Tuesday, December 25, 2012
How much will we spend this year? And what's the best-selling Christmas song of all time? Find the answers below.
We know that there were three Wise Men, 12 days of Christmas and that Santa delivers all his presents around the world in one night. But did you know some of these numbers? $23,439.38 How much it would cost to buy your "true love" all the gifts in the 12 Day of Christmas . 12.9 billion hours, $447 billion How many hours Americans were expected to spend shopping, wrapping and returning gifts last year. That was about 42 hours and $688.87 per person. Get your postman/postwoman a gift According to Hallmark, Christmas is the largest card-sending occasion . Nearly 1.5 billion cards are sent to friends and family every Christmas Season. (That's actually down 400 million cards since 2004.) $983 million The value of U.S. imports of Christmas …
Friday, December 21, 2012
Planetary nebula called NGC 5189 that looks a lot like a glass-blown holiday ornament.
Do they celebrate the holidays in space? Looks like it. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a nearby planetary nebula called NGC 5189 that looks a lot like a glass-blown holiday ornament with a glowing ribbon entwined.
Struggling with how to make those last few batches of Christmas cookies? Try these hassle-free ideas.
These cookies start with a cake mix! One can make several varieties from just one batch of dough. If you’re full-up with sugar cookies, use a chocolate fudge cake mix. The cookies were a big hit with my family, and they’re fun to make with kids. “Cake and Bake” base ingredients: With an electric mixer, beat together the Crisco, butter and vegetable oil. It may seem odd to use three different types of fat in one recipe, but go ahead and try it. The butter adds flavor, the shortening keeps the cookies from spreading too much, and the vegetable oil keeps the mixture from being grainy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Add the cake mix and beat well, set dough aside and assemble your extras. For the extras, think fun things such as …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The fastest-growing and largest choral program in the U.S. for older adults, Encore Chorale, will perform a free holiday concert in Silver Spring on Dec. 16.
All are welcome to attend The Maryland Encore Chorale Holiday Concert, featuring the nation’s largest choral program for older adults. The free concert will be held Dec. 16 from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring. The concert will showcase 175 performers from the Maryland Encore Chorales of Schweinhaut Senior Center, Asbury Methodist Village and Washington Conservatory of Music. The singers will sing mostly secular tunes, including an interpretation of the “Hallelujah Chorus” and “Alleluia Brasileira” by Ralph Manuel. They will also perform “Hanukkah, the Season of Light,” “The Twelve Days After Christmas” and “Christmas Goes Classical,“ a song that combines holiday words with orchestra and opera tunes. …
