‘Tis the Season

IMPORTANT DAYS IN DECEMBER
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1. Voted on by committee and presented in the presence of the King of Norway, what is awarded on December 10 each year?

Nobel Prize. (Names of the laureates are typically announced in October, but the prizes are awarded at formal ceremonies held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death)
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2. Primarily known as a “shopping holiday”, what is usually celebrated on December 26 in several countries including New Zealand, the UK and Canada?

Boxing Day.
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3. Created in 1965 by writer Dan O’Keefe, and depicted in the 1997 Seinfeld episode, “The Strike”, what holiday includes an aluminum pole and practices such as the “Airing of Grievances” and the “Feats of Strength”?

Festivus. (In fact, today is Festivus. Celebrants of the holiday sometimes refer to it as “Festivus for the rest of us”, a saying taken from the O’Keefe family traditions and popularized in the “Seinfeld” episode to describe Festivus as “another way” to celebrate the season without participating in its pressures and commercialization.)
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4. Because it is the day with the least daylight in the northern hemisphere, on what date did we celebrate the winter solstice this year?

December 21.
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5. Christmas, as we know, is a single day. Hanukkah lasts for 8 days. How long is the celebration of Kwanzaa?

7 days.
CHRISTMAS GRAB-BAG
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1. In 2007, the Rockafeller Center Christmas tree went “green,” employing LED lights. After being taken down, the tree was used to furnish lumber for housing construction by what non-profit organization?

Habitat for Humanity .
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2. What actor, who appeared as Alfred in Batman Begins, played Scrooge in 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol?

Michael Caine.
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3. There’s a plant that we see every year around Christmas in grocery stores. It’s a green plant whose leaves turn red and look like huge petals. How do you spell its name?

Poinsettia.
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4. In the song The 12 Days of Christmas, what was the gift on the eleventh day?

11 pipers piping.
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5. How many total gifts would get if you actually received all the gifts in that song?

364. (By the end you’d have 12 lords a’leaping , 22 pipers piping, 30 ladies dancing, etc.)
ALL THINGS RED AND GREEN
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1. What restaurant chain, whose motto is “Mmmm… Toasty,” has a green and red logo?

Quiznos.
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2. The hemoglobin in human blood turns red when it comes in contact with oxygen. In the Star Trek universe who has green blood?

Vulcans and Romulans.
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3. Of the nine professional teams in the four major men’s sports in North America whose team name does not end in the letter S, one has a logo which is promarily red and green. Which is it?

Minnesota Wild (NHL).
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4. Of the 12 birthstones, two are red (one being ruby) and two are green (one being emerald). Name one of the other two.

Garnet and Peridot.
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5. Running from 1991-2006 and earning the title of longest running live-action scripted comedy in the world, what Canadian TV comedy depticts a lazy handyman who trusts the majority of his work to duct tape?
(4 word answer)

The Red Green Show.
HOLIDAY MOVIE STILLS
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1. 12_23_1

Love Actually.
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2. 12_23_2

Scrooged.
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3. 12_23_3

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
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4. 12_23_4

Eight Crazy Nights.
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5. 12_23_5

Miracle on 34th Street.
CANDY, SWEETS & HOLIDAY TREATS
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1. In 1930, the Mars family introuced its second product, a candy bar which was named after the family’s favorite horse.  Name that product.

Snickers.
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2. What fruity candy was originally an adult breath mint marketed as an alternative to smoking, and comes in a dispenser?

Pez.
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3. Made from white and milk chocolate and topped with pieces of peppermint candy, what delicious holiday treat is sold by Williams-Sonoma and Ghirardelli?

Peppermint bark.
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4. Of the 8 colors of M&Ms that have existed since the candy was first introduced in 1941, only three have been in production the entire time. Name two.

Brown, Yellow and Green. (Violet: 1941-1949, Tan:1949-1995, Red: 1940-1976, 1987-present, Orange: 1976-present, Blue: 1995-present)
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5. What country lifted its 12-year ban on chewing gum in 2004 after pressure from US manufacturers?

Singapore. (Gum can still only be bought from pharmacies upon production of an ID card)
CHRISTMAS ON TV
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1. On what 90’s sitcom, in an episode called Xmas Story, did Santa want to kill Phil Hartman’s character Bill McNeal?

Newsradio.
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2. On this year’s Christmas episode of The Office, Michael gets upset when Jim promises that who can be the office Santa?

Phyllis.
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3. According to Friends, who is Santa’s representative for all the southern states and Mexico?

The Holiday Armadillo .
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4. On one brilliant sitcom, the patriarch, George, was released from prison for one day, Christmas Eve, to take part in the Living Classics paegant, where he and his grandson were to portray Michaelangelo’s The Creation of Adam. Name that sitcom.

Arrested Development.
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5. Scheduled to appear on ABC Family for the 5th time this year on Christmas Eve, what is the name of the 1974 claymation classic that features the Heat Miser and Snow Miser?

The Year Without a Santa Claus.
THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER GIFT WRAP
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1. The third largest of all rodents, what round and slow nocturnal animal, which can be any of 27 species, is attracted to roads in areas where rock salt is used to melt ice and snow, and is known to gnaw on vehicle tires or wiring coated in road salt?

Porcupine.
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2. Orbiting at a distance of approximately 25,000 light years from the galactic center of the Milky Way, and over 2.5 billion miles from the formerly-known-as-a-planet Pluto, what celestial body completes one clockwise orbit every 225–250 million years?

The sun (the length of time in takes for the sun to make this orbit is known as a galactic year, which provides a conveniently “graspable” unit for thinking about cosmic and geological time periods.)
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3. Completed in the Czech Republic in 1905, what body part, which has unmyelinated nerve endings sensitive to touch, temperature and chemicals, but has no blood vessels, did day laborer Alois Glogar receive from 11-year-old Karl Brauer in the first documented human tissue transplant?

Cornea.
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4. Stemming from the plural of the Latin word for “dregs,” what is often used to diagnose the presence or absence of a medical condition?

Feces.
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5. What was the Catholic tribunal established in 1478 and definitively abolished in 1833, intended to ensure the orthodoxy of recent converts?

The Spanish Inquisition.
CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SONGS
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1.
The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)

Nat King Cole.
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2.
Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)

Bing Crosby.
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3.
Santa Baby

Eartha Kitt.
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4.
Last Christmas

Wham!
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5.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Ella Fitzgerald.


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