SSQQ Christmas Carol Puzzle Anecdotes
The origin of the SSQQ Christmas Carol Puzzle goes back to 1996. One
evening that December a former SSQQ Staff Member named Marla Jennings gave me a copy of
24
Christmas Carol Picture Puzzles. The idea was to guess the identity of
a famous Christmas Carol from the picture. I wasn’t very good at it
because I found how woeful I
was at remembering the names of Christmas Carols!!
Nevertheless I thought the Puzzle was very clever.
I took the Puzzle home and set it down. I am sure I
filed it away somewhere and promptly forgot about it. As they say, out
of sight, out of mind.
1999
During some
routine cleaning of my office in 1999, by accident I ran across the
Carol Puzzle copy that Marla Jennings had given me several years
earlier. I tried solving it again and realized I
was scarcely any better this time than I had been the
first time. I got maybe half of the 24 clues
right.
However, just like the first time, I had fun trying.
In fact, I had so much fun that it gave me an idea.
The
Internet had not been a factor the first time I saw this
puzzle in 1996, but now I had a brand new web site with
plenty of room
for interesting material. I saw an easy way to share this clever
little puzzle with my friends here at the dance studio, so
I
added it to my studio's web site.
So
I scanned the pictures into the computer.
Unfortunately the pictures on the Original Copy were in
pretty bad shape, so I began to touch them up using my beloved "Paint Shop Pro".
I have never been able to draw worth a flip, but I discovered I had a flair
for touching the pictures up using the computer program
tools. I was pleased to note that just a little love on
my part made a big
difference in the quality of the pictures.
As I worked, I decided some of the
original pictures were so lame that it would be easier just
to create a different version of my own. I will let you compare
some of my first
efforts at "improving" on the original work.
In the top picture, you have a box with nearly illegible
print. You can barely make out the word
Joy if
you look carefully enough which completely gives the
clue away. And if you look even closer, you might
be able to
make out To: World in the address label.
Obviously this copy was in pretty bad condition.
Not only was the clue illegible, it was too easy.
I decided to redo the clue. Picture Number 31 is
the replacement. It is still pretty easy, but at
least I didn't spell out the answer!
Picture 18 was from the
Original Copy. This clue was so difficult no one
in my group could figure out what Christmas Carol it stood for.
We called it the "Mystery Clue". Then one day the
answer finally came to us. However the "Original"
had to go.
Clue 34 at right was my "redo".
Obviously the professional artwork makes this clue a lot
easier to decipher.
I am frequently asked where I get all my artwork. How
people guess I couldn't possibly be the artist is a mild insult (just
kidding)...
but yes, they are right - I admit I use commercial artwork.
I have been a
subscriber to a company known as Dynamic Graphics since 1984. Over these many years I have collected a vast amount
of marvelous artwork. I owe the company a
lot of credit in this regard.
As I said
earlier, when I decided to put the pictures on the
Internet, I had an initial problem - the pictures were so beat up I
could barely see them. If you would like to see what all the
Original pictures looked like, click on
The
Original Copy
The Jingle Bells
Picture on the right is another one of the original
pictures. As you can see, the artwork in this
picture is also pretty rudimentary.
Add to the fact that it was a copy of a copy of a copy and you will
imagine that this 24-panel puzzle had passed through many a hand by
the time it finally got to me.
Although the artwork wasn't that great, it was good
enough. I decided it just needed some touch-up.
The second Bell picture shows you an example of my
"touch-up" work on the original. Hopefully you
will think it is an improvement.
By the way, you might notice the Bells in the two
pictures are different. I believe this shows the
copy that Marla Jennings gave me was slightly different
than the one I have posted on my web site.
The
Original Copy However the differences are negligible.
It took
quite a few days to touch up all 24 of the pictures, but
I had fun doing it. When I was finished with renovation project, I put
them up on my web site. I
offered the puzzle as a 1999 Christmas
challenge to my dance students. They loved it! I got all sorts
of compliments.
I was surprised at how popular the quiz was with my
friends. I felt so encouraged that I decided to publish the puzzle again the next year in
2000.
In addition, my success at substituting my own work for
several of the original clues gave me the confidence that I could create
clues of my own.
Filled with Millennium Fever,
in 2000 I created 16 new puzzles to add to the original 24. Now we were up to
an even 40 pictures.
|
Original
I didn't like the original, so I
substituted my own idea
Original. This picture was nearly
impossible in this form.
Here is my new version.
Original
My touch up job. |
Why are the Pictures
so small?
Since the early days, some people have asked me why the
pictures are so small.
When I first published my web site in 1999, I was told most people view their computer
screens in 800 by 600 pixels. To fit on a screen this size, I decided
to make my pictures 160 pixels wide, four to a page. That meant the 4
clues side by side were 640 pixels which filled 80% of the screen. In retrospect I
should have made them nearly 200 wide, but oh well.
Also these were the days before high-speed internet connections were
available. Painfully-slow dial-up modems were in place back then. I had to make the pictures small so they could be more
easily downloaded. Back in 1999 I remember watching the first pages
published to the Internet take a couple minutes to download over the phone
modem. Not being a very patient person, I thought it would take
forever! In other words, my decisions to make the pictures small were shaped by the rules
at the time.
Seven years later, in 2006, I decided to reformat my pictures to 1024 by 768 when I realized
this had become the more common screen setting. I considered increasing
the size of the pictures significantly, but discovered they were very blurry when
enlarged. Compare the two pictures of "Santa and the Kids" below. Notice how
blurry the enlarged color picture is to see what I mean.
Original Clue |
Colorized and Enlarged |
I have discovered you can shrink pictures without a problem,
but making small pictures 'larger' will distort them. The right thing
to do would be to go back to the drawing board and reformat all the
pictures, but not right now. Maybe someday.
Another point to consider is that pictures would be very difficult to print
if they were much larger. A lot of people print the pictures out
for their parties. Larger pictures would have to be downsized to fit
on Legal or Letter-sized paper.
Why are most of the Pictures
in Black and White?
Another common question is why the pictures
are mostly black
and white. Color would be so greatly preferred!
Back in the beginning, the only Clip Art I had available
came in black and white. Color did not become
a regular part of the Dynamic Graphics
pictures until August 1999. That meant when I started putting together
my Picture Puzzle, I had 16 years of black and white
pictures and two months of color pictures.
Since those
days, "color" has become commonplace in commercial
artwork. By
2006 I had collected nearly as many color pictures
as I did black and white.
I briefly considered "colorizing" the black and
white pictures. However I abandoned that idea when I
realized how difficult it was to do a good job.
On the right, you can see the results of a 2005
effort to "colorize" one of my black and white
pictures. That picture alone should explain the
main reason why I decided not to mess with my
original black and white puzzles.
|
|
Another roadblock to color is "Time". Realistically you are talking about
many many hours of work. Each new puzzle
takes about half an hour to create, so do the math. An estimate for
"Colorizing" 70 black and white pictures would mean most likely 35 hours of work.
If the color made a real improvement in the quality, I might be
tempted to try anyway. However since my first
attempts at 'colorizing' were so disappointing, I
imagine the older pictures will stay black and white
for a long time.
That said, the future
looks rosy. As of 2006, most of the new pictures will be in color.
2001: The Puzzle Grows!
I started with 24 clues in 1999 (see the
Original Copy). The
following year I added 16 more to make it to 40 in 2000. I received lots of compliments for my effort.
After the good
response in 2000, I decided to add 10 more in 2001 to reach 50. But
before I could add more puzzles, first I needed more song titles. I ran into a big problem - I was having a hard time finding enough titles to
work from!
