Bob Norton Consulting - December 2019

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NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 Info@NortonAccountingServices.com DECEMBER 2019 NORTON NEWSLETTER EASE OF MIND • AVAILABILITY • FLEXIBILITY • INDIVIDUAL APPROACH • EXPERIENCE • TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™

FROM THE DESK OF Bob Norton

Recently, I was traveling back from Denver and

scheduled an Uber for the ride from the hotel to the airport. The driver who picked

me up was driving a Tesla Model 3!

When I got in her car I said, “I bet you get a lot of questions about your Tesla.”To which she replied, “I sure do.”Then I responded, “Great! Then I won’t disappoint you.”

Here’s a few items I learned about her car:

THEY DO WHAT INWINTER?

Her driving range is around 300 miles, so no long trips.

W inter C elebrations A round the W orld

The dashboard was a touch-control computer screen and is linked to Tesla’s proprietary network (so Skynet is tracking you!). Also, the car is always on, like your cellphone. In fact, she can start the car with her cellphone. I asked about the autopilot function and she demonstrated by moving a lever behind the wheel to engage the system. Then, she took her hands off the wheel. We drove for several miles like that.

Winter is a time for festive joy when celebrations culminate to carry us through the gloomy weather and keep us cheery about ringing in another year. Sometimes it’s hard to look outside our own traditions because we love them so much, but there’s a whole world out there full of people who have their own wonderfully different ways of celebrating a season that means so much. Here are just a few you might find as fascinating and heartwarming as we do.

RUSSIA: MASLENITSA, OR PANCAKE WEEK

Celebrated at the end of February to denote the passing of winter, this seven-day festival is a time of indulgence for people all across Russia. As the name suggests, piping hot pancakes (or blinis, as they’re called in Russia) are served up every day of the celebration as people stuff themselves to the gills in preparation for Lent. The blinis are golden, fluffy, and come with an array of decadent toppings, like chocolate and fruit, or savory options, like sour cream and caviar. The festival also involves plenty of dancing, winter sports like ice skating and skiing, and culminates in the burning of the Maslenitsa straw figure to signify the forgiveness of any wrongdoings suffered. That all sounds fun and dandy, but they honestly had us at pancakes.

It was fun to experience, but I think I’ll hang onto my Red Barchetta.

-Bob Norton

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part of the annual Christmas market in an effort to promote local agriculture. Seeing as radishes were already an integral part of Oaxacan cuisine, citizens latched on tight and haven’t let it go since.

CHINA: LUNAR NEW YEAR

While this holiday is celebrated all around the world with varying customs from country to country, China’s history and traditions surrounding the holiday are the most renowned. Often falling in late January, Lunar

AROUND THE WORLD: SANTACON

You may have heard of this one or even participated in the past. But for those of you who haven’t, SantaCon is open to all! Throughout the month of December in cities big and small, men and women alike dress up in Santa’s traditional red garb and get

NewYear marks the start of a new lunar cycle, and thus a time to reflect on the past and look to the future. Family from across the country comes together to spend time appreciating one another and their ancestors as neighborhoods are adorned in a festive scarlet red. Cash gifts are given in small red packets, and food, dancing, parades, and fireworks entertain late into the night. It all culminates in the Lantern Festival when families light lanterns as a sign of peace and forgiveness.

together to have some fun. The biggest gathering ever recorded occurred in New York in 2012 where an estimated 30,000 Santas all congregated to celebrate! While some like to get a little rowdy by turning their celebrations into events like festivals and pub crawls, others volunteer their time at charities or raise funds for good causes. Whatever the case, it’s a time for adults to get into the spirit of the season by harkening back to their childhood whimsy about Santa and all the joy he brings. This winter, we hope you’ll celebrate and cherish your own fun traditions to the fullest, whatever they may be. The season can be cold and drab for some, but for all, it should be a time to reflect on our past, be thankful for what we have, and tap into the potential of all the things the coming year may bring.

MEXICO: NIGHT OF THE RADISHES

Celebrated every year on Dec. 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico, Night of the Radishes is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Bright magenta radishes are grown just for this one-night

celebration, when they’re picked then carved into fun and intricate figurines, including Nativity scenes, mythical

monsters, and much more. They’re put on display for all to enjoy for just a few hours before they start to wilt, and prizes are awarded to the best carvings. This tradition has roots (pun intended) that date back to 1897 when the mayor of Oaxaca at the time made the carving competition

WHAT DO OTHER COUNTRIES EAT TO CELEBRATE THE SEASON? Holiday Cuisine Around the Globe

tamales can take days, and every family makes their own signature filling.

Celebrations of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa vary from country to country, but there is one thing that unites holiday parties around the world: food. While some American traditions overlap with those of other countries — Peru, for example, shares our love of hot chocolate; England and Canada raise glasses of eggnog; and Italy digs into a version of fruitcake called panettone — there are plenty of dishes beloved all over the world that never make it to the American table. Below, we’ve rounded up a few you might consider exploring this season. COSTA RICA: TAMALES Christmas in Costa Rica wouldn’t be complete without tamales, a savory treat made by stuffing corn dough, meat, garlic, onions, potatoes, and raisins into corn husks or banana leaves. The process of filling and steaming the

JAPAN: FRIED CHICKEN Thanks to a clever 1970s marketing campaign, the dish of choice for Christmas in Japan is fried chicken — specifically, KFC. Unlike in America, holiday orders in the country come with chocolate cake, roasted chicken with stuffing, and even bottles of Christmas wine emblazoned with Colonel Sanders’ face. SWEDEN: SAFFRON BUNS According to Delish, Swedish tradition “dictates that the eldest daughter dress in a white gown tied with a red sash and a crown of lit candles, then wake her parents with hot coffee and a tray of saffron buns.” Swedes also feast on a casserole called Jansson’s Temptation made with potatoes, onions, anchovies, and cream.

