With four presidential births one may think that February could be the month with the most.  It is not. That honor goes to October, which has six. Jimmy Carter – October 1, Rutherford Hayes – October 4, Chester Arthur – October 14, Theodore Roosevelt – October 27 and John Adams – October 30.

Along with February the months of January, March, April and July has had 4 President born in them. November has had 4 different days with Presidential births with November 2nd being the only day in the year in which two Presidents were born.  This gives November 5 Presidential birth, the month with the second most.

July 4th, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is also the anniversary of the birth of Calvin Coolidge.

When George W. Bush took office in 2001, every one of the months could claim a birth of a President. He was born on June 12. The only other month with one Presidential birth is September with William Taft’s being on September 15.

Barack Obama’s birthday is on the 4th of August. August joins November as second with the most presidents born in this month with a total of 5. The others are Benjamin Harrison August 20, 1833, Herbert Hoover August 10, 1874, Lyndon B. Johnson August 27, 1908 and Bill Clinton August 19, 1946.

The Little Tramp was first seen by the public when Keystone released the comedy short Kid Auto Races at Venice on February 7, 1914. This was actually the second time Chaplin played the character. The first filmed production was Mabel’s Strange Predicament, which was released two days later on February 9th.

It’s not hard to picture the character. He wore a pair of baggy pants, tight coat, a derby hat, large shoes and had a small mustache. Chaplin said in his autobiography, “… on the way to the wardrobe I thought I would dress in baggy pants, big shoes, a cane and a derby hat. I wanted everything to be a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large. I was undecided whether to look old or young, but remembering Sennett had expected me to be a much older man, I added a small moustache, which I reasoned, would add age without hiding my expression.”

The Little Tramp soon became a very popular character. Chaplin made 34 short films in 1914 with Keystone, before moving to Essanay Studio in 1915 and Mutual in 1916. Chaplin would assume control of his productions in 1918. There were only a few productions during the Silent Era that Chaplin played characters other than the Little Tramp.

Perhaps the best film to feature the Little Tramp was the 1925 film The Gold Rush. It was in that film that the classic scene of the starving man, during the Yukon Gold Rush, carved and ate an old boot.

In 1981, IBM acquired the rights for the Little Tramp from the Chaplin family to used the character in a series of ads for their new personal computer. The idea was that even Charlie the common man could use a computer.

But things changed after he was injured at the Battle of Saratoga. His combat career was curtailed. Even with his successes he was passed over for promotion by the Continental Congress. Others took credit for his accomplishments.

Beginning in 1779 Arnold decided to change sides and began giving information to the British as well as transferring his assets to London accounts.

As part of the plot he was able to gain command of the fort at West Point. His intentions was to surrender the fort to the British without a fight. However his plot was exposed and stopped. Arnold found out that his plot was foiled in enough time to leave West Point and board a British ship.

Arnold received a commission as a brigadier general in the British Army leading British forces at Blanford, Virginia, and Groton, Connecticut, before the war end. In the winter of 1782, Arnold and his wife Margaret “Peggy” Shippen Arnold moved to London. In 1787, he entered into mercantile business with his sons Richard and Henry in Saint John, New Brunswick, but returned to London in 1791.

Benedict Arnold, V was born on January 14, 1741 (January 3 under the Julian Calendar). He was the second child of Benedict Arnold III to have the name. His brother Bendict Arnold IV died in infancy. His Great Grandfather, Bendict Arnold, was an early governor of the Colony of Rhode Island. Arnold died in London, England on June 14, 1801.

The word solstice derives from Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).

During the Northern Hemisphere’s Winter, the earth is actually closer to the sun than in June/July. It is because the Northern Hemisphere is tipped away from the the sun during this period that it is colder.

Over the years many cultures have had ceremonies and rituals that related to the Winter Solstice. Many of these stemmed from the belief that if they didn’t perform these rituals that the failing sun would not come back without them.

One of these festivals that occur on or near the Winter Solstice Yule. This celebration is considered a pagan celebration when people created a large fire in a log (called the Yule log) and told stories, snag song and drank mead as a way to remember the past and to help the sun revive.

Even though the day is short and the night is long, it is good for it to be a day of celebration. A time to be with friends and family. A time to help those around you. A time when the days may be dark, but a time where one knows it will be much brighter ahead.

Our vision of Santa Claus comes from many different places and times. There are the Coke Santa’s of the early 20th Century, the 19th century drawings of Thomas Nast and the classic poem by Clement Moore. Moore’s version may have been developed from the Dutch Sinterklaas.

Sinterklaas is aa traditional Winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, Belgium, Aruba, Suriname and Netherlands Antilles. December 5th is Saint Nicholas’ Eve and is the chief occasion for gift-giving. Sinterklass is the gift giver.

The Saint Nicholas Feast is for Saint Nicholas (280–342). He is patron saint of children and sailors. Nicholas lived in what is present day Turkey and he is said to do secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him.

Then there is the English Father Christmas. Father Christmas is a symbolic figure associated with Christmas and the season’s spirit of good cheer. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France (Père Noël) Spain (Papá Noel), Malta (il-Krismis Fader), Portugal (Pai Natal), Italy (Babbo Natale) and Romania (Moş Crăciun)

Even though not called Father Christmas, the Ghost of Christmas Present from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, fits the description. The Ghost is a spirit of good cheer and is a great genial man in a green coat lined with fur.

No matter the name, he is a great spirit of Christmas for many from Children from the ages of 2 to 102.

It’s possible that December 25 was selected as the date of Christ’s birth in the early days of Christianity as a way for all to participate.

Yule is one of the pagan holidays and the idea of the Yule log came from that.

Decorating a tree has its origins with the Druids who saw evergreen as symbols of everlasting life and decorating the trees may have also come from the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, a celebration of the Winter Solstice.

Mistletoe is from an ancient Druid custom at the winter solstice with kissing under the mistletoe coming from the Druids as well.