Holiday Countdown 2021 - The lost days part 1

[#1]

As usual, I had to remove older days from the main article. It's getting too large. But here they are again:

Can you guess the lie?

Today's song: Sleigh Ride by Ella Fitzgerald

On November 7, 2019 @Stephanie Grice asked for your detective skills. Two Truths and a lie - a great game to get to know your mates better. Do you know that @Monique vdB is reading more than one book every week or why @Nic Brough -Adaptavist- should stop watching Stephen King and Shaymalan films? What is your lie? Let’s continue and play the game! Use the comments here or in the original post and let us guess!

Here are mine:

1. Santa’s real and I do live at the northpole at the moment

2. Thomas is my best friend and he loves me so much that he has a stuffed version of me sitting on his desk

3. I taught Will Ferrell how to act like a real elf in preparation for the movie “Elf”

And these are the questions of the day:

• Here at the North Pole, we can see one thing only in March. What is it?

• What do you think, which male first name is the most common in the world?

Song of the Day: I want to come home for Christmas by Marvin Gaye

In June 2020, @Tamanna Godara asked for your moment or thing that you hold close to your heart.

@Darline Auguste , @Celina Zamora, @Monique vdB , @DPKJ , @Jimmy Seddon and @Esther Strom shared their heartwarming moments with us. Thank you once more for this.

I have heartwarming moments every year. We elves do not only craft toys, some of us (the ones with a neat handwriting) help Santa answering the children's letters. And sometimes the kids don’t ask for more and more and bigger and brighter - they tell us about their seriously ill family members or friends. They ask Santa for help and these letters really hit your heart. We answer every single one of them, try to give strength and confidence. These are the moments when I wish, Santa could really help. But although he can fly and can be everywhere in the world on the same day, he’s not good in healing. But we do our best to put a smile on every children’s face.

How about you? What is the moment you hold close to your heart? We want to hear it, please share it with us.

Here are today’s trivia questions:

1. How many milk teeth did we have when we were a child?

2. Where is the Hundred Acre Wood?

Yesterday's questions:

In March, the sun is rising at the North Pole. This sunrise lasts 30 hours and it happens only once a year. The sun sets in September again.

The most common male name in the world is Mohammed.

There were a few correct answers yesterday, good luck for today!

And yes, the lie is #3. It was not me, it was Sugarplum Mary. I've been in Fairytale Land at this time.

Song of the day: Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt 

@Peter DeWitt  asked in April 2019 for our childhood pictures.

Do you recognize these kids?

You can find the solution on Peter’s page. And since you are visiting the page, don't forget to upload your picture!

Nobody knows where or when elves were born. They are just here. Sometimes we find a new elf baby in front of Santa's door, but not too often. Where do they come from? That's a big secret. Like almost anything concerning elves. We are a mysterious folk and not even Santa knows everything about us.

Our babies look a lot like yours in their first years. To be honest, everytime we find one, we deeply hope that it is really an elf and not a human being. If the baby's height is more than half of yours when it is three years old - then you know, that there is something wrong...  

This is our last foundling:

What do you think: Elf or Human?

Questions of the day:

1. How many people are sitting at the bar of Edward Hoppers Nighthawks - do not count the barkeeper!

2. Which is the 11th prime number?

Answers of day 2:

Humans have 20 milk teeth and The Hundred Acre Wood is of course a part of the fictional land inhabited by Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends.

Song of the day has just been released today: Merry Christmas by Elton John and Ed Sheeran 

@Daniel Eads asked in this years' March for your favorite sounds of the Season. Sounds that tell you that Spring has come or Summer is ending.

Listen virtually to frogs, birds, wolves and flowers. What’s your favorite sound?

Here at the North Pole, there is not a lot of sound. Sometimes you can hear a polar bear, but most of the time, the giggling of the elves is so loud that any other sound is drowned. I like the sound of falling snow. Yes, there is a sound of falling snow - if you had my big elf ears, you would be able to hear it.

When I lived in the Fairytale Land, my favorite sound has been the whispering of the wind in the willows. I love it.

