Today is Gingerbread House Day, a December 12 holiday. Gingerbread cookies are a Christmas tradition. Can you imagine the Christmas season without gingerbread men!? The same holds true with these houses, which are made from the tasty cookies. Our Gingerbread trivia allows you to display your in-depth knowledge of these fun-to-build-and-eat houses.

Ginger has been popular for flavoring foods and drinks since ancient times, all over the world. In 992 A.D., Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis brought gingerbread, his favorite food, to Europe. He taught local Christian bakers how to make it. There are also some records suggesting that Christian crusaders brought gingerbread back with them after the crusades.

It wasn’t until the 1800s, that someone got the wonderful idea of making houses out of gingerbread and decorating them. The tradition of making Gingerbread houses originated in Germany. Its popularity spread around the world. Making gingerbread houses in the days before Christmas is a lot of fun. You can buy kits, or make them from scratch. Kids and adults alike, enjoy cutting the gingerbread to size and using frosting to glue the house together. Decorating is done with a wide variety of colorful candies. Gingerbread houses are very popular at Christmas parties. One of the highlights at Christmas parties is giving the okay to tear apart and eat the house.

You can make a Gingerbread house from scratch or buy a kit. Making them from scratch is involved and time-consuming. Nowadays, most people buy an easy-to-use kit.

For the Record: Guinness World record for the largest gingerbread house is a massive 60 feet long by 42 feet wide and 10 feet tall. It was created by Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas in 2013.

Today is National Fritters Day, a December 2 holiday. Aren’t we all lucky that this special day has finally arrived!? It’s a food holiday and a good-tasting one at that. Ancient Greeks and Romans first made them. Their versatility allows you to make the with just about any foods. Typically. they include fruit, meats, seafood, or vegetables. 

Before you can begin to celebrate this very important day, you need to know what a “fritter” is. Many people do not know, making it all the more fun to eat your first fritter today. A fritter is a fried cake or dough with a variety of food rolled up inside of it. inside. The typical fritter is two to three inches long. Some are larger., while others are made bite-sized. Whatever you do, do not fritter this day away without eating at least one fritter.

Happy National Fritters Day!

Pilgrim Forefather’s Day is today. This December 21 holiday commemorates the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock on this date in 1620. They left for the New World, to escape religious persecution. After a late fall start, the Mayflower set sail from England and landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts just before Christmas. This holiday is celebrated largely in New England. If you are not from New England, chances are you this is the first you have heard of Forefather’s Day.

The pilgrims originally set sail from England in two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell leaked so badly, that they were forced to return to England, Ultimately, they all crammed into the Mayflower, and set sail from Plymouth, England. It was much later than they had planned. Strong fall west winds also delayed their arrival in the New World. Finally, on December 21, 1620 they landed. One can only imagine the hardships those first pilgrims suffered as they arrived in the New World in late December. As a result, many of them died over the harsh New England winter months. 45 of the 102 passengers who came on the Mayflower did not survive the winter of 1620 – 1621.

Don’t be left in the dark on National Flashlight Day. The basic requirement for this December 21 holiday, is a flashlight and good batteries. Flick the switch, and you can put anything into your spotlight. We’d like to shed a little light on this special day. National Flashlight Day arrives on Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day…and longest night…. of the year. “Watt” means, is that there’s lots and lots of darkness. With all of those dark hours, your flashlight is apt to get a good workout.

You never know when you will need a flashlight. National Flashlight Day is a good day to make sure you and your family know where the flashlights are. Test each flashlight, to be sure the batteries are good. When in doubt, replace the batteries with new ones. It is also a good idea to put a flashlight in your car.

Did You Know? The flashlight was invented in 1898 by Joshua Lionel Cowen. However, this wasn’t his greatest invention. He also invented the Lionel train.

Are you feeling a little left out!? You don’t celebrate Christmas or Chanukah. Kwanzaa just isn’t your thing. And, you don’t even know what or when the Ramadan or Dilawi holidays are. Well, you can celebrate during this December 23 holiday. Today is Festivus Day. The slogan for today is “Festivus for the Restivus!”

Come and experience the joy and the Miracle of Festivus. One might say that this holiday is a miracle in itself.

Still not sure if today’s holiday is for you? And, you might even be asking “Just what is Festivus”? It is a non-denominational holiday. And, it’s non-commercial. I’m all for that. As a matter of fact, gift-giving is taboo on this holiday. Everyone can partake in this holiday. As the slogan goes: “A Festivus for the rest of us!” And, that means you, too. So, put up an aluminum pole in your living room. Then gather all of your family and friends around it in celebration of this tradition-filled holiday.

