DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.
Good morning. It’s December 25, 2024, and it’s a Wednesday. And it's Christmas Day.
- "It's Christmas Day!" said Scrooge to himself. "I haven't missed it. The Spirits, have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can.” - Charles Dickens
- Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. - Luke 2:14
- And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say — that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then — the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches, plus two! - Dr. Seuss
- “I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending.” - Fred Rogers
- “For it is in giving that we receive.” - Francis of Assisi
- “Christmas is a baby shower that went totally overboard.” - Andy Borowitz
- There are plenty of news stories going on, but we’re going to skip them today. They’ll still be stories tomorrow.
- Let’s talk some more about the holidays.
- Today marks a rare holiday occurrence — when Hanukkah begins at sundown on Christmas night.
- It’s just the fifth time in the last 114 years that both holidays are taking place on the same day, and it won't happen again until 2035.
- Last time was 2005… but that was the only other time the two have aligned in the last 50 years. So it’s a special year.
- Mazel tov! In our non-religious household, we are celebrating both holidays. Kat made delicious lattkes last night. No menorah here, but that’s because I’m concerned the cats would light themselevs on fire.
- Was Jesus a Christian? No, of course not. He was a Jew. So were all of his contemporary followers.
- Was he even a real person? Yes. Virtually all scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus Christ existed historically. So he was a real person, and by all accounts, a really decent dude as well.
- Jesus was the Woke King. He protested the racial divide between Jews and Samaritans, and was against the mutual hatred between the Jews and the Romans. Jesus opposed nationalism and xenophobia, or any discrimination and oppression practiced against a people based on their nationality, place of origin, or even religion.
- Jesus practiced inclusivity and acceptance. He associated with people from marginalized and stigmatized groups, such as tax collectors, prostitutes, and lepers. He challenged injustice. He confronted religious hypocrisy and social injustice, speaking out against oppressive systems and practices. He opposed greed and hypocrisy. And he told his followers on multiple occasions to stay aware of what was happening around them.
- “And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (Mark 13:37)
- So I think we’d get along pretty damn well, Jesus and I. We prioritize the same topics and talk about a lot of the same stuff, and we’re both Jews with scraggly beards. We could definitely have hung out.
- Fun fact: “Christ” is a title, not a last name. It means “anointed," and is usually transliterated into English as “messiah."
- Was he born on December 25? Nah.
- It’s believed by many religious and historical scholars that Jesus was probably born sometime in the summer, and despite our entire system of dates being based on his purported year of birth (i.e., it is currently been 2024 years), it’s more likely he was born somewhere in the range of 6 to 4 BC.
- So why do we celebrate this guy’s birthday in late December?
- It’s… convenient. There’s been a holiday at that time of year for thousands of years before Jesus came round. It was easier to just use that date as opposed to creating a whole other holiday. Makes sense.
- During Christ’s era, this holiday was also known as Yule and was celebrated by Germanic pagans, but that’s just one of many previous incarnations of the festivities.
- Romans in the pre-Christian era had celebrations for the Winter Solstice. December 25th was the Romans’ general date to mark the solstice, which is where the specific date of Christmas comes from.
- Also from ancient Rome, the celebration included adorning buildings and temples with evergreen plants, including evergreen trees, holly, mistletoe and ivy. So that’s where your Christmas tree started. The colors of green and red for Christmas are from these plants and their berries.
- But way before that, there is evidence that the time around the winter solstice was deemed an important observance for multiple cultures going as far back as the Neolithic, i.e., 10,000 years ago.
- Anyway, happy birthday, Jesus.
- Tonight’s menu for the feast at Chez Claxton: Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, roasted carrots with apple cider gastrique, green beans with mushrooms and shallots, and a pecan pie.
- I bought the pie.
- And now, The Weather: “rosebud” by Free Lunch
- From the Sports Desk… two NFL games are on today: Chiefs at Steelers, and Ravens at Texans.
- Or you could watch five NBA games… Spurs at Knicks, T’Wolves at Mavericks, 76’ers at Celtics, Lakers at Warriors, and Nuggets at Suns.
- Or you could spend time with your damn family and friends. And yes, I know that’s not an option for everyone. Just a suggestion for those who can.
- Today in history… First documented sign of Christmas celebration in Rome (336). The coronation of Charlemagne — my 39th great-grandfather — as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome (800). William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy — my 29th great-grandfather — is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London (1066). The Santa María, commanded by Christopher Columbus, runs onto a reef off Haiti due to an improper watch (1492). Halley's Comet is sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, confirming Edmund Halley's prediction of its passage (1758). George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River at night to attack Hessian forces serving Great Britain at Trenton, New Jersey, the next day (1776). The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance (1815). United States President Andrew Johnson grants an unconditional pardon to all Confederate veterans (1868). A series of unofficial truces occur across the Western Front of WWI to celebrate Christmas (1914). Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with its president Anwar Sadat (1977). Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as President of the Soviet Union and the union itself is dissolved the next day (1991). The Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005 (2004). An explosion in Nashville, Tennessee occurs, leaving three civilians in the hospital (2020). The James Webb Space Telescope is launched (2021).
- December 25 is the birthday of physicist/mathematician Isaac Newton (1642), diarist/poet Dorothy Wordsworth (1771), nurse/humanitarian Clara Barton (1821), busiensswoman/philanthropist Helena Rubinstein (1872), race car driver/businessman Louis Chevrolet (1878), businessman Conrad Hilton (1887), actor Humphrey Bogart (1899), singer/bandleader Cab Calloway (1907), screenwriter/producer Rod Serling (1924), anthropologist/author Carlos Castaneda (1925), singer-songwriter O'Kelly Isley Jr. (1937), keyboardist/songwriter Bob James (1939), NFL player Ken Stabler (1945), bass player Noel Redding (1945), singer-songwriter/guitarist Jimmy Buffett (1946), NFL player Larry Csonka (1946), singer Merry Clayton (1948), actress Sissy Spacek (1949), singer-songwriter Annie Lennox (1954), singer-songwriter Alannah Myles (1958), MLB player Rickey Henderson (1958), singer-songwriter Dido (1971), Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau (1971), and NBA player Eric Gordon (1988).
Happy holidays to you all! Enjoy your day.
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