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Join us as we explore  a variety of different topics in a  'not quite normal'  way. Christmas is by far my favorite time of year. Other than the blatant commercialism and lack of focus on the true meaning of Christmas, the biggest problem is that the spirit of goodwill and friendship often found during the Christmas season disappears all too quickly. A search for "Christmas" on Google brings up over 325 million results. I'll not pretend to have searched them all, but hopefully you'll enjoy some of these  not-quite-normal things about        The Christmas Season  Traditions I guess the very word implies traditional things, perhaps things commonly known. While some traditions would be considered by most to be "traditional", many are far from it. Here are the stories behind a few of them. Egg Nog The Christmas Pickle Reindeer Holly and Ivy Mistletoe (actually named after bird droppings) Wreaths Boxing Day The Christmas Spider The Yule Cat The Caganer Figure (you just gotta see this one to believe it) How Christmas is celebrated in other countries Top 10 Uses For a Fruitcake 10. Bury them in the back yard for future archaeologists to discover. 9. Give them to your child for a science project. 8. Hang on to it to find out if there REALLY is more than one Fruitcake that's making its rounds every year!! 7. Use it to hold up a broken table or couch leg. 6. Sharpen your knives on it 5. Use as  stepping block for step aerobics. 4. Step stools for elves, dwarves, and other "little people" 3. Speed bumps 2. Use them as fillers to repair the New Orleans levees with! They last indefinitely and are so dense, water can never penetrate them. 1. Last and probably least - try eating it. It could happen...   A recent Web survey indicates that Americans believe fruitcake is best used as a doorstop, a gift or as landfill (the opinion of the majority), says Party411.com founder Sherri Foxman. Foxman tells us she's coming to the defense of fruitcake. Even if Americans are not keen on actually eating it, Christmas without fruitcake is, well, like Wichita without road construction -- unimaginable. So when your well-meaning friends send you a fruitcake, try these useful ideas, Foxman says -- then you'll never have to fake swallowing a  bite. Knife rest: Cut the fruitcake into rectangles and put one at each place ... your guests will marvel at your creativity. Place card holder: Cut the fruitcake into rectangles and make a small groove in the top to hold your card. Coat with polyurethane so you can use it year after year after year. Holiday door knocker: Glue a hinge to the fruitcake bottom, use removable double stick tape to attach the back of the hinge to your door. Votive candle holder: Make holes to hold votive candles. Insert candles. Punch hole ring: Freeze your fruitcake in a block of ice and throw it in your punch bowl for an unusual, yet attractive garnish. Guest towel holder: Place two fruitcakes side by side. Insert popsicle sticks to hold your favorite guest towels. DNA Search for Father Christmas Choose your side: Scientific reasons why there is no Santa OR Tracks of Santa or perhaps The Parent-Santa Connection Here's the World's largest Christmas Angel Ornament. Over 18 feet tall, made of unopened beer bottles!   Looking for last-minute gifts? How about an acre of land - ON THE MOON! Perhaps Junior would like an off-road vehicle - to the tune of $40,000. Or, speaking of tunes, remember that really cool piano keyboard that Tom Hanks played on in the movie "Big"? Could be yours this Christmas for only a quarter - of a million, that is. How about a Crystal Pez dispenser, Disney style? This one's on my list: a Hovercraft Scooter. More moderately priced, you might like a Pajama Gram This book just looks like fun: Flying Christmas Cows. Here's a good, clean gift to give your loved ones this year. UNUSUAL GIFTS SOME PEOPLE ALWAYS try hard to give out of the ordinary gifts at Christmas. Robert Louis Stevenson, the writer, gave a child his birthday to keep for the rest of her life. Little Annie Hide, daughter of the American land commissioner in Samoa, was born on Christmas Day, and always felt cheated because she only had one opportunity to celebrate the two occasions. When Stevenson heard about her problem, he had legal documents drawn up to officially give her his own birthday, November 13th, for life. John Donne, the 17th century English poet, decided to buy himself a strange present. He arranged to have it gift wrapped, but his family, who all gathered round for the occasion, were shocked to find it was a coffin. "This is a gift to myself" he announced to his astonished wife. "And I mean to sleep in it for the rest of my life". He did too. The catalogue of odd items people inflict on each other at Christmas is endless. A well wisher once sent the Isle of Man Highway Authority a steamroller, because of the poor state of the roads. At the turn of the century, an eminent English surgeon once received from a grateful patient a razor strop made from human skin. And an American millionaire even went to the extreme of purchasing a newspaper - so that he could send a special Christmas morning edition to his friends. Every year, over 36 million Christmas trees are produced in all 50 states. It takes about  7-10 years to grow an average size Christmas tree, and 3 more are planted for every one cut down. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, aluminum trees became popular. Vintage aluminum trees can still be found - for the right price, of course. Today the newest trend is to put up an upside-down Christmas Tree. Here's a little more info on the upside-down tree story.   Remembering Why Christmas Is Celebrated A woman was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable, and hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, this woman finally made it out of the store and to the elevator with her two kids. She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year: Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, get that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, make sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sends us a card. Not to mention, getting the kids everything they ask for. Finally the elevator doors opened--there was already a crowd in the car. This woman pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her, along with all her bags of stuff. When the doors closed, she let out a big sigh and decided she couldn't take it anymore, saying out loud, to no one in particular, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be arrested and strung up!" From the back of the elevator, a quiet calm voice responded, "Don't worry ma'am, I believe they crucified Him." May God Bless You At Christmas And Always! Merry Christmas!