Simon Law Firm's online newsletter for December 2017
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DECEMBER 2017
T he S ecret O rigins of C hristmas T raditions
If you celebrate Christmas, odds are your family observes a number of traditions that commemorate the holiday season. While some of these might be unique to your household, there’s no doubt many of them are part of the holiday’s long cultural history. Part of what makes the holiday season so festive is the sense of collective participation, from shopping and decorating to leaving out traditions have surprising origins that you may never have known. The more you investigate, the more you find that Christmas truly is a global holiday. Stockings Have you ever considered how strange stockings are? We all leave them above the fireplace, often without wondering why Santa is so interested in filling socks with gifts. The touching story of this centuries-old custom reminds us of the spirit of Christmas. According to legend, the tradition began with one poor man, recently widowed, and his three daughters. While the daughters were all beautiful and intelligent, the man had no money for marriage and worried about what would happen to his children after he died. St. Nicholas heard of his plight, and knowing that the family would not accept charity, he devised a way to provide for them. He snuck down their chimney one night and found the girls’ stockings hung by the fireplace to dry. He filled them with gold coins before disappearing into the night. Today, stocking stuffers are a treasured gift category all their own. If you’re dismayed by the prospect of filling massive stockings for
your kids while you play Santa this year, take solace in the fact that at least you won’t need to stuff them with solid gold. Caroling Stockings go back hundreds of years, but that’s nothing compared to the millennia- old tradition of caroling. The earliest roots of seasonal singalongs actually predate Christmas itself. During the winter solstice celebration, pagan cultures belted out winter classics and danced away the longest night of the year. As Christianity grew in popularity, these songs were replaced by the first Christmas-themed hymns. While songs created in honor of the nativity began to appear around the fourth and fifth centuries, Christmas carols didn’t take on their familiar shape until 800 years later, when St. Francis of Assisi began including upbeat hymns in his Christmas services. It didn’t take long for composers from countless countries to begin crafting their own specific carols. Not everyone welcomed the switch from somber to joyful songs. Carols were banned from some churches, which may account for why caroling became a door-to-door activity. Another theory suggests that the tradition of traveling carolers began in feudal societies where peasants would literally sing for their supper. These days, many groups keep the philanthropic spirit of caroling alive by asking for donations to various charitable groups. So if you hear some folks stopping by your neighborhood to offer a rendition
of “Silent Night” or “The 12 Days of Christmas,” consider spreading a little cheer to them. Black Friday While certainly not as beloved and longstanding a custom as stockings or
carols, there’s no denying that Black Friday is a Christmas tradition. You may hate having to stand outside around 4 a.m. (or, as is more common every year, camping out in the cold the night before) in order to secure once-a- year deals, but sometimes the savings are just too good to pass up. Why, you might ask yourself, have retailers made this the norm? Well, unlike the other traditions on this list, we can trace the beginning of the Black Friday shopping phenomenon to a particular time and place: Philadelphia in the 1950s. The term was coined by police officers to describe the influx of suburban shoppers who flocked to the city, where they wreaked havoc and forced officers to work longer hours. It took only a few years for Black Friday to become an unofficial city holiday. in all 50 states. Intrepid retailers figured out a way to turn the negative connotation into a day of sales. During this time, many people believed the holiday was named after retailers going from “red” (loss) to “black” (profit). Now, when you hear that story, you’ll be able to dispel the myth. –Christopher Simon It wasn’t until the ’80s that Black Friday became an integral part of the holiday season
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WARM WISHES THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
As we come to the end of the year and the weather turns cold, it is a good time to reflect on where we are and what has transpired. There are habits we all develop, good and bad. It is a time to be aware of the bad ones and limit themwhere possible. Leave the cellphone outside of the bedroom, limit the amount of snack foods in the house, the usual. Most importantly, though, it is a time to take a moment
and tell the people you care about that you love them. Do something nice for your neighbor. Reach out and remember that, despite all the ugliness in Washington, we are a community and a country of fundamentally good people.
Warmest wishes for a merry Christmas, a happy
Hanukkah, and a happy New Year.
From Simon Law Firm
Santa Claus wasn’t always a husky, omniscient gift-giver who circumnavigates the world once a year, propelled by flying caribou and backed by an army of friendly elves. Though the historical St. Nicholas had many of the same generous tendencies as our contemporary “King in the North,” he lacked a high-tech sleigh that could exceed the speed of light. To be exact, St. Nicholas was a renowned Bishop of Myra — an old Roman town near modern-day Demre, Turkey — way back around A.D. 300. Even before he became the bishop, St. Nicholas was known for his generosity. The most famous tale of his charity involved a poor man who could not afford a proper dowry to marry off his three daughters. In those days, this generally meant the daughters would remain unmarried, making it likely that they’d fall into prostitution. THE ORIGIN OF SANTA CLAUS
Wanting to help, but also wanting to spare the family embarrassment, St. Nicholas traveled to the house at night and threw three purses packed with gold coins through the window. After his death, St. Nicholas became a beloved patron saint, but during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, the respect that many Catholic saints received diminished, and his popularity dwindled across Europe. One area where he remained popular was the Netherlands. There, he lived on as “Sinterklaas,” a mythical figure who went house to house on the eve of St. Nicholas’s nameday, December 5, leaving treats and gifts for children. Sinterklaas traditionally wore red bishop’s clothes and employed elves, and he traveled with horses that could walk across rooftops.
they brought this kindly icon to the new colonies. Over time, notably through Clement Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” and a famous 1930s depiction by Coca-Cola ad illustrator Haddon Sundblom, Santa evolved into the figure we see today.