Another favorite sound of mine is… Santa getting stuck in the chimney - but don’t tell him that!

Questions of today:

1. Nick Cave sang the song "Where the wild roses grow" with ...

2. Do you know the little crab Sebastian? Where is it from?

Answers of yesterday:

Three people are sitting at the bar:

Prime-Numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31

31 is the 11th one.

Song of the day, something classical for Sunday: Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy 

Sometimes Friday Fun is about books. I chose two of the book themed ones:

In January 2020, @Deepanshu Natani asked for our most favorite book ever- and that’s hard. Most people ignored the singular and answered the question with a list. There are really interesting books mentioned there - if you need inspiration for the next months (or just weeks, if you read as fast as @Monique vdB ) look at the thread!

The other thread is about childhood books. @Erica Moss asked for your  most formative young adult reads. Look at the covers of these books - they are amazing!

One of my favorite books is The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I read it a thousand times and watched the play on theatre stages and movies (before I had to move to the North Pole of course) . The Muppets movie is one of my favorite screen adaption. By the way, Santa doesn’t like this book. It’s humbug. Christmas without Santa is no Christmas at all, that’s what he thinks… Oh oh…

(This is the original one)

What are your favorite books? Right now or years ago? Books of your childhood? What do they mean to you? Tell us, we need more inspiration!

Some movie questions today:

1. Donald Trump, well you all know him. But in which movie can you see him, pointing a boy in the right direction?

2. Planet of the Apes - do you know this movie? What is the name of the Planet of the Apes?

Answers to yesterday's questions:

Nick Cave sang the sentimental ballad with Kylie Minogue: Watch the video here 

The crab Sebastian is from Disney’s Little Mermaid - some even answered that it came from Jamaica - which is also true.

Song of the day: All I want for Christmas by ... no not her... by Jamie Cullum

We do not only have Friday Fun and Miscellaneous Mondays but also Throwback Thursdays. It’s not too long ago but I think, this question needs more photos: on November 18th,  @Kristján Geir Mathiesen asked for your bad hair day moment. Very funny and I want to see more of this from you!

My best friend Thomas showed me a picture from the lockdown season. He asked me not to show it to anybody - but here it is (I cut the lower part so hopefully he will not kill me ) :

And what’s under my hat? Well, that’s one of the biggest secrets an elf has to hide. You will never ever see an elf without his hat. Don’t even think of that. Let me just say, there is a reason, why we always wear hats

Questions of the day:

1. When I think of what’s under my hat, he comes to my mind:
   
   Who is it and what’s the name of his father?
   
   

2. What's the name of the Queen of Papua New Guinea? Hint: she has more hair :-)
   

Last days' answers:

1. Donald Trump showed Kevin McCallister the way to the hotel lobby in the movie “Home alone 2 - Lost in New York”

2. The planet of the apes is of course our Earth. Remember the Statue of Liberty in the end?

Song of the day: 12 Days of Christmas Cookies by the Cookie Monster

Holiday season is not the time to keep to a diet - and so I want to call your attention to a contest @Bridget started a few days ago: 🍪 The Great Atlassian Bake Off competition ! Get into your kitchen and bake cakes, cookies salad… What?? Doesn’t matter. You can earn a nice badge and more.

Do you need inspiration for the contest? @Liam Green asked in November 2020 for your most favorite cake.

Read about apple pies and cheesecakes, meat loaf cupcakes, mojito cakes and many more. Choose your cake and join the Great Atlassian Bakeoff!

Do you leave cookies and milk for Santa?

Well, I don’t want to destroy your romantic illusions, but Santa does not eat millions of cookies in one night. Generally, he eats a lot (can you imagine a lean Santa? - no way), but even for him , that would be too much. He brings them back to the North Pole.

We have a special barn where we store all the cookies and since it is cold, they stay fresh for a very long time. We eat them every day, the whole year long - another reason why I want to leave this place…

Questions of the day:

• How many languages are spoken in the world? Points are given for the closest answer

• Thousands of people gathered to form a big Peace-Sign in Central Park, New York in 2015. Why?

