MERRY CHRISTMAS OGA

DECEMBER 25

CLASSIC COUNTRY #1 SONG OF THE DAY

1946 - The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole

1946 - White Christmas - Bing Crosby

1971 – Kiss an Angel Good Mornin' - Charley Pride

NOTEWORTHY EVENTS

First Day of Christmas (It took 12 days for the Wise Men to reach Bethlehem.)

The Day to Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ

EVENTS

336 - The first recorded celebration of Christmas on December 25 took place in Rome. To that time, the day known as Christmas was celebrated on one of three dates in the first 352 years of the Julian calendar: January 6, March 29 and September 29. January 6th, the Day of Epiphany, is still considered Christmas Day to many folks around the world, especially those who are Eastern Orthodox.

1868 - President Andrew Johnson granted unconditional pardon to all involved in the Civil War.

1896 - John Philip Sousa wrote the melody to The Stars and Stripes Forever.

1914 - During World War I, British and German troops observed an unofficial truce to celebrate Christmas Day. The German troops are said to have made the first move. During the evening of December 24, they delivered a chocolate cake to the British line accompanied by a note that proposed a cease fire, so that the Germans could have a concert. The British accepted the proposal and offered some tobacco as their present to the Germans. The good will spread along the 27-mile length of the British line. Enemy soldiers shouted to one another from the trenches, joined in singing songs and soon met one another in the middle of no-mans-land to talk, exchange gifts and in some areas to take part in impromptu soccer matches. The high command on both sides did not condone the activities and orders were issued to stop the fraternizing with varying results. In some areas the truce ended Christmas Day in others the following day and in others it extended into January.

1936 - Roy Acuff and Mildred Douglas were married in Middlesboro, KY. They remained together until her death in 1981.

1939 - Lionel Barrymore on CBS Radio’s The Campbell Playhouse read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The story’s reading became an annual radio event.

1949 - After 18 years, Dick Tracy, the comic strip hero married Tess Truehart. The couple later became parents of a daughter. The little girl’s name was Bonnie Braids.

1995 - Attorney Andre-Francois Raffray died in Arles, France, he was 77 years old. At age 47, he made a deal to pay 90-year-old Jeanne Calment’s rent of $500 a month until she died, on the condition that he would inherit her home upon her death. The 120-year-old Calment celebrated Christmas with dinner at an Arles hotel. She died in 1997.

1998 - British mogul Richard Branson, American millionaire Steve Fossett, and Per Lindstrand of Sweden quit seven days into their journey to circle the earth in a hot air balloon. They had lost the high-altitude, high-speed winds they needed to carry them eastward across the Pacific to North America. They ditched in the ocean near Hawaii and were picked up, within 10 minutes, by a helicopter. Branson said "It was a ridiculous way to spend your Christmas Day but it was certainly exciting."

2014 - Little Jimmy Dickens was hospitalized after suffering a stroke just days after his last appearance at the Grand Ole Opry to mark his 94th birthday. He died of cardiac arrest on January 2, 2015.

BIRTHDAYS

4 B.C. – Jesus (also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the awaited Messiah, Jesus Christ...)

1948 - Barbara Mandrell (CMA Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year; Standing Room Only, I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool, Sleeping Single in a Double Bed, If Loving You Is Wrong)

1954 – [Steven Noel] Steve Wariner (an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist.)

CHRISTMAS

When the Christian church had become much larger and more influential, religious and political leaders wanted a way to make the Christian holidays more popular while still allowing for the traditional celebrations people already enjoyed. Combining Christmas and the winter solstice, even if it meant giving Jesus an arbitrary birth date, was the solution.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

The early Christmas celebrations combined a mix of pagan and Christian traditions, resulting in activities that might seem more appropriate for Halloween these days: bonfires, trading treats for tricks, and Mardi Gras in the streets. It became so known for debauchery in Europe, that the Pilgrims strongly discouraged celebrating it and even outlawed it in some cities when they first came to America.

Two very popular Christmas books in the mid-1800s, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Washington Irving’s The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., portrayed Christmas in a warm, family-friendly way, helping to rekindled holiday celebrations. On June 26, 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant declared Christmas to be a US national holiday.

SANTA CLAUS

The Santa Claus tradition starts with the story of a humble monk named St. Nicholas, who was born in Turkey around 280 AD. Monk St. Nicholas acquired his sainthood after giving away all of his wealth to help the poor and the needy. He became known as the patron saint of children and had his own honorary day on December 6th.

Early Dutch immigrants to the US get credit for the name Santa Claus. They brought with them their cultural tradition of celebrating St. Nickolas’ death. They called him “Sint Nikolaas” and abbreviated it to “Sinter Klaas,” which has since evolved into Santa Claus.

Santa’s jolly personality, gifts, a naughty-or-nice list, reindeer, and chimney shenanigans came along in the 1822 poem written by Episcopal minister Clement Clarke Moore. Its name is “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” but you likely recognize it by its iconic first line: “‘Twas the night before Christmas…”

Coca-Cola gave life to the grandfatherly style of Santa Claus. Their early-1900s advertising featured a warm, happy elderly man with rosy cheeks, a white beard, and twinkling eyes. It was so popular that it became the default image of Santa.

DECORATING A CHRISTMAS TREE

The tradition of cutting down an evergreen tree, setting it up indoors, and decorating it for Christmas originated in Germany in the 16th century.

A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT OURSELVES

• No one likes dropped needles: Two-thirds of Americans will have a Christmas tree this year, but 77 percent of all Christmas trees on display are fake.

• We’re terrible procrastinators: More than 40 percent of Americans buy their gifts one week or less before Christmas. (Pro tip: These stores are open on Christmas Day.)

• Count ’em up: Your true love gives you 364 gifts total, according to “The 12 Days of Christmas” song—enough for one every day of the year…except Christmas.

• We love our minty treats: Nearly 2 billion candy canes are sold every year in the four weeks before Christmas, and the longest candy cane ever created was 51 feet long.

• Christmas carols know no bounds: “Jingle Bells” was the first song ever played from outer space when it was broadcast during NASA’s Gemini 6A space flight in December 1965.

• Shop in your jammies: More than 63 percent of U.S. shoppers prefer to skip the stores and buy their holiday gifts online.