Fun Holiday Facts About Christmas

Fun Holiday Facts About Christmas:

Each year more than 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S. alone.

All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts.

The “true love” mentioned in the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” does not refer to a romantic couple, but the Catholic Church’s code for God. The person who receives the gifts represents someone who has accepted that code. For example, the “partridge in a pear tree” represents Christ. The “two turtledoves” represent the Old and New Testaments.

In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.

The traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood of Christ, and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty.

Christmas trees have been sold in the U.S. since 1850.

According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.

Alabama was the first state in the United States to officially recognize Christmas in 1836.

Christmas wasn’t declared an official holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870.

Oklahoma was the last U.S. state to declare Christmas a legal holiday, in 1907.


Santa Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra (also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari), who lived during the fourth century. Born in Patara (in modern-day Turkey), he is the world’s most popular non-Biblical saint, and artists have portrayed him more often than any other saint except Mary. He is the patron saint of banking, pawnbroking, pirating, butchery, sailing, thievery, orphans, royalty, and New York City.

Christmas stockings allegedly evolved from three sisters who were too poor to afford a marriage dowry and were, therefore, doomed to a life of prostitution. They were saved, however, when the wealthy Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna (the precursor to Santa Claus) crept down their chimney and generously filled their stockings with gold coins.

It is estimated that the single “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin is the best selling single of all time, with over 100 million sales worldwide.

In 1962, the first Christmas postage stamp was issued in the United States.

Christmas purchases account for 1/6 of all retail sales in the U.S.

The first printed reference to a Christmas tree was in 1531 in Germany.

Approximately 30-35 million real (living) Christmas trees are sold each year in the U.S.

The image of Santa Claus flying his sleigh began in 1819 and was created by Washington Irving, the same author who dreamt up the Headless Horseman.

From our staff and families at Boehmer Law we wish you all very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

Reminder of our Holiday Hour Schedule

The Holiday Season is upon us.  At Boehmer Law, we believe it is important to spend time with our families and friends to celebrate all we have been blessed with through the holidays.  Below are a list of dates and times that our offices will either close early or be closed.  Our emergency line is active for legal emergencies at 636-896-4020.  Most courts are also closed on all major holidays and may have modified hours during the holiday season.

HOLIDAY HOURS:

Wednesday, November 21^st:  Close at 5 PM
Thursday, November 22^nd:  Closed All Day
Friday, November 23^rd:  Closed All Day
Monday, December 24^th:  Closed at 5 PM
Tuesday, December 25^th:  Closed All Day
Monday, December 31^st:  Close at 5 PM
Tuesday, January 1^st:  Closed ALL Day
Our Normal Office hours apply to all other days during this season which is Monday-Friday from 8 AM to 6 PM.  As always, we offer free initial legal consultations and are here ready to help you with your legal needs.

The choice of an attorney is an important one and should not be based solely on advertising. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. 

Record Expungements in Missouri

For many people, having a criminal arrest and/or conviction record can create unwanted and negative consequences long after a person’s debt to society has been paid. A record does not even have to reflect an actual conviction to also do damage to a person’s reputation. As background checks and the availability of technology make it easier than ever to access the complete history of a person, any type of legal record can cause issues for everything related to applying for a job, to trying to rent an apartment, buying a car, and in many other instances. At Boehmer Law, our record expungement lawyer in St. Charles, MO offers you the ability for a free case review to see if you qualify for a Missouri record expungement. You can call our offices at 636-896-4020 to schedule your free consultation today.

Recognizing that criminal records may do an excessive amount of unintended damage to a person’s life, in January of 2018, Missouri enacted a record expungement. We will sit down with you, discuss your options, and suggest the best course of action for moving forward with your individual situation. To understand the process please understand that “Expunged” means “erased or removed completely.” In legal terms, expungement is the court process by which a criminal record is destroyed or sealed. Expungement proceedings almost always take place at the state level. There is no federal law governing expungements. Each state, however, has its own qualifications and procedures for expungement, usually requiring a waiting period and a low level of severity to the offense.

