Have you ever heard someone described as quirky? What does it mean? Essentially, someone who’s quirky is unconventional with an unusual mix of qualities that are hard to define, but essntially end up being interesting or charming. The word can be used to describe anything that doesn’t quite fit with the norm and stands out on its own. The wirters of this new Author’s Billboard box set have put that idea to work in their latest boxset, an early winter/holiday present to you.
QUIRKY CAREERS? You bet! Follow the Fun with NEW Romantic Comedies! There’s humor in everything, even that economic obligation called a career!
What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever heard of? An ostrich groomer? A Lego inspector? A toothpick tester? How about a barroom Santa, exotic dancer, or a woman who repairs chain saws and lawn mowers?
Some of your favorite Romantic Comedy authors are returning withNEW
Welcome to the last post for Tuesday Tales in 2021. This has been a hard year for many of us. Here’s hoping 2022 will be better. Our word prompt this week is GREEN. I’m continuing with Royal Flush. Enjoy, and I’ll see you here next year.
When my father had shown up at the board meeting with Isamu Tadashi, heir apparent to Bonsai Aeronautics, I’m sure I turned green, ready to lose my breakfast. I knew exactly what was going through dear daddy’s cold, calculating mind. Despite a little thing called creating a monopoly, he was hoping for more than one merger this year, and I was having none of it. Isamu, raised in a traditional Japanese family, one with ties to the Emperor, would expect his wife to be meek, mild, and obedient. I was none of those things and didn’t intend to start now. If Dad wanted to find someone who would take one for the team, he needed to look elsewhere.
While Dad had been arranging dinner with Isamu and the rest of our family, I’d been on the phone to my cousin, Jewel. Her father had tried to pull the same stunt a few years ago, and like me, she’d refused to have anything to do with it. Did I mention my extended family had a habit of naming their girls after gemstones? My female cousins, according to age, were Opal, Jade, Ruby, Amber, and Jewel. I rounded out the family’s weird habit with Pearl and, as the last of this generation not married, I honestly hoped the trend would stop with us. Jewel had escaped her fate and had fallen in love with and married a hunky cowboy she’d met years earlier at one of the annual family get-togethers on Catalina Island. I wasn’t looking to marry anyone, least of all Isamu.
I’d played nice-nice until Isamu had returned to Japan, and then I’d made my escape. At the moment, my dad believed I was in Norway, visiting an old friend and waiting out the virus and travel restrictions. That excuse had lasted three months and wasn’t going to be good much longer, but I really wasn’t ready to go back to Beverley Hills and the merger he proposed—not that Isamu had been anything but a perfect gentlemen. He just didn’t interest me. Besides, I liked it here in this small Vermont town where everyone treated me as if I were just an ordinary hard-working stiff.
“His name’s Kyle Stapleton, and he grew up here.” It didn’t occur to me not to answer Randy’s question. “You’ll probably remember him because of his mother.” I shrugged.
That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales
Those of you who follow Tuesady Tales have had a few glimpses at Foreverin my Heart, the book which begins with great lost and ends with new love. Well, the book is finished and available on Amazon or free to read in Kindle Unlimited.
All Callista Hayworth has ever wanted was to be loved. Callie’s heart was crushed six years ago when she walked in on her twin sister in the arms of her fiancé. She fled Timberton and cut all ties with the last member of her family. She’s rebuilt her life, but some things can never be fixed. When she learns of the tragic accident that has orphaned her infant nieces, she sets aside her anger and returns to the scene of her greatest heartache. What she doesn’t expect is her reaction to the twins’ uncle and his proposition. Michael Branscomb swore off women years ago, after the woman he loved left him for his best friend. A deathbed promise to his twin brother has to be honored. The last thing the confirmed bachelor wants or needs is a wife and children, but you don’t always get what you want. He’ll do almost anything for his twin, but can he marry a stranger? When he meets Callie, commonsense goes out the window, and he proposes a marriage of convenience, offering each of them an end to loneliness and a promise at the future they want. Will the spirit of Christmas convince Callie to give him a chance, especially when there’s a Grinch in the works determined to see the past repeat itself?
