Test Your Knowledge of Christmas

Sing with me: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year. With the kids jingle belling, And everyone telling you, “Be of good cheer,” It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” (Hey, you did that good!) And I just can’t help but sing. The Christmas spirit’s got a hold of me and won’t let go. How ‘bout you? And I couldn’t help but think what better way to spread some more "good Christmas cheer” like the song says than with a quiz? So how are you with the subject of Christmas – songs, traditions and other assorted facts? Find out with the following questions (answers below). And most of all, have a Merry Christmas, everybody.

1. Who wrote the song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and in what year? (a) Eddie Pola, George Wyle in 1963; (b) James Lord Pierpont publ. 1857; (c) J. Fred Coots, Henry Gillespie in 1934; (d) Irving Berlin, 1942.

2. The names of the Magi/Wisemen/Astrologers in the Christmas story were: (a) Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego; (b) Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh; (c) Larry, Curly and Moe; (d) none of the above.

3. Robert L. May wrote the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Which of the following stories did he look to for inspiration? (a) The Ugly Duckling; (b) A Christmas Carol; (c) It's a Wonderful Life; (d) Charlie Brown Christmas.

4. The big guy in the red suit and hat that says, "Ho, ho, ho," goes by many names including... (a) Tim Allen; (b) Saint Nick; (c) Father Christmas; (d) Kris Kringle.

5. The official determination on whether or not it's a "white Christmas" is: (a) snow flurries at noon on December 25th; (b) heavy snowfall for at least 10 minutes on Christmas day; (c) 1 inch of snow on the ground at 8 a.m. Christmas morning; (d) 1 inch of snowfall taking place any time between midnight and midnight.

6. The most famous Christmas Carol of all time is: (a) O Come, All Ye Faithful; (b) Away in a Manger; (c) Silent Night; (d) Joy to the World.

7. One of the most popular/infamous gifts at Christmas is - can you guess? - the fruitcake. (Have you ever received one?) Which of the following facts are true about the fruitcake: (a) 25 is the number of years that a fruitcake can age and still be enjoyed, as long as it has the right preservatives and is stored in a tightly closed tin; (b) 1 to 1 is the ratio of the density of the average fruitcake to the density of mahogany; (c) a little more than 1 in 10 people say they would make time to regift a fruitcake to give it to someone else; (d) all of the above.

Answers: 1. (a) – “b” wrote Jingle Bells; “c” wrote Santa Claus is Coming to Town; “d” wrote White Christmas 2. (d) 3. (a) 4. (b), (c) & (d) 5. (c) 6. (c) 7. (d)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Christmas Songs Lyrics, All Things Christmas, Counting on Christmas Statistics and Christmas Carols.)

Sunrise in Sonora

Tuolumne County Real Estate Statistics

I've got the latest Mother Lode market numbers for you to look at today. To begin with, you'll notice the overall sales picture including all sales classes. CLICK HERE to view November 2009 compared to November 2008. CLICK HERE to view January-November 2009 compared to January-November 2008. You'll also want to notice the graphs including the Mother Lode Residential Unit Sales through November 2009 graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 1 on the above left) along with the Mother Lode Residential Volume Sales graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 2 on the right) and the Mother Lode Residential Average Sales Price graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 3 on the left below), respectively. (The data used comes from the Tuolumne Multiple Listing Service and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.) As usual, I also have some of the numbers in black and white here:

UNIT SALES: Nov 09 = 50; Nov 08 = 38; +32%

VOL SALES: Nov 09 = $11,465,435; Nov 08 = $10,115,349; +13%

AVG SALES PRICE: Nov 09 = $229,308; Nov 08 = $266,193; -14%

Watch for Calaveras MLS stats to be posted soon.

How Not to Let the Grinch Steal Christmas

The Grinch. We all know the story. He basically wanted to ruin Christmas for everyone else. Of course, he changed his mind and there was a happy ending. (I just love stories of redemption.) The truth is there are many who don't much like the holiday season. (Do you know anyone like that?) For whatever reason, something in their life ~ an experience, a loss, a wrong done (a "Grinch"?) ~ has stolen their joy and cheer (and hope?). Notwithstanding there are things that can happen that are awfully and deeply painful, but stories of redemption take place in real life, too. (They really do.) Maybe this is your year for a change of heart when it comes to the holidays? I'm purposely writing this post at the beginning of the season to allow you plenty of time for this to come about. It's time to tell that Grinch in your life you're not going to let him steal Christmas this year. How 'bout it? May the following list be a help to you in that regards:

How Not to Let the Grinch Steal Christmas...

Prioritize people over presents.

Free yourself from having to attend every party.

Meet a simple need of someone less fortunate than you.

Drive around the neighborhood to view holiday decorations.

Warm up some hot chocolate and sit down to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart.

Make a phone call (or send a letter in the mail) to that person you hurt and say you're sorry.

Remind yourself of the Christmas story.

7 Things I'm Thankful For

So what are you thankful for? People oftentimes answer this question mentioning the typical things. They're thankful for their spouse (hopefully). They're thankful for their kids and grandkids (if they have any). They're thankful for their job (many are hurting in this area in our day). They're thankful for their health. And so on and so forth. Right? And these are all important things to be thankful for. Don't get me wrong. I would be the first to say it. But there are so many other things that we don't always highlight or think about when the bottom line is we really count on these things and owe a lot to certain other people we don't always take time to recognize. (Isn't it true?) The following list might not mean much to you, but it does to me. These are things that I really couldn't live without right now, quite frankly. Also included are people I owe a debt of gratitude to that I don't always take the time to let them know. So here are:

7 things I'm thankful for...

#1: My car. It's going on 150k miles. Has no heat. The clutch slips (especially going up the grade). But it gets me to where I need to go.

#2: This great country of ours. There's no better place on the planet to live. Many have given their lives for our freedom.

#3: My eyeglasses. I can hardly see with them on. Just think how I'd be without them.

#4: My deodorant. It's sweet pea and violet scent. (We receive goods from a local distribution center.)

#5: My shower door. It doesn't close completely, but just enough so I can get myself squeaky clean.

#6: My bosses at work. They (Emmett and Ann) have sacrificed much to keep the company afloat and provide for the families it represents. No amount of words can repay all that they've done.

#7: Forgiveness, love and hope.