Author: Lisa Mungovan

A man dressed as Santa Claus, was caught up in a bit of trouble in California, while delivering candy canes to children. He was paragliding with a motorized parachute, when he got stuck in some power lines. The Sacramento Fire Department had to rescue him. All the reindeer were probably laughing their heads off.

4 years ago, a gold miner found a mummified wolf pup, while excavating in Yukon Canada. The Ice Age wolf, had been preserved in the permafrost, for 57,000 years. Scientists discovered she had eaten mostly aquatic food, during her 7 weeks of life. Instead of bison or musk oxen, she ate fish like Chinook salmon.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever dropped your phone, and cracked the screen. A good screen protector can help, but wouldn’t it be awesome, if your screen could magically heal? Colorless polyimide, is a glass alternative already being used in some phones. Researchers have found, that adding linseed oil, helps the material fix itself!

Did you see the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn last night? Even though they’re hundreds of millions of miles apart, the planets appeared to be right next to each other. If it was too cloudy, try again tonight. They’ll still be almost as close. Look low in the southwest sky, just after sunset.

Today is Date Nut Bread Day. No silly, you aren’t supposed to date a nut. It’s a sweet bread full of dates and nuts. People in Egypt and the Middle East have been cultivating dates, a fruit that grows on palm trees, for 6000 years! You should bake some delicious bread today!

Be sure to search the sky tonight, to see a rare conjunction of 2 planets. Even though they’re actually hundreds of millions of miles apart, Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close together, that they’ll look like one big star. It’s their closest alignment, in 800 years. Look low in the southwest sky, just after sunset.

Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. The sun’s maximum elevation will be at its lowest, meaning the period of darkness is longest. Starting tomorrow, the days will gradually get longer. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the summer solstice!

Fans of Dr Who, a tv show that started in 1963, know all about the Daleks. Today is Dalek Remembrance Day. Pretend you’re a Dalek, by moving slowly and chanting, “Exterminate! Exterminate!” When you’re finished terrifying everyone, celebrate the ancient festival of Yule, by having a bonfire with a Yule log, and feeding the trees.

Today is Crossword Puzzle Day. What’s a 4-letter word, for not making your bed? L-A-Z-Y spells lazy. It’s ok today though, because it’s also Don’t Make Your Bed Day. With the time you save, write a tiny tale, for Short Story Day! Stories make great holiday presents. Don’t lose it in your messy bed!

Today is Flashlight Day. Some flashlights have hand cranks, so you don’t need batteries! You can also use the flashlight on your phone, or a headlamp for hands-free exploring. Your flashlight will come in handy, for Look On The Bright Side Day. No matter how bad things seem, always find something good about it!