Last days answers:

It was Homer Simpson of course and his father is Abraham "Abe” Simpson and the Queen of Papua New Guinea is Queen Elizabeth II.

Song of the day: Katy Perry: Cozy little Christmas - I love this video, it's glamorous, it's kitschy, wonderful - and Santa really had a lot of fun taking part in this!  

Today, it’s getting a bit weird. We’re all get used to pandemics today. We stay at home and wait until it’s over. But what if the beasts are getting a little bit bigger? @Mike Cannon-Brookes asked for your plan in the event of a zombie apocalypse. What’s your recipe? Just stay at home? Tell us more!

Most important advice: don’t let Santa into your house (watch this video and you’ll know why)

OK, Santa’s a zombie now - but still a neat one. Who would have thought it.

It’s time for me to leave the North Pole before he’s back. Are there zombies in Fairy Tale Land? I will ask the Brothers Grimm - they’re living there for 250 years now, they should know that. But wait, how can they live for so long… How long do zombies stay alive? Help!

Questions of the day, we stay on the creepy side of life:

1. Which movie has been shot in the Timberline Lodge?

2. What was the first movie based on a novel by Stephen King?

Last days answers:

According to the Linguistic Society of America, there are about 6900 different languages in the world,

50% of them are threatened with extinction because they're rarely spoken.

Your estimations went from 300 to 27.000 - closest to 6900 was  @Kristján Geir Mathiesen (6400) - congrats!

Yoko Ono gathered thousands of people in Central Park, New York for the largest human peace sign. They celebrated John Lennon's 75th birthday. Want to see some pictures? Look here

Song of the day is a special wish by @Lars Mählmann : CeeLo Green Feat. The Muppets - All I Need Is Love 

Do you know that situation: you get a present, unpack it and … pretend you’re happy and satisfied but secretly ask yourself:

• what’s this??

• why me??

• this is a strange thing…

Of course, I don't speak about Santa's presents, absolutely not - he always finds the right thing for everyone, but I heard, some presents are also given by human beings. They shouldn’t interfere in Santa’s business. That’s asking for trouble. But sometimes they do and that’s what @Esme Crutchley  asked you for in March 2020: Odd presents. Read about Bugzookas, Power Mops, Dust Daddies and Angry Mamas.

What is the oddest thing you got and maybe it turned out to be super useful? We want to hear your story and don’t worry - we won’t tell anybody - promised!

It’s sad but true, Elves do not get a lot of presents. We don’t celebrate our birthday in the way you do. And Christmas… well, if you craft toys and wrap them in Christmas paper the whole year long, you can’t stand them anymore. But sometimes, we receive gifts from children and everybody is totally upset then. These moments are really nice and heartwarming.

Once I received a package sent by a little girl. She gave me her pink earmuffs and wrote me a letter. She was worried about my ears, because they are so big and the typical elf hat does not cover them at all. The girl always has cold ears and thought, every elf should have one of these wonderful colored earmuffs, escpecially if you’re living at the North Pole.

Well, the color is really ugly, but they are useful. Santa laughed a lot when he saw them, but it’s all very well for him to laugh - he wears a cosily warm hat…

Questions of the day

1. What's the meaning of IBU when you see that on a bottle of beer?

2. The dogs Buddy, Barney and Bo lived in a famous house. Which one?

Last days answers:

Movie fans know The Timberline Lodge in Oregon as "The Grand Overlook Hotel". The movie "The Shining" has been shot there, at least some parts of the movie. Fun Fact: Room 217 is one of the most haunted rooms in the book (the one with the bathroom scene) - the Timberline Lodge asked Stanley Kubrick to change the room number to 237 - a room which does not exist in the hotel. But the Hotel states: "Curiously, and somewhat ironically, Room 217 is requested more often than any other room at Timberline."  

A lot of people guessed that "The Shining" was also the first movie based on a novel by Stephen King, but it wasn't. The Shining came out in 1980, four years after "Carrie", which was the first one in a lot of movies.