CELEBRATIONS ON DECEMBER 24th      Christmas Eve (Christianity),   The day before the anniversary of the birth of Christ.     For many this is a day of rest before the festivities of Christmas Day.     Traditionally it a day for children to leave out milk and cookies for Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas),   in return for gifts they will open the following morning.     For some communities it is the day when presents are exchanged and opened.     The Presents are delivered to children by Santa Claus,   personified by an adult dressed up as Santa who comes knocking on the door (Austria ..   Colombia ..   Denmark ..   Estonia ..   Finland ..   Germany ..   Hungary ..   Iceland ..   Lithuania ..   Norway ..   Poland ..   Portugal ..   Slovakia ..   Sweden ..   Switzerland ..   the Czech Republic ..   and the Dominican Republic ..) ..         The Declaration of Christmas Peace (Finland),   in the Old Great Square of Turku,   Finland's official Christmas City ..         Aðfangadagskvöld (Iceland), the day when the 13th and the last Yule Lad arrives to towns ..         Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italy) ..         Jul (Denmark) ..         Nochebuena (Spain and Spanish-speaking countries) ..         National Egg Nog Day ..         National Chocolate Day ..         Christian Feast Day of Adela and Irmina ..                    CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK      Las Posadas,   December 16th through December 24th (Spain, Mexico, Guatamala, Southern USA) ........         Saturnalia (Ancient Rome),   December 17th - 23rd ..         Christmas Bird Count Week,   December 14th through February 5th ..         Gluten-free Baking Week,   Full Week Before Christmas ..         Halcyon Days,   7 days before   and 7 days after the Winter Solstice ..         It's About Time Week,   Final Week of December ..                    PADDY's JOKES OF THE DAY    ..     One particular Christmas eve   a long time ago,   Santa was getting ready for is annual trip,   but there were problems everywhere.     Four of his elves got sick,   and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones,   so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule.     Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her mom was coming to visit.     This stressed Santa even more.     When he went to harness the reindeer,   he found that three of them were about to give birth   and two had jumped the fence and were out,   heaven knows where.     More stress.     Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked,   and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys.     So,   frustrated,   Santa went into the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum.     When he went to the cupboard,   he discovered that the elves had hidden the liquor,   and there was nothing to drink.     In his frustration,   he accidentally dropped the cider pot,   and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor.     He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw end of the broom.     Just then the doorbell rang,   and irritable Santa trudged to the door.     He opened the door,   and there was a little angel with a great Christmas tree.     The angel said,   very cheerfully,   “Merry Christmas,   Santa.   Isn’t it a lovely day?   I have a beautiful tree for you.   Where would you like me to stick it?”       Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.                    LILLY's DRINK OF THE DAY    ..     SUGAR AND SPICE MARTINI ..     2 oz. Martin Miller's Gin,     2 oz. Apple Cider,     3/4 oz. Fresh Orange,     Splash of Brown Sugar Simple Syrup,     Shake with ice.     Serve in a Cocktail Glass   Rimmed with a mixture of Cinnamon and Superfine Sugar                    SCOTTY's TOASTS OF THE DAY    ..     - 1 -     "May your corn stand high as yourself,     your fields grow bigger with rain,     and the Marche know its own way home on Christmas night."     - Traditional Irish         - 2 -     "I know I've wished you this before     But every year I wish it more,     A Merry Christmas."     - Unknown
  HISTORICAL EVENTS ON DECEMBER 24th   ..     563 The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by earthquakes         640 John IV begins his reign as Catholic Pope         1046 Pope Clement II, [Suitger] elected         1144 The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo         1294 Cardinal Benedetto Gaetani chosen as Pope Boniface VIII, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned         1476 400 Burgundian soldiers freeze to death during siege of Nancy         1515 Thomas Wolsey appointed English Lord Chancellor         1565 Compromise of the Nobles closes against inquisition         1568 Uprising of Morisco's in Granada         1593 Storm hits Texel: 40 ships hit, 500 killed         1651 John van Riebeeck departs to Cape of Good Hope         1715 Swedish troops occupy Norway         1724 Benjamin Franklin arrives in London         1777 Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook         1798 Russia & England sign Second anti-French Coalition         1799 Jakobijns plot against Napoleon uncovered         1814 The Treaty of Ghent is signed ending the US-Britain War of 1812         1818 The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria         1826 