What We Can Do For You

Our attorney will help you determine if you meet the state’s eligibility requirements, research your case, file all necessary paperwork, and represent you in court. Expungement can have an enormous impact on your family life, your ability to secure a job, obtain a loan, or rent an apartment, etc. Given that your local judges and prosecutors might be reluctant to allow expungement, it is probably in your best interest to have experienced legal help seeing your case through. At Boehmer Law, we will let you know right away if you meet the requirements for a record expungement in Missouri. We will handle everything from start to finish, be familiar with the laws governing expungement, and have a good working knowledge of the specific court that you will be working with to ensure you get the best possible representation we can offer.

Call 636-896-4020 today to schedule your free consultation for a criminal record expungement in Missouri.

The choice of an attorney is an important one and should not be based solely on advertising. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation.

Fun Thanksgiving Facts and Tidbits

On the third Thursday in November every year, families across the United States often gather to feast on turkey, play games, watch football, and enjoy family!  We celebrate Thanksgiving to honor the founding of our country.

FUN HOLIDAY FACTS: 

• The first Thanksgiving was held in the autumn of 1621 and included 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians and lasted three days. Many historians believe that only five women were present at that first Thanksgiving, as many women settlers didn't survive that difficult first year in the U.S.
• Thanksgiving didn't become a national holiday until over 200 years later! Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who actually wrote the classic song “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” convinced President Lincoln in 1863 to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, after writing letters for 17 years campaigning for this to happen.
• Presidential pardon of a turkey: Each year, the president of the U.S pardons a turkey and spares it from being eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. The first turkey pardon ceremony started with President Truman in 1947. President Obama pardoned a 45-pound turkey named Courage, who has flown to Disneyland and served as Grand Marshal of the park's Thanksgiving Day parade!
• Why is Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November? President Abe Lincoln said Thanksgiving would be the fourth Thursday in November, but in 1939 President Roosevelt moved it up a week hoping it would help the shopping season during the Depression era. It never caught on and it was changed back two years later.
• The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924 with 400 employees marching from Convent Ave to 145th street in New York City. No large balloons were at this parade, as it featured only live animals from Central Park Zoo.
• How did the tradition of watching football on Thanksgiving start? The NFL started the Thanksgiving Classic games in 1920 and since then the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have hosted games on Turkey Day. In 2006, a third game was added with different teams hosting.
• Wild turkeys can run 20 miles per hour when they are scared, but domesticated turkeys that are bred are heavier and can't run quite that fast.
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird, not the eagle.

Let’s Talk Turkey…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 46.5 million in 2011. Six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia, and Indiana—account for nearly two-thirds of the 248 million turkeys that will be raised in the U.S.

The heaviest turkey on record, according to the Guinness Book of Records, weighs 86 pounds.

Californians consume the most turkey in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day!

Female turkeys (called hens) do not gobble. Only male turkeys gobble.

The average turkey for Thanksgiving weighs 15 pounds.

The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States—were eaten at Thanksgiving.

In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving.

Americans eat 46 million turkeys each Thanksgiving.

From Boehmer Law to you and your loved ones…we wish you all a Very Blessed Thanksgiving!  We are here if you need us at 636-896-4020 for the emergency line.

Holiday Hours for Boehmer Law

The Holiday Season is upon us.  At Boehmer Law, we believe it is important to spend time with our families and friends to celebrate all we have been blessed with through the holidays.  Below are a list of dates and times that our offices will either close early or be closed.  Our emergency line is active for legal emergencies at 636-896-4020.  Most courts are also closed on all major holidays and may have modified hours during the holiday season. 

HOLIDAY HOURS:

Wednesday, November 21^st:  Close at 5 PM
Thursday, November 22^nd:  Closed All Day
Friday, November 23^rd:  Closed All Day
Monday, December 24^th:  Closed at 5 PM
Tuesday, December 25^th:  Closed All Day
Monday, December 31^st:  Close at 5 PM
Tuesday, January 1^st:  Closed ALL Day
Our Normal Office hours apply to all other days during this season which is Monday-Friday from 8 AM to 6 PM.  As always, we offer free initial legal consultations and are here ready to help you with your legal needs.

The choice of an attorney is an important one and should not be based solely on advertising. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. 

Holiday Car Accidents and Legal Help

Holidays are meant to be a joyful and relaxing time, but from Thanksgiving to the New Year holiday are typically a dangerous time to be on the road. As people are traveling on the roads with their families, many car accidents can be devastating. While the numbers vary from year to year, an average of 343 people die in traffic deaths each year during the three-day Christmas holiday period. Even more — an average of 373 — die over the three-day New Year holiday, according to the National Safety Council.

