During this time of year local establishments and homes in Harlem, go all out to beautify their facades in the spirit of the season for all to enjoy.
Happy Holidays from the Elegant Classy Gentleman.
I wrote an article a couple of years ago called “The Dark Side of Christmas”, which explained the relationship between Saint Nicholas and his demon side-kick Krampus. I am a lover of vintage Christmas Cards but couldn’t help but notice the evolution of Krampus on these said cards, from child eating Christmas Demon, to sexy ladies man, to sexy X-mas Imp (yeah an… Elf).
Over a short period of time, some of the Germanic Christmas Cards dropped St. Nick and displayed a solo Krampus .
Not very long after, Krampus seems to have stopped eating and punishing bad children, and took on a more salacious interest in women. And I also noticed that Krampus is no longer bound in chains,(suggesting freedom from St. Nick).
These were some sexy Christmas holiday cards indeed!
However their was one underlining problem. Krumpus was still depicted in his demon form, associated with torturing and eating children.
So suddenly Krampus transformed into a holiday imp/elf to gloss over the fact that he was Santa’s demon attack dog on misbehaved children.
Well I suppose women have a bit of devilish sexy plans on their minds for Christmas!
Merry Happy Sexy Christmas to you my dear!
One of the most common things we experience in our daily lives is forgetting things, from forgetting our keys to not remembering to return a phone call. Forgetting is so common, many of us use reminders such as daily planners, digital notification to post it notes. But why does this happen, why do we forget?
Well forgetting is not really loss of the information, but rather the failure to retrieve the info from our long term memory. Hermann Ebbinghaus who was the founder of the experimental psychology of memory. He’s three most well know theoretical discoveries are, the “Learning Curve”, “Forgetting Curve” and the “Spacing Curve”.
The Forgetting curve: The theory behind the forgetting curve is that memories or information decay overtime.
The Spacing Curve: Presents the theory that information that is learned and encoded over spaced intervals can be learned faster, and retained longer.
The Learning Curve: Is the theory that the rate of learning new information by repetition represented as a graph of the progress you learn and encoded that new data your in long term memory.
Two Types of Memory: We all have two types of memory, Short term memory which is regulated by the hippocampus is the means by which we store memory in a limited fashion. Long Term memory which is encoded for long term storage is passed from the hippocampus to the other brain structures where it is stored for retrieval much later.
Memory can also be effected by a process known as “Interference” in which other memories block the ability to recall a certain specific memory. Such a thing can also be self imposed, as in memory suppression of unpleasant traumatic experiences. Displacement: Displacement is quite literally a form of forgetting when new memories replace old ones.
Now what was the point that I was trying to make???
Sources:
Brown, J. Some Tests of the Decay Theory of ImmediateMemory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 1958;10: 12-21.
Boneau, C. A. (1998). Hermann Ebbinghaus: On the road to progress or down the garden path? In G. A. Kimble, & M. Wertheimer, (Eds.), Portraits of pioneers in psychology (volume 3), pp. 51-64. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
It’s that special time of the year again, and that means holiday cocktail parties, and get-togethers. The sophisticated gentleman when he makes his entrance must exude flair and a festive style, whether he arrives alone or with an elegant lady on his arm. The centerpiece of the man’s outfit is the festive holiday jacket!
By building your holiday party outfit around the right jacket, you will find that the combinations are manifold. Take your time and play with different shirts, ties and slacks as well as with “simple” accessories to create a smashing look for your festive functions to be the talk of the town!
Happy Holiday Party.
While sitting in a nice restaurant (one of my favorites) awaiting for a group of friend’s to arrive , and this woman asked me, “are you going to take off you’re hat”? Why do ask? I replied after taking a sip of my glass of Chardonnay. “Well men should take off their hats while indoors, or in a restaurant.” I turned to look at her and said, “Who Told You That”
The women paused for a moment confused (as if collecting her thoughts) and proceeded to give an inaccurate, as well as incomplete account of why men should observe such a ritual without knowing the history of how that practice came about. Myself knowing not only the history and origin of such, (I Am the Elegant Classy Gentleman after all) I took the opportunity and liberty to correct and educate her on the subject, as a gentleman should.
“It all started back in Medieval Times” I began (and the gentleman’s code as well). Knights would remove their helmets before the King, or Queen to show respect and humility, also before other Knights (or lift their visor) as a sign of being non-hostile. Since “the old days” men removed their hats in Christian churches, when crossed the threshold entering someones home, to display chivalry in the presence of a “lady”. The practice of men removing one’s headdress was born and evolved over time as it was a mainstay for men’s dress up until the 1960’s to suit the times.
In modern times (The 21st Century to be exact) men’s fashion has taken on a more “casual culture” to wearing hats. The elegant gentleman who wear a headdress for fashion (like myself) noticed that women were exempt from this outdated taboo of wearing hats indoors (or wherever they pleased).
Why you ask? Well their were no women Knights (with the exception of Joan or Arc). In the 21st Century there are no more “Knights”, Chivalry is dead or at least on the brink of extinction (due to females not being ladies, and not respecting the good manners of a gentleman. Yes Chivalry is being wiped out by females.) And from women’s lib since the 1960’s to the current “Me Too Movement” (Which I’m all for), Men and women should be treated as equals. And that includes etiquette and manners as well.
While taking off one’s hat (or “tip” it to show respect to someone you admire, or a deed that they preformed) is still a fair practice (I still do that) It’s time to “update the custom” to reflect the times. I concluded.
The woman was now at a loss for words as I urged her to glance around the dining room and bar area of the restaurant, which reveled several men wearing hats (baseball caps/one was wearing a paper-boy cap) sitting with their dates or group of friends with no worries or a care with those outdated customs.
The woman than nodded her head in agreement with my “accurate” history and rational. Now I asked her “Why out of all the men in the restaurant you felt that you had to say something to me?” You look so…..good and dashing in your suit and bowler. I had no other way to strike up a conversation with you……… “Who Told You That”? I replied!
Till next time……..Hats off to you!
The Elegant Classy Gentleman Magazine 