Remembering Ed Asner-- Part 4: 'Rich Man, Poor Man,' 'Roots,' 'Elf' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

He also played Axel Jordache in the 1976 "Rich Man, Poor Man" TV miniseries.  He played the role of the clan's tyrannical, German-born patriach.

Then came the role of Captain Thomas Davies in "ROOTS."  Here he played the morally conflicted Captain Davies who commanded the slave ship that brought LeVar Burton's Kunta Kinte to America.  He earned another Emmy for the three nights he was on that show.

SANTA CLAUS in "ELF"

He played Santa Claus in the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy.  It was a relatively small role, but a climatic one where he was marooned in New York's Central Park by a lack of Christmas spirit with Buddy the Elf aiding him.

MR. WEINER in "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

In a 2001 episode.

--CootAs

How 25 Christmas Traditions Started--Part 4: Wonderful Life, Lights, Santas, Fruitcakes & Cookies

16.  IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Frank Capra's Christmas classic debuted in 1946 with Jimmy Stewart playing George Bailey, a suicidal man who was shown what life would have been like if he had never been born.  It wasn't nice.  It was a flop at the  box office when it premiered, but did get five Academy award nominations, but no wins.

It wasn't until the owner neglected to renew the copyright that statins started showing it and that's when it took off.

My 3rd favorite Christmas movie and favorite non-comedy one.

17.  CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Edward Hibbard Johnson, a friend of Thomas Edison, came up with the idea of stringing lights around a Christmas tree in New York in 1882.  Now over 150 million sets are sold in the U.S. each year.  (I still want to know why I usually have one half of the lights go out in a string and then can't get them relit.)

18.  DEPARTMENT STORE SANTA

Dates back to 1890 when James Edgar of Brockton, Massachusetts, had a Santa suit made for himself  at his dry goods store.  Some say Macy's has had one since 1862.  (Still my favorite department store Santa was the one at Higbee's.)

19.  MAKING FUN OF FRUITCAKE

A favorite of the British (and me), but the subject of a long-running American joke.  Manitou Springs in Colorado has an annual Fruitcake Toss Day.

20.  COOKIE SWAPS

For over a hundred years in America.  I don't exchange.  I want them ALL!!!!

Ho, Ho, Ho!!  --RoadDog

In 1985, Johnny Carson joked:  "The worst Christmas gift is a fruitcake.  There is only one fruitcake in the entire world and people keep sending it to each other."

How 25 Christmas Traditions Started-- Part 3: Cookies, Candy Canes, Egg Nog, Wreaths & Cards

11.  COOKIES AND MILK FOR SANTA

Dates back to ancient Norse mythology, but Americans started it during the Great Depression.

12.  CANDY CANES

Whether eaten or hung from the tree.  Candy canes are the #1 non-chocolate candy seller during December.  The white and red candy arrived in the U.S. in 1847 from a German-Swedish immigrant in Wooster, Ohio. By the 1950s, the automated candy cane making machines had been developed and it really took off.

13.  BOOZY EGG NOG

This yuletide  cocktail stems from posset, a drink made of hot curdled milk and ale or wine in Medieval Europe.  Even George Washington had a special recipe.

14.  DOOR WREATHS

Have been around since ancient Greek and Roman times but took on a Christian meaning, but mostly seen as a secular winter tradition.

15.  CHRISTMAS CARDS

The first Christmas card was in England in 1843. The idea of a mailed  winter holiday greeting caught on with the Kansas City-based Hall Brothers (now Hallmark) in 1915.  According to the Greeting Card Association, today, more than1.6 billion of them are sold.  That's a lot of stamps.

--Cooter

10 Christmas Themes from the Roaring 20s Compared to Today-- Part 1

From the December 9, 2021, ListVerse site by Joseph Dupree.

Go to the site and read a whole lot more.

10.  Santa hasn't aged a day.

9.  What about Santa's crew?  Mrs. Santa the same, but Rudolph didn't join until 1939.

8.  The Season of Giving     Definitely different gifts.

7.  What the Dickens!   The idea of a huge Christmas dinner was already here.

6.  Holiday Broadcasting  Well, no television.

--Cooter

Ten Things you Might Not Know About Christmas Songs-- Part 4

4. "O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL" IS REALLY OLD. It gained popularity in the 18th century, but was penned in the 9th century and originally sung in Latin.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS SONG TO MENTION SANTA was "Up n a House Top" written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864 and mentioned St. Nick, better known today as Santa Claus. He drew his inspiration from Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit From St. Nick."

Ho, Ho, Ho.  --CootSanta

Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas

After seeing this name in the last entry, I just had to look them up and see if this was really, really an organization, It is.

They even have their own website www.aorbsantas.com.

They were founded 13 years ago by ten Santas filming a commercial for a German company. Every year, membership has increased until, at the last convention in Branson, Mo., 300 attended. You've got to go to the website and look at the group pictures.

Their World Mission Statement--Devoted to Enriching Your Family's Christmas, All Year Long.

This years convention will be in Overland Park, Kansas, July 8th to 13th.

And a Ho Ho Ho to You Too. --RoadDog

Looking Even More Like Christmas--Santa Claus-- Flashback

Nancy Watkins went back to 1956 for a Dec. 8th picture of Santa Claus with a young Craig Parfitt of River Grove. It was taken at Midway Airport.

Of course, Santa is quite the busy old guy right now. A few facts:

1841-- first sighting of Santa Claus at a store--but he was supposed to be on the roof.

1890-- first department store Santa in Brockton, Massachusetts according to answerboy.com.

256.89 pounds-- average weight of a member of the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas.

8.3-- age at which average American gives up on Santa.

McNeil Nutritionals --(Makers of Lactaid)--company that announced in 2005 that Santa was lactose intolerant (Who'd a figgered that!!).

HOH OHO-- Santa's postal code at the North Pole according to the Canadian postal service.

NORAD-- who's tracking Santa right now.

1983-- the year Ralphie first wanted that thing to put his eye out.

24 hours-- how long TBS will be showing A Christmas Story.

You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry..... The Old Coot

How's This for a Blast Out of the Past?

It took a while to get to its destination, but that, it finally did, 93 years too late!!!

True story out of Kansas. A Christmas postcard featuring a colorful Santa Claus was mailed on December 23, 1914, from Ethel Martin's cousins in Alma, Nebraska. It finally made it to Oberlin, Kansas, this past week.

What it did between 1914 and 2007 is any body's guess. If only postcards could talk. It evidently was in Illinois at some point, because it was placed in an envelope and modern postage rates paid to get it to its destination.

And who says you can't count on the post office to do their job?

This Is Some Interesting Story. --Cooter