That is when
I decided to add titles from Country-Western albums.
Every Western artist has found it quite lucrative to record at least one
Christmas album. As of 2005, George Strait had three! Most of the
songs are remakes of the old standards, but original songs are often included. It was these new songs that created my
source of new titles.
Now I was in business again! "Christmas in Dixie", "Christmas for
Cowboys", "If We Make it Through December", and "Christmas Time in Texas"
were titles from C&W Christmas Albums that gave me new inspiration. I was very
pleased with my clever move to expand the Puzzle.
However, my joy was
short-lived because I ran into a
problem created by my new puzzles.
2002: The Solution to a Headache Propels the
Puzzle to a New Level
My 2001 addition of
Country-Western titles created a problem I had not seen coming.
Although the Puzzle was bigger
in 2001, it wasn't nearly as much fun in 2001 as it had
been the year before. As long as I stuck to familiar songs like
"Rudolph" and "Jingle Bells", everyone had a fighting chance to solve a few
riddles. But now that we had 50 names, the Puzzle had become very
difficult to solve. The biggest
complaint was lack of knowledge about titles in the first place. Most people
could only remember only the most popular Christmas Carol
names to begin with. But practically no one had ever heard of the Western titles.
They grew frustrated because without knowledge of the names, it was
impossible to solve many of the clues.
Big mistake on my part!!
I recalled having the same problem when I first took the quiz.
I could remember the names when I heard
the songs sung, but
in 1996, I could not have named more than a dozen carol titles off the top of my head.
Furthermore it was one thing when I was sticking to "Frosty the Snowman" and
"Let it Snow", but with the obscure titles like "Coventry Carol"
and the "Wassail Song" added in with the new Western titles, the puzzle had
become far too difficult. My dance studio friends complained that the
2001 version wasn't as much fun anymore.
So in 2002 I decided to make things
easier by adding a list of 100 Christmas Carol
Titles
to pick from. Now the puzzle seemed pretty easy to me.
This meant people who didn't know any Carol names
at all could play! Previous knowledge of Carol Titles no longer became
a prerequisite to participation.
My instincts were correct. The addition of the Clue List
did make the clues much easier to solve. As a result, the Puzzle
immediately became fun again. This change also led to far-reaching consequences.
A Mystery Appears -
Where are these emails coming from?
Almost immediately
after adding the clue list something odd happened. I
rarely got responses from my SSQQ
dance community
any more
- most of them had already tried it! - but I was
being inundated with
email requests
for the answers from people all over the country. I wasn’t prepared for the
onslaught! I must have received
200 inquiries in 2002 compared
to maybe 20 or 30 in 2001.
I was perplexed.
Word of mouth could not account for this kind of volume. Where were
these people coming from? I was completely clueless. Nor did I
figure out the reason; it stayed a mystery for weeks.
In the meantime, I become a Grouch.
Besides being baffled by the sudden nationwide
popularity of the quiz, I
found myself getting irritated because
80% of the inquiries simply
asked for the answers without
bothering to solve the puzzle. Some people were so
rude in their demands that I became angry.
Maybe I didn't have the right spirit, but my
thinking was - why not solve it yourself? After
all, when I solve a logic puzzle or do a Crossword puzzle, I don't go
straight for the answers.
So I emailed each one of them that I would be
happy to furnish the answers if they would first take the quiz. Surely these
people could solve a few to show that they tried.
Here's a quick rundown on the 2002 scene:
12-01-02 Nyree
Hi there! Would you be able to send me a list of answers for the 50 songs. I
would like to do this at a Church Christmas dinner...but don't want to get
any wrong! Thanks!
12-03-02 Jeff
I would like to use your christmas carol puzzle list as an after supper game
at our office staff party this year, but am reluctant to do so without
having an answer key....!!!....would it be possible for you to send me the
answers?....TIA
12-05-02 Stephanie
Will you send the answers to the puzzles? I found your site and love the
pictures. I'd love to use it at our staff Christmas party next week. I
figured out about half...and the others are stumping me, even with the clue
list!
12-07-02 Barb
Hi, Rick...My family is having a reunion this Christmas, and each family is
responsible for one night's entertainment. I found your puzzle and would
love to use it for my night (fastest family wins a grand prize). However, I
can't solve all of them myself!! Would it be possible to get the answers?
Would appreciate your help...
(Editor's Note: I told Barb like everyone else if they worked the puzzle and
came close I would send the answers. Barb worked the puzzle,got 44 right,and I sent her the rest of the answers on 12-10)
12-09-02 Barb again
Rick...thanks so much! These should keep us busy while we're mellowing out
by the fireplace!
12-08-02 Beth
Would it be possible to use your puzzle in my classroom? I teach music and
thought it would be fun for the kids to try. Would you send me the answers
so I can be sure of my answers? There are some that I'm guessing at and a
few that I have no idea! Thanks!
12-09-02 Keary
Found your puzzle and wonder if you would be willing to share the answer
sheet. Some at the office wanted to have a few games at a Christmas party. I
don't think anyone will be able to take you up on your practice night if
they get 45 correct since we live in North Dakota.
12-10-02 Paula
Hi Rick, I was wondering if I could get the answers to your puzzle...I'm
interested in playing it at a Christmas party.
12-12-02 Rick
Rick: Any chance that I can have the answers to the 50 Xmas song puzzles? I
am a real chump if i can't answer them in my work group because I started
this. Thanks
12-13-02 Hottie Girl
what are the answers?
12-16-02 Terry
We'd like to use this quiz for a Christmas Party. Can you send us the
answers. Thanks.
12-16-02 Vicki
No, I am not a student, but a teacher in Illinois. This site was found and
has been presented to high school students for holiday fun!
It will be
a fun project for us to figure these out, but
I need the answers. Thanks.
12-17-02 Aimee
do you have a list of the answers to the christmas puzzle?
12-17-02 Frank
I need the answers for my office Christmas Party tomorrow. Thanks in
advance.
(Editor's Note: as usual I suggested to Frank that he work the puzzle first)
12-18-02 Frank
I don't have the goddamn time to work your stupid puzzle. You probably don't
even know the answers. Humbug.
The 2002 Christmas Season wasn't any fun. I had gone to a
lot of work to improve the Puzzle, but I didn't feel rewarded for my effort.
In fact, I actually felt badgered. I will simply say that I spent most
of that December in a bad mood.
However the season wasn't a total loss. I finally discovered the secret of
the Puzzle's newfound popularity.
I Get My Answer!
12-10-02 Susan
Hi. My name is Susan and I'm from Chicago, IL. I was doing a search at
yahoo.com on 'Christmas Carol Picture Puzzles' and your website, SSQQ, came
up.
My mom had a puzzle years ago where there were pictures on a piece of
paper that represented different Christmas carols. Is this what you have?
If
so, is it possible to get a copy of that please. We are having a Christmas
party and I think that would be so much fun to do again! Thanks in advance
for your time.
(Editor's note: At my request,
Susan worked the puzzle too to get the answer
sheet.)
12-11-12 Susan
Thanks so much, Rick! That was exactly what I was looking for!!
Fame and Money
Meanwhile Susan had
given me a valuable hint - "I was doing a search
at yahoo.com on 'Christmas Carol Picture Puzzles' and your website, SSQQ, came
up."
Search Engines!! Aha!
Out of curiosity I went
to Google and typed in “Christmas Puzzle”. I received 950,000
hits. Hmm. How
in the world did they find my puzzle out of a million choices?
