Moore County Connect Newsletter Issue #083 12/22/23

Moore News More Often

In Today’s Issue…

🌤 Moore County NC Weather

❔ Carolina Curiosity Trivia

👉 Would You Like Your Business Spotlighted here?

📰 Pinehurst Tops Zillow's 2023 Most Desired Retirement Destinations

📰 Major Fire Damages Southern Pines Home

📰 Holly Jolly Insights: 10 Christmas Facts to Light Up Your Holiday

📢 Holiday Anouncements & Notifications

🤝 Local business Partners

📅 Local Events

🎉 Celebrate! Today is…

Question: Which North Carolina mountain has a famous profile called "The Old Man”?

(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)

Pinehurst Tops Zillow's 2023 Most Desired Retirement Destinations

A recent study by Zillow shows a shift in relocation trends for 2023, highlighting the East Coast, especially small towns in the Northeast, as the preferred destinations. In that same study, Zillow reveals that Pinehurst now leads as the most popular retirement town, taking over Florida's previous dominance. Read Original article.

Major Fire Damages Southern Pines Home

On Thursday afternoon, a significant fire broke out at a house on 440 South May Street in Southern Pines. Emergency responders arrived to dense black smoke, visible from a distance. Firefighters rescued two cats from the house, with one possibly affected by smoke inhalation. The homeowner was unharmed. The fire was contained, but the house suffered major damage. The incident led to the temporary closure of South May Street in the vicinity. See original article by Billy Marts (Moore Breaking News) on Facebook.

Holly Jolly Insights: 10 Christmas Facts to Light Up Your Holiday

As the jingle bells start ringing and the Christmas lights twinkle brighter, we at the Moore County Connect Newsletter are donning our Santa hats to bring you a sleigh-load of festive fun. In this special feature, we're unwrapping some of the most fascinating, quirky, and downright delightful Christmas facts.

1. A Christmas of Firsts: The Tale of the First Christmas Tree

Did you know that the first recorded use of a Christmas tree was way back in the 16th century in Germany? It's believed that devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. The first documented use of a tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations is recorded in the town square of Riga, Latvia, in 1510.

2. Jingle Bells: A Song for Thanksgiving?

Hold onto your reindeer! "Jingle Bells," one of the most famous Christmas songs, was originally written for Thanksgiving. Composed by James Lord Pierpont in 1857, it was titled "One Horse Open Sleigh" and intended for his Boston Sunday School class during Thanksgiving. It gained immense popularity around Christmas, and the rest, as they say, is history!

3. Santa's Speedy Sleigh Ride

Santa Claus has a big job on Christmas Eve. To deliver gifts to all the good children around the world, he would have to visit an estimated 822 homes per second, traveling at about 650 miles per second. That's faster than a dash of comet dust!

4. The Christmas Pickle: A Peculiar Tradition

In some parts of the world, a Christmas pickle is hidden in the Christmas tree, with the finder receiving either a reward or good fortune for the following year. There are many theories about the origin of this tradition, with some tracing it back to Germany and others claiming it's an American invention. Either way, it adds an extra layer of fun to Christmas morning!

5. The Largest Christmas Present Ever

The Statue of Liberty, gifted to the United States by France in 1886, is considered the largest Christmas present ever. This iconic statue arrived in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885, and was officially unveiled on October 28, 1886. It's a gift that keeps on giving, symbolizing freedom and democracy.

6. Christmas Crackers: A Bang of a Tradition

Christmas crackers are a staple at British Christmas dinners. Invented by Tom Smith in 1847, they were inspired by the French 'bonbon' sweets. Initially, they were love messages wrapped around sweets, but Tom added the 'bang' when pulling them apart, and the modern Christmas cracker was born!

7. The World's Tallest Christmas Tree

The world record for the tallest ever cut Christmas tree is held by a 221-foot Douglas fir displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington. That's taller than most reindeer can fly!

