Today is Sunday, December 24 and tomorrow is Christmas!  I can’t believe it!  I just finished my baking and gift wrapping last night. I hope you are all ready for the big day.  Today we remember the birthdays of Georg Motz, Christopher “Kit” Carson and Anwar El Sadat.  On this day in 640 John IV began his reign as Catholic Pope, in 1893 Henry Ford completed his first useful gas motor and in 1997, for the first time, a Chanukah candle was officially lit in Vatican City.  In Laos it is Sovereignty Day, in Libya it is Independence Day and in the US it is National Egg Nog Day.  I also wanted to remind you that Tuesday is Boxing Day.

What is Boxing Day, you ask?  Well, since you want to know I will be happy to fill that portion of your trivia folder.  Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on the day after Christmas.  It originated in the United Kingdom.  So where does the term come from?  There are competing theories for the origins of the term, none of which is definitive.  The Oxford English Dictionary, in the 1830’s, defined it as "the first week-day after Christmas-day, observed as a holiday on which post-men, errand-boys, and servants of various kinds expect to receive a Christmas-box".  

In Britain, it was a custom for tradespeople to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.  This custom is linked to an older British tradition: since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

In the UK, Boxing Day is now primarily known as a shopping holiday, much like Black Friday.  It is a time when shops hold sales, often with dramatic price reductions. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue.  In the UK in 2009 it was estimated that up to 12 million shoppers appeared at the sales.  I hope that satisfies your need for Boxing Day information.  

I recently attended a university graduation and am now concerned regarding the future of the country.  I do not know this for a fact, but I am assuming that the graduates were given some direction on how things would work.  “You will be up on the end of the stage.  When your name is called, you will walk across the stage, shake hands with the Dean, accept your diploma and then walk off the stage.”  That seems simple enough to me.  

I would think that after working so hard for so many years, the one most important thing you would want would be proof that you actually did the work.  I was amazed at how many students had to be called back and given their diplomas.  I could understand that the first few students, caught up in the excitement, might forget.  But after watching a hundred or so people go through the routine, it should be obvious that part of the activity is to get the paperwork.  Not so!  Based on this evidence I am afraid we are doomed!

Having spent a fair amount of time on the road lately, I would like to make a request directed to all those drivers I see when on the highways.  Please get out and drive more!  Perhaps if you do you might not need to slow down to look at a police car on the side of the road.  It is really not that unusual.  Cars speed.  Occasionally a police car will pull the speeder over.  Maybe the driver did something reckless, like changing a lane without using a signal, or the driver weaved in and out of traffic in an unsafe manner.  I know, that is unusual (please note the slight tone of sarcasm), but it does happen.  There is nothing I hate worse than to be sitting in traffic, going 2 mph and then having traffic get back up to speed after we pass the police car with a pulled over driver.  If I am going to sit in traffic like that, I expect to see a big car fire or an horrific accident, with mangled vehicles and bodies on the side of the road.  Please, people, it is only a cop giving a ticket.  It is not anything that special.  Glance over, if you must, but keep moving!  There.  That will be my last traffic rant for this year, we hope.

This week our fact tells us that it is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket in Kentucky.  Since they specifically stated the back pocket, I would assume it is okay to carry one in your front pocket.  Personally, I would rather eat the ice cream cone.  I am not sure I see the sense in carrying it in any pocket, but then I don’t live in Kentucky.  Once again I would love to know why this ever came up.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  This is a season of hope, love, peace, family and friends.  Regardless of whether or not you actually celebrate the holiday, I am sure you are for hope, love, peace, family and friends, so Merry Christmas in whatever form it takes for you.