So I opened a couple pages.
Lo and behold the SSQQ
Christmas Puzzle was listed on Page 3. Not bad!!
My puzzle was in the top 30 in the world.
Then I typed in “Christmas Carol Puzzle”. SSQQ was
on Page 1 for these three key words. Wow!
I had my answer!!
This was the moment I realized this
silly little puzzle had become an International favorite. Who woulda
thunk it??
In the years to come since my discovery in 2002, the Puzzle has kept
improving its position. In 2005 the Puzzle was in the third spot on
Google's
Page 1 for "Christmas Puzzles".
Same place in 2006 - Number 3, Page 1.
In 2006, for "Christmas Carol Puzzles"
it was Number One in the world.
Here is an interesting question.
Now that the Puzzle site has become a global success, are you curious how much money have I received for my
work?
Not a cent.
I couldn't care less. My dance studio has made me all the money I
need. I am just pleased to see how much fun people are having.
That is the Christmas spirit, yes??
2003 -
You have to work for
the Answer Sheet
I was still rankled by the 2002 deluge of people who
wanted the answers without bothering to solve any puzzles. I was so fed-up,
in 2003 I added a special feature: Give me 30 right
answers and I will send back the entire list of 50 answers.
In other words, I asked the people to solve half
the puzzles in return for the answer sheet.
That solved the problem nicely. Since then
only about 10% of the emails came from someone who wanted the answers without
trying the puzzle. Now I started to have fun again.
I am always glad to share the rest
of the answers when I think someone has put a little work into the puzzle.
The Puzzle Crosses Borders
In 2003 I fielded requests for the answers from
people in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Canada. Most of the
requests for the answers come from people looking for something to do
at a Christmas Party they are hosting at work or home.
Many more requests came from school
teachers looking for something fun for the kids to do in the final week.
I must have gotten at least 50 emails from teachers
alone!!
Here are
several examples:
-----Original Message-----
From: Erin C
Sent: Thursday,
December 18, 2003 10:47 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas puzzle
“Rick,
Here are the
answers I have. Could you fill in the ones
I'm stuck on and correct any I may not have right.
My extended
Family of 25 is counting on you
as we are playing this Christmas Eve!
Thanks and great site!
Erin”
-----Original Message-----
From: E, Kerri
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 4:17 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Puzzle Quiz
“Attn: Rick Archer,
The following are my answers to your Christmas puzzle
list. Were all these titles REAL songs? In any case, I would
very much like to have a copy of the answers. I'd like to use these
with my music students just for fun. Thank you!
Kerri E
Director, Choral Department
Iowa Park High School”
RICK ARCHER’S REPLY:
“Yes, all the titles are correct. Mind
you, I got a few titles from country-western albums here and there in a
desperate attempt to come up with 100 titles. The
idea is to make the puzzle a little harder by giving extra choices.
Other than that I promise you the puzzle is on the level!
Hope your kids have fun!"
-----Original Message-----
From: Laurice B
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 7:10 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Puzzle answers
“Hi Rick,
I'm a gifted resource teacher
in a middle school, and always on the lookout for puzzles. I ran across your
Christmas song puzzle. Too Cute!
I thought I might try it out
with the kids, but I myself am not sure of a few of the pictures.
You said you would send the
answer key if we sent you the answer to 30 of them, so here it goes…”
-----Original Message-----
From: Cindy N
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 11:25 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: A BIG Thank you!
“Thanks
Rick-
My class will have a ball with
this puzzle and having the answer will make them think I am so smart.
Remember that's our little secret.
Have a Great Holiday!
Cindy”
In addition to the many requests from teachers and
Christmas Party hosts, there was one particular email that was my
personal favorite
of the 2003 season:
-----Original Message-----
From: Opal R
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2003 12:07 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas song puzzle
“Dear Mr. Rick Archer:
Here are my answers to the
Christmas song puzzle. Please send me the answers. I work in a
prison and I have stayed up late trying to figure them all out so I can give
the puzzle to the guys as something to do on Christmas Eve. Surely, I have
thirty right, Ha! Ha!
Thanks for the fun and I wait
for the answers as soon as possible.”
RICK ARCHER'S REPLY:
“Nice work, Opal. You did
great!! And good for you for going out of your way to do
something nice to cheer up an evening which otherwise would have been pretty
gloomy! I am honored to be able to assist you!”
The Most Obnoxious Email Ever
During the 2003 Holiday Season I must have responded to
several hundred inquiries. However there was one email that I will
never forget. I guarantee you won't believe this story!
-----Original Message-----
From: Francine W
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 12:26 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Pictures of Famous Christmas Songs
Hi Rick:
I was wondering if you have an
electronic version of these pictures that you can send to me? I am
doing a PowerPoint with these on them for a contest with a church group.
When I enlarge the ones from your site (and from other sites) they get very
blurry. I can't find these pictures anywhere else on the web that has
a higher quality. But perhaps if I could get a hold of originals
(hopefully BMP format) that would be great. It would also help greatly if
the pictures could be in color. Do you have
colorized versions of your pictures available?
Is this something that you can
help me with? Do you know a website where can I find these pictures
with better resolution?
Don’t forget to include the
answers.
Regards,
Francine W
I was so flabbergasted by the nerve behind her request that I decided the
simplest thing to do was point out she had ignored my request to send 30
answers. This allowed me to avoid sharing what I really thought about
her letter!
RICK ARCHER’S REPLY:
“Ms. W,
I have had over 100 people
email me to ask for the answers during this Christmas
season. You are the first to ask for the
answers without bothering to solve thirty correctly like everyone else.
If you want the answers, please
give me thirty answers first like I asked for.“
FRANCINE W’S REPLY:
“Well, I tried the puzzle.
Hopefully I have at lease 30 correct - you'll send the answers to me?”
Clue
List |
My Answers |
|
2 |
46 |
|
3 |
30 |
|
6 |
17 |
|
15 |
61 |
|
23 |
10 |
|
26 |
75 |
|
13 |
50 |
|
etc |
etc |
RICK ARCHER’S REPLY
“Ms. W, at first I was
simply going to cut and paste the answers like I do with everyone else and
send them to you, but your answers were in such an odd format I got
suspicious. Most people simply give the picture number and the name.
You didn’t even bother with the names of the songs. So I checked your
answers. Not one answer was correct!!!
2 is “Walking thru a Winter
Wonderland”. Your answer was “I STILL BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS”
3 is “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. Your answer was “GO TELL IT ON THE
MOUNTAIN”
6 is “The Little Drummer Boy”. Your answer was “CHRISTMAS IN DIXIE”
What planet are you from, Ms.
W?? Do they not have Christmas Carols on your
planet?
It is obvious you didn’t even
lift a finger to solve these puzzles. Instead you just inserted some numbers
and figured I would be too stupid to figure it out so you wouldn’t have to
waste another second of your precious time.
I checked three other
answers you gave just for
a laugh and they weren’t any closer. How does it feel to get caught cheating
on a Christmas Carol Puzzle, Ms. W?
First you
said:
“I can't find these pictures anywhere else on
the web that has a higher quality.”
The reason you can’t find them
elsewhere is that I created 80% of them myself. If you see them
elsewhere, and they are the same size, it
is because someone copied them from
me!
Furthermore I was stunned to find that
you expected a total stranger to email you larger copies so your
enlargements wouldn’t be so blurry. Do you realize this would take hours of
work? And did you expect to pay me for my time and
talent? Of course not.