ETHIOPIA: YEBEGWOT Ethiopians start preparing their Christmas meals as early as October, when they buy the still-live lambs that will eventually go into their savory, spicy lamb stew on the holiday. As with many of the country’s dishes, yebeg wot is scooped up and eaten with injera (teff flatbread). ISRAEL: LATKES Latkes have been synonymous with Hanukkah for more than 900 years, and no Israeli Christmas would be complete without the little potato pancakes cooked symbolically in oil. Despite their long history, though, latkes now vie with sufganiyot — a kind of jelly-filled donut — for a place on the holiday table.

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WHAT ABOUT DUNDER AND BLIXEM? The Strange History of Santa’s Reindeer

now know the duo as Donner and Blitzen, Moore originally named them Dunder and Blixem— the Dutch words for thunder and lightning — but publishing companies wanted names that would rhyme better with the rest of the poem. Still, it was a few decades before Donner and Blitzen made their appearances in the version of the poem we know today.

We all know reindeer visit our rooftops every Christmas Eve, but what brings them there? Follow the unique and complicated history of Santa’s reindeer to find out.

A VISIT FROMWHO ONWHAT NIGHT?

In the 1820s, Clement Clarke Moore penned a holiday poem that became the foundation for a phenomenon still alive today. Commonly known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,”“A Visit From St. Nicholas” is a beloved story shared by every generation. It is in this poem that reindeer were first credited with powering Santa’s sleigh around the globe. Many popular songs, movies, and plays have preserved Moore’s vision of St. Nick, and his reindeer and their names are no exception. (Well, kind of.) Rudolph wouldn’t join the squad until a department store added him as part of their promotions in the 1930s.

REINDEER BURGERS, ANYONE?

Moore’s poem paved the way for Santa’s most famous form of transportation, but it was actually Carl Lomen, an Alaskan businessman, who mass-marketed reindeer as Santa’s companions. In the late 1890s, the Sami natives of Northern Europe, who were longtime reindeer herders, made their passage from Norway to the U.S. with a herd of reindeer to invigorate the Alaskan landscape and help their native neighbors. Lomen saw the reindeer as an opportunity and partnered with the Macy’s department store company to create a promotional Christmas parade in which Santa, led by his reindeer, a sleigh, and Sami herders, were prominently featured. Lomen’s goal was to promote his massive reindeer conglomerate for the production and sale of reindeer meat. Instead, a holiday story was born.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, and Cupid were all brought to life by Moore, but have you ever heard of Dunder and Blixem? Though we

Take a Break!

Inspired by Food &Wine Magazine

Cranberry Gingerbread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped 2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for greasing

• • • • • •

3/4 cup unsulphured molasses 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cloves

• •

2 large eggs

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions

powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until blended. 4. Scrape batter into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. 5. Transfer to a rack, let cool for 20 minutes, slice, and serve.

1. Heat oven to 350 F. 2. Grease a loaf pan with canola oil. 3. In a large mixing bowl, mix

together 1/2 cup canola oil, molasses, brown sugar, eggs, ginger, and cranberries. In a separate bowl, sift and combine flour with baking

SNOWFLAKE STOCKINGS

ORNAMENTS PENGUIN REINDEER SLEIGH

COOKIES FLURRY FROZEN HOLIDAYS

WINTER WREATH

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Bob PAGE 1 Winter Celebrations Around the World PAGE 1 Holiday Foods Around the World PAGE 2 How Santa Claus Became Powered by Reindeer PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Cranberry Gingerbread PAGE 3 Peyo theTherapy Horse PAGE 4 Horses have been loyal and useful companions to humans for centuries. But unbeknownst to many who fear these long-legged, 1,000-plus- pound mammals, horses are also naturally intuitive and extremely sensitive to the moods of people around them. These traits make them excellent therapy animals for those with autism, cerebral palsy, chronic illnesses, and PTSD, among many more. In fact, there are dedicated horse-riding camps geared toward chronically ill children and adults all over the world. However, riding horses isn’t the only way to benefit from equine therapy; horses are also fantastic comfort animals that can relieve anxiety and promote a positive environment for bedridden patients — as long as the doorway is big enough. HORSING AROUND

Meet a Different Kind of Therapy Animal

Having a horse in a hospital room may not sound very sanitary, but Peyo goes through a strict grooming regimen to be deemed hygienic enough to be around patients. His hooves are greased, his mane and tail are braided, and his entire body is rubbed down with antibacterial lotion before being covered by a blanket. Before Peyo became a therapy horse, he was almost put up for sale by Bouchakour, who had a hard time wrangling Peyo’s fiery personality. But, over time, when they traveled to shows and competitions together, Bouchakour noticed the horse was drawn to the injured and disabled and would instantly calm at their touch. “It is one of the most pure, honest, and sweet things,” Bouchakour says. “They like each other very much without asking for anything else.”

Photoby JessicaRodrigues@jessicarodriguesphotographer

ill patients one nuzzle at a time. This accomplished artistic dressage competitor accompanies his owner, Hassen Bouchakour, on visits to hospitals and nursing homes, bringing joy with every clop of his hooves. Patients suffering from all manner of ailments blossom when Peyo comes to visit, laughing and smiling while being nudged by his soft nose. He seems to have a keen sense for patients who are truly suffering, and though his handler is always nearby, Peyo often chooses which rooms to enter of his own volition.

Meet Peyo, the 14-year-old “love stallion” from Dijon, France, who is cheering up chronically

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