The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning         1832 First US Negro hospital founded by whites chartered, Savannah, Georgia         1832 HMS Beagle anchors in Wigwam Bay at Cape Receiver         1851 Fire devastates US Library of Congress in Washington, destroys 35,000 volumes         1860 Joseph Jefferson's "Rip Van Winkle," premieres in NYC         1864 Battle of Gordonsville, VA         1865 Several Confederate veterans form Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennesee         1871 Giusseppi Verdi's "Aida" premieres in Cairo, at Suez canal opening         1874 Pope Pius IX proclaims a jubilee for 1875         1884 Austria-Hungary admits King Leopold II's Congo Free State         1889 Daniel Stover & William Hance patent bicycle with back pedal brake         1893 Henry Ford completes his 1st useful gas motor         1894 Scheveningse fishing boats destroyed by storm         1894 Soccer team Achilles '94 forms in Axes         1898 Herman Heijermans' "Ghetto," premieres in Amsterdam         1900 Herman Heijermans' "Hope of Blessing" premieres in Amsterdam         1904 German SW Africa abolishes slavery of young children         1906 Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast, consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech         1910 Luisa Tetrazzini sings to 250,000 people at Lotta's Fountain         1911 Lackawanna Cut-Off railway line opens in New Jersey and Pennsylvania         1912 Irving Fisher patents archiving system with index cards         1913 The Italian Hall disaster ("1913 Massacre") in Calumet, Michigan, results in the death of 73 Christmas party goers held by striking mine workers, including 59 children         1914 German plane drops bombs on Dover England         1914 The "Christmas truce" begins in World War I         1920 Enrico Caruso gives his last public performance (NYC)         1922 BBC sends 1st British radio play "Truth about Father Christmas"         1922 London Coloseum opens         1924 First radio transmission of NCRV in Netherlands         1924 Albania becomes a republic (ex-premier Ahmed Zogoe's coup)         1924 Richard Rodgers Theater (46th St Chanin's) opens at 226 W 46th NYC         1924 School in Babb's Switch, Oklahoma catches fire, 36 die         1927 Test Cricket debut of Walter Hammond, who scored 51 & took 5-36 v S Af         1928 George Abbott Theater (Adelphi, 54 St) opens at 152 W 54th St NYC         1929 Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen         1930 ir Sukarno 4 years jail sentenced, Bandung, Java         1930 F Garcia Lorca's "La Zapatera Prodigiosa," premieres in Madrid         1932 Arturo Alessandri wins presidental election in Chile         1933 Paris express train derails & kills 160, injures 300 (France)         1934 Grimmett takes 9-180 for SA as Queensland make 430         1935 Bradman scores 233 in 191 mins, SA v Queensland, 28 fours 1 six         1935 National Council of Negro Women forms         1936 First radioactive isotope medicine administered, Berkeley, Ca         1937 Dutch government recognizes Italian king Emanuel III as emperor of Abyssinia         1939 Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace in World War II         1941 First ships of admiral Nagumo's Pearl Harbor-fleet return to Japan         1941 Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces in World War II         1942 First powered flight of V-1 buzz bomb, Peenemunde, Germany         1942 Red army occupies German airports at Tasjinskaja & Morozowsk         1942 French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria in World War II         1943 FDR appoints General Dwight D Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces in World War II         1943 Terence Rattigan's "While the Sun Shines," premieres in London         1946 France's Fourth Republic is founded         1946 US General MacNarney gives 800,000 "minor nazi's" amnesty         1948 First US house completely sunheated is occupied (Dover Mass)         1948 Greek government disbands due to state of war, press censorship         1950 Cleveland Browns win NFL championship, beat LA 30-28         1951 First televised opera (Amahl & Night Visitor)         1951 United Kingdom of Libya gains independence from Italy via UN. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya         1953 2 fast express trains crash head-on killing 103 (Czechoslovakia)         1953 KHOL (now KHGI) TV channel 13 in Kearney, NB (ABC) begins broadcasting         1953 KOA (now KCNC) TV channel 4 in Denver, CO (NBC) begins broadcasting         1953 René Coty elected pres of France         1953 Tangiwai disaster, On New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people         1954 Council for the Children Protection forms in Neth         1954 Laos gains its independence         1955 NORAD Tracks Santa for the first time in what will become an annual Christmas Eve tradition         1956 "I Love Lucy" Christmas show airs, never put in syndication         1956 Ferdinand de Lesseps statue blown up in Port Said Egypt         1960 Dutch bishops question papacy values         1961 Houston Oilers beat San Diego Chargers 10-3 in AFL championship game         1962 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR         1963 Greek & Turks riot in Cyprus         1964 Shooting begins on "The Cage" the pilot for Star