Furthermore these pictures are
in black and white because the only pictures I had to work with
in the beginning were black
and white. I deeply regret I don't have color versions to
send to you.
Did you know it took me TWO
SOLID WEEKS working on my computer paint program to make up this quiz?
And do you realize it takes maybe 30 minutes to figure out 30 answers?
But rather than invest twenty or thirty minutes to figure out a few clues, you decided
you were too damn busy to bother to take the quiz and
that I was too damn dumb to catch you at it.
What kind of church group
did you say you belonged to? Did you ever learn anything about integrity
in that church group?
You have more nerve than any
person I have ever dealt with on the Internet!
Rick Archer“
-----Original Message-----
From: Francine W
Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2003 10:19 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: RE: Pictures of Famous Christmas Songs
I deeply resent the tone of your letter. I have
been working day and night preparing this party for 200 parishioners.
I asked nicely for your answers and all I receive is contempt and hostility.
If you had any sense of Christian decency, you would help me rather than run
your superficial ego trip.
I could care less about your answer sheet. I had my son figure them
out for me.
I will pray to Jesus to shine his light on you. It is obvious to me
you are in great need of spiritual guidance.
FW"
So
a lady who got caught cheating on a Christmas Puzzle to be used for her
Church group decided to pray for me.
How did I ever get so lucky?
The Puzzle Hits the
Vatican
I thought Francine's story would take the cake
for 2003.
But this next one was wonderful! To my absolute shock, I received a surprising inquiry from a lady in Italy.
-----Original Message-----
From: Sr. Grace Gabrielle O'Brien
Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2003 9:45 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas puzzle Attn Rick Archer from rome italy
Dear Rick,
I enjoyed your carol quiz and am attaching my answers. I think I got 44 of
them. I look forward to getting your answer sheet. Thanks for the fun and I
wish you God's blessings in the new year.
Sr. Grace Gabrielle
Sr. Grace Gabrielle O'Brien, CSAC
Pallottine Sisters - Casa Generalizia
Viale Kennedy #62
Grottaferrata, Rome
00046 ITALY
(11-39) 06-9459458
After checking on Map Quest, I discovered Grottaferrata is on the outskirts
of Rome. Aw shucks. I didn't quite make it to the Vatican, but I
sure got close!
Sister Grace's letter left me in
awe at how this little Christmas Puzzle manages to get visited by people
from all over the world!
2004
The Christmas Season of 2004 was
extra busy for me because I got a new computer. I spent so much time getting
my new system installed, I let the correspondence take a back seat.
The one thing I do remember is beginning to wonder about the origins of the
puzzle. Here is one of the emails that got me thinking:
-----Original
Message-----
From: Linda D
Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 4:59 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Cc: Divall, Linda
Subject: Christmas Carol Puzzle
I'm a school teacher who works with the Gifted and Talented kids----I've
used some of these puzzles for years. We had a worksheet with 24 puzzles
on it---some of the puzzles you have listed but with different drawings.
Many of the drawings are exactly the same. I wonder where this actually
started. I teach in the Fort Worth area and this puzzle sheet has been
around for at least the last 10 years!!! I was going to share it with
some of my new colleagues but one sent this link to me before I sent out
the page---this one's better, though. Thanks for your efforts. Linda D
Interest in the puzzle continued
to grow. I had 517 requests for the answers in 2005.
2005 Update
In 2005 the interest in the
puzzle was stronger than I have ever seen it. On
Monday, December 5, I got 12 requests in one day... and
there were still three weeks left till Christmas!
I was
so impressed by the interest I decided to dramatically expand the
Puzzle. I added 24 Puzzles to take the total from
56 to 80. It took two entire working days. I
also expanded the clue list from 100 to 168.
As
usual this year, I had people who asked for the questions without
bothering to offer the answers. However the
percentage was very low.
The
vast majority of the people who emailed me not only
supplied the answers, they were generous in their
compliments. They made me feel very proud to share my game with the world.
Here were some of my favorites for 2005.
-----Original Message-----
From: Heather G
Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2005 1:32 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Re: Attention: Rick Archer re Christmas Puzzle
Answers
Rick!
Thanks so much for sending these answers so
quickly... especially on a Sunday. Your timing is
impeccable though, the party planning team is meeting as
I type!
And the convener is also from Texas. How's that
for a coincidence... especially when we are located in a
relatively small Ontario town in Canada!
Regards, Heather
.................................
-----Original Message-----
From: Ron B
Sent: Friday, December 02, 2005 11:21 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: RE: Christmas Carol Puzzle
Hi Rick,
Thanks so very much. Our family loves puzzles like this,
you have made our day…
Happy holidays, Ron B
................................
-----Original
Message-----
From: lois a
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 2:48 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas quiz
DEAR MR. ARCHER,
I AM FROM MOUNT PEARL IN NEWFOUNDLAND, AND AM A NURSE AT
ONE OF THE HOSPITALS HERE. EVERY YEAR I GET SOME KIND OF
GAME OR QUIZ ON THE GO TO GET THE REST OF THE STAFF INTO
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, AND WHEN I HAPPENED UPON YOUR'S, I
WAS SO HAPPY TO REALIZE THIS WOULD BE MY QUIZ FOR THIS
YEAR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU HAVE
PUT INTO THIS FOR THE REST OF US. I'VE SPENT A FEW DAYS
TRYING TO FIGURE THE ANSWERS OUT, AND ALTHOUGH I KNOW I
HAVE SOME WRONG' HOPEFULLY I WILL HAVE THE 32 RIGHT
NEEDED FOR THE REST OF THE ANSWERS. THANK YOU SO
MUCH.....WELL HERE GOES.....
AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO
ANSWERING ALL OF OUR ANSWERS. WISHING YOU AND YOURS A
WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS......LOIS
A.
.....................................
-----Original Message-----
From: Jamie C
Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2005 3:30 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas puzzle
Hi Rick,
My 9 year old daughter and I stumbled upon this quiz
while searching the internet. We love to do puzzles,
word games etc. We are in South Louisiana in the
Hurricane Katrina devastated area near New Orleans and
feel fortunate to have survived the worst natural
disaster in history. We are using your puzzle to add
some enjoyment to our very difficult lives right now. A
lot of the regular Christmas activities have been
cancelled so we were looking for something festive to
do. We are stumped on some of the answers. Please can
you help us out? Our entire family started singing
Christmas songs to help find the answers. It was very
comical and nice to see everyone laughing. Merry
Christmas. Thanks for brightening our day.
Jamie C
.........................................
-----Original Message-----
From: Sue W
Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2005 12:36 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: PS to Rick
I just finished reading your anecdotes on your Christmas
Carol Puzzle, and am laughing! Thanks for the 'extra
fun'!
I didn't include any clue as to identity or location,
and you seem to enjoy it, so here goes ...
I'm a humble mama of four, a preschool music teacher,
and the wife of a recently retired "Army Man". I'm in
Alabama.
Nothing exciting ... I'm not near the Vatican, not near
the North Pole, have no aspirations to do a Power Point
Presentation with your work, I'm not entertaining 200 at
church ... sigh, sigh, sigh, and sigh.
But I have thoroughly enjoyed playing your game, as well
as reading your stories. Thank you for the hours you've
put into creating and maintaining your site -- WOW!
Humbly, and appreciatively, Sue
...........................
-----Original Message-----
From: W, Fred
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 9:37 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Here's my 40+ answers. I'm requesting the answer key for
the rest. A lot of these songs I never heard of...