In a word, Yes. In 2021, December 21 will be the shortest day–or longest night–of the year if and only if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. At precisely 9:59 a.m. CST on December 21, the Winter Solsice will occur, ushering in Winter for the Northern Hemispher and Summer for the Southern Hemisphere. And, get this. It doesn’t matter where you live, the solstice happens for everyone at the same time.
So what exactly happens? According to NASA, Although the tilt of the Earth as compared to the plane of its orbit around the sun is more or less constant (23.5 degrees), at the December solstice, the Northern Hemisphere receives the most indirect sunlight, causing cooler temperatures. The Southern Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight, causing warmer temperatures, so it is summer there. At the June solstice, this effect reverses and the Northern Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight, causing warmer temperatures, and the Southern Hemisphere receives the most indirect sunlight, causing cooler temperatures.
In essense, every place north of the equator will see a shorter than 12 hour day, and everyplace south of the equater will have a longer than 12 hour day. According to the local weather channel, the sun rose here this morning at 7:39 EST, and will set at 4:22 p.m. EST. At noon, if you’re fortunate enough to have a sunny day, you’ll see the sun sitting lower on the horizon than usual, and your shadow will be the longest it’s been all year. Of course, if it’s cloudy where you are, as it is here, you won’t see anything. An interesting thing to note, that while this may be the shortest day, it isn’t the one with the earliest sunset. That happened between December 5th and 13th, when the sun set at 4:19 p.m. So why is today shorter? Because the sun rose later– a full 13 minutes!
Some of you living in the Northern Hemisphere may not realize that official Winter has two different stating dates. Meteorological Winter started on Dec. 1 and runs until the end of Ferburary, followed by Spring, March 1 to May 31, Summer, June 1 to August 31, and Fall ,September 1st to November 30th.
Over the years, we’ve been taught to date the seasons by the astronomical calendar, and the dates were always fixed: Winter, December 21st, Spring, March 21st, Summer, June 21st, and Fall, September 21st. The biggest problem with that was that because our calendar year doesn’t line up with the astrological year, we’re always just a little off. The solstice and equinox, as in Spring and Fall, have a date range, the earliest being the 19th of the month, the latest the 23rd. In terms of the Winter Solstice, you’ll have to be around in 2303 to see that one fall on the 23rd. The odds are not in your favor!
How you choose to spend your shortest or longest day depending on whether you are in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere is up to you. I still have a few things to do for Christmas so that will keep me busy. To those of you in the north, enjoy your day this year, remembering that the ancients celerbrated this day as the rebirth of the sun since from now on, the days are going to get longer! Have a great Winter Solstice Day! For those in the south, face it, from now on your days are going to get shorter! That’s just the way it is!
I would like to wish all those who follow the Tuesday Tales posts Season’s Greetings. Things may not be back to normal, but if we persevere maybe we can make the best of it. Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. Our prompt word is RED. I’m continuing with Royal Flush, my contemporary romance.
“Pearl, Randy needs a refill on his coffee. Can you take care of it while I go you-know?” Blair asked as she hurried past me on her way to the washroom. At six-months pregnant, it seemed she spent more time in there than on the floor.
“Yeah, sure,” I called to her retreating back. I turned back to my customer. “I’ll be right back. He gets cranky if he has to wait too long.”
Kyle glanced over at the table.
“I suppose the sheriff only has so long,” he agreed, noting the man’s uniform.
“Randy’s a deputy, but yeah. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“Jealous boyfriend?” He cocked an eyebrow.
I rolled my eyes and laughed. Even if I’d been looking for male companionship, good old Randy wasn’t my type. “Hardly. He’s got a wife and four kids, but he does take his job seriously. Don’t be surprised if he stops and gives you the third degree—that is unless he knows you.”
