Today is...
Three Kings Day!

Three Kings Day (or The Epiphany) is a Christian holiday that commemorates the biblical story of the three kings—Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar. The three kings (also known as the Wise Men or Magi) followed the bright star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to the Christ child.
In Latin America, children dress up in king costumes and go door to door in their neighborhoods singing carols in the days leading up to Three Kings Day. In Argentina, sweet wine, fruit, and milk are left outside for the three kings and their camels to enjoy. In France, people eat Galette des Rois, or "king cake," which has a trinket or bean hidden inside of it. The person who receives the piece of cake with the trinket becomes the "king" for the day!
Three Kings Day always falls at the end of Christmastide—also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas! Traditionally, this is the day when all Christmas trees and decorations are taken down. Happy Three Kings Day!

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Today is also Bean Day

January is Get Organized Month & National Oatmeal Month
 

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History for January 6th 1838 - Samuel Morse demonstrates his new invention, the telegraph 1870 - The inauguration of the Musikverein (Vienna). 1914 - Stock brokerage firm of Merrill Lynch founded 1931 -  Thomas Edison submits his last patent application.   1964-  Rolling Stones' first tour as headline act (with Ronettes) ______________________________________________________ "Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius" -- An Wang

Today is...
Fruitcake Toss Day!

Fruitcakes are the holiday gift that no one asks for, but many people receive. If you still haven’t eaten or re-gifted your holiday fruitcake, today is the perfect excuse to toss it. Start the year with a clean pantry!
Every year in Manitou Springs, Colorado, there is a Great Fruitcake Toss in which people compete to see how far they can throw or hurtle their fruitcakes. People also use the cakes at this event to make little cars to race during a Fruitcake Derby.
The first Great Fruitcake Toss took place in 1995. The event has grown into a huge festival that attracts participants from across the country. So go ahead and join the rest of the nation today in throwing out your holiday fruitcakes!

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Today is also National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day

January is Get Organized Month & National Oatmeal Month
 

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History for January 3rd 1870 - Brooklyn Bridge construction begins; completed May 24, 1883 1938 - The March of Dimes campaign to stomp out polio is organized. 1951 - Dragnet is first broadcast on NBC-TV. 1967 -  Jack Ruby, the man who shot suspected JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, dies in a Dallas hospital.   1999 -  The Mars Polar Lander launches. ______________________________________________________ "Success is the child of audacity." -- Benjamin Disraeli

Today is...
National Cream Puff Day!

Cream puffs are unusual pastries. Flour is added to a boiled mixture of butter and water, and then cooked at a high temperature until the mixture becomes a smooth ball of dough with a hollow center. After cream puffs are taken out of the oven, they must be cut in half or the pastry will deflate upon cooling.
To celebrate National Cream Puff Day, bake some of your own divine cream puffs to enjoy. Don't forget to top them off with powdered sugar!

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January is Get Organized Month & National Oatmeal Month
 

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History for January 2nd 1839 - First photo of the Moon (French photographer Louis Daguerre) 1872 - Canada and the US first share telegraphed weather reports. 1929 - US & Canada agree to preserve Niagara Falls 1960 -  Senator John F Kennedy, announces his candidacy for President   1974 -  U.S. President Nixon signs into law a national highway speed limit of 55 miles per hour. ______________________________________________________ "Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom." -- Euripides

Today is...
Festivus!

Take this day and send a free digital eCard to air your grievances as you see fit!
Festivus is a holiday that was created by writer Dan O’Keefe as a way to celebrate the holiday season without buying into its commercialism. Festivus was immortalized when O’Keefe’s son wrote an episode about it for the popular TV show Seinfeld. The episode (called “The Strike”) aired on December 18, 1997. 
A traditional Festivus celebration includes a plain aluminum pole in lieu of a Christmas tree, the annual “Airing of Grievances,” the Festivus dinner, and “Feats of Strength.” The traditional Festivus greeting is “Happy Festivus” and the slogan of the holiday is “A Festivus for the rest of us!”
Watch part of the famous Seinfeld episode to celebrate this quirky occasion!

