"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"
The second Christmas Film World Cup Semi Final today as Die Hard and Scrooged clash for a place in the final. Vote here!
You now have limited shopping opportunities to get yourself ready for the big day. If you find yourself unexpectedly facing cooking responsibilities, we can provide you with an easy to follow guide on how to make a perfect Christmas dinner which even has an accompanying video. The timetable for Christmas day and portion guide is especially useful for the first timer!
Christmas Etymology
Christmas is almost upon us and while the etymology of the word Christmas itself seems fairly obvious, maybe there are some others that remain a mystery, why not join our resident word sleuth Charly Taylor as he investigates the meaning and origin of some of our favourite Christmas words in our Interesting Etymology Christmas Special
December 23
National Christmas Movie Marathon Day
Check out our review of 2021 Christmas film releases and alternative Christmas film suggestions here.
So, for the vast majority of teachers today is the last day in class before the holidays so we have compiled a variety of and if you still need help on this last day of term, here are some Christmas videos on youtube to plug those last hours....
Mister Bean Christmas
STAR WARS Holiday special
Two Ronnies Christmas special 1987
Pink Panther Christmas Special
Garfield Christmas Special
The Snowman
He-Man & She-Ra Christmas Special
Muppets Family Christmas
Looney Tunes Christmas Compilation
The Real Black Friday
People think they know what Black Friday is, but the real Black Friday is a label used in England to describe the last working day before Christmas. The afternoon and evening where roaming groups of office parties descending into drunken horror. It can get so bad in the UK that mobile military style medical centres are set up in some city centres. This year is what is known as a SUPER BLACK FRIDAY because the last working day before Christmas Eve is actually a Friday. Learn more about this horrendous and shameful night here.
We cover this and other strange Christmas traditions in our Dead Air episode here:
December 23rd in History
Events
1815 – The novel Emma by Jane Austen is first published.
1913 – The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System.
1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, surviving by cannibalism.
Births
1964 – Eddie Vedder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Deaths
1230 – Berengaria of Navarre, queen of England (b. 1165)
1392 – Isabella of Castile, duchess of York (b. 1355)
Christmas films
Follows the lives of eight different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
Inexplicably, this film seems to be considered a Christmas classic, which leaves many scratching their heads. Every four years the President of the BCFWCOC (Bulldogz Christmas Film World Cup Organising Committee) despairs at the popular surges of support for this film's progress and champagne corks pop upon exit. It is Group A First Seed and has reached the Semi Final twice and was despatched in the Quarter Finals last time out. Read of the President's despair here.
This year the Curtis team got sent packing at Last 16 stage by Last Christmas in the London Set clash!
Christmas music
"White Christmas" by Bing Crosby is considered on of the ultimate Christmas tunes and the highest ranking representative of the crooner era. Bing has made the Last 16 twice and was even a losing finalist in 2012 and is the best selling single in the world.
"Merry Christmas Everyone" is the reigning Christmas Song World Cup Champion after putting 2016 champion Roy Wood and Wizzard into second place in the group. His progress saw him eliminate Mudd in the Last 16, then the people's final saw him edge past East 17. His semi final against Dean Martin smashed World Cup records, with a 96.4% margin only to be broken the following day with a 98.05% margin of victory over self proclaimed but not legally copyrighted Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey.
You may not like it, but for another two years at least, Shakey is your champion. It could have been worse, it could have been Mariah demanding your supplication.