Showing posts with label Santa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santa. Show all posts

Monday, December 15, 2014

Awww Monday: rEcess Santa

   

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.  It's easy to play along, just post something that makes everyone say, "Awww!" and link up.  After all, on Monday mornings, we could all use a smile.

We had rEcess a week later than usual this month, because of the Live Nativity scheduling.  Of course, Santa came to visit.

No mistaking him!
Santa, of course, had no trouble getting down on the floor with Jack, one of our kids who uses a wheelchair.  He can use his upper body to roll himself across the floor, but has limited use of his arms and legs.  Gracie was fascinated, and kept sneaking up when Santa was talking to other children, not wanting to say much, but just staring.

We had a lovely rEcess time, Gracie actually played with a couple of the other children!  She's doing so much better, in fact, all of the rEcess kids doing really well right now. 

Fun in the gym; the kids on the floor are Pam and Jack, out of their wheelchairs to have fun rolling around.
We will see them all again in February.





Today is:

Alcyone -- Ancient Greek Calendar (kingfisher goddess; date approximate, but during the Halcyon Days)

Bill of Rights Day -- US

Cat Herders Day -- for those whose job or life is like trying to herd cats; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Centipede Boot-Making and Shoe-Repair Season begins -- Fairy Calendar

Consualia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Festival for Consus, god of graineries, with games and races in the Circus Maximus in his honor)

Coonskin Cap Day -- debut of "Davy Crocket" on TV's "Disneyland" in 1954 (and the original Davy Crockett hated the things, by the way)

Homecoming Day -- Alderney, UK

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Pvorusleikier -- Spoon-licker, who tries to steal all the wooden spoons he can find

Kasuga Wakamiya on-Matsuri -- Nara Prefecture, Japan (dates to the 12th century, to pray against plague and for a good harvest; through the 18th)

Koninkrijksdag -- Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba; Sint Maarten (Kingdom Day)

National Lemon Cupcake Day

National Regifting Day -- be careful here!

Navidades begin -- Puerto Rico (traditional Christmas celebrations that last through Three Kings Day)

Setagaya no Bori Ichi -- Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (a two day flea market that dates back to 1578)

St. Nino's Day (Patron of Georgia)

Trivial Pursuit Day -- honoring Canadians Chris Haney and Scott Abbott, who created the game on this date in 1979

Zamenhof Day -- International Esperanto Community


Anniversary Today:

Sylvester Stallone marries Brigitte Nielson, 1985


Birthdays Today:

Adam Brody, 1979
Garrett Wang, 1968
Helen Slater, 1963
Nick Beggs, 1961
Don Johnson, 1949
Dave Clark, 1942
Tim Conway, 1933
Edna O'Brien, 1931
Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 1928
Uziel "Uzi" Gal, 1923
Jeff Chandler, 1918
Stan Kenton, 1911
J. Paul Getty, 1892
Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, 1859
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel,1832


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Gone With the Wind(Film), 1939 (Atlanta only, general release Jan. 1, 1940)
"Song of the Forests"(Shostakovich Op. 81), 1949
"Charlie Girl"(Musical), 1965


Today in History:

Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Ticameron, 533
Hulagu Khan captures and destroys the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut in present-day Iran as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia, 1265
Bartholomeus Diaz returns to Portugal after sailing round Cape of Good Hope, 1488
The State of Holland grants patent on a windmill with crankshaft, 1593
The first US law school is established at University of Pennsylvania, 1791
The first Irish magazine in US, Shamrock, is published, 1810
The first street-cleaning machine in US is used in Philadelphia, 1854
The King of Hawaii becomes the first reigning king to visit the Us, and is received by President Grant, 1874
The London Underground's Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opens, 1906
Bandleader, Major Glenn Miller, is lost over English Channel, 1944
Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida; four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7, 1965
Samoa becomes a member of the United Nations, 1976
U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and cut off all relations with Taiwan, 1978
The 3rd reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down, 2000
The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean, 2001
Boeing's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes its maiden flight from Seattle, Washington, 2009

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Pet photos with Santa

In many parts of Europe, today is the big gift giving day of the year, St. Nicholas' Day. It was this saint and his pity on 3 sisters that was supposedly the start of the Santa Claus legend, and in Europe he still appears dressed as a bishop, a much more imposing figure than our "jolly old elf" who inspires laughter.

Speaking of Santa, Bigger Girl helped Santa yesterday with the pet photos that raise money for our cat rescue each year. The gentleman who played the part, a real bearded Santa whose girth was not padded, told her stories that did keep her laughing. He claims to be no particular religion, but tells those who come to his door to preach their religion that he is a Druid. He has a cat he has trained to open the kitchen door, and he makes a big show of inviting them in, putting the cat in the kitchen, and every time it opens the door he talks to it and puts it back. He then explains that the cat is his "familiar" and he is a practicing Druid and talks to the spirits through his cat. They generally leave quickly after that.

The best thing about pet photos this year, said Bigger Girl, is that none of the pets lifted their legs on the elf (her part) this year.


Today is:

Constitution Day, Ireland, Spain

Day of Quito, Ecuador (founding of the city in 1534)

Independence Day, Denmark, Finland

Farmer's Day, Ghana

Miner's Day

National Gazpacho Day

National Mitten Tree Day

National Pawn Broker's Day

St. Nicholas of Myra's Day (patron of bakers, barrel makers, bootblacks, brides, brewers, children, dockworkers, fishermen, Greece, pawnbrokers, perfumers, Russia, Sicily, spinsters, thieves, travelers)

Thor's Day


Birthdays Today:

Andrew J. Howard, 1969
Andrew Cuomo, 1957
Peter Buck, 1956
Randy Rhoads, 1956
Steven Wright, 1955
Tom Hulce, 1953
David Ossman, 1936
Wally Cox, 1924
Dave Brubeck, 1920
Agnes Moorehead, 1906
Ira Gershwin, 1896
Lynn Fontanne, 1887
Joyce Kilmer, 1886
William S. Hard, 1870
John Singleton Mosby, 1833


Today in History:

The Mongols under Batu Khan occupy and destroy Kiev, 1240
Don Alfonso V of Aragon grants Barcelona the right to exclude Jews, 1424
Kepler's first predicted transit of Venus is observed, 1631
The first edition of the Encyclopedia Brittanica is published, in Scotland, 1768
Harriet Tubman escapes slavery, 1849
The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery, 1865
The first crematorium in the Us begins operation, in Washington, Pennsylvania, 1876
London becomes the first city to license taxicabs, 1897
The Vanguard rocket, the first US attempt to launch a satellite, fails, 1957