Trek         1964 Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital in the Vietnam War         1966 "Joyful Noise" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 12 perfs         1966 A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129         1966 Luna 13 lands on Moon         1967 China PR performs nuclear test at Lop Nor PRC         1967 Pirate Radio Pegasus starts broadcasting off New Zealand         1968 The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed 10 lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures that became the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history, read passages from Book of Genesis         1968 WATU (now WAGT) TV channel 26 in Augusta, GA (CBS) begins broadcasting         1970 9 Jews are convicted in Leningrad of hijacking a plane         1970 Walt Disney's "Aristocats" is released         1971 Peruvian Airlines Electra crashes at headwaters of Amazon, killing all except Juliane Margaret Koepcke found 10 days later         1972 Japan Airlines Flight 472, operated Douglas DC-8-53 landed at Juhu Aerodrome instead of Santacruz Airport in Bombay, India         1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government         1973 Ferryboat capsized off coast of Equador, drowning 200         1974 Cardinals' Lou Brock is named Sportsman of the Year         1974 Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia         1979 The first European Ariane rocket is launched         1980 Americans remembered Iran hostages by shining lights for 417 seconds         1980 Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's Roswell"         1981 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR         1982 Chaminade, with a student body of only 850 students, beats #1 ranked Virginia 77-72 in a Honolulu holiday basketball classic         1984 Palace coup in Mauritania         1986 French hostage Aurel Cornea, held in Lebanon for 9 months, released         1986 Iran offensive against Iraqi islands of Shatt al-Arab         1989 Charles Taylor enters Liberia to unseat President Samuel K Doe         1989 Panama's dictator, Manual Noriega seeks asylum at Vatican embassy         1990 Expos trade Tim Raines to White Sox for Ivan Calderon & Barry Jones         1990 Saddam says Israel will be Iraq's 1st target         1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of Soviet Union         1992 President Bush pardons Caspar Weinberger of Iran-contra affair         1994 4 Moslem fundamentalists capture Air France pilot in Algiers         1994 Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground, over the course of 3 days 3 passengers are killed, as are all 4 terrorists         1997 First time a Channukah candle is officially lit in Vatican City         1997 The Dominican Republic becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty         1997 The Sid El-Antri massacre (or Sidi Lamri) in Algeria kills 50-100 people         2000 The Texas Seven hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is murdered during the robbery         2003 The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station         2005 Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead         2008 Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks on Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400         2012 11 kindergarten children are killed after a minivan plunges into a roadside pond.
 SCOTTY's QUOTE OF THE DAY    ..     "A good holiday is one spent among people whose notions of time are vaguer than yours."     - John B. Priestly                  PADDY's BEER OF THE DAY    ..     Rudolf's Bourbon Scotch Ale,   brewed by Rock Bottom Brewery in Cincinnati, OH, USA.     It is a Strong Barrel Aged Scotch Ale                  LILLY's WINES OF THE DAY    ..     - 1 -     Starmont (2007) Merlot.     It is a Merlot from Napa Valley,   priced at approximately $30 per bottle.         - 2 -     Mont Marçal Cava Brut Extremarium.     It is a Cava from Spain,   priced at approximately $20 per bottle.                  FAMOUS BIRTHS ON DECEMBER 24th    ..     (3 BC) Galba, Roman emperor (d. 69)         1167 John (without a land), King of England (1199-1216) (d. 1216)         1389 John VI, Duke of Brittany (d. 1442)         1475 Thomas Murner, German poet (d. 1537)         1491 Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Jesuit order (d. 1556)         1508 Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian humanist (d. 1567)         1564 Abraham C Bloemaert, painter, cartoonist, engraver         1588 Constance of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1631)         1609 Philip Warwick, English writer and politician (d. 1683)         1625 Johann Rudolph Ahle, German composer, organist, and theorist (d. 1673)         1635 Mariana of Austria, second wife of king Philip IV of Spain (d. 1696)         1653 Georg Motz, composer         1679 Domenico Natale Sarro, Italian composer (d. 1744)         1689 French van Mieris "the Young", Dutch painter/historian         1698 William Warburton, English Bishop of Gloucester (d. 1779)         1714 Rainieri De Calzabigi, Italian's literary (1st European Lottery)         1716 Patrice F earl De Neney, South Netherlands chairman of Secret Council         1719 Johann Christoph Altnikol, composer         1724 Johann Conrad Ammann, Swiss physician and