XMas News & Notes
If you hear "Wassail" at a Christmas party, it's an Old Norse salutation wishing you good this.
Health
Nat King Cole's "Ramblin' Rose" reached No. 2 in 1962 & this group's "Ramblin' Man" just missed the top spot in 1973.
The Allman Brothers
It's the third volume in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
The Return of the King
One theory says that this endearing cat sound is caused by the vibration of the false vocal cords.
A purr
An Egyptian sun god, or a cheerleader's exclamation
Ra/Rah
This character from an 1843 story "bore a little crutch, and had his limbs supported by an iron frame!"
Tiny Tim
The Beatles had two Lennon-McCartney songs reach No. 2: "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" and this theme to a 1968 animated film.
Yellow Submarine
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein in 1892 in this country, and lived there until he was 4.
South Africa
The Siberian is the largest of these, the largest member of the cat family.
Jupiter's sister-wife, or an Alaskan panhandle city
Juno/Juneau
In 1998, Macy's introduced holiday window displays honoring this classic film; now you'll see them appropriately in the windows facing 34th Street.
Miracle on 34th Street
In 2008, his "Heartless" reached No. 2; he was heartless again in 2009 in his treatment of Taylor Swift.
Kanye West
He's the title hobbit in "The Hobbit"
Bilbo Baggins
Because its smell is exciting to cats, this aromatic herb of the mint family is often used as a stuffing for cat toys.
Catnip
Loki/low-key
Weighing upwards of 25 pounds, a Toulouse is the traditional one of these eaten at Christmas.
A goose.
In 1998 she was "Frozen" at No. 2; we guess that happens "when your heart's not open."
Madonna
It's the university where Tolkien studied and later taught languages and literature.
Oxford
The face of this fastest cat has black lines that curve from the eye's inner corner to the mouth's outer corners.
A cheetah
A Roman food goddess, or another word for "TV show"
13-year-old Jimmy Boyd had a hit in the '50s with this tune, decried by Boston's Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause"
Oh, what a feelinn', which this guy his No. 2 in 1986 with "Dancing on the Ceiling."
Lionel Richie
This prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" was published posthumously in 1977.
The Silmarillion
Tabby
A deadly Hindu goddess, or a deadly Colombia drug cartel
Kali/Cali