December 24th, 2021. Christmas Eve. This year the action is today and not tomorrow. Today we eat we the Christmas meal which a different menu than any other meal of the year. Today we open the gifts. Today we make the memories. The lights are down, the previews over, the show begins. There are only three to choose from today: Last Minute Shoppers Day, Christmas Eve and National Eggnog Day. Now to the history of this date: On this day in 1777, James Cook discovered an Island in the Indian Ocean near Australia and named it Christmas Island. In 1818, “Silent Night” was first sung at St Nicholas parish church in Austria. In 1865, several Confederate veterans formed the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee. In 1877, Thomas Edison filed a patent for the phonograph. In 1948, the first completely solar heated house was occupied in Dover, Mass. And, in 1964 shooting began on “The Cage” which was the pilot for Star Trek. That is an excellent trivia question. This is the day in 1993 that Norman Vincent Peale drew his last breath at the age of 95. Norman said, “The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Thy this for a week and you will be surprised.” “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” I’ll end with this one: “Christmas waves a magic want over this word, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. Abide.
