Christmas tree lots have sprouted up around the holidays since 1850 (though not, until recently, in front of local shopping plazas).

The most popular Christmas trees include the Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir, and white pine.

There are Christmas tree farms in all 50 states - and 98 percent of [...]

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“Acuity” (uh-KYOO-uh-tee) - from the Latin for “to sharpen” - is sharpness of perception or vision.
Example (as used by Stephen Budiansky in If a Lion Could Talk): “Horses tend to shy a lot because the construction of their eyes is optimized for a near 360-degree field of view, useful for spotting danger, but the price [...]

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A “balletomane” (ba-LET-uh-mane) - derived from “ballet” + “mania” - is an ardent admirer of the ballet.
Example (as used by Jennifer Balderama in a New York Times review of Reading Dance, edited by Robert Gottlieb): “This is, in short, one big brick of dance-nut manna, a loving exhaustive compilation by an editor-balletomane of sterling pedigree.”
[Ed. [...]

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According to Italian folklore, it’s not Santa Claus who gives presents to good little boys and girls. Instead, La Befana, a good witch, travels the country by broomstick on Epiphany Eve (the night before January 6). She fills the stockings of good children with goodies, but leaves only coal for those who have been naughty. [...]

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It’s Fun to Know: The Legend of the Gift-Giving
According to Italian folklore, it’s not Santa Claus who gives presents to good little boys and girls. Instead, La Befana, a good witch, travels the country by broomstick on Epiphany Eve (the night before January 6). She fills the stockings of good children with goodies, but leaves [...]

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My favorite holiday tradition is actually brand-new this year - at least it is for my family.
We took our two-year-old son to see Santa Claus… in an unlikely venue.
Last year, we waited in line for an hour at the local mall. Meanwhile, we were subjected to nonstop trailers for a horrible holiday movie [...]

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Whatever your goal is for 2009 - to lose 20 pounds, to start a business, to learn how to play the guitar - you can reach it much faster if you apply Bob Cox’s two success strategies.

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On very rare occasions, I like to unwind in front of the TV with an episode of Law and Order. In one of my favorite episodes, Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy was enticed to take on a high-profile case, but he refused. You see, the case involved working against his boss, District Attorney Adam [...]

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You probably know not to light up a cigarette when refueling your car. But there’s another fire danger at the gas pump you may not be aware of: static electricity.
According to a survey from the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), most static fires occur when people return to their cars during the refueling process. You can [...]

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A “bulwark” (BUL-wurk) - from the Dutch or German for “tree trunk” + “work” - is a person, thing, or concept that is a defense or protection.
Example (as used by John E. Miller in Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder): “For Laura’s mother the church, in addition to what spiritual significance it possessed, stood out as a [...]

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