December 5th : Themes for celebration and contemplation
As December gets underway, we all know that we are now in the countdown to Christmas, otherwise known as Advent. This will probably mean a daily chocolate treat as we feel our excitement and anticipation for Christmas Day growing.
If you are looking for some themes and points of interest to add to your advent countdown, the Bulldogz Christmas spirit is in full flow and we can provide you with some of the fun, serious and little known points of celebration for each day on this magical countdown.
The 2022 Christmas Film World Cup is underway with voting in the group stage is open. All the details and downloadable wall chart available here.
December 5
Bathtub Party Day
Invented by Thomas and Ruth Roy at WellCat to encourage people to skip the shower and enjoy a bath. Once more, Americans seem to demonstrate an ability to create days to celebrate the most curious of things.
International Ninja Day
This stupidity seems fairly self-explanatory. Check out the official website for various 'how to' activities including how to make a ninja mask from a t-shirt or how to make a paper shuriken. There is also a ninja quiz to take.
World Soil Day
A United Nations Day adopted in 2013 and the date of December 5th was chosen as it was the official birthday of the late H.M King of Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, who was the main proponent of this initiative. It is designed to raise awareness about soil erosion. There is a well-stocked UN webpage with information and materials here. The Discovery website has a series of materials and videos on this initiative as well.
International Volunteer Day for Economic & Social Development
A UN campaign day adopted through resolution in December 1985 to promote the contribution of local, national and international volunteers. The UN resources page is here.
December 5 in History
Events
1492 – Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
1766 – In London, auctioneer James Christie holds his first sale
1945 – Flight 19, a group of TBF Avengers, disappears in the Bermuda Triangle.
1952 – Beginning of the Great Smog in London. A cold fog combines with air pollution and brings the city to a standstill for four days. Later, a Ministry of Health report estimates 4,000 fatalities as a result of it
1955 – E. D. Nixon and Rosa Parks lead the Montgomery bus boycott.
1958 – Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) is inaugurated in the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II when she speaks to the Lord Provost in a call from Bristol to Edinburgh.
1958 – The Preston By-pass, the UK's first stretch of motorway, opens to traffic for the first time. (It is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.)
Births
1830 – Christina Rossetti, English poet and author (d. 1894)
1839 – George Armstrong Custer, American general (d. 1876)
1901 – Walt Disney, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (d. 1966)
1932 – Little Richard, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (d. 2020)
1975 – Ronnie O'Sullivan, English snooker player and radio host
Deaths
1791 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer and musician (b. 1756)
1870 – Alexandre Dumas, French novelist and playwright (b. 1802)
1926 – Claude Monet, French painter (b. 1840)
2012 – Dave Brubeck, American pianist and composer (b. 1920)
Christmas films
A comedy in which a man tries to keep his new job, as Father Christmas, secret from his wife
3rd Seed in Group H. Having spawned a Disney franchise it might be easy to forget the fun of the original, Great family fun as you get the Christmas spirit brewing
An animated comedy adventure in which a new postman’s arrival on a remote northern island, and his friendship with the toymaker Klaus, marks the start of the end to a generations old feud and to a new Christmas tradition.
3rd seed in Group G a family film from a Spanish studio which featured Norm MacDonald's final film role
Christmas music
Feliz Navidad by Puerto Rican José Feliciano is in the top 25 played and recorded Christmas songs worldwide. Learn more about its performance in Christmas Song World Cup history at the song homepage here.