Blue eyes?

[Phil]

I'm one of those recessive ones - red hair & brown eyes. I read that we are becoming an endangered species though. I was never very popular first-footing at Hogmanay. People prefer black hair, must be something to do with those invading Vikings from Denmark. I suppose you can understand with all that raping & pillaging they wouldn't exactly be welcomed with open arms.

[BoldHighlander]

I'm one of those recessive ones - red hair & brown eyes. I read that we are becoming an endangered species though. I was never very popular first-footing at Hogmanay. People prefer black hair, must be something to do with those invading Vikings from Denmark. I suppose you can understand with all that raping & pillaging they wouldn't exactly be welcomed with open arms.

Excerpted from The Highlander November / December 2005

Firstfooters.

In Scotland, it was, and still is, the custom for a stranger to enter the house after midnight on New Year's Eve. There were taboos about the luck such a stranger would bring, especially in the days of hospitality to traveling strangers. A fair-haired visitor was considered bad luck in most areas, partly due to fighting between the dark Scots and the fair Norse invaders.

However, in Christian times a fair-haired man was considered very lucky providing his name was Andrew (because St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland).

[Pleater]

The superstition is still around throughout Britain.

I used to have long, abundant very dark brown hair and was considered to be a lucky 'first footer' around where we lived in Yorkshire.

My mother and her mother always remarked on the year when the first footer was a boy with very fair hair (wearing a hood), and the year was a terrible one for them.

To do it properly the first footer should bring a piece of coal to throw on the fire and be offered food and drink - traditionally bread and hot toddy or mulled wine, though mince pies or Christmas cake were equally acceptable.

[Jerry]

Thank you Ted for noticing, I try to look my best.

I have blue eyes (as Ted pointed out) my wife, hazel (as in Witch Hazel ). When she was schooling to be a nurse she came home and said that she had the dominant eye colour and mine were whatever the scientific term is for whipped. She also told me that our offspring would have her colour. Happy, happy, joy, joy both of our kids have my gorgeous blue eyes. Hmmm, perhaps she's not their real Mom after all ( please, please ).

Since blue is a recessive gene, that means that the blue only shows up in an individual with two Bl. genes on the XY pair of chromosomes. Since you have blue, your XY pair is BL/BL. Being recessive, your wife, even though she has Hazel eyes is most likely, Br /BL, with the Br (for brown) being dominant. Since each parent contributes one of the XY pair, your kids had to get one BL from you and the recessive BL from your wife. Each of your offspring has a 75 percent chance of having blue eyes

[McFarkus]

Well, you are quite welcome.

And the part about your wife... I don't know anything about that...

What color eyes did the mail lady (excuse me, letter carrier) have?

[Bugbear]

What color eyes did the mail lady (excuse me, letter carrier) have?

Postal blue... Unless she was with UPS, then I guess her eyes would be brown.

And I still don't know anything about that...

In fact, I'm feeling uncomfortable with this conversation. I liked talking about the oatmeal cookies more.

[Retro Red]

My question is, what about those who have green eyes?

They're brown eyes that aren't ripe yet...

I have blue eyes & red hair, my Father used to say "I dont know where you came from"???

Would that be the Clan Donnachaidh traits showing through, David? Same for me with the blue eyes & red hair.

.

[Coemgen]

Oatmeal cookies and blueberries with chocolate chips...

Pure bliss…

[sharpdressedscot]

I have blue eyes and blonde hair, though it's getting darker to a "dirty blonde."

[Bugbear]

Pure bliss…

Peanut butter cookies are nice too. Penut butter cookies with chocolate chips...

I have heard of people with purple-ish eyes. That sounds pretty with red-ish brown hair...