Newsletter
2
December 2014
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.
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."
What We Love About…
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, SEE, HEAR, AND TALK ABOUT THIS MONTH
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.
