My True Love Guild to Me - 1st Day Quiz

Answer: Both December 25th and 26th

Christian scripture does not give a specific date for the birth of Jesus. Church tradition supposes that the date was chosen to infuse the Roman Solar Festivals with a new Christian significance. The western church counts December 25th as day one, making January 5th the twelfth and last day of Christmas, before the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th.

Other cultures mark twelve days of Christmas from December 26th to January 6th, which is referred to as "Little Christmas". In the astrological interpretation of the Christmas season, Virgo appears on the eastern horizon on the night of December 25th, making the following day - December 26th the first day of Christmas.

Answer: True

The commonly accepted explanation is that when the lyrics were translated from French, the first gift was "A partridge, un perdrix" (pronounced "pair-dree").

Answer: it depends on the bird's age

More than likely, your True Love has given you a Grey Partridge which is a game bird in the pheasant family. While the bird is a relic species, nesting in wheat fields, it's the bugs they're after when they're young chicks. Their diet changes over to seeds when they reach adulthood.

Answer: San Pueblo Partridge

The actual varieties are Snow, Arabian, Przevalski's, Rock, Chukar, Philby's, Barbary, Red-legged, See-see, Sand, Grey, Daurian, Tibetan, Long-billed, Madagascar, Black Wood, Rubeho Forest, Udzungwa Forest, Hill, Sichuan, Chestnut-breasted, White-necklaced, Rufous-throated, White-cheeked, Taiwan, Hainan, Chestnut-bellied, White-faced Hill, Bar-backed, Orange-necked, Chestnut-headed, Red-breasted, Red-billed, Scaly-breasted, Chestnut-necklaced, Grey-breasted Hill, Annam Hill, Ferruginous, Crimson-headed, Crested Wood, Stone, Mountain Bamboo, and Chinese Bamboo.

The only Partridges from San Pueblo were the fictional TV family that embarked on a musical career in the early 1970s.

Answer: Barding

Barding consists of laying strips of bacon or other fats over a roast, typically a game bird such as the Christmas partridge that go better in your tummy than in that pear tree jammed into the corner of your front room. In a moment of genius, you seize your plump partridge, cleave it to a respectable serving size, pluck and clean it, then rub it inside and out with a mixture of brandy, lemon juice, salt and ground thyme. You rub your bird with butter, wrap several strips of bacon around it and secure the bacon with toothpicks. Foisting the partridge on a spit, you roast it for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on its size) as your mouth waters. Next, you remove the bacon for the last few minutes so that the partridge browns up nicely. You plop the bird on a plate garnished with parsley or watercress, crisp croutons of bread sautéed in butter, and mushrooms simmered in water with a little lemon juice and sautéed. Dripping the pan juices over the bird and serving with wild rice and red currant jelly, you phone up your chum that gave you the bird and say "fanx" with your mouth full.

Answer: China

Each year, the earth produces almost forty billion pounds of pears. More than half are grown in China. Other leading pear producing countries are Argentina, Italy, Korea, the USA, Japan, Spain, Turkey, Germany, and South Africa.

Answer: Poire Belle Hélène

Because the pear tree is out of season and bearing no fruit, you zip open a can of pears and plunk two halves on fancy dessert plates, cut side up. Melt about 8 ounces of dark chocolate with four teaspoons of the pear juice from the can. Using your melon baller, nestle two scoops of French Vanilla ice cream in each pear half. Stir two tablespoons of sour cream into the chocolate and drizzle onto the ice cream.

The English use spoons with this. Named for Helen of Troy, this sweet treat is a great way to kick off a cold winter's snuggle. Clafoutis is apple or fruit (such as cherries) batter-pudding, Brioche is sweet bread, Kouglof is cake, and none are nearly as much fun as "Poire Belle Hélène".

Answer: a near quarter century high

Through 2007, True Loves had absorbed a decade of pear tree price rises from $45 to $164.99, representing one of the more dynamic factors in making 2007 a very expensive Christmas. Over the preceding ten years, pear tree growing conditions were favorable, producing bigger, better, more expensive trees. From its inception in 1984, the Christmas Price Index has often increased or decreased at a rate consistent with other Consumer Price Indexes. Evidently True Loves' Christmas gifting habits are a widely followed measure of inflation.

Answer: Alan Partridge

Alan Partridge is a character created by British comedian Steve Coogan. He appeared first as a host on the BBC Radio 4 "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and then in successive television series on BBC 2 as an annoying and inept sports reporter, The 1995 Christmas special was called "Knowing Me, Knowing Yule". Andy Partridge is a British guitarist who founded the band XTC; Don Partridge is a singer-songwriter whose biggest hit was "Blue Eyes"; John Partridge is a British television performer who also starred in the movie version of the musical "Cats".

Answer: His footprints gave off tremendous heat.

According to Cosmas of Prague, and corroborated by Pope Pius II, Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907-935), rose "every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God's churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was considered, not a prince, but the father of all the wretched." According to the legend immortalized in the carol by John Mason Neale, his page was exhausted and cold and was about to fall behind, only to perish in the frozen night, but the King's footprints in the snow radiated great heat, renewing and re energizing his retainer, no doubt saving his life.
"In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing."