December 4th : Themes for celebration and contemplation
As December gets underway, we all know that we are now in the countdown to Christmas, otherwise known as Advent. This will probably mean a daily chocolate treat as we feel our excitement and anticipation for Christmas Day growing.
If you are looking for some themes and points of interest to add to your advent countdown, the Bulldogz Christmas spirit is in full flow and we can provide you with some of the fun, serious and little known points of celebration for each day on this magical countdown.
The 2022 Christmas Film World Cup is underway with voting in the group stage open. All the details and downloadable wall chart available here.
Twitter head to head matches today are as follows:
Gremlins | | Klaus |
The Polar Express | | Get Santa |
The Snowman | | The Santa Clause |
It's A Wonderful Life | | The Family Man |
December 4
World Wildlife Conservation Day
A campaign day to raise awareness and contribute to the conservation and protection of endangered species. The WWF have an extensive teaching resources page to explore here.
Cookie Day
An American observance first introduced in 1976 on Sesame Street by the obvious character. It was originally celebrated on November 26 but in 1987 the Blue Chip Cookie Company were responsible for moving the date to December 4th. Here is a very straight forward cookie recipe.
Dice Day
A day to celebrate playing games with dice. In order to celebrate Dice Day you can put some fuzzy dice in your car or play dice games.
The origin of dice is uncertain but they are known to have been around for thousands of years. At an archaeological site in South-Eastern Iran, named the Burnt City, the oldest known dice were excavated. They were believed to have formed part of a 5 000-year-old backgammon game.
Dice were originally made from the talus (ankle bones) of hoofed animals. Other materials used included wood, ivory and plastic. Few people know that “dice” is a plural word, originally pronounced as “dies”, from the singular form “die”.
Here are a selection of dice games for the classroom
Sock Day
National Sock Day or National Lost Sock Day is a special day of mourning for those socks that get lost in the wash. It has been observed since 2016 and is another of those strange American days. On this link you can find templates for sock designs for class.
The Británicos
Local British community football team are in action this afternoon at 17.15, Pablo Iglesias Stadium where they take on Atletico Iberus. This is a repeat of the first ever competitive fixture played by the Exiles in October 2018.
December 4 in History
Events
1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the Second Jacobite Rising.
1872 – The crewless American brigantine Mary Celeste, drifting in the Atlantic, is discovered by the Canadian brig Dei Gratia. The ship has been abandoned for nine days but is only slightly damaged. Her master Benjamin Briggs and all nine others known to have been on board are never accounted for.
Births
1795 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish-English historian, philosopher, and academic (d. 1881)
1930 – Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor and screenwriter (d. 2016)
1949 – Jeff Bridges, American actor
1969 – Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, and actor
Deaths
1679 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and theorist (b. 1588)
1976 – Benjamin Britten, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1913)
1993 – Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1940)
Christmas films
A faithful retelling of the original Dickens tale produced as a follow up to the successful Dickens musical adaptation of Oliver.
Group B 4th seed and another overlooked classic. Some fabulous musical numbers that will live long in the memory.
A romantic comedy about an unmarried couple who lie about their Christmas plans in order to avoid spending the festive season with their families.
Group A 4th seed: An entertaining stocking filler that deserves more credit than it has so far received.
Christmas Music
The song "Baby its cold outside" is not really a Christmas song, but is a popular part of Christmas play lists. It has attracted controversy in recent times, learn all about it at the song homepage here
The Lost Clauses versions