Take McQUARTHY'S QUIZMAS QUIZ...

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IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS: The Best Of The Holidays 1940-1965
by Susan Waggoner
published: 2004
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IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS was given to me by an old friend last December 25th, and I really dig it. The book is subtitled "The Best Of The Holidays 1940-1965" and if you have Christmas memories that fall within that time frame (as I do), you will enjoy it all the more.
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Susan Waggoner does a nice job of organizing and revisiting so many of the heartwarming aspects of The Ghost Of Christmas Past. The pages are awash in bright color -- this IS Christmas afterall -- and the book is lavishly illustrated with photos and old print ads that will bring out the lost little boy or girl in all but the most cynical among us. IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS covers most of the secular joys and traditions that we associate with America's grandest holiday.
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There was only one category that Waggoner surprisingly missed, and that was our love for Christmas-themed movies and television programs. Granted, most of the classic Christmas TV specials were produced after 1965, but still 'A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS' ('65) and 'RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER' ('64) fall within the target, and so do many of the popular Christmas movies, the viewing of which has become an important part of the Christmas celebrations in the majority of households.
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Waggoner missed a great opportunity to relate how America's favorite Christmas movie, 'IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE' (which she even borrowed for the title of her wonderful book), started out as just a sketchy little story used as a Christmas card by its writer, Philip VanDoren Stern.
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The only other less than glowing comment I have to make is that the book comes to a strangely abrupt ending. One minute we're reading about Christmas candies, and the next minute the book has come to an en
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You see? Just like that, it's over! It's almost as if the reader has wandered off the edge of The North Pole. I was so taken aback, that I went to the Table of Contents to see if my copy was missing a closing chapter, a summation of what had come before ...something, anything. It's like getting a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift, but one that is missing the bow on top.
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But all in all, IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS delivers like Santa. And it contains one of the all-time great Christmas-related anecdotes: Shirley Temple says, "I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my Mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph." Is that classic, or what?!
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Following is my McQUARTHY'S QUIZMAS QUIZ, which I created from some of the trivia I was exposed to through Waggoner's book. Each question is worth 5 points; if you can score a 70 or better, you don't really need this book (but you'll enjoy it nonetheless)...
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1) The first artificial Christmas Trees were made by a... a. vegetable brush company / b. toilet brush company / c. pipe cleaner company / d. bottle brush company
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2) In 1961, what percentage of Christmas cards were purchased by women? a. 80 / b. 83 / c. 90 / d. 95
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3) The White House issued Christmas cards in 1953... a. to ease post-Korean War depression / b. to ease "nuclear war jitters" / c. featuring artwork by President Eisenhower / d. because Moscow had begun printing Winter solstice cards
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4) America's first Christmas postage stamps were not issued until 1962 because... a. there was disagreement over using a secular or sacred image / b. it was believed that few people would specifically purchase them / c. the stamps sent from the printing company in 1961 were lost in the mail / d. some felt it violated a separation of church and state
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5) Macy's department store observed its first open-until-midnight Christmas Eve in 1867 and made how much money? a. $2,000 / b. $4,000 / c. $6,000 / d. $8,000
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6) Gimbel's department store organized its first Thanksgiving parade in 1920. The man who portrayed Santa Claus was... a. a fireman / b. a policeman / c. the head of store security / d. a Salvation Army volunteer
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7) Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer was created by... a. the singer & songwriter, Gene Autry / b. the department store employee, Robert May / c. the Hallmark Card Company executive, Ed Goodman / d. the New Jersey store Santa, Yoey O'Dogherty 
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8) In order to ensure that there would always be a maximum number of shopping days, Congress passed a bill moving Thanksgiving from the "last Thursday" in November to the "fourth Thursday" in... a. 1931 / b. 1938 / c. 1941 / d. 1948
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9) In what year was the song,'DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?' introduced? a. 1960 / b. 1962 / c. 1965 / d. 1967
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10) Retail Santas began appearing as store greeters during... a. the Civil War / b. World War I / c. World War II / d. The Korean War
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11) At one time, Rudolph's creator considered naming his reindeer... a. Robert / b. Randy / c. Reginald / d. Roberta
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12) The Montgomery Ward store did not reissue the story of Rudolph during World War II because... a. it was feared that the name was too Germanic / b. there was a paper shortage / c. there was a dispute over who owned the copyright / d. Mr. Montgomery Ward felt the taunting of Rudolph created a negative impression of the store amongst shoppers
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13) Timex watches became one of the most popular Christmas gifts of the century. They debuted in... a. 1944 / b. 1946 / c. 1950 / d. 1952
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14) For Christmas in 1957, Elvis gave his girlfriend... a). a poodle / b. a poodle skirt with rubies sewn into the waistband / c. a pair of faux ruby shoes used in the movie 'The Wizard Of Oz' / d. a pink convertible Cadillac with ruby radio dials
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15) A popular toy/game that debuted in 1947 was... a. Slinky / b. Tonka trucks / c. Chutes and Ladders by Milton Bradley / d. All of these
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16) According to Art Clokey, the inventor of "Gumby", who always understood the character? a. little girls / b. little boys / c. stage actors / d. hippies
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17) What Disney character appeared on women's briefs in 1955? a. Snow White / b. Cinderella / c. Lady (from 'Lady And The Tramp') / d. Davy Crockett
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18) Mattel created the first talking doll, Chatty Cathy, in 1960. Who supplied Cathy's voice? a. June Foray / b. Shirley Temple / c. Kathy Weizen / d. Cathy Rigby
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19) Kellogg's introduced the recipe for Rice Krispie Treats in the... a. 1930s / b. 1940s / c. 1950s / d. 1960s
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20) What percentage of American households leave milk and cookies for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve? a. 10 / b. 15 / c. 20 / d. 25
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ANSWERS:
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1) b   2) a   3) c   4) d   5) c


6) a   7) b   8) c   9) b   10) a


11) c   12) b   13) b   14) a   15) b


16) d   17) d   18) a   19) b   20) a
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Don't feel bad if you failed this test, as I am undefeated in the game of 'Balderdash'. I'd make a great liar.
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Regarding question #18, I would like to point out that this relatively unknown but incredibly talented "voice artist" was also responsible for the voices of the following famous characters: Rocket J. Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, and Nell Fenwick from 'Rocky & Bullwinkle'; Lucifer the cat from Disney's 'Cinderella'; Aaron's Mother in 'The Little Drummer Boy'; Karen and the Teacher in 'Frosty The Snowman'; the Grandma from 'Tweety & Slylvester'; the Mermaid and the Indian Squaw from Disney's 'Peter Pan'; Lena Hyena and Wheezy Weasel from 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'; and even the voice for the wife of the man getting dunked on Disneyland's 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' ride ("Don't tell him, Carlos!"); and hundreds of other animated characters.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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