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About Christmas

Each year as Christmas season begins to go into full gear, we hear the complaint that Christmas has become commercialized and we have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. When we make that observation, it must come from a nostalgic time, perhaps when we were children, and we remember Christmas being about the sacrifice of the Christ child and that the gifts we give reflect the gift of life that God has brought to us.

Even if our Christmas time is not full of religious imagery, the stories and carols and traditions of the Christmas season point to values that are more about giving to each other out of the heart and being together as family more than the economic side of the season and the hustle and bustle that can weary the soul more than bless it.

Christmas Cards

We have all become so accustomed to sending and receiving beautifully decorated and eloquently phrased store-bought Christmas cards that we take it for granted that past generations have done the same as will future generations. However, the fact is that sending commercially printed Christmas cards is a relatively recent phenomenon taking us back to 1843 London, England.

Christmas Celebrations Around the World

Christmas is an internationally celebrated holiday around the world and for some it is the holiest day of the year it is a day on which Christians of all denominations rejoice in the birth of their Lord. It may or may not come as a surprise to you to discover that Christmas is celebrated in a variety of ways in different parts of the world and in different cultures. Let us, then, take a brief peek at a Christmas festivities in a few countries.

Christmas Symbols

It has recently occurred to me that Christmas is endowed with more universally recognized symbols than any other holiday. Considering the fact that Christmas is the holiday that is celebrated by more people in many more parts of the world than any other Christian holiday, one should not be surprised with the wealth of easily recognizable icons that represent it. In this article you will find a list of Christmas symbols that any child will recognize along with a brief narrative of their origins or meanings:

Do It Yourself Christmas Decorations

Christmas is just not the same without decorations because they add festivity, color and an aura of holiday which lifts spirits. You could go out and buy some very beautiful decoration this Christmas season, but why? Do-it-yourself Christmas decorations are so much more memorable and certainly a whole lot less expensive. As I sit here in front of my computer monitor to key in the letters that will comprise the words, sentences and paragraphs of this article, I take a mental inventory of my own Christmas decorations and smile. They are bright, they are sparkly and each one of them conjures up a memory from the past. Some of these memories are precious and I shall cherish them for the rest of my life.

Does Santa Claus Really Live in the North Pole?

Let us contemplate the question of whether or not Santa Claus and his entourage really live in the North Pole as we take a closer look at the North Pole and weigh a few facts against reality. The North Pole is the northernmost point on earth which is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, where the waters are perpetually covered with ice. Since this ice is in constant movement, it cannot sustain permanent structures. If Santa Claus and his entourage really lived in the North Pole, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus' home would be in constant motion and shifting right along with the ice on which it would be standing and so would Santa's toy workshop. Under such circumstances, I envision a life time of motion sickness. Ooh! Not a pretty picture.

Do Santa's Christmas Reindeers Really Exist

Do Santa's Christmas reindeer really exist? Santa's Christmas reindeer are every bit as real as Santa Claus himself is. Do you believe in Santa Clause? Then you must believe in his reindeer or your Christmas presents will never get delivered. As for any other reindeer, they are very real indeed and they are also known as caribou in the wildernesses of the North American continent. Reindeer are deer which lived and roamed freely in large herds in the arctic, subarctic as well as in the Holarctic regions.

Explaining Christmas Mistletoe

Native to the forests of Northern Europe, the mistletoe (Viscum album) is a parasitical plant on deciduous and evergreen trees, and it produces yellowish flowers and waxy white berries. Its closest relative in Northern America which has very similar yellowish flowers and waxy white berries is also commonly known as mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum) and it is the official floral emblem of the State of Oklahoma. The name mistletoe came about from two Anglo-Saxon words: mistel which means dung and tan which means twig. And so, mistletoe quite literally means dung on a twig. Mistletoe infers that life can spring up from dung as this leeching plant grows and thrives on the dung of birds on the branches of trees. As a result, mistletoe became the symbol of life and fertility.