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Today is also Roots Day & National Pfeffernuesse Day

December is National Fruit Cake Month & National Egg Nog Month

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History for December 23th 1888 - van Gogh cuts off lower part of left ear. 1954 - First human kidney transplant performed. 1986 - Voyager: first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world. 2007 -  Grand conjunction: solar system aligns with galactic center   2009 -  Police and protesters clash at memorial service for Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri. ______________________________________________________ "Everyone has a fair turn to be as great as he pleases." -- Jeremy Collier

Today is...
National Sangria Day!

This refreshingly fruity drink is the perfect cure for your winter blues. There are thousands of different variations of sangria that combine such ingredients as sliced fruit, honey, sugar, juice, carbonated soda, red or white wine, and other alcohols. Each combination changes the flavor, alcohol content, and carbonation of the sangria. 
Sangria is a popular drink at bars, pubs, and restaurants in Portugal, Spain, and Mexico, and at tapas restaurants in the United States. However, at one point, it was illegal to serve sangria in the state of Virginia! It violated an obscure 75-year-old law that did not allow the mixing of wine or beer with spirits. Violators of this law could be charged with a misdemeanor, a hefty fine, and up to a year in jail. It was not until 2008 that the Virginia General Assembly finally legalized the serving of sangria.
To celebrate National Sangria Day, conjure up your favorite sangria recipe to enjoy with friends and family!

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Today is also Go Caroling Day & National Fried Shrimp Day

December is National Fruit Cake Month & National Egg Nog Month

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History for December 20th 1522 - Suleiman the Magnificent accepts Knights of Rhodes' surrender, who evacuate & become Knights of Malta. 1699 - Peter the Great ordered Russian New Year changed-Sept 1 to Jan 1 1963 - Berlin Wall opens to West Berliners 1989 -  United States invasion of Panama.   2005 -  Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area School District ruling against "intelligent design". ______________________________________________________ "Failures to heroic minds are the stepping stones to success." -- Thomas Chandler Haliburton

Today is...
National Hard Candy Day!

Celebrate National Hard Candy Day! Who doesn't love a piece of hard candy now and again? Its sweet, sugary taste literally causes your mouth to water. Today is a celebration of all types of hard candies—everything from lollipops to candy canes to caramels. It's no wonder that hard candy has remained so popular all these years!
Hard candy can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, Arabia, and China. Archaeologists in all of these regions have found traces of “candied” fruits and nuts that had been dipped in honey, which is a preservative. There is also evidence that people stuck sticks into their candy treats to keep their hands from getting sticky as they ate them, just like our modern lollipops!
Did you know that the world's largest lollipop weighs 6,514 pounds? Ashrita Furman and members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre made it in August of 2009 to break the Guinness World Record. To celebrate National Hard Candy Day, enjoy a piece (or two) of your favorite hard candies!

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December is National Fruit Cake Month & National Egg Nog Month

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History for December 19th 1918 - Robert Ripley began his Believe It or Not feature in The New York Globe. 1924 - The last Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is sold in London, England 1971 - Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" movie premieres 1983 -  The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro.   1986 -  Michael Sergio, a 37 year-old man who parachuted into Game 6 of the World Series was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and a $500 fine. ______________________________________________________ "Success is the child of audacity." -- Benjamin Disraeli

Today is...
National Bake Cookies Day!

Bake Cookies Day comes at an opportune time. It arrives amidst the major December holidays. It serves as a reminder to bake holiday cookies, if you haven't done so already.
People, young and old, celebrate this day by baking their favorite cookies. Make a party of it, and bake cookies in groups with family, friends, kids and grandkids. Don't stop at baking just one kind of cookies. Plan to bake a number of cookies. Try a new recipe, or two, or three, or....
If you bake more than you can eat, good for you! Wrap up gift trays filled with cookies for friends and neighbors. Most cookies freeze well, too.
Important Note: we are very surprised that Bake Cookies Day is not immediately followed by "Eat Cookies Day". We did not even find an Eat Cookies Day. So you can, and should, eat them everyday!.

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December is National Fruit Cake Month & National Egg Nog Month

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History for December 18th 1271 - Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" ( yun), officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty of China. 1892 - The first performance of Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker is held at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. 1956 - Japan admitted to UN 2009 -  Thirty world leaders present in Copenhagen for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change agree on a draft accord.   2009 -  The Arbeit macht frei sign is stolen from Auschwitz concentration camp. ______________________________________________________ "Doubt whom you will, but never yourself. -- Christian Nestell Bovee