Lateral Thinking Questions

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ANSWER: L.T.Q. #27  !
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Date: Tue, 02 Jan 1996 10:04:00

Welcome to the New Year! It's time to start making your resolutions, even though I had a overly long debate about why we need to make resolutions for New Year's and why not any other day. "Mah nish ta na?"

Here is this week's question:

Part #1: Santa Claus has a vacation house that is positioned in such a way that all four sides face north. How is this possible?
Part #2: In Santa's cottage (not his vacation house mentioned in Part #1), where the temperature was below freezing, there was a newspaper, a fireplace, some kindling, and a kerosene lamp. What should he light first?

ANSWER:

Part #1: Santa's vacation house is at the South Pole.
Part #2: The match.

If these questions seemed too easy, it's because I gave your brains a vacation!

Lew added a question of his own to Part #1: "His vacation house is at the south pole. If he looks out any of the windows and sees a bird, what is the distance from it's belly to the ground, to the nearest foot?" (Answer below)

And to Part #2, he commented: "The match! And then a good blue angel will keep the house warm for a week. Merpy Chrisnukah."

Here's a bonus Trivia Question for you: Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th?

ANSWER: Many years ago, in what is now England, it was found to be easier to convert the Pagans to Christianity if they held a major celebration in the New Religion at the same time the Pagans were already celebrating. December 25th somewhat coincides with the Winter Solstice celebrated by the Druids. (That's my theory and I'm sticking to it!)

Actually, Dave corroborated my evidence with the following: "Dec 21 is the longest night of the year. By the 25th, the heathens could tell that the days were getting longer. It became a sign that summer would come again."

BTW, I'm a Reformed Druid; we don't partake in human sacrifices anymore, no matter how much we sometimes would like to.

Answer to Lew's question: "To the nearest foot" IS the distance from it's belly to the ground. The bird is a penguin.

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