When the Dutch emigrated in droves to America during the 17th and 18th centuries,
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WORD SEARCH
SHOULD I COVER THE CAMERA ON MY LAPTOP OR TABLET? Do you really need to cover your webcam? Yes, at least I do. A few years ago, I was working on my laptop when my screen suddenly froze and went black. Then, a message popped up, covering the entire screen, and I could not remove it. I tried shutting down the computer and navigating to another screen, but I was completely locked out. The message stated that I had been caught breaking pirating laws by illegally downloading content, that they had seized control of my laptop, and that I would be forced to pay a large fine. The message also included a picture of me. I began to freak out. I used my other laptop to Google what was happening and discovered that this was a common scam called click-jacking. This means that the hackers created a link on an ad with an invisible script, and by clicking on the link, it activated my webcam. Then, there was another invisible script that disabled the light so I was unaware the webcam was turned on. Someone had hacked into my webcam, taken a picture of me without my knowledge or consent, and attempted to blackmail me. After this incident, I completely and permanently disabled the webcam and put tape over the camera. My friends thought I was paranoid, but they have never had a stranger watching them through their laptop. It’s better to be safe than sorry. The convenience of technology comes at a cost, and that cost is sometimes our privacy. People scan the internet with the intent of voyeurism and extortion. The risk is even greater for high-profile targets like Mark Zuckerberg. There’s a photo of him published in the NY Times where he had his own webcam covered with tape because he’d had two social media accounts hacked in the past. Even people who are not CEOs should be concerned with data security, especially young women and children. Other devices are also at risk, like your home network, baby camera, or home cameras. Hackers can access your livestreams, watch them, and then blackmail you with images from the video streams. Here are some security recommendations: 1. Secure your wireless network at home. Make sure you are using WPA2+ encryption and SSID masking to do this.
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C hristmas STAR COOKIES Looking for something a little lighter to leave for Santa this Christmas Eve? Try these star cookies! And, as an added bonus, they’re paleo-friendly!
INGREDIENTS
•
2½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal) ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• •
¼ cup coconut oil, melted 5 tablespoons agave nectar or honey 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• • •
•
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS 1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. 2. In a small bowl, mix coconut oil, agave, and vanilla. 3. Mix wet ingredients into dry. 4. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper until ¼ inch thick. 5. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Turn devices off if you are not using them. It is easier for cybercriminals to hack your network if devices are left on 24/7. 3. Tape!
6. Remove top piece of
parchment paper and dust dough with almond flour. 7. Cut out cookies with a small star cutter. 8. Using a metal spatula, place stars on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 9. Bake at 350 F until edges are lightly browned, 5–8 minutes.
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i H ow S tockings , C aroling , and B lack F riday C ame to B e 1 H appy H olidays ! T he O rigin of S anta C laus 2 S hould I C over the C amera ? C hristmas S tar C ookies 3 N ew Y ear ’ s A round the G lobe 4 When you think of marquee New Year’s Eve parties , New York is probably what comes to mind. The Times Square ball drop has become an iconic moment that closes out the calendar, but it’s far from the only mega celebration. Let’s take a globe-trotting tour of some of the world’s biggest and best New Year’s Eve parties, time zone by time zone. Sydney, Australia Due to its location, Sydney is the first major city to close out one year and begin another. With this honor comes the dignified responsibility of getting the party started, and the city doesn’t hold back. The world’s largest fireworks display illuminates the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House, drawing over 1 million visitors every year. On Bondi Beach, there’s also a dance party that would make a music festival blush. Hong Kong, China China’s most cosmopolitan city recreates the famed ball drop in its own Times Square shopping
NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBE
mall. From there, locals go to Victoria Harbor, partying on boats and the city’s many rooftop and terrace bars. The grand finale? A stunning pyrotechnic dragon slithering across the sky. Berlin, Germany Celebrations in this capital begin with a wacky tradition: the Berliner Silvesterlauf. It’s a race where runners deck themselves out in their holiday best and flip pancakes as they run through the streets. When the sun sets, more than 1 million people gather at the Brandenburg Gate for a night of world-class bands and spectacular fireworks. Oh, and the after-parties last well into the morning. Reykjavik, Iceland This time of year, the world’s northernmost capital only gets four hours of sunlight, so residents love an excuse to go wild. Beginning around 4 p.m., bonfires light up the city, burning off the past year’s negative vibes. It only gets more festive from there. And there’s no better way to
cure a New Year’s hangover than visiting one of Iceland’s picturesque hot springs.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Just before celebrations reach their apex in America, Brazil’s most famous city puts on a party like no other. Revelers dress up in white and go to Copacabana Beach for an all-night celebration. Boats filled with flowers are put out to sea to honor the oceanic goddess Yemanja. Music, dancing, fireworks, and an unrivaled atmosphere — Rio has it all. If you follow the new year from one end of the world to the other, you might be a little tired by the time 2018 hits our shores. Partying with the entire world, however, makes the effort worthwhile.
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