Has Christmas Become Too Commercialized

The answer to the question whether Christmas has become too commercialized or not, is not a matter of a mere yes or no because the issue is much more complicated than that. And, frankly, I am not all too sure that it is a relevant question to ask. After all, those of us who live in the United States of America, where most or at least much of the so called commercialization of Christmas occurs, also live in the land of the free. As citizens of the land of the free or of a free country, we are at liberty to choose just how we want to celebrate Christmas.

Santa Claus Knows I Have Been Naughty

The fact that I am asking this question here and now does not make me unique or especially smart in any way, nor does it make this question original. As a matter of fact, there is no doubt in my mind nor should there be any doubt in yours that this question had been asked by many believers in Santa Claus through the ages and most particularly by those who fear that their behavior may indeed have earned enough demerits to disqualify them from Santa's list of Nice. And if their names are not allowed to appear on Santa's list of Nice and because everyone must be on one of Santa's list or the other, it must then have been added to his list of Naughty.

How Does Santa Get Down the Chimney

Call me stupid or unenlightened but I am really confused about Santa Claus coming down a chimney. First of all, he is such a fat-bellied guy and unless you have an extra large industrial-size chimney, there is absolutely no way for him to pass through it. I know that you are going to tell me that Santa Claus is magical. But even magic has its limits, doe it not? I have seen magicians perform amazing deeds but really, this magical Santa Claus has to overcome more than I am willing or even able to accept.

Meeting Mary and Joseph the Parents of Jesus

Mary and Joseph both came from educated families who saw to it that their children receive a solid and above average education as well. Mary was a brown-eyes and blond-haired beauty with a cheerful disposition. She was fearless about expressing her emotions and easily adapted to hardships and unusual circumstances. Joseph was one of nine children in a pious Jewish family. He had black eyes and dark brown hair, a mild manner and he was very meticulous about his affairs and faithful in every way to the religious and cultural practices of his people. He was a quiet and contemplative man who suffered the plight of the Jews wordlessly.

Mrs. Santa Claus

Mrs. Santa Claus is also known as Mother Christmas and she is the fictitious wife of Santa Claus or Father Christmas. Where Santa Claus has a rich historical background as well as religious and cultural roots, Mrs. Santa Claus had none of those as she is a moderately recent invention. In fact, Mrs. Santa Claus was introduced by Katherine Lee Bates in 1889 through a poem she wrote called, Goody Santa Clause on a Sleigh Ride. Goody is the abbreviated form of goodwife or housewife which were popular terms in those days.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Out of all of Santa's reindeer, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer who was also known as Rollo the Red-Nosed Reindeer and then Reginald the Red-Nosed Reindeer is, by far, the most famous and most often talked about. As a matter of fact, he is the only one that is distinguished out of the entire herd and called forth to stardom and fame. It all started with a Christmas song which made its debut as a poem that was distributed by a posing Santa Claus at a Montgomery Ward department store in Chicago. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was penned by Robert May who was an advertising copywriter for Montgomery Ward in 1939.

Santas Little Helpers The Elves

In spite of the fact that elves are such little folks or maybe because they are such little folks they have been incorporated into many different cultures through the ages. Folklore and fairytales would just not be the same without them. They may be set in different environments under different circumstances and they may answer to different names but they are still elves of one kind or another. The list of elves or elf-like beings is endless but the following is a short sampling for your brief edification:

Secrets of Santas Sleigh

The legend of Santa Claus's sleigh being pulled by a bunch of reindeer in a frigid arctic environment and ascending up to the sky with its extraordinary load of toys was born a little over 200 years ago. On the one hand, this legend goes through the trouble of providing details about the jolly old man Santa Claus and his delivery of toys to children who had been good all around the world.

About the Christmas Tree

Thinking about Christmas immediately brings Christmas trees to mind. As a matter of fact, Christmas trees are one of the most recognized images of the Christmas season and they are visible just about everywhere. Furthermore, many of the traditional Christmas activities revolve around Christmas trees. First there is the ritual of selecting a perfect tree, then setting it up in a prominent location in the home, then comes the decorating aspect, piling up the gifts under it, coming together around it to sing Christmas carols and drink eggnog. But how did it all begin?

