It's snowing and only 6 more sleeps until Christmas Day!

Snow is falling in Europe and the US and this year and the odds for a White Christmas in the UK are the lowest they have been for decades. However, there seems to be a bit of a dispute arising! See the article from Martin Wainwright from The Guardian UK, below:

Bookies braced for storm over 'white Christmas'Definition of the white stuff likely to be trigger for gambling rows as odds slip on new falls for 25th




Does this holly bear new snow, or old, melting, snow? Bookies could face many betting arguments in the new year.

Lawyers could be busy in the new year if disputes arise between bookies and punters over defining a "white Christmas". The phrase made famous by Bing Crosby will be pored over if the day itself bears out the forecasts: that much of Britain will be snowbound but seeing no fresh falls. Payouts in almost all "mass betting" offers on seasonal snow are based on the odds of the white stuff actually coming down, rather than just lying around from previous showers.

Graham Sharpe, of William Hill, said yesterday: "The market would be killed off if you could win a bet just because there's some slush from four days ago."

But Britain's whiteness, seemingly sealed in by sub-zero temperatures next week, does threaten to put the issue into a different league. Wind flurries and "snow" that is really thick frost falling from trees, could complicate things.

The weather has led to bookies being "inundated" with "white Christmas" bets; William Hill has taken more than 10,000. The firm's spokesman, Rupert Adams, said today that the pressure had tilted Scotland's main cities into odds-on for snow falling, with evens for Birmingham and Manchester, and London at 5/4 against. "If it snows on every city we bet on, there's a real chance the infamous industry 'million pound payout' will happen."

Undoubtedly, two-thirds or more of the UK will be "white". For falling snow, Metcheck offers 10% for London and 30% as far north as Aberdeen.

Snow's always been good for litigation. Most famously there were largely unresolved rows over whether flakes did fall on a series of 20th century cricket matches in "flaming June".

Come on William Hill - where's your Christmas spirit!!

Just Brilliant!!

P.S. Thank you to my lovely friend Tim Lynch for the fab photo of the robin at the top of this post!

Christmas Cartoons.....

Here are some Christmas Cartoons I found........Enjoy!!

Christmas Quotes....

Over the next few days I will be posting quotes that can be used in cards and on gift tags over the holidays. So here we go.........

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves. ~Eric Sevareid

At Christmas, all roads lead home. ~Marjorie Holmes

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis




Do you have a favourite quote you would like to share?

Birthday thoughts

You have probably guessed by now that I love the month of December, this is because of it being my birthday as well as Christmas in December, two things I get VERY excited about.

So this week it was my birthday and my family and friends made the day, the weekend and whole event special, as always. I really am a lucky girl and on special occasions I realise all over again just how lucky and blessed I am in my life.....Thank you to everyone who made my day special. x

Here are a couple of my favourite quotes:

When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it happened or not.
- Mark Twain

A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age.
- Robert Frost

Did you know this about December?

December is my favourite month of the year, not least of all because my birthday is in December and it's Christmas during this month too - I love Christmas!!

Here is some info about December:
December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.

December's flower is the narcissus or holly.




December's birthstones are turquoise, lapis lazuli, zircon, topaz (blue), or tanzanite.

In Latin, decem means "ten". December was also the tenth month in the Roman calendar until a monthless winter period was divided between January and February.

December is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.

December in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to June in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.

In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the meteorological winter is 1 December. In the Southern hemisphere, the beginning of the meteorological summer is 1December.

December starts on the same day of the week as September every year. December ends on the same day of the week as April every year.


Events in December

Union Day of Romania (1 December)


World AIDS Day (December 1)



National Day of United Arab Emirates (December 2)
Sinterklaas in the Netherlands (December 5)
Father's Day (King's Birthday) in Thailand (December 5)
Independence Day in Finland (December 6)
Constitution Day in Spain (December 6)

Saint Nicholas Day in Greece (December 6)



Pearl Harbor Day in the United States (December 7)
Fukuoka Marathon is held on first Sunday in December.
Día de la Madre en Panamá (Mother's Day) in Panama. (December 8)
Day of the Mary Immaculate Conception. (December 8)
Constitution Day in Romania. (December 8)
[[andre phillips] birth day (December 8)
In the Ásatrú religion, Egil Skallagrimsson's Day (December 9) is a day of remembrance for the Viking hero.
Nobel Prizes awarded (December 10) on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
Human Rights Day (December 10)
Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, or Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, in Mexico
(December 12)
Independence Day (Jamhuri Day) in Kenya (December 12)
Saint Lucy (December 13)
Honolulu Marathon is held on second Sunday in December.
Bill of Rights Day (United States). (December 15)
Zamenhof Day (December 15)
Victory day of Bangladesh (December 16)
Day of Reconciliation in South Africa (December 16).

First day of winter (December 21)

Solstice (called the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere) occurs on dates varying from December 20 to December 22.

The Emperor's Birthday, a national holiday in Japan (December 23)
Festivus (December 23)
HumanLight (Humanist Holiday), (December 23)

Christmas Eve (December 24)


Christmas Day (December 25)
Boxing Day (December 26)
Day of Goodwill (December 26)
Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1)
Proclamation Day in South Australia (December 28)
Philippines – Rizal Day (December 30)
New Year's Eve (December 31)
Hannukah – [December 1 in 2010]

The Zodiac sign for those born in this month is either

Sagittarius


or

Capricorn,


depending on which day you were born.

What is your favourite month of the year?