8. Rudolph's Red Nose: A Marketing Miracle

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was actually created by Robert L. May in 1939 as part of a marketing campaign for Montgomery Ward. The story was written as a poem and distributed to children as a way to drive traffic to the store. Little did they know, Rudolph would become a Christmas icon!

9. The Christmas Card: A Victorian Invention

The first commercial Christmas cards were commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843, featuring an illustration by John Callcott Horsley. The card showed a family raising a toast and the message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." It's believed that only 1,000 of these cards were printed and sold for a shilling each.

10. The Sweet Secret Behind Candy Canes

Candy canes were first created as 'sugar sticks' to keep children quiet during the long Christmas nativity services. In 1670, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent the sugar sticks into shepherds' crooks and gave them to children attending the services. This custom spread throughout Europe and later America, becoming the candy cane we know today.

Wrapping It Up!

As we wrap up our sleigh ride through these festive facts, we hope you've found joy and wonder in these tidbits of Christmas trivia. From the Moore County Connect Newsletter, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 🎄🎅🎁 Stay Jolly!

Holiday Anouncements & Notifications

• Town of Aberdeen: 

  • Administrative Offices will be closed Monday, Dec 25 - Wednesday, Dec 27 in observance of Christmas.

  • No garbage collection on the days the Town offices are closed. The makeup schedule for each day will be:
     Dec 25 garbage will be picked up on Wednesday, January 3.
    Dec 26 garbage will be picked up on the next regularly scheduled day.
    Dec 27 garbage will be picked up on the next regularly scheduled day.

• Vass 

  • No garbage pickup Dec. 25. Garbage will be picked up Tues Dec. 26.

• Southern Pines Public Library

  • Closed Dec 23-26 and Dec 31-Jan 1

• Moore County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services

  • Closed Dec 23-27. For animal emergencies call 910-937-2931

• Village of Pinehurst: 

  • The Village of Pinehurst Offices: Closed Mon., Dec. 25, through Wed. Dec. 27 Will reopen Thursday, Dec. 28, at 8:30 a.m.

  • Cannon Park Community Center: Closed Mon., Dec. 25, through Wed. Dec. 27

  • Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives: Closed Mon., Dec. 25, through Wed. Dec. 27

  • Village Hall: Closed Mon., Dec. 25, through Wed. Dec. 27

  • Garbage collection services will be delayed by one day during Christmas week

  • Village Parks: Regular operating schedule

  • Curbside Christmas tree collection will be each Wednesday from Jan. 3 to 31. Place undecorated trees curbside no later than 7 a.m. on Wednesdays.

• Moore County Schools

  • School offices and Central Services are closed to the public Dec. 18 through Jan. 1 2024

  
  

Click the logos to learn more about our Business Partners.

Would you like to have your Moore County business featured here in our Local Business Spotlight? We would love to share your business with the rest of Moore County. You can apply for your own business or nominate a business!

👇 Select an Option:

 ✅ Own a local Business? Apply to be featured.

  ❤ Love a local business? Nominate them.

• December 23

  • Vintage Popup Market 9am at High Octane, Aberdeen

  • Holiday FarmHer’s Market Popup 1-3pm 5814 Glendon Carthage Rd, Carthage

• Nightly through December 31 

  • Holly Jolly Lights 5-10pm 135 Fox Run Rd , Pinehurst (Christmas Light Show and Display)

• December 31

  • First Eve Annual Pine Cone Drop 6-8pm Downtown Southern Pines

• January 6

  • Moore Area Shag Society Monthly Social 7-10pm at Down Memory Lane, Aberdeen

  • Kid’s Saturday at Given Memorial Library (Monthly Themed Craft Event)

ONGOING…

Monday Nights

• Southern Soul Line Dancing; Beginner 6pm; Intermediate 7:15pm; $10pp at The Roast Office (95 Cherokee Rd. Pinehurst

First Saturday of the month 

• Moore Area Shag Society Monthly Social 7-10pm at Down Memory Lane, Aberdeen ($10 Members, $15 Guests)

• Kid’s Saturday at Given Memorial Library (Monthly Themed Craft Event)

Answer: Grandfather Mountain