28th December : Significance

The holiday season has come and gone, and the end of the year is in sight. You know what you need to do now? That's right, you need to sit back and play out a few rounds of solitaire, or maybe get the family together for a night of Texas Hold'em, Slap Jack, or War. Whatever your pleasure, Card Playing Day is a chance to wind down from all the kerfluffle of the season by engaging in a card game or three.

History of Card Playing Day

Playing cards are thought to have first been introduced to the world in China before spreading across the globe to India, Persia, and ultimately every corner of this... sphere. Ok, so that corner thing never has made sense, unless you're talking about a rectangular playing card, which thankfully we are! A whole pack of them in fact. Playing cards have always been the last bastion of entertainment in inclement weather, and thus were a favorite of the winter holidays. After all, before the invention of television and electricity, what was one to do when you'd heard all of Uncle Joe's story, and couldn't possibly bring yourself to lay your eyes on another dog-eared novel?

That's right, you play cards! There are numerous games that exist in the world, hundreds from every culture imaginable. Some games are unique to a particular region, or at least distinct to it (Like Baccarat) or can be found in variations all over the world while clearly being recognizable (like poker). Others still involve the use of playing boards as a utility in keeping track of points, such as cribbage. Card Playing Day is an opportunity and excuse to return to this age old form of entertainment, and to spend a little time alone, or connecting with your family.

How to celebrate Card Playing Day

Well, the simplest way to celebrate Card Playing Day is, of course, to participate in the aforementioned past-time! However, if you're really looking to make an experience out of Card Playing Day, you may consider trying to learn a variation of a game you already know, or even learning a completely new card game altogether. There's countless games out there you can learn, and if the game you know has lost its appeal, it's time to learn another one! We also suggest getting out there and investing in a new deck of cards, there are limitless variations on style and theme, and a new deck can make a new game even more fun!

There may have been a few pieces of chocolate candy tucked into your stocking. Or perhaps you received a box of your favorite chocolates as a gift. December 28 is the day to enjoy those delicious treats. It's National Chocolate Candy Day.

The word "chocolate comes from the word "xocoatl or "chocolatl. Mayan "school means hot or bitter, and the Aztec "atl means water. Chocolate is made from the cacao plant. Before it was ever made into a sweet candy, it was ground into a beverage. In ruling class society, the beverage was used for medical purposes.

Chocolate Facts

• In 1828 technology was invented that allowed chocolate to be produced into a solid form.
• In 1828, thanks to the invention of Dutch chemist Coenraad Van Houten, we can enjoy chocolate in the form we have today. His hydraulic press made it possible to remove the cocoa butter from the cacao-producing a powder opening the way for the first chocolate confections.
• In 1847 cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar were combined by British chocolate company J.S. Fry & Sons to produce the first edible chocolate bar.
• Whitman's produced their first box of chocolate.
• The invention of the conching machine by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879 ushered in mass production of the creamy treat.
• The first chocolate Easter egg was made sometime in the early 19th century. In 1875 John Cadbury introduced his first chocolate egg.
• Hershey Chocolate company designed a specific chocolate bar for the U.S. Army. The D ration bar was included in the emergency rations and in the packs of soldiers when the Allied troops stormed the beach of Normandy on D-Day.
• Americans consume 12 pounds of chocolate each year.