Santosh, Internet ScamBusters Newsletter #210, 12-20-2006

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Internet ScamBusters (tm)
The #1 Publication on Internet Fraud
http://www.scambusters.org

By Audri and Jim Lanford
Issue #210 December 20, 2006

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Hi Santosh,

Today we'll take a look at our three favorite Christmas Urban
Legends. You'll probably be surprised to learn that one of
them is true. Can you spot which one?

- Candy canes have religious significance after all -- they
are a homage to Jesus Christ.

- A house is elaborately decorated with Christmas lights that
blink in time to music.

- The song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, was actually written
to contain the basic beliefs of Catholicism, masked in secular
words.

Before we get started, we wanted to let you know that the
author of our most popular car buying guide, Peter Humleker,
just added four important online videos to his product. The
price is about to go up, but you can still grab a copy at the
ebook-only price (but not for long). You can read more about
his special offer in the first promo towards the end of this
issue, or if you don't want to wait, visit:

http://scambusters.org/a/cartips.html

As always, we also recommend you check out the most popular
articles from our other sites during the past week:

Fabulous Christmas Gifts for Couples
http://www.wowgiftideas.com/fabulous_christmas_gifts_for_couples.html

Have You Heard of the Only Hearts Club?
http://www.wowchristmasgifts.com/onlyheartsclub.html

The Importance of Christmas Traditions
http://www.christmasrants.com/the_importance_of_christmas_traditions.html

Dieting Is Not Always Well-Received at the Holiday Table
http://www.dietingtipsetc.com/dieting_is_not_always_wellreceived_at_the_holiday_table.html

The Treachery of Department Store Credit Cards
http://www.consumertipsreports.org/the_treachery_of_department_store_credit_cards.html

Make Sure Webkinz Are on Your Shopping List This Christmas
http://www.wowchristmasgifts.com/webkinz.html

Let's check out today's Christmas Urban Legends...

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Are These Three Christmas Urban Legends True?
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As we head towards Christmas, we thought we'd do a lighter
ScamBusters issue this week and focus on three Christmas urban
legends. And the truth behind these holiday myths may even
surprise you!

Although Christmas urban legends may make us smile, most are,
of course, not true. Out of all the Christmas urban legends
out there, here are our three favorites:

~~~

Christmas Urban Legend #1. Candy canes have religious
significance after all -- they are a yummy homage to Jesus
Christ.

Well, this is a fake Christmas urban legend if ever we've
heard one!

Candy canes are not 'J' shaped to represent Jesus. Their white
bases don't symbolize Jesus' innocence. And the red stripes
certainly have nothing to do with the blood that Jesus shed to
save mankind.

Candy canes are just tasty treats -- nothing more and nothing
less.

Some versions of this Christmas urban legend can make it easy
for you to believe that candy canes are about religion in
general. And as nice as it is to put a story behind a
tradition, this story isn't true, either.

Candy canes didn't originate as tasty treats for children in
church. They originated as tasty treats for people who were
hungry. The design is just part of the package.

So as sweet as this Christmas myth may be, it's simply not
true. ;-)

~~~

Christmas Urban Legend #2. A house is elaborately decorated
with Christmas lights that blink in time to music.

Believe it or not, this Christmas urban legend is actually
true.

In 2005, an Ohio electric engineer named Carson Williams
transformed his house into a Winter Wonderland. He spent
$10,000 in cash and two months of time decorating.

The final result? Carson's house became the house that other
houses wish they could be. And Carson became a living
embodiment of Christmas spirit.

When this story first circulated on the Internet, we thought
it was just another Christmas urban legend. In fact, that
seemed to be the general consensus. However, Carson's story is
actually real.

And if you still think this is nothing but a Christmas urban
legend, you can always see the show in person. From December 2
until December 31, 2006, Mason, Ohio, will present their
"Christmas in Lights" show. Just bring your car along and the
rest will be brought to you.

If you want to know more about this phenomenal light show and
why it made our list of favorite Christmas legends, you can
read about it here:

http://www.festivalsofmason.com/events_christmas_in_lights.htm

~~~

Christmas Urban Legend #3. The song, The Twelve Days of
Christmas, was actually written to contain the basic beliefs
of Catholicism, masked in secular words.

The concept behind this urban legend is that this Christmas
song was originally created as a coded catechism that was used
by Catholics to teach their children. However, it's not true.

Here is an example from one of the most popular versions going
around:

-- Begin Portion of Urban Legend Email

It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty
phrases and a list of strange gifts.

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when
Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were
prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR
public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of
the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of
their faith - a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in
*writing* indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not
only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, or shortened by
a head - or hanged, drawn and quartered, a rather peculiar and
ghastly punishment I'm not aware was ever practiced anywhere else.

-- End Portion of Urban Legend Email

Here is a list of what the symbols supposed represented:

- A partridge in a pear tree. Said to symbolize Jesus
Christ, a mother partridge protecting her nestlings
(Jesus' followers).

- Two turtle doves. The Old and the New Testaments.

- Three French hens. The Christian virtues of faith, hope
and charity.

- Four calling birds. The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John.

- Five gold rings. The first five books of the Old
Testament telling the story of man's fall from grace.

- Six geese a laying. The six days of creation.

- Seven swans a-swimming. The seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit.

- Eight maids a-milking. The eight Beatitudes.

- Nine ladies dancing. The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

- Ten lords a-leaping. The Ten Commandments.

- Eleven pipers piping. The eleven faithful disciples.

- Twelve drummers drumming. The twelve points of belief in
the Apostles' Creed.

According to historians, there is no evidence to suggest that
The Twelve Days of Christmas was written as a covert
catechism. Further, these symbols were all shared by both
Catholics and Anglicans, so there would have been no point in
hiding these symbols in a song, since these beliefs could have
been taught openly without betraying someone as Catholic.

On a different note: Each year as a tongue-in-cheek economic
indicator, economists compute the cost of every item mentioned
in this Christmas carol. In 2006, the total of the "Christmas
Price Index" is $18,920.59, which is a 3.1% increase from
2005. ;-)

You can read more about The Twelve Days of Christmas here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelvetide

So, the next time you hear a Christmas urban legend like this
one, do what we do. Just smile and move on. Although it's nice
to put some history behind a story, sometimes it's best to
bypass the Christmas urban legends and focus more on the candy
canes, Christmas lights, and cheerful jingles that inspire
them. ;-)

We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas -- and
we'll see you next week.

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=====

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