Toys through Timeland
Although the earlier name of what we now call football was a misnomer, ancient balls dating back to the Roman Empire were in fact made from inflating the bladder of this animal.
What are pigs?
Christ was born in Bethlehem (or rather, Beit Lechem, Hebrew for house of bread) because Joseph’s family came from there—the city of which King of Israel?
Who is David?
Saint Nick’s bad cop in parts of this country, Pere Fouettard is bearded, black-robed and ready to punish naughty children with whippings and beatings.
What is France?
In 800 AD, Pope Leo III crowned this man Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day.
Who is Charlemagne?
Judy Garland rendered this tune an immortal classic when she sang it to her little sister, for the first time on screen, in Meet Me in St. Louis.
What is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?
This modern game evolved from an ancirnt version played with the knucklebones of sheep and other animals, thrown into the air with an aim to scoop the others off the ground before catching the thrown bones.
What is Jacks?
Which books of the New Testament feature the birth of Jesus?
What are Matthew and Luke?
In Iceland, children fear this creature called Gryla, who lived in a mountain cave but descends to torture and plague bad kids during Christmas.
What is an ogress?
In the first year of the Great War, a truce was reached on Christmas Day when soldiers from this country heard soldiers from this country singing carols from across the trenches of the Western Front. All the soldiers met in No Man’s Land and celebrated together with cards and cigarettes and chocolate.
What are Britain and Germany?
An Irving Berlin classic, this song wasn’t made famous by the lesser-known holiday film it was written for, released in 1942.
What is White Christmas?
Called Bartholomew babies, these carved wooden toys helped young girls practice their sewing skills by making outfits reflective of popular styles. They’re considered precursors of what enduring girls’ toy?
What are dolls?
Mary Kay Jesus in a manger, which serves this function, filled with hay after he was born.
What is a feeding trough?
The Basque Oltenzero is a kindly Santa-sequel figure now, but legend has it he used to take his sickle and slice the throats of people who did this on Christmas Eve—a tummy ache would have been enough!
What is ate too much?
This U.S. president established Hanukkah and Diwali White House during his time in the Oval Office.
Who is George W. Bush?
Written way back in 1941, this classic Christmas tune didn’t make it into a film (same title too!) until 1968. Greer Garson narrates!
What is the Little Drummer Boy?
Arriving long before action figures, carved bronze knights with holes to hold this sporting equipment entertained wealthy children in the 13th century.
What is a lance?
In a stunning reversal of the story of Passover, King Herod of Judaea heard that a “king of the Jews” had been born and decreed that throughout Bethlehem, all male children under 2 must be slaughtered. Joseph and Mary fled with their infant to this modern country.
What is Egypt?
The Kallikantzaroi, a band of Greek goblins, this period at Christmastime taking a break from sawing at the trunk of the underground World Tree that supports the Earth to terrorized earthlings with pranks and tricks.
Who are the 12 days of Christmas?
On Christmas Eve in 1968, astronauts in this vessel read from Genesis as they orbited the moon.
Who is the Apollo 8?
Damon Runyon wrote the book that launched a Bob Hope holiday gangster flick, allowing for the first on-screen appearance of this holiday banger.
What is Silver Bells?
A beloved toy for millennia now, this flying object was originally used to support ancient Chinese military objectives, like measuring long distances, carrying coded messages, or even trying to freak out then enemy by dressing them as spirits.
What is a kite?
The wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, symbolizing this, this, and this, according to the Bible.
What are royalty, divinity, and humanity/mortality?
Welsh carolers often bring with them a creature called Mari Lwyd, which is the skull of this animal decorated with ribbons and bells on a pole, and draped with a white sheet. They’ll challenge the householders to a lewd rhyming battle, which if they lose, permits the carolers to come into their house and eat and drink. If the carolers lose, they’re sent packing.
What is a horse?
Often considered the turning point in the American Revolution, George Washington’s surprise attack on this city Christmas Day made crossing the Delaware well worth it.
What is Trenton?
Before he wrote the music for Guys and Dolls, Frank Loesser wrote this iconic duet for him and his wife to sing at parties—which he sold to MGM for its use in Neptune’s Daughter, a totally secular film starring Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban.
What is Baby, It’s Cold Outside?