Twelve Days of Christmas

Why are there twelve days of Christmas? Even the holiest of births could not have taken twelve day. No. Of course not. The twelve days of Christmas is the stretch of time between December 25 and January 6. December 25 marks the birth of Jesus Christ while January 6 represents the feast of the Epiphany that memorializes the visit of the Magi to Baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

About our Lovely Christmas Carols

A carol which is also known as a noel is generally defined as a song or a hymn whose lyrics are on the subject of Christmas and all it denotes as well as about the winter season in general. Carols are traditionally sung by carolers a short time before and during Christmas. No one seems to know beyond doubt whether the word carol came from the French carole or the Latin carula which means a circular dance. There is evidence, however, which indicates that early carols were accompanied by dancing but that practice was abandoned soon after it started.

Christmas and How It Got Its Name

Whether you view Christmas as a holiday and time for vacating or as a holy day of worship, Christmas is in fact a mixture of various cultures from around the world which has been accumulating for hundreds of years. Turkey dinners with cranberry sauce, decorated evergreen trees and the colorfully wrapped gifts at their bases, Christmas cards and their heartfelt greetings, jolly old Santa Claus and his reindeer, yule logs and chestnuts roasting on open fires, mistletoes and granted kisses, chiming bells and carols are all many aspects of Christmas which we have come to consider as inherently inseparable and at the heart of December 25, all came in bits and pieces from different peoples.

Most Important this Christmas Season

I am afraid that many of us get so distracted with buying gifts for others and then thinking about what they will buy for us, that we do not take the time to consider what is it that we really and truly want. Nor do we allow ourselves to mull over what is most important to us this Christmas season. Sure, we all like nice presents but the happiness they bring us is very short lived and only surface deep.

What is most important at our gut level during the Christmas season is HAPPINESS, JOY, LOVE, FUN, PEACE, SERENITY, ACCEPTANCE, CONTENTMENT, FRIENDSHIP and COMPANIONSHIP as well as GOOD HEALTH. These are the intangible emotion words that drive us, these are the intangible emotion words that we crave and these are the intangible emotion words that we need.

King of Misrule: What or Who

The King of Misrule or the Lord of Misrule was an official of the late medieval and early Tudor period in England who was appointed or hired into houses of the great nobility, into the law schools of the Inns of Court, into many of the colleges at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford as well as into homes of the wealthy private citizens for no other purpose but to manage, arrange and preside over all the festivities and entertainment related to Christmas.

Who is in the Christmas Creche

If you are French you will call it creche, if your are Italian you will call it presipio, if you are German you will call it krippe, if you are Spanish you will call it nacimiento and if you speak only English as I do, you will call it the crib. But what is the Christmas creche or the Christmas crib?

Well, it is an artistic three dimensional depiction of the birth of Jesus Christ in the manger and it is one of the oldest and most favored of all Christmas traditions. Artists of Christmas creches naturally put most of their emphasis on the baby Jesus Christ and his mother Mary but they also add earthly as well as heavenly participants such as shepherds, animals, angels, wise men and common folks.

Who Is Santa Claus

Santa Claus is also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or just plain old Santa and these are but a few of the names for the ghost of Saint Nicholas who, according to Western cultures, brings gifts on Christmas Eve (December 24) or on his Feast Day (December 6). Historically, the original Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas was a Christian named Nicholas who was born in a southeastern Turkish town called Lycia in the early years of the fourth century.

Why Do We Decorate With Garlands and Wreaths

A wreath is a hoop or a ring made out of various flowers, leaves, branches and, at times, fruits as well as ribbons and bows that is used as an adornment on festive occasions. A wreath can be hung on a door or above it, on a window or on a wall. It may be laid on a table or another horizontal surface or, in a much smaller version; it may be worn as a crown on top of the head of a man, a woman or a child.

Why Do We Dream of a White Christmas

To the best of our knowledge, Jesus was never anywhere near snowy peaks and icicles. Why then are so many of us dreaming of a white Christmas? Well, Christmas originated in Europe which is in the Northern Hemisphere where December 25 is, for some of the regions, winter white with snow. Needless to say, snowy weather on Christmas Day is far more common in some countries or parts of those countries yet it is an unheard of phenomenon in others.

 

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About Christmas Gift Ideas 2010