Tis The Night Before Christmas, Here Are Some Stocking Stuffers

My last post featured some of my favorite Christmas and Hanukkah videos from over the years.  Of course, I posted that before some "fresh product" appeared on the TV sets and computers of scores of people across this great land of ours.

From Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC, a "Mad Libs" version of  "A Visit From Saint Nicholas", better known  as "The Night Before Christmas".




And if you prefer audio, an amazing rendition of the piece (as written by Clement Moore in 1823) by 31 of the best voice actors in the business.
  TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas by ptvoicesforchildren
The recording will be released this week and all sales and donations to Voices For Children will benefit Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. The entire cast will assemble at the hospital on Christmas Eve for a live performance and donation.  Entertainment Tonight has the story and video from the voiceover session.


Here's to a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Related articles

• The history of Santa Claus: 7 interesting facts (theweek.com)
• December 23rd: The Poem "The Night Before Christmas" was Published Anonymously (todayifoundout.com)

We All Have Our Thanksgiving Traditions. Here's Mine

We all have our own traditions around Thanksgiving.  Yours may involve making a huge meal, yams, football, or something your family has done for generations.  For me, it's "WKRP In Cincinnati" Season 1 Episode 7, first aired on October 30, 1978.  The episode was called "Turkeys Away", and any radio person or WKRP fan knows the story. 
The show was written by the late, great Bill Dial and features one of the great quotes in the history of sitcoms:

As God Is My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly

Enjoy this great piece of history as you unbuckle your pants Herb Tarlek style.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Turkey

I figured I needed to have some kind of Thanksgiving post since I'm seeing that anyone who can give me a job has either physically or mentally checked out for the long weekend, and it's only Tuesday afternoon.  So, with great thanks to "The Sleep Doctor", Michael Breus, MD, time to debunk a big Thanksgiving myth.  And yes, I do feel like one of the Mythbusters.  Probably Adam Savage.

The Truth About Turkey

Ever wonder about Thanksgiving and all those sleepy feelings after the meal? Was it the tryptophan in the turkey? It's time to bust that turkey myth. While turkey does have tryptophan in it, which is a precursor to Melatonin, the key that starts the engine for sleep, you would need to eat a 46 pound turkey to get enough tryptophan to make you sleep. Not only that, tryptophan does not work in the presence of large amounts of protein, so even if you could that enourmous turkey, the protein would probably make it less effective. So why so tired after that meal? The likely culprits are the stress with traveling, making the big meal, and possibly visiting with all those relatives. There are some sleep friendly foods if you are looking for a a good snack before bed. Meals or snacks high in carbohydrates, with  a small amount of protein, eaten one and half hours before bed, seem to help induce sleep. Perfect examples include cheese and crackers or a small bowl of non-sugar cereal, or even a very small piece of cheesecake.  If you are more into fruit as a natural healthy snack then think about tart cherries or tart cherry juice. Studies show it has more natural melatonin than any other fruit and lots of anti-aging antioxidants as well.

To you and yours, best wishes for a joyous Thanksgiving weekend! If you run into someone who can give me a job, please tell them I'm home for the holiday and ready to take their call.

Related articles

• Thanksgiving Dinner Makes You Sleepy? Don't Rule Out Tryptophan Yet. Fact Vs. Myth (zocdoc.com)
• Thanksgiving Turkey and Zombies (zombieresearch.net)
• A Thanksgiving Sixpack (aleheads.com)
• Flipping The Bird: 8 Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Treats (webecoist.com)