Thanks. FRED
RICK ARCHER’S REPLY:
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 11:32 AM
To: W, Fred
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
A lot of those songs I haven't heard of either, the hippo one for example.
But I visited a Christmas carol title web site and copied everything they
had, so there you have it. Plus a lot of these songs are from albums
by popular artists. For example, "Santa Baby" is a goofy Madonna song which
probably has no business being included with all these lovely Christian
songs.
However, using song titles like these was the only way I could expand the puzzle
and widen the clue base.
Thanks for playing!
-----Original Message-----
From: W, Fred
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 10:37 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Thanks.
Speaking of the Hippo song. My wife got that one stuck
in her head over on Friday and went out and bought a Dr.
Demento Christmas CD just because that song was on it.
She played it probably a dozen times over the weekend.
Guess what kind of animal she's getting from Santa...
Thanks again. FRED
RICK ARCHER’S REPLY:
Wow, the song really does exist!! Thanks for the inside scoop!! I am
sure it will be her favorite gift! Rick Archer
..............
-----Original Message-----
From: Suzie W
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2005 11:57 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Answers to Christmas Carol Puzzle
Hi Rick! First of all, let me say that you are amazing!! I stumbled upon
your website trying to find a better copy of the game. Just like you
described in "anecdotes", I too had an old version that had been copied and
re-copied and re-copied and re-copied, etc........Anyway, I did NOT expect
to find such PERFECTION FOR FREE!!
I love this game, and I love your
website. Now, I'm even planning on having a HALLOWEEN party just so we all
can play the "Monster Game"! Your website is addicting!
..............
-----Original Message-----
From: D Lawson
Sent: Friday, December 30, 2005 6:09 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Puzzle
Hello and thank you for your time in checking my
answers. My aunt sent me one of the old time copies for
fun. I decided to "cheat" and try to find the answers
online. Needless to say, I've spent days obsessing over
your puzzles. They are so much better pictures. Thanks
for all of your time and efforts to make a more modern
version.
..............................
-----Original
Message-----
From: Saxena, W
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 11:23 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
HI,
I was given this puzzle when I was in my 2nd graders
class -it was the original old 24 picture question one.
I enjoying taking your challenge for 40+. Please check
my answers. thanks for providing a modern version!
..................
-----Original
Message-----
From: Joyce M
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 6:36 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Re: Christmas Carol Picture Puzzle answers
Hi Rick! I tried to get #65 before looking at the
answers, but I didn't solve it. My mom tried too.
We were hung up on the thermometer - we were thinking 'celsius'
sounds something like 'excelsis' and the woman in the
picture could be named Gloria, so that is how I came up
with In Excelsis Gloria.
My mom is STILL rubbing it in that she got Ave Maria
right instead of me!!!! I still can't believe I
got that one wrong!!!
I told her that I like my answer better and I think you
should change the answer on that one to Night Before
Christmas. Heeeheeeheee! Gotta love it! We
will be talking about that one for a long time.
Thanks for the entertainment, Rick! Keep up the
good work.
................
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce F
Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2005 8:52 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Rick,
Very refreshing to read your account. The world could
use a few more people who don't do things for profit. My
wife found your site but it was my job to print and make
copies for our family tonight.
I think we spent at least 2 hours on this. I will
include the answers that we came up with as a group. I'm
pretty sure some are not right and some we just finally
gave up on.
I hope you don't deal with these this week. We are in no
hurry.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
........................
-----Original Message-----
From: James & Charlotte C
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2005 8:06 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide this
puzzle. I searched several websites before I
finally found it. We are having a New Year's Eve Watch
Party at our church Saturday night and I would like to
use it as one (or two!) of the games. Please let me know
how I did! Would you please be so kind as to
provide the correct answers?
.................
-----Original Message-----
From: Ness
Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2005 10:20 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas puzzles
Rick,
My sister had brought along these Christmas Carol
puzzles and the whole family sat down and tried to
figure them out. So I am gonna send what we
figured out to see how right or wrong we were. Thank you
in advance if you could send the answers after you check
over how far we got. There was a mighty lot that stumped
us.
Thank you for the answers. I see we had more wrong
than we thought. But this brought back alot of memories.
We have the old paper where there is 24 pictures to
figure out. This was alot more and alot more fun, for
alot of the old paper we new them. We also see you have
changed some of them from the old way, this is alot
nicer. Thanks again for the fun and fond memories
..................
-----Original
Message-----
From: Jackie R
Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2006 7:53 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
My mom is 73 years old and has worked on this for 2
weeks. here's her answers
......................
The Search for Roots!
Many emails
in 2005 mentioned the Original Copy of 24 Puzzles.
Here is an example:
-----Original
Message-----
From: Sylvia S
Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2005 3:06 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
To Rick Archer:
Thank you for providing our family with some fun
Christmas brain teasers. It was great fun seeing the
longer list.
We made our way to your webpage because of what is
probably that same sheet of 24 puzzle pictures.
I am
retired now but part of my job was to arrange the office
Christmas party for an administrator at our university.
I remember using the puzzle as an ice breaker one year
and giving prizes to the winning team. When I ran across
a copy of the puzzle in my Christmas "stuff" this year,
I remembered how much fun everyone had so I used it at
an extended family Christmas function where everyone
doesn't see each other except that one time of the year.
It was such a success in speeding up the "getting
reacquainted" time that I was encouraged to pull up the
website still listed on the sheet I'd tucked away in my
Christmas decoration all those years ago. That website
was no longer in existence, but good old Google got me
to you.
When I saw some of the same pictures on you puzzles I
was sure I'd found the original source, but discovered
otherwise in reading your comments. Assuming you are
still interested in the origin of the 24 I'll include
what is printed on my list. It would be unusual for it
to be from the originator but thought you'd like to have
the information just the same.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 11:34 AM
To: Sylvia S
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Nice work and thanks for playing, Sylvia!
I greatly appreciate that you took the time to share
some of your own information with me. I am well aware
that I am building on the work of another person and
therefore am curious about the origins of the puzzle.
I visited both links you provided me. The second link
was so complicated that seven clicks at that site merely
revealed that IF a Christmas puzzle is indeed on
that site, it is VERY WELL HIDDEN. I didn't find it.
I did find the Henson version at a slightly different
URL address. My guess is he did the same thing I did -
updated the old pictures.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Sylvia S
Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2005 3:40 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Mr. Archer,
I just sent you an email with our answers and then went
back to your website to read the Puzzle anecdotes. I
found the history of how the puzzles came to be and the
interesting emails almost as enjoyable as the puzzle.
Thank you for the time and effort it takes to share the
puzzles and all the info. By the way, because you seem
to keep up with where your inquiries originate, we are
in northeast Mississippi (Starkville).
Thanks again. Sylvia
.................
I became so
curious about the original copy that I decided to take
the time and look for it here in my office. To my
dismay, I could not find it to save my soul. Then
a very nice lady named Tiffany Hayden came to my rescue.
---Original
Message-----
From: Tiffany Hayden
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 11:11 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Dear Rick Archer,
Let me start by saying THANK YOU! Your puzzles are
wonderful! I have one of the "original" Christmas
Carol Puzzle pages that you mentioned (it's a copy of a
copy of a copy…) and looked online last year for
something like it for my family Christmas Eve party but
didn't find anything. I tried looking again this
year and came upon your website.
I read through the anecdotes, which were funny, but you
didn't mention if many people email you with all the
correct answers. I have completed quite a
few and think I qualify to receive the answers.
Again, thank you for all your time in creating the
puzzles. I've had fun trying to figure them out
and I know my family will, too!
