Photo from Flickr/Public Domain
What could be merrier than taking a look at death investigation during the holidays? Here are some deadly facts sprinkled in with a few fun Christmas facts that will make you bellow, “Ho, ho, oh no!…”
1) Will you die on Christmas? Lots of people do. In fact, more people die on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day than any other days of the year. Find out why and if you or someone you love is a candidate for a holiday death.
2) Here Comes Santa Clause– NOT! In 1932 in Mesa, AZ, Santa Claus jumped from a plane to parachute into the Christmas parade. His parachute failed to open traumatizing the town’s children and parents.
3) Hey, Rudolph, aren’t you cold driving Santa’s sleigh? Apparently not. Reindeer from Lapland, Finland are uniquely adapted to survive the brutal winters. They have a thick winter coat made of hollow hairs. The air inside and between each hair super insulates the reindeer from the harsh cold. (Courtesy of Frederick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI)
4) O Tannenbaum, O Tannebaum… your branches green… are on fire?! Between 2012-2016, U.S. fire departments responded to an average 170 home fires that started with Christmas trees per year. These fires caused an average of 4 deaths, 15 injuries, and $12 million in direct property damage annually. Keep your fire in the fireplace, please!
5) Seasonal stress, poor diet, increased alcohol are contributing factors to why more people die of heart problems during the holidays. If you want to eat, drink and be merry, beware: it may just kill you!
6) During the Middle Ages in the Middle East, rosemary was spread on the floor at midnight on Christmas Eve so as people walked on it, the fragrance would fill the air. The belief was that those who smelled the rosemary on Christmas Eve would have a healthy and happy new year. (Courtesy of Frederick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI)
7) It is believed that the San Bernardino terror attack of 2016 was triggered by a company Christmas party that the shooter, a Muslim, was mandated to attend.
8) In Spain, children are taught that it’s the Three Wise men who bring them gifts, not Santa Claus. These Wise Men fill their shoes with gifts on the Eve of Epiphany, January 5. So, does that mean, the bigger the feet the better the gift?
9) Pot for Christmas? Deputies in California confiscated 60 pounds of marijuana from an elderly couple, who told investigators the large stash was intended to be divided up and given away as Christmas presents. This sheds a whole new light on “being merry.”
10) Yearning for simpler holiday traditions? In early Victorian times people trimmed their trees with walnuts, pine cones, little pouches for secret gifts, paper cornucopias filled with sugared almonds, fruits, and popcorn. Yummy, eatable ornaments!!
Thank you for being a part of this community. Wishing you a Christmas season of hope, joy, peace, and love. See you in 2019!
