Merry Christmas from PM!

We would like to wish all of our readers a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous new year. Today we stray slightly from our typical industry content to offer you a little bit of Christmas trivia. A few years back, in Chris Koepfer’s Turning Point column, “Holiday Fun Facts,” he provided a list of interesting, timely information. He noted, for instance, that in the Ukraine, it is customary to use an artificial spider and web as part of the Christmas tree decorations. “A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.”

I also found a similar, but longer list that provides an in-depth look into the history of the Christmas celebration. RandomHistory.com gives 50 facts including when December 25 was first declared the official celebration date (350 A.D.), the height of the tallest cut Christmas tree (221 feet), and which U.S. state was the last to declare Christmas a legal holiday (Oklahoma).

But in an attempt to at least stay a little bit on the manufacturing track, and while we’re discussing lists, I will also offer “Fun Facts about the Manufacturing Industry,” from Atlas Dowel & Wood Products Company, which, along with other encouraging words, states, “Taken alone, manufacturing in the United States would be the 10th largest economy in the world.”

Enjoy this beautiful season!