I finally got to see Rogue One a couple of days ago, and enjoyed it thoroughly. No, I'm not going to tell you what happened, even though you know where the plot goes. John Green is overflowing with Star Wars trivia, and he can't help but share it in this week's episode of the mental_floss List Show. But really, there is no controversy about whether Han shot first -he did. The controversy is about the egregiousness of Lucas changing it. -via mental_floss
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The cats of Big Cat Rescue get their Christmas treats just like house cats: trees, boxes, gift wrap, and even paper ornaments. What else could a cat want?
Watch tigers, cougars, bobcats, leopards, and a serval destroy the accoutrements of the holiday. -via Tastefully Offensive
Here's a recipe so easy the kids can do it -and they need something to do during Christmas break. Christmas Grinch Popcorn would also be perfect to much on while watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The popcorn is coated with green candy and decorated with M&Ms, hearts (three sizes too small, of course) and red Grinch eyes. Get the recipe and instructions at Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons. -Thanks, hearsetrax!
The following is an article from Uncle John's 24-Karat Gold Bathroom Reader.
(Image credit: Flickr user Steven Falconer)
You probably think of Santa as a jolly guy in a red suit who hangs out with elves and reindeer. But that’s only the American view. Saint Nick, it turns out, is a man of the world, and other countries have their own wildly varying versions.
Kyrgyzstan
In this former Soviet republic, Santa is known as Ayaz Ata (“Snow Father”) and he delivers presents on New Year’s Eve, not Christmas Eve. Schools host “Christmas Tree Parties” in the week leading up to December 31 to help prepare for Ayaz’s arrival. The celebration is part Christmas and part Halloween, as children dress in costumes. Ayaz doesn’t have reindeer and elves—he walks with a staff and is assisted by his adopted daughter, Aksha Kar. According to legend, Aksha was once made out of snow, but she began to melt in the spring after Ayaz and his wife adopted her. Then she underwent a magical Pinocchio-like transformation and now serves as his helper.
Italy
When the family gets together for Christmas these days, there's gossip, eating, watching TV together, and maybe a game of Uno or Monopoly. During the Victorian era, TV was yet to come, and parlor games provided the excitement and violence we get from our home screens today. Violence? Yes, some of the games they played for holiday cheer were downright sadistic, like the one called Snapdragon.
Traditionally played on Christmas Eve, players of Snapdragon must find themselves a broad, shallow bowl, and then prepare to risk their health. Into this bowl should be poured two dozen raisins. If raisins are hard to come by, almonds, grapes or plums will suffice. You should then pour a bottle of brandy into the bowl so that the raisins bob up and down like drowning flies. Place the bowl on a sturdy table, turn the lights down low, and then, with appropriate panache, ignite the brandy.
To play Snapdragon, arrange your family and friends around the blazing bowl so that their faces are lit in a demonic fashion and then, one by one, take turns plunging your hands into the flames in order to try and grab a raisin. If you can accomplish this, promptly extinguish the flaming raisin by popping it into your mouth and eating it.
As one contemporary commenter wrote, the game “provided a considerable amount of laughter and merriment at the expense of the unsuccessful competitors.”
That's only one game. Other Victorian parlor games involved falling over obstacles, drinking, punishments, and ghost stories. Read about them at Atlas Obscura.
There are so many things you have to teach your children before they leave home, it's easy to leave something out. I have discussed the signs of an abusive relationship and the signs of a stroke with my daughters, but of course they'll run into other situations none of us could have predicted. They know they must files taxes and apply for health insurance, but getting them to do it will be a pain. The points that are plotted on this graph from Randall Munroe at xkcd hint at some personal experiences. What else would you slip into this graph, based on your personal experience?
Chris Poole celebrates Christmas with his cats Cole and Marmalade, and comes up with a list of alternative Christmas trees that the cats won't destroy. One solution to the cats vs. tree problem is to give in and create a tree they can destroy, made of boxes covered with Christmas wrap. That is awesome. But it's not cat-proof, just a way of catering to them.