naturalist (d. 1811)         1726 Johann Ernst Hartmann, Danish composer (d. 1793)         1745 Benjamin Rush, American physician, general, signer of the United States Declaration of Independence (d. 1813)         1754 George Crabbe, English poet (Everlasting Mercy), surgeon, and clergyman (d. 1832)         1761 Jean-Louis Pons, French astronomer (d. 1831)         1761 Selam III, poet, composer, Sultan of Turkey (1789-1808)         1773 Joseph Wolfl, composer         1784 Elena Pavlovna, Grand Duchess of Russia (d. 1803)         1791 A Eugene Scribe, French dramatist (Bertrand et Raton)         1798 Adam B Mickiewicz, Polish poet (Pan Tadeusz) (d. 1855)         1809 Christopher "Kit" Carson,American Union General, frontiersman (d. 1868)         1809 Kit Carson, American soldier (d. 1868)         1810 Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter (d. 1873)         1812 Henry Russell, composer         1812 Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German jurist (d. 1894)         1813 Henry Wellington Greatorex, composer         1818 James Prescott Joule, English physicist (discovered conservation of energy) and brewer, (d. 1889)         1822 Charles Hermite, French mathematician (E is Transcendent)         1822 Matthew Arnold, English poet and critic (Dover Beach) (d. 1888)         1824 Peter Cornelius, composer         1826 Ignacy Krzyzanowski, composer         1829 Benjamin Ipavec, composer         1829 Jose Rogel, composer         1837 Elisabeth (Sissi), Empress of Austria (d. 1898)         1843 Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet (d. 1886)         1845 George I of Greece (d. 1913)         1859 Roman Statkowski, composer         1867 Kantaro Suzuki, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)         1867 Manuel de Oliveira Lima, Brazilian historian, diplomat         1867 Suzuki Kantarō, Japanese politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)         1868 Emanuel Lasker, German chess player, world champion (1894-21) (d. 1941)         1869 Henriette GA Roland Holst-van der Schalk, Dutch poet (Women in Forest)         1870 Rosario Scalero, composer         1871 Henri Stroethoff, Dutch actor (A Chique Little Boy)         1872 Adam Gunn, American decathlete (d. 1935)         1872 Frederick Semple, American golfer and tennis player (d. 1927)         1875 Émile Wegelin, French rower (d. 1962)         1877 Sigrid Schauman, Finnish painter (d. 1979)         1879 Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1952)         1879 Otto Fickeisen, German rower (d. 1963)         1879 Stanislav Pylypovych Lyudkevych, composer         1879 Émile Nelligan, Canadian poet (d. 1941)         1880 Johnny Gruelle, American children's book author, cartoonist, creator (Raggedy Ann) (d. 1939)         1881 Bronislaw Zygmunt Szulc, composer         1881 Charles Wakefield Cadman, American composer (d. 1946)         1881 Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet (Distant Gardens) (Nobel Prize laureate 1956) (d. 1958)         1885 Arthur Dolphin, English cricketer         1886 Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American director (Casablanca) (d. 1962)         1887 Louis Jouvet, French actor (Volpone, Topaze, La Marseillaise) and producer (d. 1951)         1889 Vladimir Sokoloff, Russian actor (Road to Morocco)         1893 Carl Brisson, Danish actor (Murder at the Vanities)         1893 Harry Warren, American composer and songwriter (d. 1981)         1893 Ruth Chatterton, American actress (Madame X, Sarah & Son) (d. 1961)         1894 Georges Guynemer, French WW I pilot (d. 1917)         1894 Jack Thayer, American survivor of the Sinking of the RMS Titanic (d. 1945)         1895 E. Roland Harriman, American financier (d. 1978)         1895 Noel Streatfeild, English author (d. 1986)         1896 Jens Oliver Lisberg, Faroese designer of the Flag of the Faroe Islands (d. 1920)         1898 Baby Dodds, American jazz drummer (d. 1959)         1898 Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1967)         1900 Joey Smallwood, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Newfoundland (d. 1991)         1903 Ava Helen Pauling, American activist (d. 1981)         1904 Daniel K Womack, singer, guitarist         1904 Herbert D Riley, US vice-admiral (WW II, Guadalcanal, Okinawa)         1904 Joseph Moses Juran, American industrial engineer and philanthropist (d. 2008)         1905 Anna "Ans" van Dike ("the Young"), Jewish nazi collaborator         1905 Howard Hughes, American billionaire engineer, director, inventor (Hughes Aircraft) (d. 1976)         1906 Franz Waxman, German film composer (d. 1967)         1906 John Walker, museum director         1907 I(sidore) F(einstein) Stone, American author and journalist (IF Stone's Weekly) (d. 1989)         1909 Adam Popovich, composer         1909 Adam Rapacki, Polish minister of Foreign Affairs (1956-68)         1910 Betty Ann Davies, English actress (Tough Guy)         1910 Fritz (Reuter) Leiber Jr, American sci-fi author (Bazaar of the Bizarre) (d. 1992)         1910 Max Miedinger, Swiss typeface designer (Helvetica) (d. 1980)         1910 Mitchell Ayres, American orchestra leader (Hollywood Palace)         1911 Eric Briault, educationalist         1911 Malcolm MacEwen, writer         1913 Karl Michael Komma, composer         1914 Dorothy Hyson, actress (Ghoul, Spare