick Talks that combines the best of both worlds… Shoeing the Wild Mare is a traditional Christmas game that goes back to at least the early 17th cent… [...]
Tanks for the link, buddy.
WC
December 23, 2007 at 8:34 am
I like to say “Frohliche Weihnachten!” (I don’t really know what the difference is – or if Frohe is better?!) Great post!!
Personally, I’m just happy to pronounce any of them.
A