If you are involved in a car accident during the holidays and need legal advice—call the accident attorneys and personal injury attorneys of Missouri at Boehmer Law. We offer a free consultation appointment to discuss your situation to see what we can do to help you. Call 636-896-4020 for legal help.

Here are several steps to take, before you set out and while driving, to decrease your risk of becoming a holiday statistic:

Do Not Drive Without Sleep
Drowsy driving is a recipe for disaster. As many as one in five fatal crashes involves a drowsy driver, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. When you are sleepy, your reflexes are slower, and you are not as aware of your surroundings. Both can lead to accidents. Get a good night's sleep before setting out. If possible, have an alert adult passenger in the car at all times to look out for road hazards and suggest a stop, a nap, or a switch out drivers if you're tired.

Preventive Car Maintenance
Be sure to service your car before taking off for long holiday trips. For example, make sure you have had a recent oil change and basic car inspection. Inspect tires for wear and tear. Check the tread by doing the quarter test. (Insert a quarter upside down into the tread; if the top of Washington's head is exposed at any point, it's time for new tires.) Look also for any bulges in the tires. A mechanic can also look at the brake pads to be sure they don't need to be replaced.

Check Road Conditions
First, take look at the weather forecasts for the areas you will be traveling in so you know what to expect. If you don't have a traffic app on your phone, such as Waze, check out state sites that alert motorists to road conditions.

Plan Day Time Trips
If at all possible, start and finish trips during daylight hours. That helps reduces risk of accidents. The death rate at night from traffic accidents is three times that of daylight driving. Hazards rise at night for many reasons. More impaired drivers are on the road, whether due to drinking or drugs.

Do Not Drive Distracted
Distracted driving is also hazardous, and cell-phone use may top the list of causes. An estimated one in four car crashes involves the use of a cell phone, the National Safety Council experts say. If you get a text, have someone else read and respond or wait until you pull over safely to read and reply to your text.

Watch Your Speed
Excess speed is a factor in about 70 percent of accidents involving fatalities, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Buckle Up Every Where in the Car
Seat belts are standard equipment in vehicles. Surprisingly, only 78 percent of adult passengers in the backseat use seat belts, according to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association, compared to 87 percent in the front seat. In vehicle crashes that involved a fatality, only 60 percent were wearing seat belts in the back and 74 percent in the front, the report found.
If you need help with your insurance company, or medical bills and you do not know where to turn--call our St. Charles, MO personal injury attorneys at Boehmer Law for a free consultation appointment at 636-896-4020.  Let us help you.

The choice of an attorney is an important one and should not be based solely on advertising. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation.

I Got A Speeding Ticket, Should I Get A Lawyer? Will It Affect My Insurance?

At Boehmer Law, our traffic attorneys handle speeding tickets in Missouri every day. Let our experience help you. In most cases, we can handle your ticket all over the phone. Call 636-896-4020 today.

Speeding tickets may increase the amount you pay for car insurance. Speeding tickets are considered part of your driving record. Insurance companies can check your driving record, and could use the information to help determine your risk of having an accident or making an insurance claim. The perception that you're at higher risk of an accident because of traffic violations on your driving record may affect the cost of your insurance. The more tickets you have on your record, the more likely you are going to be considered a high-risk driver.

The more traffic violations you have, the more likely it is you will see increases in the cost of your insurance, especially teenage drivers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Drivers that get speeding tickets may be considered part of a higher risk group, and therefore be charged more for auto insurance even if they haven't made a claim themselves, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

HOW A SPEEDING TICKET COULD AFFECT YOUR INSURANCE

Besides potentially raising your car insurance rates, a speeding ticket could affect your car insurance in other ways:

• Less cost reduction or discounts over time.
• Loss of standard coverage.

Remember: Speeding tickets may affect the cost of your car insurance. Insurers may check driving records, and they may consider drivers with speeding tickets a greater insurance risk. That can increase premiums for drivers even if they haven't made a claim. Call Boehmer Law today for help dealing with your Missouri speeding ticket. We make it quick and easy. Call 636-896-4020 today—in most cases we can handle it all over the phone.

The choice of an attorney is an important one and should not be based solely on advertising. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice.