Mental Floss shares six new year traditions from around the world in their latest newsletter. Since my grandparents came from Scotland, I was particularly drawn to the mention of Hogmanay, which Scotland marks today. Tonight is also called Auld Year’s Night.

One of the customs associated with the new year is that of the first-footer: the first person to visit your home after midnight (and therefore New Year’s Day). It is good luck if the first-footer is a tall handsome man with dark hair, preferably bringing a gift. The traditional gifts are symbolic, such as salt, shortbread or whisky, two of which are certainly considered good luck in many a house! I wonder if it counts if the tall handsome man who lives in the house goes out the door and comes back in?

Apparently, traditional Hogmanay parties involve singing, dancing, eating of steak pie or stew, storytelling and consumption of copious amounts of alcohol. Scots or not, many people will be carrying on a lot of those traditional activities tonight. So be careful out there, and please don’t drink and drive!

I can’t resist sharing Bill Dyszel’s “freelance national anthem,” about the joys of being a freelance writer. Appropriately enough, it’s sung to Ode to Joy (written by German poet Friedrich Schiller but best known in its musical setting in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony). It opens with:

“We are full-time freelance writers / what we love is being free! / We don’t need no stinkin’ office / We don’t need security!”

I just want to point out, though, that I wear clothes while working!

Did you know that Santa’s blogging this year, and he’s planning to podcast next year? Dave Fleet, who listed what he’d do if he were Santa’s PR guy, directed me to Santa’s blog. Check it out and see if YOUR eyes don’t twinkle!

The list of 100 things about Santa is pretty funny, and it mentions something I ran across recently while editing a client’s newsletter. A headline referred to a “holiday tree,” and I suggested that if it was decorated, as it was, for Christmas, it was actually a Christmas tree. Santa agrees:

“37. It’s a Christmas Tree. Not a Holiday Tree. I’m not (a) offended by your holiday symbols nor am I (b) attempting to take over your holiday symbols. Please leave mine alone. It’s a matter of respect.”

Also funny:

“23. I have been stuck in a chimney. More times than I care to admit. Blitzen carries retrieval equipment in the sleigh.”

Is Santa Canadian? Hmm, he mentions having “replenishment centers,” not “centres” to cover up, but there’s an “eh” in there that makes me wonder.

If you’re celebrating Christmas, I hope it’s a merry one. And let’s hope you’ve been good, because Santa reads every name on the naughty list!

We had lots of snow on Friday and a little more over the weekend, dropping a heavy blanket over the trails where Jake and I usually walk. It always makes me think of my favourite Robert Frost poem, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, which I just learned was his own favourite. Of course, with my dog along, it’s more like Stopping By Every Single Tree On A Snowy Morning, which doesn’t have the same charm.

For a reading of the poem, complete with beautiful visuals of snowy woods and the sound of bells and snorting horse, check out this video.

I often use a line from the poem as shorthand for plenty of work on my plate: “And miles to go before I sleep.”

Do you have a poem that speaks to you?

As Christmas creeps ever closer, the mind refuses to stay focused on work. So instead we’ll ponder what Bill Gates might have been thinking when he named Windows XP.

Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty has been posting seasonal grammar tips, and one related to the use of “Xmas” in signs instead of “Christmas” caught my eye. She explains that Xmas actually has a religious origin:

“In Greek, the letter ‘chi’ is written as an X, and chi is the first letter of the Greek word for ‘Christ.’ Greeks sometimes abbreviated ‘Christ’ as ‘X.’ For example, they abbreviated ‘Christ savior’ as ‘XP.’ (’P’ is the symbol for the Greek letter ‘rho,’ which is the first letter of the word ’savor’ in Greek.)”

Am I the only one who thought of Windows XP?

The quest to rid employee communications of buzzwords and management-speak never ends, so it’s always encouraging to find support. Of  course, it’s unlikely those who speak in “methodologies” and “strategic imperatives” will read books like Don Watson’s Death Sentences: How clichés, weasel words and management-speak are strangling public language, but having Don’s words out there can’t hurt.

The author observes, “Rarely in history have sensible human beings found it so hard to say simple things.” He gives lots of examples, analyzing and discussing them (OK, sometimes at a bit too much length). I particularly liked his description of “anesthetic writing”:

“You cannot read it without losing a degree of consciousness. You come to and read it again, and still your brain will not reveal the meaning – will not even try. You are getting sleepy again.”

Most amusing is the glossary at the end. Don’s examples substitute buzzwords in well-known lines from Shakespeare, songs, speeches and other sources and he encourages the reader to think of a more effective way to say the line.

Here’s one for communications guru Les Potter, ABC:

Krudzu: Any proliferating management fad — or simply dumb concept — that overtakes and eventually strangles a company or organization. (From Buzzwhack.com.)

Why Les? Because we had  a discussion after an earlier post that mentioned Twitter as “sprawling as kudzu.” Les was kind enough to comment, revealing that he grew up in the deep south of the U.S., where kudzu was rampant.

I have seen kudzu in my travels and the word does indeed conjure up something sprawling, proliferating mindlessly and choking the life out of something. It’s a wonderfully evocative word that describes without further effort. Or maybe I’m just enchanted by the thought of something we don’t have here in Canada!

More random misspellings spotted in places where there really should be someone who knows better:

• …three discreet stages of innovation (discrete)
• …his interest is clearly perked (piqued)
• …this was born out by the conversation (borne)
• …take a peak at the table of contents (peek)
• …a viscous attack (viscious)
• …considered a shoe-in (shoo-in)

Yes, you’re right, it’s such a good thing I’m perfect!

Digital natives won’t be impressed, but it was big news for me when I launched my web site, started a blog, got settled on Facebook and LinkedIn and even downloaded a ringtone (I’m not a big cellphone user). So believe me when I say there is LOTS for me to learn.

I had wondered before how to link my blog posts with my Facebook profile, and today Dan York pointed the way. As he notes, it’s quite simple once you can find the Import tab. Turns out it is cleverly concealed under the little triangle beside Write Note. Of course, he’s got so many possible places to link that he’s sorry it only lets you link one.

Joan Donogh of In Formation Design, who designed my web site, also  revealed that you don’t need to see an RSS button on someone’s blog to subscribe. Just look up, way up, at the line that shows the URL of the page you’re on. If there’s a feed, you’ll see a little blue RSS feed icon. Click on that, and you’ll be able to subscribe.

Of course, YOU knew that, but I did not.

What things have you discovered lately that you’d be somewhat embarrassed to say you did not know before? Chances are, I don’t know them either!

Here’s one for those of you who “dislike” when misguided “writers” apply quotation marks with wild abandon: Mark DiCristina’s “Blog” of “unnecessary” quotation marks (misinterpreting bad punctuation since 2005).

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll shake your head at the many, many instances of randomly distributed and misused quotation marks, many sent in by loyal readers. I note that liberally applying quotation marks seems to go hand-in-hand with Random Capitalization.

Possibly the most extreme example I’ve ever seen is this gem:

“Parents”: You are Responsible For your “Childrens” (SAFETY). Do not let them Run “Free” or “Leave” them “Unattended” “In Shopping Carts” While Shopping.

Thanks to Ann Wylie’s Writing Tips newsletter for leading me to the site!