“He may. It’s been a while, but I doubt I’ve changed all that much. You’d better get over there.”
My cheeks burned. No doubt I was beet red. The problem with having a fair complexion was that I blushed easily. Dying my hair brown and wearing brown contact lenses might’ve changed my appearance some, but it hadn’t stopped the blushing. If anything, the deep chocolate made me seem paler, requiring a heavier application of makeup just to avoid all the comments about the state of my health.
“Morning, Randy,” I said, refilling his cup. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Nope, this is fine for now. Who’s the guy chatting you up at the counter? That leather jacket isn’t one I’ve seen around town.”
I smiled. When I’d shown up in town a couple of months ago, he’d grilled me. Thank goodness I’d made sure to cross every T and dot every I in the ID and background I’d brought with me. If anyone discovered who I really was, they would be on the phone to my father in no time. He would drag me back to California fast enough to give me whiplash. I might be an adult in the eyes of the law, but as sole heir to Ripcord Avionics, the largest producer of avionics in the country, I was expected to tow the line and do as I was told.
That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales
Have you ever heard someone described as quirky? What does it mean? Essentially, someone who’s quirky is unconventional with an unusual mix of qualities that are hard to define, but essntially end up being interesting or charming. The word can be used to describe anything that doesn’t quite fit with the norm and stands out on its own. The wirters of this new Author’s Billboard box set have put that idea to work in their latest boxset, an early winter/holiday present to you.
QUIRKY CAREERS? You bet! Follow the Fun with NEW Romantic Comedies! There’s humor in everything, even that economic obligation called a career!
What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever heard of? An ostrich groomer? A Lego inspector? A toothpick tester? How about a barroom Santa, exotic dancer, or a woman who repairs chain saws and lawn mowers?
Some of your favorite Romantic Comedy authors are returning with NEW stories to take the edge off the hassles of the day and life in general. The Word Wranglers of the Wacky, Wonderful Women, Ditzy Dudes, and Unique and Unpredictable CUTE BUT CRAZY box set collections have taken on another topic: Quirky Careers.
Loads of laughs as our authors follow behind hapless men and women as they tangle with weather, obstacles, and each other while trying to maintain a good work ethic and not fall in love.
Susan Jean Ricci – Just Horsing Around: NEW! Horse ranchers turned sleuths, Joshua and Bella endeavor to purge an unsavory character who’s destroying their precious neighboring wetlands – and confront falling love in the process.
Dani Haviland – The Purebred and the Mutt: NEW! Cultures clash when a British celebrity and a proud but poor American wind up under the same roof in Forever, Montana.
Mona Risk – Delightfully Serious Plans: NEW! A jack of all trades fights discrimination to win the heart of the lady lawyer who dreams of cruising the world with him.
Susanne Matthews – Emerald Glow: NEW! She’s given up on finding the right man. After a painful divorce, he’s sworn off women. A new job is what they both need to get their lives in order. But you don’t always get what you want, especially when a typo can spell disaster.
Aileen Fish – That Dream Girl:NEW! She’s supposed to be an authority on dreams, but he’s breaking all the rules.
Rachelle Ayala – Santa on Strike: NEW! Bette’s bar is on the ropes when her biggest attraction, the barroom Santa, goes on strike a few days before Christmas.
Denise Devine – Merry Christmas, Darling: A desperate bachelor enlists his neighbor to pose as his wife to appease his dying mother and unexpectedly finds love under the mistletoe.
Like many of the traditions that are part of Christmas, Christmas Stockings may also have a pagan origin. Do you remember my discussion on Sanata Claus? Well, Christmas stockings go hand in hand with it and the Norse/Germanic god, Odin. According to Phyllis Siefker, a Christmas historian, children left their straw-filled boots by the chimney–some might add carrots–for Odin’s flying horse, Sleipnir. Odin would thank the children for their thoughtfulness by replacing the food for his horse with small gifts and sweets.