Look for an Evergreen Day is today, a December 19 holiday. For many people, only a fresh-cut real tree will do for Christmas. The scent of fresh pine helps to capture the feel of the holidays. Nothing looks more real than a real tree, each one with its own character and appearance. However, if you decide on an artificial tree, use today’s holiday to go out and get one.

There is no shortage of types of Christmas trees. Generally classified as firs, spruces, and pines, the most popular varieties have changed over the years.  Personal preference and factors like your preference for short-needle or long-needle trees will help you to decide which variety of trees to select. Varieties of Christmas Trees.

As we researched this special day, we questioned the timing. Chances are, you bought your live Christmas tree already. Years ago, however, people bought live Christmas trees late in the season. That’s probably why December 19th was declared “Look for an Evergreen Day”.

If you are still treeless, this special day could be the day to find the perfect Christmas Tree.

National Eggnog Day comes just once a year.  Also spelled “Eggnog Day”, this December 24 holiday celebrates a special, traditional holiday drink. It is consumed with or without Rum. And, if it’s an office or other adult party, the bowl is likely spiked with rum. The timing couldn’t be any better– the day before Christmas— Christmas Eve!

Eggnog is a seasonal holiday drink. Many people say a holiday party is not complete without a crystal bowl filled with it. It appears in stores just before Thanksgiving and is enjoyed by many at the Thanksgiving meal. Consumption then takes a break until the December holidays are in full swing.  Consumption of eggnog peaks on Christmas Eve. By the New Year, it is no longer available in stores. If you want eggnog after New Year’s you will likely have to make it yourself. See Grandpa’s Old English Eggnog Recipe.

No one seems to know who created National Eggnog Day. But, eggnog lovers are ecstatic that this day exists. It’s loaded with stuff that tastes really good. But, the stuff it is loaded with is not necessarily good for you. However, aficionados will tell you that it’s Mmmmm delicious!

Did You Know? Eggnog evolved from a Medieval drink called “Posset”. But, Posset did not contain eggs.

The Correct Spelling: This holiday drink is spelled “Egg Nog” and “Eggnog”, about equally. The carton in the store spells it “Egg Nog”. Which is correct? It depends upon how much rum is in your Egg Nog! … bottoms up!

Eat a Red Apple Day is today.  From Thanksgiving through New Years, we consume an overabundance of food. And not all of it is healthy for us. This December 1 holiday encourages us to take a break from all the candy, and high-in-fat sweets. Instead, eat a red apple. Apples are delicious. They are nutritious. That’s a great combination. They back to the Garden of Eden. In that garden, the Bible tells us it was the “Forbidden fruit”.

It is really easy to participate in this special day. There are thousands of varieties of varieties grown all over the planet. Your mission today is to pick an apple among all of these varieties and eat it.

A little apple trivia: The science of growing apples is called pomology.

Celebrate this special day. Select a juicy piece of the “Forbidden fruit” and have a happy and healthy holiday.

National Cotton Candy Day, a December 7 holiday. Cotton Candy was originally called fairy floss. It is made from Floss (or Flossine) sugar. Cotton Candy is a popular summertime treat. That being the case, why do we celebrate this day in the middle of December? Good question.

In 1899, William Morrison and John C. Wharton invented and patented the cotton candy machine (Then called the Fairy Floss Machine). They brought it to the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, where it was an immediate hit.

Cotton candy is a favorite at amusement parks, circuses, fairs, and sports venues. For many years it was made right on-site and served on a paper cone. Fresh from the Fairy Floss machine, it was warm if eaten immediately. Now, most cotton candy is manufactured at a factory and sold in bags.  It’s good, but not as good as fresh-made. However, automated, self-serve cotton candy machines are showing up in a wide range of places, including shopping malls (see picture above).

We suggest you create a carnival atmosphere today, as you celebrate National Cotton Candy Day!

Chocoholics rejoice again! This is the second “Chocolate” holiday this month. Aren’t we lucky!? We hope that you haven’t quite had your fill of chocolate and sweets during the holidays, as today is National Chocolate Day. This December 24 holiday comes on Christmas Eve. We’ve been eating Christmas cookies and candy all month. What’s a little more sugar to amp us up while Santa flies around tonight!?

As we researched this day, we were a bit perplexed. Most of us have been enjoying chocolate treats all month long. All of the holiday parties have ample supplies for chocolate candies, cookies, and other treats. Christmas get-togethers and Christmas stockings have plenty of chocolate. Wherever you go this month, chocolate of some kind has been less than an arm’s length away.

Equally confusing is the fact that National Chocolate Anything Day occurs earlier in the month. We wonder why there are two practically identical holidays so close together. Then the answer dawned on us…… Chocoholics! If you count yourself in this group, and we hope you do, then you will agree that every day should be National Chocolate Day! 

Ps. Don’t stay up satisfying your chocolate cravings, as Santa Claus will soon visit your house.