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 10:35 AM
To: Tiffany Hayden
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Nice work and thanks for playing, Tiffany.
To answer your question, I get many requests for the
answers. I have received about 450 requests for the
answers so far during the 2005 Christmas season.
I have a favor to ask - a lot of people ask for the
original. They have a sentimental attachment to
it. Would you be so kind as to fax your copy to me if it
isn't too much trouble? Thanks! Rick Archer
-----Original
Message-----
From: Tiffany Hayden
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 7:02 PM
To: 'Rick Archer'
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Rick,
Absolutely! Faxing my copy is the least I can do
for all the work you've done "cleaning up" and creating
new puzzles! I'll try faxing it over after I send
you this email. I've only sent a fax from home once
before so keep your fingers crossed that I can remember
how to do it!
Wow! 450 requests this season alone! That's
amazing! Have many of those included ALL 80
correct answers?
Thanks again, Tiffany
-----Original
Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 11:01 AM
To: Tiffany Hayden
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
I received the fax yesterday… thank you! That's "the
one".
Re the 450, today was ridiculous. It is only 11 am and I
already have 30 requests!
None have gotten all 80 correct and that is not entirely
their fault.
The quiz is not "perfect". For example, some clues have
two legitimate answers. I have the "wassail" song plus
the "gloucester wassail" song. So either one would be
correct.
But most of all I have clue 75 which NO ONE has gotten
right. Therefore it is a flaw in my design.
I put two sets of elves in silhouette. One set was trick
or treating. The other was decorating for Christmas.
"Its beginning to look a lot like christmas". It was
vague to begin with and the pictures are too small to
truly decipher.
I will redo it next season.
(Editor's Note: You can see Tiffany's copy that she sent
me. Click
ORIGINAL COPY.
.......................................
2006
For 2006, I
added 20 more clues to bring the total to 100. In
addition, 17 of the 20 new clues were in color.
The 2006 Christmas Season was busier than ever.
Here are some of my favorites:
-----Original
Message-----
From: PostNet North Dallas
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 1:52 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Attached is my puzzle effort, hopefully at least 50
are correct.
I'm going to be sharing this with Juniors and
Seniors in High School and they are a tough crowd.
I love teaching, but whoever said it was easy didn't
have my kids. Sometimes I think I am part
lion-tamer. -:)
Now thanks to your
hard work, I think I finally
found something challenging enough to occupy their
restless minds.
Kindest Regards, Karen
P
-----Original
Message-----
From: Lynn S
Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 5:20 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Thank you sooooooo much for your hard work!!!
I have enjoyed this very much. Like
so many others I had first received the original 24.
I was at work and
wanted to show it to a co-worker so I searched on
the net and found yours. I was very SURPRISED to
find more than the original 24.
I like to drove my co-worker crazy, she said
that it was too much for her and couldn't understand
how I got some of them so easy. With a little
encouragement on my part she did figure a couple out
by herself. Then there were some I had to break down
for her so she could figure them out.
That was just the beginning, others saw us working
on it and wanted to join in the fun, so I had to
print a copy for them. We work in a Treatment
Facility for Troubled Teenagers and I'm hoping that
some of the youth here get to join in on this
puzzler. Many (well over a hundred) will be away
from their families for Christmas and we try to make
their Holiday as BRIGHT as we can.
I have been working on this for a few days, as I get
time, and hopefully have answered enough correctly.
Whether I have or not, I have enjoyed the challenge
and will continue working till I do get enough
correct. I feel it is important enough to spend the
time on, to give the youth here a little something
to enjoy in their difficult times. My prayer is that
God will Bless you Abundantly for your kindness and
thoughtfulness.
And shame on anyone who won't put forth any effort
with all you've done, or who tries to cheat to get
the answers.
God Bless
Lynn S
from Ashland, Ky
-----Original Message-----
From: Kim W
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 10:10 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Dear Rick,
I spent several days searching for an activity for
my high school choir students to do on the last day
of classes before our "Winter" break. I was so
excited to find your puzzle online!
Now I must admit that I am hooked; I have been
spending all of my free time trying to figure out
the puzzles!!
I have 57 of the answers (I am hoping they are
correct!!), and would appreciate if you could send
me the full list of answers. (I am hoping to finish
the puzzles myself this weekend before I receive
your reply!)
I absolutely cannot wait to see how my students do
on this quiz. They are sure to be busy! I
intend to divide them into three teams. The team
with the best answers gets a whole basket of
homemade cookies!
Thank you so much for such a fun Christmas activity
and your dedication to the puzzle, website, and
fans!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Kim W
Alta, Iowa
-----Original
Message-----
From: margaret r
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 10:25 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas Puzzle Fun - Request for Answers
Greetings from the Land of Ice and Snow,
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories!
We have attempted to answer the puzzles but we able
to answer only the following. Please forward
your answers, we would greatly appreciate it.
We have answered 60 plus of the 100 puzzles. You are
great. We have the original sheet copied off from
years ago when I first did it. You make Christmas
fun. Thank you kindly, Margaret
-----Original
Message-----
From: Tracy D
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 2:57 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Hello Rick,
My name is Tracy D. We are having a Christmas party
Sat. Dec. 9, 2006 in La Mesa, NM (outside of El
Paso, TX).
We searched the net and found your puzzle after my
Mom had called and described the original 24
pictures to us on the phone. (Sorry, no additional
news about the origin of the pictures; she was only
privy to it a couple of years ago or so.)
We thought we might use it as a game for our guests.
What a neat surprise to see 100 pictures and a clue
list! We realize this is short notice, but do
you think you could get us the answer sheet as soon
as possible? We would like to use them for the
party. We really hope so, and we sure do appreciate
your puzzles. Here are our answers to the ones
we think we guessed correctly. Thanks!
Tracy
-----Original
Message-----
From: bond family
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 11:59 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle 2006
Hi Rick!
I saw my name under anecdotes and I remember sending
you that email …
12-01-02 Nyree
Hi there! Would you be able to send me a list
of answers for the 50 songs. I would like to do
this at a Church Christmas dinner...but don't
want to get any wrong! Thanks!
It was a legit
story!! We used the puzzle anyways despite having no
"real answers" but I think we did great! I have
spent all morning doing your new updated version and
this is what I came up with by myself. Hopefully his
qualifies me for some answers this time!
My only suggestion is that you provide an answer key
form or chart to fill out since it took a while to
type all the numbers for the email… Thanks!
Nyree
------Original
Message-----
From: Bray SSgt Neil
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 5:17 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Here are my answers. Please send me the rest.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Bray SSgt Neil
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 1:25 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Thanks for the reply. This is going to be fun for my
students. I am an instructor for the USMC.
Neil
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 11:29
To: Bray SSgt Neil R
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
I thought you marine drill sergeants were supposed
to be tough as nails!
Isn't this puzzle a little too much like "fun" for
someone in your position?
Surely you realize I am just kidding. I think its
great. Hope they enjoy it!
-----Original
Message-----
From: Bray SSgt Neil
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 1:40 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: RE: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
I am an instructor for the electronics school that
the Marines go to after they complete boot camp.
We get reprimanded if we treat the marines like they
are still in boot camp.
I did have fun with the puzzle. I told them that it
was an evaluation test on their attention to detail
and their deciphering capabilities. They were all
stressed out but realized it was fun. Thanks again.