While some of the pagan practices disapperared with the advent of Christianity, this one persevered especially in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands where boots were replaced by shoes. In Bari, Italy, according to the Grandmother cult, she was the one who filled the stockings. Eventually, Odin and the Grandmnother blended with the story of St. Nicholas and later Santa Claus.
The trouble with oral tradition and folklore is that there are few written records. According to the legend of St. Nicholas, the Greek bishop saved three sisters from slavery by secretly providing each of them with a bag of gold coins, their father being too proud, or would that be too stubborn? to accept charity. The legend has several variations. Some say the bags of gold fell from the chimney into the stockings the girls had left by the fireplace to dry; others claimed he tossed the bags into the cottage through an open window, while still more claim he gave them each a gold ball–variations on a theme. If you would like to know more about the saint. Check this out. https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas
When people moved from boots to shoes and eventually stockings, they used their own, so big feet had more room for sweets and presents. As a child, my stocking always contained an orange, a treat back then when such fruit was rare. Then there were small toys, maybe a book since I loved to read, and of course candy canes, a rare treat as well. Eventually, knowing a good thing when they saw it, people began designing stockings specifically for this. Those stockings were and are still hung in some places on Saint Nicholas Day. In the early 1800s, they also came to be used on Christmas Eve when Father Christmas stepped into the picture.
Today, you can get stockings in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they are by no means the only place Santa leaves toys and gifts. Checking under the Christmas tree for the big stuff is always nice.
That’s it. My seven days of the pagan origins of Christmas are complete. I hope that however you celebrate at this time of the year, that you have a wonderful holiday season.
Like many of the traditions we’ve discussed so far, the Yule Log, which originally was an entire tree, not simply a branch or an large ivy wrapped log like below, originated in pagan celebrations, such as the Anglo Saxon fire ceremonies of the Winter Solstice and the Yule festivities of Scandanavian people. The Yule Log was brought into the home during the mid-winter festival, the large end set ablaze in the hearth. Our home is equipped with a woodburning fireplace, but while we do burn good-sized logs, I draw the line an an entire tree unless it’s been cut into suitable pieces.
A Traditional Yule Log with Ivy Bands. Picture Credit: Rosser1954. Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Burning the Yule Log was popular not only in Scandanavia but in most of Northern Europe, including England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The log served the dual purpose of celebrating the rebirth of the sun since the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, usually December 21, had passed and to keep the fire burning while everyone overindulged in food and drink, feasting to excess. Since the log was so big, it lasted the entire period, meaning no one had to look after the fire while people celebrated. The Yuletime hangover was a real thing, heavily condemened by the early Christian church, but it wasn’t easy to stop people from enjoying themselves at the darkest time of the year.
As the Roman Empire grew, the Yule festivities merged with those of Saturnalia, the feast dedicated to the god Saturn, who was also the patron god of soldiers. Gradually Christianity replaced the old Roman religion, and in the fourth century when the Roman rulers created the Holy Roman Empire to spread catholicism, they dictated that December 25th would be the day they celebrated the birth of Christ. To make the new religion more palatable, they incorporated a number of pagan celebrations into the event– including the Persian festival honoring Mithra, the god of light and Saturn the god of agriculture. They even managed to place the Feast of Epiphany, the visit of the Magi on the twelth day of the pagan Yule celebration.
Throughout the Middle ages, people continued to use Yule Logs in various fashions. By the seventeenth century, celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas, the period between the birth of Christ and the Magi’s arrival, and the Yule Log were very much an integral part of the Christmas celebration. Robert Herrick, a seventeenth century writer described the fanfare that surrounded the arrival of the yule log. In England, a group of young men would carry it into the house with ceremony and singing.
In parts of France, cutting down the tree to be used as the Yule Log was a family affair, with a small portion of the log burned each of the Twelve Nights. Whatever was left over from the log was taken out of the hearth after the last night and kept safe in the house until the next Christmas when it would be used as kindling for the new Yule Log. People believed the burned log would protect the house from lightning strikes and fire. In the Netherlands, the log was kept under the bed for good luck–not the safest practice I’m sure. The ashes were saved and come spring, they were scattered over the fields to protect the new plants and fertilize the soil.
