Beatles’ Rare Fan-Club Christmas Records: A Complete Guide
Band’s brief, whimsical holiday discs – released from 1963 through 1969 and newly reissued – offer a glimpse into their stunning evolution
In honor of a new reissue, Rolling Stone takes a detailed look at the Beatles’ whimsical series of fan-club-only Christmas records.
MOREOyster Stew on Christmas Eve
Early Americans were absolutely oyster crazy. When the first English settlers arrived at Plymouth Rock, oysters were a reliable and tasty source of nutrition. Coastal American Indian Nations had already been harvesting them for at least 3,000 years. As the young colony’s population grew and spread to cover much of the East Coast, folks along the shores devoured oysters. In stuffings, chowders, pan roasts and on the half shell, both rich and poor enjoyed as many oysters as they could eat. America’s oldest still operating restaurant, the Union Oyster House of Boston, opened in 1826 to showcase the bivalve. And New York City pushcarts sold the by the bushel, freshly harvested from the Hudson Bay. A whopping 700 million were harvested from the Bay in 1880 alone.
MORE56 Essential Christmas Cookies
Courtesy Genius Kitchens
From classic sugar cookies to gingerbread men, these top recipes will sweeten your holiday – and make you the darling of all your cookie swaps.
MOREHow the Wrong Holiday Gift Traumatized Me as a Transgender Child
Giving the perfect gift can be stressful for anyone during the holidays. Regardless of your religion, if you do participate in the tradition of giving gifts, there are children who want to receive toys based on their preferred gender identity — not necessarily the one they were assigned at birth. Throughout my 24 years of wish lists, I have always wanted more feminine presents, and I know the importance of receiving a gift that will bring pure joy.
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Mark Twain’s “A Letter From Santa Claus”
In 1875, Mark Twain wrote a letter to his daughter Susie, who was 3 years old at the time, which he signed “Your loving Santa Claus.” You can read it in its entirety below, but first a little bit of pretext. Twain was very close to his daughter, all the way up to her untimely death at age 24 in 1896, and that year she had written her first letter to Santa Claus. Twain, being a writer, couldn’t stand for his young daughter to feel like her work went unheard, so he decided to pen the following letter to “My Dear Susie Clemens” from “The Man in the Moon” himself.
MOREHe’s Back: Adam Sandler — “The Chanukah Song, Part 4”
I did a show with some friends in San Diego and recorded a new one for you.
Have a great holiday season.
— Adam Sandler
Saturnalia & the History of Christmas
The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many people rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.
MOREA Timeline of the Shocking True Story of the Modern Latke
Warning: This may be upsetting to traditionalist latke lovers.
Courtesy Gabe Friedman
The latke is one of those Jewish foods that feels steeped in tradition, as if it’s been made the same way since the days of the Maccabees.
But in a revelatory article, Atlantic senior editor Yoni Appelbaum explains that the latke as we know it — grated potatoes fried in olive oil — is a relatively new culinary invention. Here, in brief, is the Hanukkah staple’s origin story.
MOREThe Modern Day Chanukah Potato Latke & Recipe
Latke (pronounced LOT-keh, LOT-kah or LOT-kee) is Yiddish for “pancake.” On Chanukah, it is traditional to serve latkes (most often potato) fried in oil to celebrate the Chanukah miracle, which involved the oil of the Temple menorah lasting for eight days instead of just one. Jews eat foods that reflect the significance of a holiday — such as matzah on Passover and apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah — and Chanukah is no exception. For at least the last thousand years, Jews have traditionally eaten oily foods on Chanukah.
MOREThe Deeper Meaning of the Chanukah Oil Miracle
The Paradoxes of Oil as a Guide for Living
Dedicated by David and Eda Schottenstein
In the loving memory of:
Rabbi Levi Yitzchok ben Zalman Yuda Deitsch and Alta Shula Swerdlov
And in honor of the birth of their daughter Yetta Alta Shula, “Aliyah”
Why Celebrate Oil?
The kindling of a menorah during the eight days of Chanukah commemorates an ancient miracle that occurred in our Jerusalem Holy Temple, some 2300 years ago. Following the victory of the Jews over their Greek oppressors who desecrated the Temple and attempted to destroy Judaism, a little cruse of unsoiled olive oil found in the Temple lasted and burned for eight days, till the Jews managed to purchase new pure oil for the daily kindling of the Temple Candelabra. To commemorate this display of Divine grace in a world usually enslaved to nature, the sages of Israel instituted the eight-day holiday of Chanukah, in which we kindle a menorah each night.
MOREChristmas Around the World
Discover how Christmas is celebrated in different countries and cultures around the world!
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The Greatest Christmas Film for the Ages
With apologizes to the fans of the Frank Capra classic, It’s A Wonderful Life, our pick is Ernst Lubitsch’s stunning 1941 masterpiece, The Shop Around the Corner.
Random Acts of Canine Kindness
Cedric the Dog takes a well-earned break after organizing a protest at an alt–right Neo-Nazi rally in Idaho.
Would You Live in ‘The Best Airport in the World’ for a Month? This Guy Just Did!
Courtesy Ashley Rossi
Survivor meets The Truman Show. As a pretty clever marketing ploy, the Helsinki Airport invited Chinese actor and TV personality, Ryan Zhu, to live in the city’s airport for 30 days.
MOREHard Day’s Night 2017
The Story of Chanukah (Hannukah)
Courtesy Chabad.org
Under Syrian Rule
More than 2000 years ago there was a time when the land of Israel was part of the Syrian-Greek Empire, dominated by Syrian rulers of the dynasty of the Seleucids.
In order to relate the story that led up to Chanukah, we shall start with Antiochus III, the King of Syria, who reigned from 3538 to 3574 (222-186 B.C.E.). He had waged war with King Ptolemy of Egypt over the possession of the Land of Israel. Antiochus III was victorious and the Land of Israel was annexed to his empire. At the beginning of his reign he was favorably disposed toward the Jews and accorded them some privileges.
MOREChristmas Facts
Each year, 30-35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States alone. There are 21,000 Christmas tree growers in the United States, and trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold.
MOREThe 12 Days of Christmas
The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January – also known as Twelfth Night. The 12 Days have been celebrated in Europe since before the middle ages and were a time of celebration.
The 12 Days each traditionally celebrate a feast day for a saint and/or have different celebrations:
MORETwelfth Night of Christmas
Twelfth Night was a time of great celebration with people holding large parties. During these parties, often the roles in society were reversed with the servants being served by the rich people. This dated back to medieval and Tudor times when Twelfth Night marked the end of ‘winter’ which had started on 31st October with All Hallows Eve (Halloween).
MOREA Retired Couple Travel 12,000 Miles from Oxford to Hong Kong Using Only Public Transport
MORETime Capsule Cinema
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – A Look Back
By Walt Mundkowsky
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Hands down, this Canadian gem is our pick for the most hilarious, madcap travel show on the cybersphere.
Here’s a look back as the Travel Guys take on the Yukon.
WATCH Travel Guys Take on the YukonSong Facts: Tangled Up in Blue by Bob Dylan
MOREThis Holiday Season Pay Respects to Liz Taylor, Walt Disney at this Glitzy Graveyard to the Stars in Glendale
LA Times
This is one of the grand cemeteries in the world — in setting, in scope, in star power. Step inside Forest Lawn Glendale and honor the memories of Elizabeth Taylor, Walt Disney and Jimmy Stewart, among dozens of other famous names.
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