It's too late for you to take most of these ideas for a Christmas tree substitute, but that's not really the point. It's a nice visit to two cats enjoying Christmas to the max. -via Uproxx
After six seasons of the FX series American Horror Story, there is plenty of speculation about season seven, which won't roll out until the falloff 2017. The first six seasons were self-contained stories, all with different plots, casts, and settings, yet they contain clues that remind the viewer of earlier stories. Do they really stand on their own, or is there some overarching plan to tie them all together?
It is not far fetched for fans to try to connect the seasons of American Horror Story. The previous seasons have proven to intertwine. There also appear to be cryptic clues throughout a season leading to the next season. Some fans conjecture that Seasons 6 through 10 will in some way rehash Seasons 1 through 5.
American Horror Story has consistently shown connections within seasons and between seasons. Fans of the series have found many clues to the next season that have proven true. Whatever Season 7 has in store for fans of the program, it will certainly connect with prior seasons and maybe answer some vexing questions.
Read what people are saying about American Horror Story and where the series might lead at TVOM.
Near the end of the 19th century, newspapers began to encourage children to send letters to Santa Claus at their addresses, so they could print the best ones. Older children learned to write letters, and little ones as young as three would dictate letters to let Santa know what they'd like for Christmas. Some were straightforward lists of toys, and others poured out their hearts to St. Nick. There are a few rascals, too, such as the child who let Santa know he broke all of last year's toys. In 1907, Percy from West Virginia was obviously prompted to remember his sisters, although he didn't really care about what they received. Maxwell in Florida, on the other hand, was genuinely concerned about his neighbors in 1915.
Read 23 such letters to Santa from as far back as 1896, at mental_floss.
Visiting your grandparents isn't always something a little child looks forward to, even around Christmas. But when you are Ben Solo, the prospect can be truly terrifying. However, it turns out that Darth Vader is a much better grandfather than he was a father. At least, from a kid's point of view.
Corridor is back with a sequel to last year's video that introduced Darth Santa. Maybe by this time next year, he'll have even more relatives to menace. -via Uproxx
Most George Lucas-Ass Names In Baseball
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) December 20, 2016
- Jett Bandy
- Yonder Alonso
- Jaff Decker
- Boone Logan
Lifetime Achievement Award: Nook Logan
George Lucas named so many characters in his Star Wars movies that he couldn't spend weeks making sure each one was perfect, so he developed a habit of going with his first instincts. The results are often wonderfully weird. But real world names are becoming wonderfully weirder every year.
David J. Roth asked the question, "What Are the Most Egregiously George Lucas-Ass Names in Baseball?" He thought he knew, but when he sent the above Tweet, he got more responses than he ever expected. By the end of the day, he had been introduced to Boof Bonser, Orlando Calixte, Jedd Gyorko, Tanyon Sturtze, and others. See a lot more contenders at Vice Sports. -via Metafilter
A relationship is in danger over an inappropriate Christmas gift. Or many Christmas gifts, to be exact. This story contains NSFW language. And it is full of misery, but you'll probably still laugh.
Let this be a warning to you -never give animals as gifts, unless the entire family agrees to such a gift ahead of time. Even then, people would like to pick out their own pets. -via the Presurfer
Time for some holiday silliness! The Reindeer Dancing Simulator is a game somewhat akin to Dance Dance Revolution, with a reindeer doing the steps. Of course, I couldn't get the hang of it, but it's worth a try to watch those reindeer limbs fly around in ridiculous ways. My reindeer was certainly not Dancer or Prancer, but more like Goofy, the two-left-footed reindeer. Try it out yourself at Buzzfeed.
The space battle game series we know as Halo began in 2001. Note there are seven main games, not counting reissues and remasters. Which is the best? Only those who have played all seven and compared notes would know. That said, I don't know if it would be better to introduce a game-playing child just old enough for Halo to the best of them first, or the worst and then work their way up. Get the lowdown on all the Halo games compared to each other at Unreality.
The U.S. diplomatic mission to Japan, led by ambassador Caroline Kennedy, made a video Christmas greeting. Participants include the staff from the offices in Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Naha.
They are performing the Koi Dance (Love Dance) as performed on Hoshino Gen's TV show Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, the most popular show of the year. As a bonus, here's Ambassador Kennedy's personal holiday greeting video.
-via Metafilter
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