Mon., Dec 14th is Enjoy the Lights of Chanukah Day
Celebration of the miracle of Chanukah, or Hanukkah, begins today. The eight candles symbolize the days that the Temple oil continued to burn, following the Israeli victory over Syrians 165 BCE. Here's a nice page: http://www.cityview.com/holidays/happyholidays/hanukkah.html

& Halcyon Days
According to an ancient Grecian legend, a royal couple were reunited after death as a pair of kingfishers, birds who bob peacefully on the waves. Read more here: http://www.slip.net/~halcyonw/history.html

Sun., Dec 13th is Santa Lucia Day
In Baltic countries, this is the day to celebrate Santa Lucia. Martyred in Sicily almost 17 centuries ago, she wrote an inspired and enduring song, a symbol of the victory of light over the powers of darkness. View pictures here: http://www.algonet.se/~bernadot/christmas/13.html

Sat., Dec 12th is Poinsettia Day
In the early 1800's, when Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American ambassador to Mexico, came upon some "pretty weeds", he brought some back to the U.S. Here's how to take care of this beautiful holiday plant:
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/TRA/PLANTS/points.html

& Kenya's Jamhuri Day
Today is Kenya's biggest national holiday, commemorating the full independence Kenya gained from the British in 1963. Read more about Kenya here: http://www.ipl.org/youth/cquest/africa/kenya/kenya.html

Fri., Dec 11th is The Can You Say "Ouagadougou"? Day
Today is the National Day for Burkina Faso, in West Africa, whose capital is named Ouagadougou. View here: http://city.net/countries/burkina_faso/

& Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn Day
Born in 1918 in the USSR, this respected Nobel Prize literature recipient, was deported, lived for a bit in the U.S., now resides in his native Russia. View site: http://members.aol.com/KatharenaE/private/Alsolz/alsolz.html

Thurs., Dec 10th is The Belle of Amherst Day
Recognized as one of America's greatest and most original poets, Emily Dick was born 168 years ago in Amherst, Massachusetts. Read about her life here: http://www.amherstcommon.com/walking_tour/emily.html

& Alfred Bernhard Nobel Day
This Swedish scientist, chemist, and inventor of dynamiate, used his wealth to endow annual prizes for excellence in a variety of fields. Read about the Nobel Prizes here: http://www.nobel.se/cgi-bin/htsearch

Wed., Dec 9th is Recite a Line from Milton Day
Today's the day to pick a relevant line from one of Milton's writings and share it. Born in London in 1608, view his literature and great works here: http://www.literature.org/Works/John-Milton/paradise-lost

& Joel Chandles Harris Day
Born in 1848, Harris was the creator of the "Uncle Remus" stories. Walt Disney and his team gave Br'er Rabbit a whole new audience: http://www.update.uu.se/~starback/disney-comics/chars/brers.html

Tues., Dec 8th is James Thurber Day
This American humorist, artist, and writer was born in 1894. View a quiz & files here: http://www.budgetweb.com/heather/thurber/Thurbquiz.htm

& Jim Morrison Day
Born 55 years ago in Melbourne, Florida, this "father of contemporary rock ‘n' roll" was the lead singer of The Doors, a pop icon in his own right. Here's the official website: http://www.thedoors.com/beta/main.htm

Mon., Dec 7th is Mme. Tussaud Day
This famous Frenchwoman, who lived to be almost 90, makes one think of "Chamber of Horrors" and "wax museum." Preview waxworks here:
http://www.guidetorichmond.co.uk/madamtussauds.html

& Willa Cather Day
This Pulitzer Prize winner was born in Virginia in 1873, and gave us - through her novels, poetry, and essays - enduring pictures of the prairie. especially of Nebraska, her childhood home. http://www.willacather.org/

Sun. Dec 6 is Give a Gift Day
Patron saint of Russia, the beloved fourth-century bishop, St. Nicholas, who believed in doing good for others, morphed into "Santa Claus".
Here's more of St. Nick's story: http://www.santas.net/stnicholas.htm

& Dave Brubeck Day
Born in 1920, this consummate musician became known for incorporating new ideas and classical tunes into his jazz piano performances. View a piece here: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/bios/dtechnotouch.netio.htm

Sat. Dec 5 is Enjoy Mozart's Music
This is the anniversary of the day Johann Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died, in 1791, Vienna, Austria. http://www.gfmusic.com/cbmozart99.html

& King of Thailand Day
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, born in 1927 in Massachusetts, studied in Switzerland, returned home in 1950 to be his people's king.
http://www.nectec.or.th/WWW-VL-Thailand.html

&Walt Disney Day
Born in 1901, Disney's vision still brings a whole new world to people of all ages, around the globe. http://www.intergraffix.com/walt/nindex.htm

Fri. Dec 4th, is Plant a Cherry Twig Day
Saint Barbara's Day is a great day for to pick a twig off a cherry tree and place it in water, indoors. Read about Barbara's legend at
http://dttwv01.org/201st/LSB.htm

& National Grange Day
The grange was the first agricultural movement in the United States.
Here's a neat description: http://www.grange.org/what.htm

Thurs. Dec 3rd, is Have a Heart Day
In 1967, the first human heart was successfully transplanted by Dr. Christiaan Neethling Barnard, a South African surgeon.
View a biography: http://www.macontel.com/special/heart/html/1.htm

Wed., Dec 2nd is Walter Plinge Day
Walter Plinge was a London pub owner beloved by actors for his generous spirit. In the states, he was known as the character "George Spelvin". http://expage.com/page/mask

Tuesday Dec. 1st is World AIDS Day
The United Nations World Health Organization has designated this day to generate awareness and education world-wide.
http://www.unaids.org/highband/events/wad/1998/index.html

& Yukon Order of Pioneers
Formed in 1894, the Canadian "Yukon Order of Pioneers" was a vigilante police force. Later, they started celebrating the discovery of gold. Here's neat recipes: http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_river/ak_forty.htm

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