a Copper, Sing as We Go)         1914 Guus Verstraete Sr (August de Graef), Dutch actor, director (Black Magic)         1914 Herbert Reinecker, German writer (d. 2007)         1914 Ralph Marterie, Italian-American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 1978)         1917 Kim Jong-suk, Wife of Kim Il-sung, mother of Kim Jung-Il, "The Heroine of the Anti-Japanese Revolution" (d. 1949)         1919 Qateel Shifai, Pakistani poet (d. 2001)         1920 Dave Bartholomew, American jazz artist, songwriter (Blueberry Hill)         1920 Evgeniya Rudneva, Russian navigator, World War II heroine (d. 1944)         1920 Franco Lucentini, Italian author and screenwriter (d. 2002)         1921 Bill Dudley, NFL halfback (Pittsburgh, Detroit, Washington)         1921 Gerard Thomas Victory, composer         1922 Ava Gardner, American actress (On the Beach, Night of the Iguana, The Killers) (d. 1990)         1923 George Patton IV, American general (d. 2004)         1923 Michael DiBiase, American wrestler (d. 1969)         1923 Wilton S Mkwayi, South African ANC leader         1924 Grigory Kriss, Russian Olympic champion fencer         1924 (Irving) Lee Dorsey, American singer (Working in the Coal Mines) (d. 1986)         1924 Mohammed Rafi, Indian actor and singer (d. 1980)         1924 Norman Rossington, English actor (d. 1999)         1924 Roy Miller, West Indian cricketer         1924 Willem Drees, Dutch politician, economist (DS'70)         1925 Mohd Rafi, Indian actor and playback singer (d. 1980)         1925 Yafa Yarkoni, Israeli singer (Road to Jerusalem, Don't Say Goodbye, Say I will see You) (d.2012)         1926 Paul Buissonneau, French-Canadian theatre director         1926 Ronald Draper, South African cricketer         1927 Mary Higgins Clark, American author (Cry in the Night, Stillwatch)         1927 Teresa Stich-Randall, American soprano (Vienna State Opera)         1929 Noel Da Costa, composer         1930 Robert Joffrey (Abdullah Jaffa Anver Bey Khan), American dancer and choreographer (d. 1988)         1931 Jill Bennett, Malasian actress (Lady Jane, Concrete Jungle)         1931 Mauricio Kagel, Argentine composer (d. 2008)         1931 Ray Bryant, American pianist and composer (d. 2011)         1932 (Michael) Colin Cowdrey, English cricketer         1932 On Kawara, Japanese conceptual artist         1934 Stjepan Mesić, Croatian politician, President of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Secretary General of Non-Aligned Movement and president of Croatia         1937 Félix Miélli Venerando, Brazilian footballer (d. 2012)         1938 Bobby Henrich, American baseball player         1938 Ralp Inbar, Dutch TV host (Banana Split)         1938 Valentim Loureiro, Portuguese politician, army officer, football chairman (Boavista F.C., Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional)         1940 Anthony Fauci, US health official         1940 Janet Carroll, American actress and singer (d. 2012)         1940 Paul Tagliabue, NFL commissioner (1989)         1941 John Levene, English actor         1942 Doan Viet Hoat, Vietnamese journalist         1942 Jonathan Borofsky, American sculptor         1943 Christiane Schmidtmer, German actress (Ship of Fools)         1943 Tarja Halonen, Finnish lawyer and politician, 11th President of Finland         1943 Tatton Sykes, English baron, landowner         1944 Barry Chuckle, English comedian and actor         1944 Daniel Johnson Jr., Canadian politician, 25th Premier of Quebec         1944 Erhard Keller, German 500m speed skater (Olympic-gold-1968, 72)         1944 Mike Curb, American composer, singer (Mike Curb Congregation), and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California         1944 Oswald Gracias, Indian Roman Catholic Archbishop (Bombay)         1945 Lemmy (Ian Kilminster), English singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (Motörhead, Hawkwind, The Head Cat, The Rockin' Vickers)         1945 Nicholas Meyer, American author, director (Star Trek II Wrath of Khan)         1945 Steve Smith, Canadian comedian and actor         1946 Brenda Howard, American bisexual activist (d. 2005)         1946 Jan Akkerman, Dutch guitarist (Focus and Brainbox)         1946 Jeff Sessions, American politician         1946 John Akkerman, Dutch guitarist, composer (Focus-Can't Stand Noise)         1946 Judy Tyler, American playmate (Jan 1966)         1946 Sharon Farrell, American Actress (Lori-Hawaii 5-0, Young & Restless)         1947 Kevin Sheedy, Australian footballer and coach (Australian Football League club Essendon FC)         1948 Frank Oliver, New Zealand rugby player         1949 Cameron Seward, LPGA golfer         1949 Randy Neugebauer, American politician         1949 Warwick Brown, Australian race car driver         1950 Dana Gioia, American poet         1950 Libbi Larsen, composer         1950 Peter te Bos, Dutch singer (Claw Boys Claw)         1951 John D'Acquisto, American baseball player         1951 Johnny Contardo, Musician (Sha Na Na-Shannon)         1952 Christopher Buckley, American author         1953 François Loos, French politician         1953 Timothy Carhart, American actor         1954 José María Figueres, Costa Rican politician, President of Costa Rica         1955 Anwar Khan, Pakistani cricketer         1955 Clarence Gilyard, American actor (Chips, Duck Factory, Die