Neil
-----Original
Message-----
From: Erin P
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 6:36 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Hi! I recently stumbled across your web site
when I was looking for the original 24 Christmas
carol pictures you had mentioned. A few years ago,
when I was in high school, someone had us play the
Christmas carol game when I was at a party & I loved
it. I'm a nut for word games & puzzles. To top it
off, I adore Christmas carols & am always looking
for new challenges & games to play.
Needless to say, when I stumbled across your site &
found the sheer number of Christmas carols you had
pictured, I was thrilled. It's taken me a few days,
but I've managed to find quite a few of them (I
think) & having the list has helped me with keeping
track of which carols I've already used. I forwarded
the link to your site to my dad, someone I managed
to get addicted to games like this as well & he was
thrilled that I had found your site.
Well, like everyone else who appears to e-mail you,
I, too, have reached a point where my (to quote Dr.
Seuss) "puzzler is sore" & would like some help with
the answers. There are quite a few carols that I'm
not familiar with on your list and/or I have a
limited knowledge about them. I believe I have done
enough to meet your quota & will continue to work in
the meantime on the puzzle answers I haven't gotten
yet. I italicized the ones that I wasn't sure of.
Thanks so much for adding to my yuletide fun! I hope
to share this puzzle with some more members of my
family & friends! Erin
----Original
Message-----
From: erin r
Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 10:12 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: ssqq christmas puzzle
Mr. Archer,
Wow!! I am so glad I found your puzzle site. When I
was a kid I had a wrinkled old xerox copy of some
similar puzzles that I saved for years. Thank you
for taking the time to update and expand them :)
I am writing because I would like to ask permission
to use some of them with my students. I am a music
teacher at a school for emotionally disturbed
children and I think that it would be a fun project
for us to do as a group. They are pretty young so I
only picked a few for us to work on. It will be a
fun way to expose them to some carols they may not
know.
(On a side note, I can't imagine how long it took
for you to create these. I merely cut and pasted
them and it still took me forever...)
Anyway here are the puzzles I would like to use
along with the answers I came up with. Also I have
attached the file in case you were curious how I had
arranged them for my kids. please let me know if it
is ok for me to use the puzzles.
-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth M
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2006 9:41 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Puzzle
Hi Rick, It's the last day of work before the
holiday, and I'm goofing off. Shame on me.
Every year, a coworker puts an old, old copy of the
puzzle in our mail boxes, with 24 songs. We
all waste away a few minutes and run around asking,
"what IS # 18????" (It's the Two Front Teeth picture
that you redid.)
Last year, when no one could get #18, I found your
site. Somehow we finally figured it out.
This year, our 3rd, I could answer 23 quickly, yet
still had to think hard to remember #18 again.
Back to your site. Only this year, I got
curious. I went thru your whole site. I
decided that the same 24 puzzles each year was
getting old, so I pasted all your pages into one
nice document.
Then I decided to waste more time and read the
anecdotes. They were hilarious. Cannot
believe the Christian woman ticked at you for not
doing MORE WORK FOR HER. Hilarious.
So, my gift to you, if you want it, is a document
that is printable for your customers who print it
out for parties, like us. I also pasted the song
list into one.
Enjoy. Elizabeth
-----Original
Message-----
From: Donna
Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2006 3:07 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Christmas Puzzle
Dear Rick,
You saved the day!
My daughter brought home the original 24 picture
puzzle from school. We had fun with that.
She had planned on bringing it to Grammie and
Grandpa's house on Christmas for a family game.
Later in the day I was interrupted by a hysterical,
screaming 10 year old. My 13 year old son, in
his infinite wisdom, had taken a green permanent
marker and had written his answers directly over top
of the pictures. I immediately went online to see if
I could find a replacement puzzle. Yours came up in
my search and I was delighted to see all the extra
pictures. I managed to calm my daughter down by
showing her that even though her puzzle was
destroyed, we could have even more fun with the new
pictures.
Needless to say, we have been enjoying ourselves
figuring these out. Even with the song list,
some of these are tough. It is still a work in
progress and we have been working on it in between
Christmas parties and the like. I would appreciate
it if you would send the answers so we will know if
we are correct when we bring it to Grammie and
Grandpa's house. We figured out over 70
answers so far.
Thanks so much for your effort. Merry Christmas and
God Bless. Donna S
-----Original Message-----
From: Rob E
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 4:39 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas puzzle answers
Rick, Hello! I am so glad to have found
your puzzle. In 1998 or 1999 right after I got
internet but before I owned a color printer. I had a
friend print out a puzzle with many of the original
items that your puzzle started with. This puzzle
however was colorized and possibly it had updated
pictures. This had been lost to me until we had a
flood this past Labor Day and I had to go through
all my stored stuff in the basement and I found it.
I was thinking it would be nice to play with at the
office but scanning it would cause it to loose
quality. I figured I could find it on the net and
reprint it. I was pleasantly surprised to find your
improved much larger puzzle instead. I will try
scanning my old copy that I have at home and send it
to you. If I remember the pictures were all decent
and in color. This would be a scan of an original
since I printed it directly from the electronic
format. I would like to get the answer key for
your modern puzzle.
By
coincidence, a couple days later I received a copy of
the colorized picture from Emily Schankweiler.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Emily Schankweiler
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 9:22 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Puzzle
Importance: High
Hi Rick,
Thanks so much for creating this wonderful puzzle -
you are much more creative than I. It is nice to be
able to pick someone else's brain for party ideas!
I know that my company will enjoy coming up with the
answers at our party tonight! I would like to
use the puzzle if that is okay with you.
Please let me know how I did on my answers. For your
sake I only sent 50 of my answers because I know you
get tons of e-mails like mine. Would you please be
so kind as to provide the correct answers?
By the way - the history of the puzzles was very
interesting. Emily from South Carolina
-----Original
Message-----
From: Emily Schankweiler
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 9:32 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Puzzle - original copy additional
pictures in color
Importance: High
Rick,
I noticed that some of these pictures have been
changed by you to new ones, but here are ones in
color for the "original" 24. Just thought I'd
pass it along in case you want them!
Thanks again! Emily
(Editor's Note: Here is
a look at
Emily's Color Version )
Many People asked for the Answer Sheet without supplying
50 answers.
In 2006 I
was flabbergasted at the number of people who asked for
the Answer Sheet without contributing their share of the
answers. I would estimate 1 in 5 omitted the
answers.
Since the only way they could reach me was by my email
address, I put these two notes next to my email address:
1.
Send me 50 answers to receive the
Answer Sheet to the 100 Clue Puzzle.
2. I will NOT respond to
any email without the 50 answers.
Many people found my email address, but ignored my
request. Here is a typical example.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Chris H
Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2006 10:34 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Need answers please christmas
Rick - I have a luncheon at 11:30 today and would
love to use this w/ my team as I just stumbled onto
it and it would be a great activity. I usually give
out prizes and such for who gets the most correct,
any chance I can get the answers now since I am
tight on time? It would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Chris H
One day I
received a very interesting email.
----- Original
Message -----
From: S Fulbright
To: dance@sspp.com
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 7:50 PM
Subject: sspp christmas puzzle
Thank you. Thank you, Thank you!
I just want to commend you on your site and
providing the christmas puzzle to all. I as
others, had the original sheet back in the early
90's. I made a call to a friend to see if she
still had it since I lost my copy; and of course her
answer was no. I thought "Hey I'll try the
net" and sure and behold I found your site with the
help on google.
I see from reading your emails that you are quite
busy and people are really into your site. Well,
below are my answers, I hope I have at least 50 so
that you can send me the answers, if not, I guess I
will try try again :-). Have a Bless Holiday
Season!!!
