Tag Archives: 2012

The Princess Mary box and the Christmas Truce

Posted on December 24, 2012 by

When I was between the ages of 15 and 17, my family lived in France. One day in the flea markets outside Paris, I found a little brass box that bore my initials, MM, as well as a woman’s head … Continue reading →

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Posted in History, Holidays and Festivals | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Beasts of the Southern Wild: A movie review

Posted on December 18, 2012 by

“Sometimes miraculous films come into being, made by people you’ve never heard of, starring unknown faces, blindsiding you with creative genius.” – Roger Ebert I missed Beasts of the Southern Wild during its all too brief theatrical run last summer. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The Yule Lads: Icelandic Christmas folklore.

Posted on December 10, 2012 by

Christmas was slower to catch on than other major church holidays.  The clergy may have been wary of pagan solstice celebrations which happened at the same time of year and included serious revelry.  Some early Christmas festivities mimicked the custom. … Continue reading →

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Posted in art, Authors, Book Reviews, Books, Folklore, Holidays and Festivals, Imagination, oral tradition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tales of the Elves: Icelandic Folktales for Children

Posted on December 2, 2012 by

One day God decided to visit Adam and Eve.  They welcomed him and introduced  their children – all except the ones Eve had not finished bathing.  After all, you want your kids to be clean when the Supreme Being drops … Continue reading →

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Posted in art, Authors, Book Reviews, Books, Folklore, oral tradition | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

All quiet on the holiday front

Posted on November 26, 2012 by

The chief of security at one of the largest area malls reported that this year’s Black Friday was the smoothest in 13 years.  He didn’t speculate on why that was true, so here’s a poll.  Pick whichever explanation(s) seem most … Continue reading →

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Posted in Culture, Current Events, Holidays and Festivals | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Twinkies, Part Deux

Posted on November 20, 2012 by

My previous article, which indulged in bit of nostalgia about grade school lunches, missed much of the actual drama that put Hostess, the maker of Twinkies, Ho-Ho’s, and Ding Dongs, on the ropes. It isn’t quite over .  A USA … Continue reading →

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Posted in Current Events, News | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments