Sacco’s Snippets: December 2018 Edition
November 26, 2018December 2018
Imagine that yesterday it was hot and we were complaining about the heat. Well, I was anyway because quite frankly I love the fall and cooler weather. Now I’m actually complaining about the extreme temperature change and the speed of time rushing toward the New Year. There is an amazing magical feeling about this time of the year where the Holidays bring a twinkle in the eyes of a child and the festive red faces of the parents who have to endure the extra stress the holidays have to offer. Schools close, the snow season starts and the mornings are more difficult to get yourself out of bed and off to work. Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa are celebrated, and the traffic seems to get worse. Frustrated holiday shoppers and cranky Civil Servants are abundant, and parking wars begin anew. It was so much easier when I was a child and the anticipation and angst of seeing if I was really a good boy enough for Santa to find our house. I would run, I wasn’t alone, out of school so fast to get my school clothes in a pile in my room it would make Usain Bolt speed look like a turtle race. Now I’m, home, what to do now? Didn’t matter, off for the holidays was all that counted.
Now that I am older, watch it I didn’t say old, and our children are young adults the tide has changed and the gifts have become less in number and more in cost. We treasure all of our moments and memories though and just relish the time we spend together as a family. That’s what makes it special and worth looking forward to. Our family has grown so large that you cannot afford to buy everyone a present, but you can certainly enjoy the love and the laughter. Be safe and healthy and may this year be great for you all. I love the greeting that I was taught early on and like to repeat whenever I can. “May the best days of last year be on the worst days of this year.”
Here is what the word December means, Latin for the number ten., due to way back when it was the tenth month of the year. It contains the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the last month of the year to have 31 days and it is the start of winter. Traditionally the Astronomical Winter is on 12/21 which is the actual date of the solstice. The shortest day of the year to those who are keeping count. Zodiac signs are Sagittarius (up to the 21st) and Capricorn (22nd on). Flower is Narcissus and the birthstones are; Turquoise, Zircon and Tanzanite.
Some interesting facts of December are both historical and world-changing. We never like to dwell on the past but to quote philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I try and live by this but to tell a family secret I have never met an Empanada I didn’t like.
12/21 – 1885 Dr. Pepper served for the first time
- 1913 The Ford Motor Company makes the first assembly line for automobiles
12/2 – 1845 President James Polk presents his Manifest Destiny (Go west)
- 2005 Microsoft introduces the Xbox in Europe
12/3 – 1775 The US Flag raised for the first time on the Naval Ship Alfred
- 1818 Illinois becomes the 21st state
12/4 – 1783 General Washington bids his officers farewell
12/5 – 1932 Albert Einstein granted a U.S. Visa
- 1955 The Rev. Martin Luther King leads Montgomery boycott
12/6 – 1865 The 13th Amendment ratified. This abolishes slavery in the U.S.
- 1884 The Washington Monument finished
12/7 – 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor Hawaii. The U.S. enters the war in the Pacific
12/8 – 1941 The U.S. declares war on Japan
- 1980 John Lennon killed in NYC
12/9 – 1969 Charlie Brown Christmas debuts on television
12/10 – 1684 Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity presented
12/11 – 1981 Muhammad Ali fights his last fight
12/12 – 1979 Northern Rhodesia changes its name to Zimbabwe
12/13 – 1769 Dartmouth College opens
- 1862 The Battle of Fredericksburg
12/14 – 1947 NASCAR founded
– 1959 Berry Gordy forms MOTOWN
12/15 – 1791 The Bill of Rights becomes law
– 1933 Gone with the wind premieres
12/16 – 1773 The Boston Tea Party protest takes place in Boston Harbor
– 1972 The Miami Dolphins go undefeated
12/17 – 1843 Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carroll” published
12/18 – 1932 the first N.F.L. playoff game played
– 1961 Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points in a game (broken by him)
12/19 – 1732 Benjamin Franklin publishes “Poor Richards Almanac”
– 1984 Wayne Gretzky scores his 1,000 points at age 22
12/20 – 1957 Elvis Presley gets drafted into the U.S. Army
12/21 – 1620 The Pilgrims land on Plymouth Rock Massachusetts
– 1913 the first Crossword Puzzle published
12/22 – 1937 The Lincoln Tunnel opens
12/23 – 1972 The “Immaculate reception” Between Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers
12/24 – 1818 song “Silent Night” composed by Franz Xavier Gruber
12/25 – 5 BC traditional birthrate Jesus of Nazareth
12/26 – 1776 the Battle of Trenton
– 1933 FM Radio patented
12/27 – 1932 Radio City Music Hall opens
12/28 – 1945 The U.S. Congress recognizes The Pledge of Allegiance
12/29 – 1845 Texas becomes the 28th State
12/30 – 1953 the first Color Television goes on sale
– 1981 Wayne Gretzky scores 50 goals in 30 games (a new record)
12/31 – 1904 the first “New Years Eve” in Times Square
– 1991 the USSR officially dissolves
Some other notable dates this month are;
Hanukkah begins the evening of 12/2 and ends the evening of 12/10
Christmas Day is 12/25
Boxing Day is 12/26- for those who do not know what this is it’s the day where gifts are given to those in the service industries such as Postal worker, Newspaper deliverers, Doorman, etc. Mostly celebrated in Canada and the United Kingdom. Charitable contributions are also given to those in need.
Kwanzaa will be celebrated for 7 days from 12/26 to 1/1 with events happening all over the city which in NYC talk means all of NYC.
And yes, there’s more;
12/1 Holiday Pictures
12/7 Power Play Night (which is usually with the NY Aviators Premiere Team).
This combines Ice Skating with Video Gaming with past consoles. Pure nostalgia.
12/9 National Dance Sport competition
12/15 PSC Pro Soccer tryout
12/16 Brunch with Santa
Wait! We’re not finished yet!
Sun. 12/2 NY Aviators vs. Jersey Shore Whalers
Fri. 12/7 NY Aviators vs. Hartford Jr. Wolf pack
Sat. 12/8 NY Aviators vs. Philadelphia Hockey Club
These games are free parking, free admission, and free excitement. What are you waiting for I ask you? Where else can you get out of the cold and have a great night out without spending every last dime? There is one other item I have to mention. This is also buying the coach a cup of coffee month. In the past, it was just limited to 4 times a year, but through careful negotiation, it’s up to 6.
Busy month, eh?
“Something for everyone and everyone for something”
See you there!
John Sacco
AC NY Aviators
USPHL
Premiere
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