Hard)         1955 Grand L. Bush, American actor         1955 Scott Fischer, American mountaineer (d. 1996)         1956 Stephanie Hodge, comedian, actress (I Madman, Happily Ever After)         1957 Diane Tell, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist         1957 Hamid Karzai, Afghan politician, 12th President of Afghanistan         1957 Ian Burden, English bassist (Human League-Only Human)         1958 Gene Sperling, American economist and lawyer         1958 Munetaka Higuchi, Japanese drummer and producer (Loudness, Sly, and Lazy) (d. 2008)         1958 Paul Pressey, American basketball player         1959 Anil Kapoor, Indian actor (Slumdog Millionaire)         1959 Keith Deller, English darts player         1959 Lee Daniels, Producer (Precious)         1960 Carol Vorderman, British television presenter         1960 Glenn McQueen, Canadian-American animator (d. 2002)         1961 Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani politician, 4th President of Azerbaijan         1961 Jay Wright, American basketball player and coach         1961 Wade Williams, Actor (Gangster Squad)         1962 Darren Wharton, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Thin Lizzy and Dare)         1962 Michael Ray, Musician         1963 Caroline Aherne, English comedian, writer and actress         1963 Jay Bilas, American basketball player, sportscaster, analyst         1963 Mary Ramsey, American singer-songwriter and violinist (10,000 Maniacs, John & Mary)         1963 Timo Jutila, Finnish hockey defenseman (Team Finland)         1964 Elbert Shelley, NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons)         1964 Gary Muller, South African tennis star         1964 Marcel van der Net, Dutch soccer player (FC Utrecht)         1964 Mark Valley, American actor (Days of Our Lives, The Siege)         1965 Erika von Heiland, American badminton player (Oly-92,96)         1965 Michael Haynes, NFL wide receiver (NO Saints, Atlanta Falcons)         1965 Millard Powers, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (Counting Crows, The Semantics, and Majosha)         1965 Millard Powers, American musician and songwriter         1965 Nancy Reno, Elmhurst Ill, WPVA volleyballer (Olympics-96)         1965 Winston Moss, NFL linebacker (Seattle Seahawks)         1966 Diedrich Bader, American actor (Office Space, Oswald-Drew Carey Show)         1967 Mikhail Shchennikov, Russian race walker         1967 Pernilla Wahlgren, Swedish singer and actress         1968 Choi Jin-sil, South Korean actress (d. 2008)         1968 Doyle Bramhall II, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Arc Angels)         1968 Joe Scuderi, Australian cricketer         1968 Marleen Renders, Belgian runner         1969 Brad Anderson, American wrestler         1969 Ed Miliband, English politician         1969 Kenny "Damn" Kelly, American rapper (Riff-Judy had a Boyfriend)         1969 Mark Millar, Scottish author         1969 Sean Michael, South African actor and singer         1970 Amaury Nolasco, Puerto Rican actor (Transformers)         1970 Filmel Johnson, NFL defensive back (Buffalo Bills)         1970 Marian Smerciak, Czech hockey defenseman (Team Slovakia 1998)         1970 Michael Batiste, NFL & WLAF defensive tackle (Cowboys, Frankfurt Galaxy)         1970 Romeo Wouden, Dutch soccer player (Dordrecht '90, Heerenveen)         1970 Will Oldham, American singer-songwriter and actor         1971 Christopher Daniels, American professional wrestler         1971 Giorgos Alkaios, Greek singer         1971 Oro, Mexican wrestler (d. 1993)         1971 Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter (Menudo) and actor (General Hospital)         1971 Sascha Fischer, German rugby player         1971 Tamir Bloom, American fencer-epee (Olympics-96)         1972 Alvaro Mesen, Costa Rican footballer         1972 Klaus Schnellenkamp, German-Chilean author         1973 Ali Salem Tamek, Moroccan activist         1973 Eddie Pope, American soccer player, defender (Olympics-gold-96)         1973 Matt Passmore, Actor (Pilot)         1973 Stephenie Meyer, American author (Twilight) and film producer         1974 Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer         1974 Ryan Seacrest, American radio and television host (American Idol)         1974 Thure Lindhardt, Danish actor (Into the Wild)         1975 Natalie Ward, Australian softball shortstop, 2nd baseman (Oly-br-96)         1976 Yuri, South Korean singer (Girl Friends)         1977 Michael Raymond-James, Actor (Jack Reacher)         1978 Warren Tredrea, Australian footballer         1978 Yıldıray Baştürk, Turkish footballer         1979 Chris Hero, American professional wrestler         1980 Stephen Appiah, Ghanaian footballer         1980 Tomas Kalnoky, Czech-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Streetlight Manifesto, Catch 22, Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution)         1981 Dima Bilan, Russian singer-songwriter and actor         1981 Shane Tuck, Australian footballer         1982 Aiba Masaki, Japanese singer and actor (Arashi)         1982 Robert Carmine, American singer         1982 Robert Coppola Schwartzman, American singer-songwriter, guitarist (Rooney), producer, and actor (The Princess Diaries)         1983 Irene Fornaciari, Musician, Daughter of Italian rock artist Zucchero         