As Rick was picking out his costume, he wondered how Halloween ever began.  So, he started researching and this is what he found.  The ancient Celtic ( kelt-ic) tribes believed that the line between the living and the dead became dangerous for the living on October 31st.  This is when the weather became colder leading to sicknesses and damage to crops.  they tried to ward off the evil spirits by lighting bonfires.  Just like our modern day Halloween, masks and costumes were worn to ward off the evil spirits.  One of the names for these festivals was Samhain (sow-een or sah-veen).  The day after Samhain was called All Hallows Day.  Therefore, the night before All Hallows Day was known as All Hallows Even, which was shortened to Hallowe'en, and then to Halloween as we know it.  Today we celebrate with costumes and visiting houses asking, "Trick or Treat?".  Hopefully all of you will be getting the treat instead of the trick.  Ricki wants all of you to have fun on October 31st, but also wants to make sure you're safe!  Here are some tips to stay safe.

 - Stay on sidewalks.  -Walk, don't run.  - Obey traffic signals.  - Don't cut across yards.  - Only stop at lit houses.  - Carry a flashlight if possible.  - Stay away from animals you don't know.  - Have mom or dad check your candy before eating.

 

   

-  Americans feast on 535 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving.

-  Benjamin Franklin wanted to be our national bird.

-  Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, however wild turkeys can fly up to 55 miles per hour over short distances.

- Only make (tom) turkeys gobble.  Females (hen) make a clicking noise.

-  The heaviest turkey weighed in at 86 pounds- about the size of a German Shepard.

- A turkey under 16 weeks of age is called a fryer.  A 5-7 month old is called a roaster.

-  Turkeys are known to spend the night in trees!  (Maybe to escape the Thanksgiving table!)

-  Turkeys can drown if they look up when its raining. 

-  A turkey's field of vision is 270 degrees-  one of the main reasons they elude hunters.

-  The average age of the Mayflower passenger was 32.  The oldest was 64.

- Pilgrims never wore buckles on their hat or shoes.

-  There was no milk, butter, bread, cheese, or pumpkin pie at the first Thanksgiving feast.

- The cranberry got its name because of the pale pink blossoms on the plant resembled a crane's head and neck.  Craneberry stuck and then became cranberry.

-  Cranberries of high quality will bounce.  (Just make sure you clean them off before you eat them.)

-  President Abe Lincoln established the original date for the Thanksgiving celebration in 1863.  Congress did not declare it a holiday until 1941.

 

Did you know that some countries celebrate Christmas on a different day or even on several days?  We, in the United States, celebrate Christmas on December 25th each year.  In the Netherlands, they celebrate on December 5th in anticipation for Sinterklaas Avond or St. Nicholas.  Dutch children are lucky because on December 6th they celebrate with family activities, after which everyone settles down to prepare for Christmas Day on December 25th and Three Kings Day on January 6th.  In Malaysia, they have Open House, where all Christians open their house to their neighbors and friends of any religion to come in and enjoy Christmas food and drink!  In Russia, special prayers are said until January 6th, which is the first evening star appears in the sky.  Then they have a twelve apostles.  This meal usually consists of fish, beet soup, cabbage stuffed with millet, cooked dried fruit, and much more!  They lay hay on tables and floors to encourage horse feed to grow in the coming year.  On January 7th, Christmas Day, people gather in churches and hymns and carols are sung.  Do you have a favorite tradition your family does during Christmas?  Ricki's favorite is the wonderful Christmas Eve feast that includes his favorites: fruits, nuts, berries, and corn! 

Would you like to know how to be able to say "Merry Christmas" in a few different languages?

Arabic: Milad Majid  Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha  Bosnian: Cestit Bozic I Sretna Nova Godina  Brazilian: Feliz Navidad  Chinese: Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun  Dutch: Zalig Kerstfeast  French: Joyeux Noel  German: Frohliche Weihnachten  Hawaiin: Mele Kelikimaka  Italian: Buone feste Natalizie  Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha  Spanish: Feliz Navidad

 

                         

As Santa makes his way to your house this Christmas, Ricki wants to make sure you don't forget about his reindeer.  Ricki has come up with a quick recipe for Reindeer Food.  Make it in advance and remember to put it outside your house on Christmas Eve where Santa's 8 reindeer can eat while Santa is working.

1 cup of sugar

1 cup instant oatmeal

1 cup red and green sugar crystals (used for cookie and cake decorating)

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and divide and place in little baggies or baby food jars.  Pass out to all your friends and family!  If giving a gift please attach the following poem:

Be sure to take this magic food and sprinkle on the lawn.

On Christmas, Santa's reindeer travel miles before the dawn.

The smell of oats and sparkling path will guide them on their way.

And you'll wake up to Santa's gifts next morn on Christmas day!

 

Birthday Corner Ricki loves birthdays!  What a special day they are, and` we at PSB want to help you celebrate.  Just bring in your birthday coupon, and Ricki will deposit $5 in to your savings account.

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Please write or email Ricki with fun ideas of things you would like to do with Ricki. He'd love to hear you ideas!

 

 

 

 

 

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