December 1. December 5. December 2. December 6. December 3. December 4. December 7

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1 December 1 Tomorrow, on the 2nd day of the 12th month, try a 2 x 2 2-worded tongue twister 2 times fast! Greek grapes flash message fast fishes December 2 Every December near Katmandu, a threeday polo contest is held in which elephants not horses are ridden by the players. The colorfully painted elephants seem to understand the game, following the ball up and down the field, constantly moving into the best position for the player to swing his or her mallet, and never picking up the ball with their trunks as they could easily do. For several years the games were played with a large soccer ball, but the elephants took such delight in squashing the soccer balls that the players went back to regulation wooden polo balls. December 3 Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open. James Dewar December 4 Elevator Etiquette Maybe! 1. Face forward. 2. Hold hands in front. 3. Do not make eye contact. 4. Watch the numbers. 5. Don t talk to anyone you don t know. 6. Stop talking with anyone you do know when anyone you don t know enters the elevator. December 5 Words that end in onym are names for a type of word. Here is a list of onym words and their meanings: acronym formed by combining the first letters in an expression or phrase ( Scuba comes from self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.) aptonym a name that s suited to the person s profession (Boom-Boom Mancini, a professional boxer) capitonym takes on new meaning when capitalized (polish vs Polish) toponym began as the name of a place (hamburger from Hamburg, Germany) December 6 Here s a great way to trick your body: 1. Stand up against a wall. 2. Try to raise your arm against the wall. Basically, you try to lift your arm through the wall. 3. Do this for several minutes. 4. Step away from the wall. 5. Relax your arm down to your side. Whoa! Your arm has a mind of its own! December 7 Ball Trivia smallest tip of ballpoint pen Wiffle invented by two young brothers billiard Louis XI, King of France ( ) had them bowling from ancient game of Heidenwerfen, meaning knock down pagans State University David Letterman s alma mater Lucille zany, redheaded actress

2 December 8 Phobias Bathophobia means a serious dislike of baths Teratophobia means an abnormal fear of monsters Cynophobia means a major dislike of dogs December 9 Character is what you are in the dark. D. L. Moody The final forming of a person s character lies in their own hands. Anne Frank No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt December 10 I remember turning from one year old to two years old. I was real upset, because I figured in one year my age doubled. If this keeps up, by the time I m six, I ll be ninety. Steven Wright December 11 Match the dance with its decade: 1. Disco a. 1990s 2. Break b. 1960s 3. Twist c. 1980s 4. Swing d. 1950s 5. Hip Hop e. 1970s 6. Mambo f. 1940s 1 e; 2 c; 3 b; 4 f; 5 a; 6 d December 12 Interested in Magic? Kids 12 and over who have a serious interest in magic can get a junior membership in the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM), the world s largest magic organization. Write to: IBM Application, South Towne Square, St. Louis, Missouri Membership dues are $40.00 for the first year; members receive a membership certificate, card, and pin; a one-year subscription to The Linking Ring; and a one-year subscription to Top Hat. December years ago in Mexico, the Aztecs played Ollamalitzli, a game that closely resembled basketball. December 14 Author Anagrams A.A. Milne Am alien Roald Dahl A hard doll Beverly Cleary Very racy belle December 15 How and Why? It takes 200,000 frowns to make a permanent wrinkle. Baby blue whales gain ten pounds every hour. Pigs and humans are the only mammals that get sunburned. To say one word, you use over 70 muscles.

3 December 16 Confused about which foods it s okay to eat with your fingers? If it s on the following list, you can pick it up and chow down: asparagus (but not with sauce), bacon, French fries, fried and barbecued chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs (in a bun), pizza. December 17 Rice Krispie Treat Holiday Decorations 5 cups Rice Krispies ¼ cup butter or margarine 4 cups miniature marshmallows 10 to 12 regular size marshmallows 1 teaspoon green food coloring red cinnamon candies Melt margarine in a 3-quart saucepan, then add 4 cups marshmallows and cook over low heat, stirring until it gets syrupy. Remove from the heat and add green food coloring. Stir in Rice Krispies and mix thoroughly. Make sure that the mixture is not too hot to touch before you mold it into a holiday shape. When your creation has completely cooled, stick a toothpick through a marshmallow and then onto the bottom as a base. Decorate with the cinnamon candies. December 18 How much deeper would the ocean be if sponges didn t live there? Steven Wright What is full of holes but is great for holding liquid? Weird note: If a living sponge is squeezed through a fine mesh, each piece will regenerate into an individual living sponge. a sponge December 19 Alliterations (words that start with the same sound): Hundreds of hectic hummingbirds hum hilariously as they hungrily hover and hide in henna highlighted hibiscus. December What did the snail say when it hitched a ride on the turtle s back? 2. Why did the turtle cross the road? 2. To get to the shell station 1. Weeeeeeeeeeee! December 21 Solve the Word Puzzle below. The letters and words are arranged to give you clues to find the answer. For example: cheditorief stands for the phrase editor in chief. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Hint: We wish you a merry Christmas Noel (no L ) December 22 Right? Chicago is called the Windy City because of the strong winds blowing in from Lake Michigan. Wrong! Chicago is not even among the country s top 20 windy cities. Chicago picked up the nickname because so many of its bigmouthed politicians are considered to be full of hot air.

4 December 23 Sports Superstitions Golf Carry coins in your pockets. Tennis Don t wear yellow clothes. Bowling Don t change your clothes during a hot streak. Basketball Be the last player to shoot during warm-up. December 24 Who s Missing? 1. Blitzen 2. Comet 3. Cupid 4. Dancer 5. Dasher 6. Donner 7. Prancer 8. Vixen 9. December 26 Match the jack with who or what it is: Jack 1. Jack and Jill 2. Jackstraw 3. Jack Benny 4. Jack-o -lantern 5. Jack Nicholson 6. Jack-in-the-pulpit Who or What a. Radio and TV funny guy born this day in 1894 b. Thirsty, clumsy, and very sore c. Game similar to pick-up sticks d. Pumpkin head e. Flower f. Actor 1 b; 2 c; 3 a; 4 d; 5 f; 6 e Rudolph (These are Santa s reindeer.) December 25 Why do people cry when they peel onions? The eyes are very sensitive to the onion s volatile oils, which easily escape whenever an onion is sliced. When the oil in the air hits your eyes, your body snaps into a defensive position, producing tears to expel the irritant. Wearing a scuba diving mask would help a lot! December 27 Breakdown of M&M Plain Chocolate Candy colors per bag: Brown 30% Yellow 20% Red 20% Tan 10% Blue 10% Green 10% Brown was the original color of M&M s Peanut Chocolate Candies. Yellow, orange, and green were added later. Tan replaced violet in The little m s were originally printed in black, but were changed to white in 1954.

5 December 28 What am I? I come more softly than a bird, And lovely as a flower; I sometimes last from year to year, And sometimes but an hour. I stop the swiftest railroad train, Or break the stoutest tree. And yet I am afraid of fire, And children play with me. snow December 29 TERMI KASIH! Termi kasih is Indonesian for thank you. It s pronounced t ree-ma kas-seh. December 30 Complete the following, stick it in a soda bottle with a screw-on top, grab a shovel, and bury the bottle as a time capsule. (You can put in photos, front pages of newspapers, and other items too.) My name is: I buried this on (date): I was born (year): My favorite book is: My favorite movie is: My favorite TV show is: December 31 Share your New Years Resolution with someone you love.