None of this sounds very Christian. In truth, it wasn’t. Over the years, the practice of burning the Yule Log has changed. With the advent of different methods to heat the home, burning trees indoors wasn’t practical. Instead, the Yule Log became more ornamental. Instead of burning the log, candles are placed atop it and burned instead. The candles can be almost any color.
Photo Credit Jerry Callaghan/Shutterstock
Like in the past, the candlelight celebrates the return of the sun and the longers days leading to the arrival of spring.
Today, to many people, the Yule Log is better known as Bûche De Noël, Yule Log, in French and a dessert enjoyed by many at Christmas. IInterested in making one of your own? Here’s a step-by-step demonstration.
So there you have today’s pagan celebration incorporated into Christmas. Come back tomorrow for another Christmas Fact.
We’re all familiar with the concept of a jolly, white-bearded man in a red suit who flies through the skies on Christmas Eve delivering presents to all the good boys and girls around the world. No matter how you picture him, Santa Claus, aka Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas, is a familiar figure at Christmas time. This image, taken by me a couple of years ago shows a Victorian Santa.
But did you know that today’s Santa has pagan origins, too?
Photo: W.G. Collingwood / Wikimedia Commons Odin atop his eight-legged steed, Sleipnir. In pagan times the pair would ride at Yule, terrifying those who dared to be out but also bringing candy and toys to children. Clement C. Moore replaced Sleipnir with eight flying reindeer in his 18th-century poem, and the image stuck.
Much of the information in today’s post is credited to Judith Gabriel Vinje from Los Angeles who posted parts of this in an article for the Norwegian American in December 2014.
The belief in a beared man flying through the night sky most likely dates back to the Norse and Germanic mythology. The various people of Northern Europe celebrated a holiday called Yule, which took place midwinter around the winter solstice. In many ways, Santa may owe his very existance to the Norse god Odin, but he’s certainly changed over the years, changing not only his appearance but going from a powerful and terrifying Viking god to a fat, jolly good natured man.
The nextfew paragraphs are taken directly from the article.
Odin was chief among the Norse pagan deities. (We still remember him in the day of the week named for him, Wednesday, Woden’s Day.) He was spiritual, wise, and capricious. In centuries past, when the midwinter Yule celebration was in full swing, Odin was both a terrifying specter and an anxiously awaited gift-bringer, soaring through the skies on his flying eight-legged white horse, Sleipnir.
Back in the day of the Vikings, Yule was the time around the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21. Gods and ghosts went soaring above the rooftops on the Wild Ride, the dreaded Oskoreia. One of Odin’s many names was Jólnir (master of Yule). Astride Sleipnir, he led the flying Wild Hunt, accompanied by his sword-maiden Valkyries and a few other gods and assorted ghosts.
The motley gang would fly over the villages and countryside, terrifying any who happened to be out and about at night. But Odin would also deliver toys and candy. Children would fill their boots with straw for Sleipnir, and set them by the hearth. Odin would slip down chimneys and fire holes, leaving his gifts behind. Sound familiar?
With the advent of Christianity, participating in any pagan celebrations was forbidden. Yule was changed to a celebration of the birth of the Christ child and Odin gradually faded from the picture and the celebration.
The first person to take Odin’s place was St. Nicholas, a Greek bishop from the 4th century, usually dressed in a flowing red cloak. He became the patron saint of gift-giving in most parts of the world, but not in Scandinavia.
In many parts of Scandinavia, including Norway, neither St. Nicholas nor Santa Claus are the most common Christmas gift-giving icons. That honour belongs to julenisse, a creature found in Scandinavian folklore, a nisse, called a tomte in Sweden, is a gnome-like, short creature with a long white beard and a red hat. Nisse were a lot like the elves who helped the shoemakker in the fairy tale. During the year, they helped farmers with their chores, but on Christmas Eve they entered the houses through the front door and left gifts for the family. But Nisse were temperamental creatures, and if the family forgot to leave him bowl of porridge with butter in it on Christmas Eve — the spirit might turn against his friends and that could be a lot worse than a lump of coal in a stocking.
