catnipoflife

December 31 is…

National Champagne Day

With the celebration of New Year’s Eve comes the ever popular toast of the evening as flutes are raised containing the quintessential wine of celebration and good cheer…festive, bright, sparkling CHAMPAGNE! There are many sparkling wines on the market but there is only one champagne and it is produced exclusively within the Champagne region of France, from which it takes its name.

Source: awakenings2012.blogspot.com

There is a bit of controversy over this day’s celebration. It is thought the reason everyone celebrates December 31st as National Champagne Day is because of the New Year’s Eve saying – "It’s Champagne Day!" It is champagne day as far as the New Year’s celebration goes but as far as the National Holiday, it is more likely August 4.

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond

This Day in History: December 29, 1845

Texas, The Lone Star State, The Beef State, The Banner State, The Blizzard State, The Jumbo State

Texas State Motto: Friendship

To capture Texas, you need to go big, and this aerial exploration spans thousands of square miles to reveal the great sites of the Lone Star State. Witness its lush forests, forbidding deserts, and shimmering modern cities. High-altitude views of landmarks reveal a rich, complex past where bloody battles for independence began and where the era of American idealism ended one dark November day. From humble beginnings to boastful proclamations, see why “everything’s bigger in Texas.”

Source: awakenings2012.blogspot.com

A hardy winter annual native to Texas, the Bluebonnet was adopted as the "State Flower of Texas". This is the most commonly seen variety along roadsides and in uncultivated pastures throughout the state. Flowers are densely arranged on a spike with a characteristic ice white terminal.

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond

This Day in History: December 28, 1846

Iowa, The Hawkeye State, The Corn State, Land of the Rolling Prairie

Iowa State Motto: Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain 

A serious dispute over how large the state would be delayed Iowa’s admission into the Union as the 29th state until December 28, 1846, but by the delay the people of Iowa got what they wanted—all the land between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The state capital is Des Moines.

Source: www.awakenings2012.blogspot.com

The passing seasons and moods as seen in Northeast Iowa.
An epic photo-essay over Iowa that will warm you to its charms. 
And when was the last time the words "warm" and "Iowa"
 were used in the same sentence?

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond

December 24 is…National Eggnog Day!

A toast to the holidays is here so bring on the good cheer! Eggnog (or egg nog) is a sweet, dairy drink with cream, milk and often rum, brandy or whiskey. Eggnog is popular in the US and Canada, though less so in Europe and the rest of the world. Eggnog Day falls on Christmas Eve and encourages you to make your own to celebrate the festive period!

Source: awakenings2012.blogspot.com

Want to try something different? Eggnog French Toast! Bon appetit!

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond

In the midst of the seriousness of Christmas is always room for laughter. The holiday season definitely does not exist without its share of humor.

Source: awakenings2012.blogspot.com

 May your house be a happy house…Merry Christmas wherever you are!

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond

It is incredibly interesting and absolutely amazing what different, unique Christmas decorations appear all around the world. What about the number of lights? Astronomical!

Source: awakenings2012.blogspot.com

Christmas is very important in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank as it contains Bethlehem, the town in which Jesus was born. Fireworks explode during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 6, 2014. Check out the video at Awakenings.

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond

Not everyone will be home during the holiday season. Places at the dinner table, seats in a favorite chair, wine or water glasses will remain empty, especially on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Distance, obligation, estrangement, illness, money, various reasons will prevent family members from gathering together. Among those not home are our military men and women serving our country on foreign shores or a veteran without a home which should never be.

Source: awakenings2012.blogspot.com

While celebrating during the Christmas seasonAlways remember those away from home

Keep them in your hearts, cherish them in your soul
A day may come when you find yourself alone

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond

Amid all the festiveness of the holiday season come times of remembrance… Christmas past, family and friends gone but not forgotten. There is an overwhelming sense of sadness that at the same time brings on smiles of the heart. The joy, the laughter, the silliness within the seriousness of the time. With Christmas, there is always music, special music. Some of the melodies have been passed down from generation to generation while new ones hit the scene with the changing times.

Welcome into the Spotlight: Mud, an English glam rock band with their 1974 hit on this day, “Lonely This Christmas.”

Source: awakenings2012.blogspot.com

Loving memories of those who have passed on are rekindled everyday in music that lives on and on and on…

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond

This Day in History: December 18, 1787

New Jersey, The Garden State, The Clam State, The Jersey Blue State

The Garden State boast a history of agriculture and fertile soil with awe-inspiring sights of sunny shores and city views. New Jersey is the leading producer of cranberries, blueberries and tomatoes. Summertime invites each child (or the child in all of us) from New Jersey and beyond to stroll Wildwood’s boardwalk – “a two mile long human circus of noise, honky-tonk, and amusement rides.” 

The first board walk in the world was built in 1870 at Atlantic city. From the Jersey Shore to the City of Hoboken, from Camden to Cape May, from the Miss America pageant to hit the jackpot at the slot machines in Atlantic City, there is never a dull moment.

Source: www.awakenings2012.blogspot.com

One of the original 13 colonies, New Jersey was an important battleground during the American Revolution. On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the United States Constitution, which was overwhelmingly popular throughout the state, as it prevented New York and Pennsylvania from charging and keeping tariffs on goods imported from Europe. On November 20, 1789, the state became the first in the newly formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights. The capital of New Jerseyis Trenton.

See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond