Here are some things I read today that interested me.
Do Christians And Muslims Worship The Same God? – Yes. Next question? (For more about this, see my link round-up for December 17th.) NPR
12 Days of Christmas Songs: ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ Is A Hymn for the Ages – As part of their “12 Days of Christmas Songs” series, The Atlantic takes a look at Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time is Here,” a song written for A Charlie Brown Christmas and its staying power, fifty years after the original broadcast of the animated special. The Atlantic
How we made: The Muppet Christmas Carol – Brian Henson, Steve Whitmire. and Dave Goelz share their memories of working on The Muppet Christmas Carol, from picking up the torch of the Muppets after Jim Henson’s death to the casting of Michael Caine to the emotional weight they felt in Jim Henson’s absence. The Guardian
Music Extra — John Lennon: Verbatim – In commemoration of John Lennon’s 75th-birthday, the BBC World Service produced a new documentary on Lennon’s life, told through archive interviews (and the occasional song clip) that ends up sounding like something of a Lennon autobiography. BBC World Service
On the trail of Scotland’s Merlin – Is Merlin real, and was he from what we now call Scotland? “For me, the Merlin legend is a tapestry of medieval invention woven around a Dark Age fact. At its core I see a real person who lived in Northern Britain in the sixth century AD: a warrior of noble ancestry who later became a ‘wild man of the woods’. I believe that his name was Lailoken (or Llallogan) and that he fought at the Battle of Arfderydd, a famous clash between rival groups of Britons in the year 573.” A fascinating read. Senchus
Playing Monopoly (and its discontents) on its 80th anniversary – In December 1935, Charles Darrow received a patent for the board game, Monopoly. This article from the National Museum of American History takes a brief look at the game and its origins. I’m not much of a fan of the game Monopoly, but the story behind the game is fascinating. The Smithsonian Institution