Fun Cat Decoration (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both.  If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.) 

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Feline Friday was started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats.

He has handed hosting duties off to Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's simple to join, just follow the link to Sandee's page for the rules and the code.

A neighbor has this decoration, and since i wasn’t able to get a good shot of it myself, i have this picture of it from here at Amazon.  

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Friendly Fill-Ins are easy to do. There are four statements: the first two statements are provided by Ellen of 15AndMeowing, and the final two are offered by Lorianne The Menagerie Mom of Four-Legged Furballs. They try to make sure the statements will be fun to both answer and share. The linky will be posted at or about 12:00 AM on Friday. Please head over to one of their sites, link up, and share your thoughts!     

1. Every Christmas, I ________________.

2. The day after Christmas, I ______________________.

3. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and _________.

4. All I want for Christmas is _________.

1. Every Christmas, I rally the troops to get to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and i'm not sure if that was harder when they were all babies or now when they all have their own vehicles and run in all directions.

2. The day after Christmas, I go to work.  The bills don't stop for holidays, so i don't, either.  Also, i thank heaven for leftovers, i don't have to think about cooking for a couple of days.

3. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and we put milk and cookies out for Santa, even after the children knew who Santa really was.

4. All I want for Christmas is for my family and friends to have the deep and abiding joy of The Lord to be with them always.

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Today is:

Divalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (part of Saturnalia; feast of Angerona, goddess of secret sorrows)

Flashlight Day -- what better day, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, when dark is with us longest, to make sure you have one in good working order

Forefathers' Day -- Plymouth, MA, US (celebrates the landing of the Pilgrims)

Homeless Persons' Memorial Day -- US

Humbug Day -- those frustrated with their holiday preparations are allowed up to 12 humbugs today, just to help vent their frustrations; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Gluggagaegir -- Peeper, who peeps through the windows and will come steal toys he likes the look of

Kiwi Fruit Day -- California, US (celebrate with them, these are good!)

Look At the Bright Side Day -- Northern Hemisphere, and why not; after all, each day after this will have more sun!

National Hamburger Day

Pancha Ganapati -- India (through the 25th, a modern Hindu festival honoring of Lord Ganesha, Patron of Arts and Culture)

Phileas Fogg Wins A Wager Day (1872)

Poseidea -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival to honor Poseidon; date approximate)

Solstice -- Northern Hemisphere Winter begins/Southern Hemisphere Summer begins at 22:23UCT

    Anne and Samantha Day -- celebrating the lives of Anne Frank and Samantha Smith, a day to work and pray for world peace

    Alban Arthuan -- Druid Festival, 4th Station; through the solstice

    Bruma -- Ancient Roman Calendar

    Dongzhi Festival -- East Asia (literal meaning, "Extreme of Winter")

    Festival of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (celebration of the seeking of Osiris by Isis and her resurrection of him)

    National Haiku Poetry Day -- US (because haiku is traditionally about the seasons, it's celebrated on the first day of winter)

    Wild Hunt reaches its peak -- various Norse traditions

    Soyala New Year Festival -- Hopi and Zuni Native Americans (a festival of purification as well as celebration, with homes cleaned, fires doused, and personal restraint observed)

    Yalda -- Iran (Persian/Zoroastrian winter solstice festival; to celebrate the longest night of the year, many stay up for the fight against dark and evil.)

    Yule/Jul/Jol Festivals begin -- various calendars, religions, countries and observances, both ancient and modern

         Yule -- Wicca/Pagan, northern hemisphere

         Litha -- Wicca/Pagan, southern hemisphere

         from the Old Norse Hjol, meaning "wheel" to signify the year is at its lowest point and ready to rise again

    Ziemassvetki -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (birth of Dievs, highest of the gods; modern Latvians celebrate this on Christmas Eve/Christmas, but it was originally a three day solstice festival)

St. Peter Canisius' Day (Patron of Catholic press, Germany, writers of catechisms)

St. Thomas' Day, the Doubting Thomas (old date, now celebrated on July 3, but many of the superstitions related to it are still observed at this time)

    Mumping Day a/k/a Gooding Day -- UK (traditional day on which beggars beg for, or "mump", good things for Christmas, always on old St. Thomas' Day)

    Sao Tome Day -- Sao Tome e Principe (Dia de Sao Tome e Principe)

Underdog Day -- the day to celebrate all the number two people who make the number ones what they are (as in Friday to Crusoe); day founded by by the late Peter Moeller, THE Chief Underdog

Birthdays Today:

Jackson Rathbone, 1984

Jack Noseworthy, 1969

Kiefer Sutherland, 1966

Andy Dick, 1965

Florence Griffith Joyner, 1959

Ray Romano, 1957

Jane Kaczmarek, 1955

Chris Evert, 1954

Tina Brown, 1953

Samuel L. Jackson, 1948

Michael Tilson Thomas, 1944

Frank Zappa, 1940

Jane Fonda, 1937

Phil Donahue, 1935

Joe Paterno, 1926

Paul Winchell, 1922

Heinrich Böll, 1917

Josh Gibson, 1911

Joseph Stalin, 1879

Henrietta Szold, 1860

Benjamin Disraeli, 1804

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Billion Dollar Baby"(Musical), 1945

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(Disney animated film), 1937

Tillie's Punctured Romance(Silent Film, first full length comedy), 1914

The Crossword Puzzle(First one ever published, 1913

Basketball, 1891 (first game under the direction of James Naismith, by the rules he had published)

Today in History:

A hurricane hits Holland/Friesland, destroying villages with widespread flooding, 1163

The Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche Native Americans, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile; all Spanish cities south of the Biobio river are eventually taken by the Mapuches, and all conquest of Mapuche territories by Europeans practically ceases, until the 1870s "Pacification of Araucania", 1598

William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1620

Hue Tay Son becomes emperor Quang Trung of Vietnam, 1788

The Rochdale Pioneers commence business at their cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement, 1844

The first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army are formed: The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, 1883

The first Word-Cross puzzle, which the printer mislabeled as a Cross-Word (the name that stuck), is published in the New York World, 1913

The first feature length color and sound cartoon, Disney's Snow White, premiers, 1937

Rondane National Park is established as Norway's first national park, 1962

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew performs the first ever manned Trans Lunar Injection and become the first humans to leave Earth's gravity, 1968

The United Nations adopts the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1969

Mexican volcano Popocatepetl, dormant for 47 years, erupts gases and ash, 1994

The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control, 1995

Scientists studying the Sutter's Mill Meteorite announce it contains the oldest material in the Solar System, 2012

The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar reaches the date 13.0.0.0.0, 2012