All your kin and kinsfolk, That dwell both far and near; I wish you a Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year”  Good-Bye  The Oxford Book of Carols, #16   

We have got a little purse Of stretching leather skin:  We want a little of your money To line it well within”  Wassail Song  The Oxford Book of Carols, #15   

Our wassail cup is made Of the rosemary tree, And so is your beer Of the best barley”  Wassail Song  The Oxford Book of Carols, #15   https://hymnary.org/text/here_we_come_awassailing   

wassail  noun   an early English toast to someone's health *  a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, spices, sugar, and usually baked apples and is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime *  riotous drinking * revelry   

wassail verb  to indulge in wassail * carouse  

dialectal, England  to sing carols from house to house at Christmas * to drink to the health or thriving of  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wassail     

dialectal, England  to sing carols from house to house at Christmas * to drink to the health or thriving of  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wassail     

The Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop), was an artistic collaboration for artists, artisans, designers and architects inspired by the British Arts and Crafts movement.  In the first three decades of the twentieth century, the Workshop became incredibly influential due to the fact that it emphasized both the artistic and the entrepreneurial:  marketing was clearly a priority and the postcards produced by its members were the primary marketing tool.  https://www.jigidi.com/jigsaw-puzzle/m887hnuh/josef-diveky-merry-christmas-eve-vienna-workshop/

A book is a gift you can open again and again.  Garrison Keillor  (born 1942)    

The Estate of J R R Tolkien has won two lawsuits against author Demetrious Polychron over his book The Fellowship of the King, which he published and commercially promoted as “the pitch-perfect sequel to The Lord of the Rings”.  Polychron launched a lawsuit against the Tolkien Estate and Amazon in April 2023, claiming that Amazon’s TV series “The Rings of Power” infringed the copyright in his book.  The US District Court summarily dismissed that case, finding that Polychron’s own book was infringing and could not be used as the basis for a claim.  The Tolkien Estate filed a separate lawsuit against Polychron for an injunction to prevent The Fellowship of the King from being further distributed.   The US District Court summarily dismissed that case, finding that Polychron’s own book was infringing and could not be used as the basis for a claim.  The Tolkien Estate filed a separate lawsuit against Polychron for an injunction to prevent The Fellowship of the King from being further distributed.  In judgments issued by Judge Steven V Wilson on 14th December, 2023 the court awarded the Tolkien Estate summary judgment on its claim, granting a permanent injunction which prevents Polychron from ever distributing any further copies of The Fellowship of the King, his planned sequels to that book, or any other derivative work based on the books of J R R Tolkien.  He is also required to destroy all physical and electronic copies of his book and to file a declaration, under penalty of perjury, that he has complied.  The court also awarded attorney’s fees totalling $134,000 (£106,000) to the Tolkien Estate and Amazon in connection with Polychron’s lawsuit, which the court found to have been “frivolously and unreasonably” filed.  SIAN BAYLEY  https://www.thebookseller.com/news/tolkien-estate-wins-two-lawsuits-against-author-of-unauthorised-lord-of-the-rings-sequel     

Milk Duds are a brand of chocolate-coated caramel candies produced by The Hershey Company.  The candy is a caramel disk covered with a confectionery chocolate coating made from cocoa and vegetable oil.   Milk Duds are sold in a yellowish-orange box.  According to the manufacturer, the word "Milk" in the candy's name refers to the large amount of milk in the product; the use of "dud" came about because the original aim of having a spherical shape was not achieved.  In 1928, Hoffman and Company of Chicago tried to manufacture a spherical, chocolate-covered caramel candy.  Because they were unsuccessful in achieving the spherical shape, the candies were called "duds". This inspired the candy's name, "Milk Duds".  In the same year, Holloway took over Hoffman and Company and the production of Milk Duds.  In 1960 Holloway sold Hoffman and Co. to Beatrice Foods.  In 1986, Leaf purchased the Milk Duds business.  In 1992, production of Milk Duds candy was moved to Leaf Candy Company's Robinson, Illinois plant.  In 1996, Leaf's North American confectionery operation was acquired by Hershey Foods Corporation of Hershey, Pennsylvania.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_Duds    

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2762  December  27, 2023