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snopes
Return! Return! Return!


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Don't bother making jokes. This family has heard them all.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/THE_CHRISTMASES?SITE=FLTAM

Posts: 36029 | From: Admin | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a moderator
cageboy
I'm Dreaming of a White Sale


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My store hired a Kristin Cringle just in time for the holidays. I'm sure she was qualified for other reasons.
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Stoneage Dinosaur
We Wish You a Merry Giftmas


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According to the UK electoral roll for 2004, there are 30 people with the surname Christmas in London alone.

This BBC story suggests that most men with the surname are descended from one man who lived in Yorkshire in the 13th Century

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"You learn something new every day if you're not careful" - Wilf Lunn

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Andrew of Ware, England
A-Ware in a Manger


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According to a BBC Radio Five report I heard there was a man called Christopher Moss. He later became a Roman Catholic priest, and thus became Father Chris Moss.

Fortunately he seemed to have a good sense of humour.

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Andrew, Ware, England

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Signora Del Drago
Angels Wii Have Heard on High


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Here's one.
quote:
Museum Director Lin Ezell and Marine Corps Heritage Foundation President Ron Christmas, a retired lieutenant general, guided Warner through sections of the 118,000-square-foot facility, explaining the immersion experiences visitors will encounter.


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"This air we're breathing. Oxygen, isn't it?"~I’mNotDedalus, impersonating Vincent D’Onofrio.|"Sometimes trying to communicate can be like walking through a minefield."~wanderwoman
"Give people a break. It's not easy doing a life."~Joshua Halberstam

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trollface
The Bills of St. Mary's


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There was a bit about the last name Christmas on this evening's QI. Apparently it's an old Essex name, and isn't uncommon there. I think the figure they said was 1,000 people in Essex with the name.

My mum grew up in Essex and went to school with a girl called Merry Christmas.

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seriously , everyone on here , just trys to give someone crap about something they do !! , its shitting me to tears.

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Andrew of Ware, England
A-Ware in a Manger


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QI also said that the first known 'Christmas' person was in Sussex about 1200 - which seems to contradict that BBC story linked to by Snow/Niege Dinosaur.

(Children should stop reading this post now.)

Stephen Fry also said that Father Christmas is dead. In 1564 a person called 'Father Christmas' died at Dedham in Essex according to the church's registers. (Apparently if a man died and the person's Christian name was not known they were listed as 'Father ...')

Is QI available on BBC America? It should be required viewing for every snopester.

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Andrew, Ware, England

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NeeCD
Happy Holly Days


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Andrew, it doesn't seem that BBCAmerica does have it, but we're usually a year or more behind, so if it's a newish series it could still come on sometime in the future.

Just for reference, here is what is shown (just so you can see what we're missing [Wink] ). They change the schedule fairly often, though, so it's hard to keep up with it sometimes.

On another note, my dad's youngest half-brother's last name is Holladay. I always thought that was kind of cool, although not as cool as "Christmas." [Smile]

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I wondered why the Frisbee was getting bigger, then it hit me.
What does "Bookachow", "YOMANK!" and other lingo mean?

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James G.
Xboxing Day


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Did anyone else notice that Dara (Not OUR Dara sadly, a major oversight of the producers) was getting fairly uncomfortable with some of the discussion, particularly the parallels between Christianity and figures from several earlier religions.

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trollface
The Bills of St. Mary's


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quote:
Originally posted by NeeCD:
Andrew, it doesn't seem that BBCAmerica does have it, but we're usually a year or more behind, so if it's a newish series it could still come on sometime in the future.

No, the 4th series has just finished.

Andrew's right, it should be required viewing. It's comedy quiz show hosted by Steven Fry and always having Alan Davis as one of the contestants. The questions are usually rather obscure. You get an unspecified number of points (not very many) for getting the answer right, and even more points for getting it wrong, but saying something interesting instead (QI stands for "Quite Interesting"). But if you blurt out an obvious but wrong answer (which often happens), then klaxons go off and you lose 10 points. It's usually fairly remarkable if anyone ends up with a positive score.

It's one of those programmes that you think you're quite intelligent until you watch (hey, I'd have said "Strawberry" when asked to name a berry. Who knew that it wasn't one?). I must say, though, that I did very well the other week when it was concerned with domestic things, like vacuum cleaners and dry cleaning and stuff.

James, I didn't notice him being uncomfortable, as such. I didn't think he actually was religious.

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seriously , everyone on here , just trys to give someone crap about something they do !! , its shitting me to tears.

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NeeCD
Happy Holly Days


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That sounds like a fun show, and I like Stephen Fry. I can just imagine some stupid American producer getting his hands on it and totally screwing it up, though, so I guess it's just as well that it fly under the US radar. Despite my earlier hope, it's doubtful that it will show up on BBCA, since, as far as I can tell, they don't play the game shows. Bummer.

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I wondered why the Frisbee was getting bigger, then it hit me.
What does "Bookachow", "YOMANK!" and other lingo mean?

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trollface
The Bills of St. Mary's


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There's loads of clips of YouTube. There seems to be lots of first 9 minutes of the programme on. This one on clowns is quite a good place to start - it introduces all the basic concepts.

And this NFBSK advert for last year's series.

I think it's simultaneously one of the most highbrow and one of the most lowbrow programmes on TV, and it's all the better for it.

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seriously , everyone on here , just trys to give someone crap about something they do !! , its shitting me to tears.

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