With the Reformation, Saint Nick and all the other sainbts were pushed aside in most places but not in the Netherlands. There he became Sinterklaas, a wise old man with a white beard, white dress, and red cloak who surprisingly rode thtough the skies on his magical eight-legged white horse, delivering gifts down the chimney to the well-behaved children on Dec. 6, also known as St. Nicholas Day. Do you see the mixing of pagan and Christian traditions here? He arrives with his helper Zwarte Piet who keeps track of all the good girls and boys.
Time passed and when the Europeans came to North America, they brought their traditions with them. While the Dutch brought Sinterklass, the English Father Christmas, the French brought Père Noël or Papa Noël who came down from the heavens and delivered toys and gifts. Before going to bed on Christmas Eve, children would fill their shoes with carrots and treats for Père Noël’s donkey, Gui, the French word for Mistletoe. Père Noël would accept the food and replace it with gifts small enough to fit inside the shoes. In some parts of France, notably Alsace and Lorraine, Belgium, Switzerland, and some areas in Eastern Europe, on December 6, Le Père Fouettard, a sinister figure clothed in black travels with St. Nicholas and spanks those boys and girls who’ve misbehaved throughout the year. I grew up in a French Canadian home with Père Noël although mine looked a lot like my English friends’ Santa Claus.
Today, much of the tradition we associate with Santa Claus comes from the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement C. Moore. Odin and Sinterklaas’s eight-legged horse has morphed into eight flying reindeer–nine if you add Rudolph. The nisse have become elves who work at the North Pole making toys, and Santa eats milk and cookies, not buttered porridge.
Today’s image of Santa owes a lot to the Coca-Cola company advertizing. In 1931, they gave us the image of the jolly, old elf we are most familiar with.
For years now, I’ve collected various Santas. He changes from year to year and country to country, but in the end, he still brings joy and laughter, candy and gifts, to children everywhere.
So there you have it. Come back tomorrow to see what new fact I’ll have to share.
Another Christmas tradition rooted in paganism is the act of gift-giving. Think it started because of the gifts of the Magi? Think again.
The custom of giving gitfs at Christmas originated with Saturnalia, the Roman feast celebrating the god Saturn.
Unlike the mega shopping blitz of today, Saturnalia gifts were small and given for luck. It was also considered proper to give charity to those less fortunate, something that contiunues to be popular at this time of the year.
As Christianity grew in the Roman territories, the custom of gift-giving moved over to New Year’s Day. In the 4th century, the church made December 25th the official birthday for Jesus, and tied the tradition of giving gifts to those presented by the Magi–gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The song, We Thrre Kings clearly explains the symbolism of each gift.
They tied that Biblical incident to the legend of Saint Nicholas a fourth-century Christian bishop who was known for his generous gift-giving. Gradually, the practice of giving gifts became a part of Christmas celebrations.
Not every ruler interpreted the practice the same way, and some saw it as a time to gather tributes and tithes during that period. The story of Good King Wenceslas changed that thinking. Soon gift-giving to superiors was replaced by gifts to children. In some countries, gifts were exchanged on other days than Christmas itself. For some, gifts were given on December 6, St. Nicholas Day, while others were given on New Year’s Eve. The custom of gift giving at Christmas was given a boost by books such as A Visit From St. Nicholas and Dickens, A Christmas Carol. In fact some gave gifts on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Today’s custom of giving gifts got a real boost from the Coca-Cola company in the 1930s, but that’s tomorrow’s story.
While the beginning of giving gifts might have started small, today it is a billion dollar industry that can make or break a company. Now people try to outdo one another in a frenzy of mass consumerism and greed.
Living the Dream 