NEWSLETTER. December 2014

What We Love About…

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, SEE, HEAR, AND TALK ABOUT THIS MONTH

Rudolph, who now resides at the North Pole, was born in Chicago in 1939. The Montgomery Ward department store chain assigned ad copywriter Robert May to compose a Christmas poem that could be distributed to customers nationwide. He wrote "Rollo the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but execs didn't like that name. They vetoed Reginald too. May's third name, Rudolph, was accepted, and the poem was shared with millions of customers. Abraham Lincoln's youngest son Thomas, nicknamed Tad, was known as a sensitive youngster. On Christmas 1864, Tad, then 10, took the spirit of the season to heart and invited some street urchins into the White House for a meal. The cooks refused to feed the kids until Tad took up the issue with the president, who ordered that the children be fed. Boxing Day is a weird holiday. No one is sure when it started or how it got its name. Celebrated in many British-influenced lands, Boxing Day is traditionally the day after Christmas. It may be an offshoot of St. Stephen's Day, which is what the Irish call it. In Canada and England, it has turned into a shopping frenzy like America's Black Friday. The "box" in Boxing Day may be the dona- tion bins of the Anglican church that were opened for the poor Dec. 26. Or the name may come from the boxed presents that British aristocrats gave to the help the day after Christmas. The Christmas tradition of kissing someone under the mistletoe took on a decidedly Chicago bent in 1975. The first Mayor Richard Daley was fiercely protective of his family. Responding to criticism that he funneled city business to a company that employed his son, he responded, "There's a mistletoe hanging from my coattail."

The birthstone of December is turquoise. The birth flower of December is the narcissus. National Read a New Book Month In December, Nobel Prizes are awarded. On December 7, 1941, The Unit- ed States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japa- nese planes which killed more than 2,300 Americans. December 27th is National Chocolate Day Poinsettia Day is on December 12th. The traditional Christmas plant we call a Poinsettia was known by the Aztecs as cuetlaxochitl. Its current name came from the first U.S. envoy to Mexico, Joel R. Poinsett, who noticed the plant being used for holiday celebrations and sent a few north to the United States in the 1820s. On December 3, 1967, the first heart transplant was completed. On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers made their first flight. On December 14, 1791, the Bill of Rights was passed.

FRENCHMAN’S CREEK TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

Let us assist you with all your transportation needs. We do it all: Airport Pick-ups or drop-offs; local or not, doctor visits, trips to restaurants or shows. We schedule a driver and use your vehicle. To request a transportation service, please contact the POA Reception (561) 627-1467 during normal business hours or after hours contact Bilian directly (561) 846-9987.

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December 2014