BRIGHT SIDE ARCHIVES FROM AOL: FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2005

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

DECEMBER 23rd, 2005

TODAY'S THOUGHT

A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together

Garrison Keillor

TODAY'S ACTION

Assemble your thoughts with a thankful heart and present them to the world.

TODAY'S QUOTE

He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree

ADVENT

Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts

Malachi 3:1

When we are grown, waiting for Christmas is not a major problem. Nevertheless, as the day approaches even grownups feel the urgency in the air. As we anticipate the celebration of Christmas, let us look around us. Are those around us anticipating joy and happiness or loneliness and depression?

Do all you last minute running around today. Make sure you have all the ingredients for Christmas Breakfast and Christmas dinner. Check your Christmas Giving list and make sure you didn't forget anyone

HAPPY THANKFULLY FRIDAY !!

Ahhhhhh, vacation days are here ! I can’t tell you when I’ve had vacation days just to stay home. It seems like they are usually taken up by some kind of family event. Seems very strange, but nice.

There is no end of things to do here and I certainly will not get bored or too lazy.

Have a great day ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

TODAY IS...POPCORN POPPING DAY

The mystery of how popcorn pops is unvailed here! There is a tiny amount of water inside each kernel - when heated, it expands. Without a cover, kernels can pop three feet into the air!

HERE’S A CUTE LINK TO SOME POPCORN FACTS

http://www.popcorn.org/index.cfm

TODAY'S TRIVIA

Today is National PFEFFERNUESSE Day, a day to make those spicy cookies that are a Christmas tradition in Europe.

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

2 tsp. butter, softened

1 tsp. water

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 c. raisins

Icing or powdered sugar

In mixing bowl, beat eggs until light. Add sugar, butter and water, mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder and spices; stir in. Mix in raisins. Shape into 1 inch balls. Bake on greased baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until light golden. Cool on wire racks. Toss cookies, a few at a time in icing or powdered sugar. Store in covered containers up to 1 month. Flavor enhances with age. Makes 4 1/2 to 5 dozen.

ICING: Whisk together 2 egg whites, 2 teaspoons light corn syrup, a dash of cinnamon and 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, until smooth.

1788: Maryland voted to cede a 100-square-mile area for the seat of the national government; about two-thirds of the area became the District of Columbia

1823: The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore (Twas the night before Christmas...) was published in the "Troy (New York) Sentinel

1942: Bob Hope agreed to entertain U.S. airmen in Alaska. It was the first of his many, famous Christmas shows for American armed forces around the world. He continued the tradition for more than three decades

1954: The classic movie, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", was released. It was to become one of Walt Disney’s most successful films

TODAY'S SMILE

Ho Ho Ho, Hello out there all people of the world.

This is Santa and I just wanted to let you know that Christmas may be a little late this year. See after checking all the boxes and tallying them up, I found some problems with the results.

The first result showed: 428,534,120 Good 428,523,119 Bad

The second result showed: 428,534,118 Good 428,523,121 Bad

So you see, I can't, with good faith, go out and deliver presents while knowing I could have made a mistake. Maybe Little Johnny was good for once, then again, maybe not. So, I have enlisted the help of all my elves and the Mrs. To help do a recount.

We hope to have this finished up by 5pm on the 24th of December, but there is a possibility that it might take longer. You see the tally cards were not quite clear to me, although I made them my-self, I forgot what they meant. You know, Good...and Bad??? And the check marks I used were not all the same, some went left, some right, some were just a mark. some went through both boxes, and some didn't even have much of a mark on them.

I leave it up to them to decide what I meant. So if you wake up on Christmas morning, and there are no presents under your tree, at least you can tell the kids the story.

Thank you for your patience and understanding in these times, --Santa

Christmas is weird. What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?