-----Original Message-----
From: S Fulbright
Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2006 10:39 AM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: Re: ssqq christmas puzzle
Thank you for such a quick response; I am just glad
that I got at least 50.
And just a word of encouragement, if you receive
emails that do not follow your directions, just
ignore them. Don't even response - DELETE them.
It is too time consuming to go back and forth with
people who do not read or try to take the easy way
out.
Again, thank you. S Fulbright
From: Rick
Archer
To: S Fulbright
Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2006 9:14 AM
Subject: RE: ssqq christmas puzzle
Interesting you should write that. I have been
deluged by people asking me to bend the rules this
season, but how would you know something like that?
-----Original Message-----
From: S Fulbright
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 8:29 AM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: Re: ssqq christmas puzzle
I was reading your antidotes and with the christian
lady (Francine W) that you went back and forth
with...much too much time consuming!
I work with the public who always think they are
exempted from following the rules; I DELETE them
until they comply with the requirements. You
should do the same with your request for the
Christmas puzzle.
Be Bless and have a Merry Christmas and Happy
Holidays. S Fulbright
I decided Mr. Fulbright was correct. My resolve
was immediately tested - by coincidence, the same day I
received Mr. Fulbright's final email, I received this
email from Judi C.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Judi C
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 6:21 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Carol Quiz
Please send me your answers.
(Editor's
Note: She sent in 20 answers, not 50. So I stuck to
my guns and didn't answer.)
-----Original
Message-----
From: Judi C
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 6:08 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Re: Christmas Carol Quiz
I do hope you will send me the answers to the
Christmas Carol Quiz. I did try hard to figure them
out. Please?
-----Original Message-----
From: Judi C
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 9:03 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Re: Christmas Carol Quiz
I really worked hard on the puzzle. Why won't
you send me the answers?
-----Original Message-----
From: Judi C
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 8:27 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas Answers Request
This is my fourth request, Won't you please send me
the answers ti your Christmas Carol Quiz?
I've spent hours, and I just want to check the
answer that I sent you and find out the one's I
didn't know.
I'd really appreciate it. Judi
(Editor's Note: After
4 tries, my conscience couldn't take it anymore so I
sent her the answers. But don't tell anybody.)
Internet Plagiarism
One day in
December 2006
I received the following email:
-----Original
Message-----
From: M, ANNAMARIA
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 12:59 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Carol Picture Answers
Can you please provide the answer sheet for the
Christmas Carol Pictures? Nice puzzle, by the
way.
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer [mailto:dance@ssqq.com]
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 2:11 PM
To: M, ANNAMARIA
Subject: RE: Christmas Carol Picture Answers
Sorry, Annamaria, but you were 10 short. Can
you give me another 10?
-----Original
Message-----
From: M, ANNAMARIA
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 12:59 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Carol Picture Answers
The Website
specifically says 40… but OK, here are 10 more
Annamaria M
Fire, Safety & Security
That
exchange left me very puzzled. I went back to my
web site and searched endlessly for something that said
"40 answers". After all, she had said
'SPECIFICALLY'. Why was she so sure of herself?
Finally, I gave up. It wasn't worth the effort.
-----Original
Message-----
From: DeAnna C
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 5:48 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Puzzle
Thanks for all the work you put in this. This was
exactly what I've been looking for the last 2
months!
Your graphics are great! Thanks for sharing.
Here are my 40 answers. Hope I got some of
these right.
I was
mystified. The woman's answer sheet was a perfect 40 for
40! I could see she wasn't trying to trick me.
She honestly thought "40" was the target number.
So I sent her the entire answer sheet. But I also
thought I would ask a question.
--- Rick Archer
<dance@ssqq.com> wrote:
Nice work, DeAnna! Thank you for playing.
If you don't mind, I have a couple questions.
Why did it take you two months to find it? And how
did you finally succeed in finding it?
-----Original
Message-----
From: DeAnna C
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 6:07 AM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: RE: Christmas Puzzle
Stumbled across it from a link on another website.
I didn't
pursue it any further. But I sensed something was
going on. The very same day, another email
came in that broke the story open.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Stephanie Walker
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 10:41 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: answers to X-Mas carol puzzles
Hello -
I am a teacher in a public school in
Maryland and I wanted to give my students
the carol puzzle as an extra credit
assignment, but I can't check their work
without the answers. The website
http://jokelibrary.net/xOtherAtoM/b_to_e/c4-puzzle/puzzles.html
or
http://www.ssqq.com/archive/christmaspuzzle00.htm
stated that I had to send the answers to 40
of the puzzles in order to receive all of
them. If so, I will forward them with your
affirmative reply, but if not, could you
please email the answers? Thanks so much for
your help!
Stephanie Walker
English Teacher
This
explained one mystery - why so many people kept
sending me 40 answers instead of 50 as my own
site requested. So on December 20, I
decided to visit Joke Library.
Here is what I found:
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 |
I discovered that they had reprinted 80 of my
pictures. I immediately sent off this
letter to Joke Library:
-----Original
Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 11:54 AM
To: JokeLibrary@aol.com
Subject: Please remove my puzzle from your
page
I am the creator of the Christmas Carol
Picture Puzzle.
http://ssqq.com/archive/christmaspuzzle00.htm
I resent your unauthorized use of my private
work. Please remove it immediately.
Rick Archer
SSQQ Dance Studio
Houston, Texas
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer [mailto:dance@ssqq.com]
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2006 3:24 AM
To: JokeLibrary@aol.com
Subject: please remove ssqq christmas carol
puzzle from your site
Your use of my private work is unauthorized.
This is my second request.
http://jokelibrary.net/xOtherAtoM/b_to_e/c4-puzzle/puzzles.html
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer [mailto:dance@ssqq.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 7:22 AM
To: JokeLibrary@aol.com
Subject: third request to remove ssqq
christmas carol puzzle from your website
Apparently you are ethically-challenged. You
have no right to copy my work on your web
site.
http://jokelibrary.net/xOtherAtoM/b_to_e/c4-puzzle/puzzles.html
Rick Archer
SSQQ Dance Studio
Houston, Texas
Until you see an answer in this spot, you can
assume I have not received a reply.
Whether Joke Library responds or not and how they respond
remains to be seen. Adding insult to
injury was this email on Christmas Eve:
-----Original
Message-----
From: GUIDO J
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 6:20 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject:
Hello...I need the answers for a party
tonight. It said 40, so here are the
40 I know:
2-
5-
7-
9-
10 -
12 -
15 -
23-
25 -
27 -
32-
8 -
24 -
28 -
20-
18 -
42 -
13 -
(Editor's Note: I deleted the 18 answers)
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 7:12 AM
To: GUIDO J
Subject: RE:
First of all, you are fortunate to even get
a response. My spam program had your email
marked for deletion for lack of a title, but
I thought I would double-check.
Second, the
requirement is 50 answers. If you had gone
to the correct web site instead of someone's
plagiarized version of my own work, you
would discover the minimum is 50, not 40.
And finally,
what kind of moron do you think I am?
You said, "here are the 40 I know" and you
listed 18 answers. You didn't think I
could add?
Figure out the answers yourself.
-----Original Message-----
From: GUIDO
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 12:18 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: RE:
And Happy
Holidays to you too!! I found a similar,
much more user-friendly game anyhow.
|
And with that
note, I will
conclude the Anecdote Page for now.
As a
parting thought, I am very grateful to all of you who
have played my Christmas Carol Puzzle Game over the years. Your interest
makes me proud to make this contribution. Thank you
very much.
Rick Archer
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