December Trivia, Holiday Recipes and Events

WARSAW — With the arrival of December, we offer you some trivia and details on upcoming holiday events.

December birthstones are Tanzanite, Zircon and Turquoise. Birth flowers for the month of December are Narcissus and Holly.

Zodiac signs are Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) and Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

HOLIDAYS:

HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES:

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY:

Dec. 26, 2004 — An estimated 230,000 persons were killed and 1.5 million left homeless when a magnitude 9.3 earthquake on the seafloor of the Indian Ocean set off a series of giant tsunami waves that smashed into the shorelines of a dozen countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Somalia.
Dec. 15, 1939 — “Gone with the Wind” had its world premiere in Atlanta, introduced by producer David O. Selznick and featuring appearances by Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.
Dec. 17, 1760 — Deborah Sampson (1760-1827) was born in Plympton, Mass. During the American Revolutionary War, she disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Continental Army under the name Robert Shurtleff. Although she was wounded in battle, she was not discovered until a severe fever unmasked her identity. She was dismissed from the army in 1783. In later life, she lectured professionally on her wartime experiences.

CHRISTMAS MUSIC TRIVIA:

According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2016, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” written by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934, is the most played holiday song of the last 50 years. It was first performed live by Eddie Canton his radio show in November 1934. Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded their version in 1935, followed later by a range of artists, including Frank Sinatra in 1948, the Supremes, the Jackson 5, the Beach Boys and Glenn Campbell. Bruce Springsteen recorded a rock version in 1975.
Long-time Christmas classics still dominate the holiday charts – such as “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Sleigh Ride” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Songs from the rock era include “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, “Christmas Tree Farm” by Taylor Swift and “Last Christmas” by George Michael.
The Guinness World Records named the holiday single “White Christmas” (1942) by Bing Crosby as the best-selling single worldwide. According to Guinness, “White Christmas” sold over 50 million copies. The single is known as the “best-selling single of all time.” Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957) by Elvis Presley is the best-selling Christmas album of all time, having sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

EVENTS:

Dec.1 — Holiday Light Display, 6 p.m., Warsaw Central Park, Warsaw.
Dec. 2 — Spaghetti Dinner and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, 5-8 p.m., Milford Community Building, Milford.
Dec. 2 — Santa Claus is Coming to Pierceton, 7-9 p.m., Harvest Community Church, 512 S. Seventh St., Pierceton.
Dec. 2 — Ronny Shelton Fundraiser, noon, Elks 802 Lodge, Warsaw.
Dec. 7 — South Whitley Christmas Festival, 5 p.m., 113 S. State St., South Whitley.
Dec. 11 — Toy Time, 9 a.m., Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, Warsaw.
Dec. 16 — Tenth Country Christmas with Susie McEntire, 7 p.m., Lakeview Middle School, Warsaw.

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