1984 Burak Özçivit, Actor (Çalikusu)         1985 Alexey Dmitriev, German ice hockey player         1985 David Ragan, American race car driver         1986 Edward Southall, British composer         1986 Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukrainian basketball player         1986 Riyo Mori, Japanese model, Miss Universe 2007         1986 Tim Elliott, American mixed martial artist         1987 Jane Summersett, American ice dancer         1988 Simon Zenke, Nigerian footballer         1988 Stefanos Athanasiadis, Greek footballer         1989 Vinnie Langdon III, Actor (Permission)         1990 Moose, Canine Actor (My Coffee with Niles)         1991 Louis Tomlinson, Singer (One Direction)         1991 Wasim Tareen, Pakistani footballer         1992 Melissa Suffield, English actress         1993 Alfie Stewart, Actor (The Hollow Queen)         1994 LaShawn Jefferies, Actress (Pirate Camp)         1995 Anett Kontaveit, Estonian tennis player         1995 Soleil Borda, Actress (Still Narcing)         2000 Ethan Bortnick, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (Ethan Bortnick and his Musical Time Machine)         2003 Olivia Hancock, Actress (My Sister's Keeper)         2003 Tess Bu Cuarón, Actress (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban).
 PADDY's WHISKEY OF THE DAY    ..     Royal Challenge Finest Premium Whisky,   Priced at approximately $15 per bottle                  FAMOUS DEATHS ON DECEMBER 24th    ..     427 Archbishop Sisinnius I of Constantinople         1069 Godfried II, duke of Neder-Lutherans         1257 John I, Count of Hainaut (b. 1218)         1380 John von Neumarkt, German bishop, Chancellor Karel IV         1453 John Dunstaple, English composer (b. 1390)         1524 Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer, viceroy of Cochin (b. 1469)         1541 Andreas R Bodenstein von Carlstadt, radical Lutheran         1548 Maximilian of Egmond, Dutch count, stadholder of Frisia         1635 Hester Jonas, German midwife (b. 1570)         1660 Mary, First British Princess Royal and the Princess of Orange (b. 1631)         1707 Noël Coypel, French painter (b. 1628)         1813 Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1740)         1823 Philipp Christoph Kayser, composer         1862 Joseph Funk, composer         1863 William Makepeace Thackeray, English author (b. 1811)         1865 Charles Lock Eastlake, English painter and writer (b. 1793)         1868 Adolphe d'Archiac, French paleontologist and geologist (b. 1802)         1869 Edwin M(cMasters) Stanton, American Secretary of War (1861-65)         1872 William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish physician and engineer (b. 1820)         1873 Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1795)         1885 Louis-Prosper Gachard, Belgian historian         1889 Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (b. 1819)         1898 Eugeniusz Pankiewicz, composer         1898 Sharbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and priest, canonized in 1977 by Pope Paul VI (b. 1828)         1904 Juliaan Dillens, Flemish sculptor         1907 Isidor Feinstein "Izzy" Stone, journalist (IF Stone's Weekly)         1908 Francois-Auguste Gevaert, Belgian musicologist, composer         1909 Nicolaas G Pierson, director Suriname-Dutch Bank         1914 John Muir, Scottish-American author, naturalist (b. 1838)         1920 Stephen Mosher Wood, American politician (b. 1832)         1926 Wesley Coe, American shot putter (b. 1979)         1930 Eduard David, German minister (constitution of Weimar)         1930 Oskar Nedbal, composer         1932 Eyvind Alnaes, composer         1935 Alban Maria Johannes Berg, Austrian composer (b. 1885)         1938 Bruno Taut, German architect (b. 1880)         1941 Siegfried Alkan, German composer (b. 1858)         1942 François Darlan, French navy officer and politician, 122nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1881)         1942 Friedrich Klose, composer         1942 Jean LXF Darlan, French admiral, murdered by gaullists         1942 K Balmont, writer         1944 Joseph Gustav Mraczek, composer         1945 Francisco Pujol, composer         1947 Charles Gondouin, French rugby player (b. 1875)         1952 Henry A "Hans" Kramers, Dutch theoretical physicist         1955 Nana Bryant, actress (Mrs Nestor-Our Miss Brooks)         1957 Norma Talmadge, American actress (Within the Law, Sign on Bay) (b. 1893)         1961 Guy de Lioncourt, composer         1965 William M. Branham, Christian minister (b. 1906)         1966 Gaspar Cassado Moreu, composer         1967 Burt Baskin, American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1913)         1971 Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist (b. 1924)         1972 Charles Atlas, bodybuilder         1972 Ernst Kreuder, writer         1972 Gisela Richter, English historian (b. 1882)         1972 Melville Ruick, American actor (b. 1898)         1973 Fritz Gause, German historian (b. 1893)         1974 Tilly Losch, actress (Duel in the Sun, Good Earth)         1975 Bernard Herrmann, American movie composer (b. 1911)         1976 Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza, heir to the throne of Portugal (b. 1907)         1976 Victor Stanitsin, actor (War and Peace, Jubilee)         1977 Samael Aun Weor, Colombian author (b. 1917)         1979 Dirk Uipko Stikker, Dutch CEO (Heineken), Secretary General (NATO)         1979 Rudi (Rudolf) Dutschke, German student leader         1980 Alec Lafayette Chew Wilder, composer         1980 Karl Dönitz, German naval admiral, and last leader of Nazi Germany (b. 1891)         1980 Siggie Nordstrom, American actress, singer (Nordstrom Sisters) (b. 1893)         1982 Louis Aragon, French author and poet (b. 1897)         1984 Ian Hendry, actor (Assassin, Get Carter, Repulsion)         1984 Peter Lawford, British actor (Thin Man) (b. 1923)         1985 Camille Tourville, Canadian-American wrestler and manager (b. 1927)         1985 Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, American lawyer (b. 1904)         1986 Gardner (Francis) Fox, American author (Kothar-Barbarian Swordsman) (b. 1911)         1987 Betty Noyes, American singer and actress (b. 1912)         1987 John (Joop) den Uyl, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1973-1977) (b. 1919)         1987 M. G. Ramachandran, Indian actor, producer, and politician, Chief Minister of the Tamil Nadu (b. 1917)         1990 Thorbjørn Egner, Norwegian author (b. 1922)         1991 Walter Hudson, weighed 1,025 pounds         1992 Abdulkadir Widjojoatmodjo, Java diplomat         1992 Bobby LaKind, American singer-songwriter and conga player (b. 1945)         1992 Pierre Culliford (Peyo), Belgian cartoonist (Smurfs) (b. 1928)         1993 Alexander Mackendrick, British-American director (Lady Killers)         1993 Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (Power of Positive Thinking) (b. 1898)         1993 Yen Chia-kan, President of Taiwan (1963-1972, 1975-1078)         1994 Jimmy Buddy Lee Land Ace, singer         1994 John Eastburn Boswell, American historian, medievalist (b. 1947)         1994 John James Osborne, English playwright (Entertainer, Luther)         1994 John Keith Wright, English Asst Sect of State (1971-84)         1994 Julie Haydon (Donella Donaldson), American actress (Scoundrel)         1994 Louise H "Lous" Hensen, actress (Uncle Wanja, Charlotte)         1994 Nathan I. Daniel, inventor (Guitars)         1994 Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor (Final Justice) (b. 1916)         1995 Geoffrey Pinnington, journalist         1995 Harry McLevy, trade unionist         1996 Edward Leadbitter, politician         1996 Nguyen Huu Tho, President of Vietnam (1980-1981)         1996 Peter Dormer, arts writer         1997 Alan Fluck, musical educationalist         1997 Anthea Joseph, music producer         1997 James Komack, producer (Courtship of Eddie's Father)         1997 Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founder (Quebecor) (b. 1925)         1997 Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (Shogun) (b. 1920)         1998 Syl Apps, Canadian ice hockey player and pole vaulter (b. 1915)         1999 Bill Bowerman, American track and field coach, businessman, co-founder (Nike, Inc.) (b. 1911)         1999 João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo, Brazilian military leader and politician, 30th President of Brazil (b. 1918)         1999 Maurice Couve de Murville, French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1907)         2000 John Cooper, English race car designer, co-founder (Cooper Car Company) (b. 1923)         2000 Nick Massi, American singer and bass player (The Four Seasons) (b. 1935)         2002 Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)         2002 Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author (b. 1920)         2002 Laci Peterson, American murder victim (b. 1975)         2004 Johnny Oates, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)         2005 Michael Vale, American actor (b. 1922)         2006 Braguinha, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1907)         2006 Frank Stanton, American television executive (b. 1908)         2006 Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter, poet, and comedian (b. 1961)         2007 Akbar Radi, Iranian dramatist and playwright (b. 1939)         2007 Nicholas Pumfrey, English judge (b. 1951)         2008 Harold Pinter, English scriptwriter, director, and actor (Nobel Prize laureate) (b. 1930)         2009 George Michael, American sportscaster (The George Michael Sports Machine) (b. 1939)         2009 Marcus Bakker, Dutch politician (b. 1923)         2009 Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer, sociologist, writer, speaker, politician, and 65th President of Venezuela (b. 1916)         2010 Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer (b. 1930)         2010 Elisabeth Beresford, British author and creator (The Wombles) (b. 1926)         2010 Frans de Munck, Dutch footballer (b. 1922)         2010 Orestes Quércia, Brazilian politician, 28th Governor of São Paulo State (b. 1938)         2011 Johannes Heesters, Dutch actor and singer (b. 1903)         2012 Brad Corbett, American businessman (b. 1937)         2012 Charles Durning, American actor (b. 1923)         2012 Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet (b. 1954)         2012 Jack Klugman, American actor (b. 1922)         2012 Ray Collins, American singer (The Mothers of Invention) (b. 1936)         2012 Richard Rodney Bennett, English composer (b. 1936)         2012 Xavier Mabille, Belgian historian (b. 1933).