Another Free Posting Blog

A lot of what is widely regarded as true about Christmas or held as a
tradition cannot or has not been verified, or, has changed through the years.
Even Christmas Day itself, Dec. 25, has been questioned about whether that is
the exact day on which Jesus was born. Skeptics have asked why would shepherds
be out in the cold watching their flocks by night during the winter. Those
skeptics have put forward the thought that Jesus may really have been born in
the spring instead. It is therefore little wonder that there are many fancy
stories and tales that are told about Christmas and the Christmas season.
The most common fancy tale that everyone tells, particularly to children,
is about Santa Claus, also called St. Nicholas. But even if it were accepted
that Santa Claus existed, where does he live and how is he able to get to all
the houses of good boys and girls on Christmas Eve?
In the United States, Santa Claus is said to have two homes. There is a
home in Torrington, Connecticut, which is used as a distribution point for Santa
and his many helpers, who are elves, to hand out gifts. And then, a second home
is said to be located in Wilmington, New York, and that is where Santa Claus and
his delivery reindeer crew are located.
But Santa can be visited in Cyberspace at anytime and what about the
widely held belief that Santa Claus really lives in a village at the North Pole?
The people of Finland also claim that their country is the official
residence of Santa Claus. That's because in Finland, you can actually visit a
village any time during the year and see Santa's workshop and observe Santa and
his elves hard at work as they prepare for their very important Christmas gift
delivery job on Christmas Eve. The only day when Santa's workshop is closed to
visitors is of course, on Christmas Eve.
Maybe a very smart visitor could visit Santa's workshop on the day before
Christmas Eve to see if there are any clues to how Santa and his reindeers plan
to make their trip the next day. That's because as the tale goes, in Finland
Santa Claus and his reindeers do not reach their destinations around the globe
by flying.
Finland welcomes visitors to Santa's workshop but there is nothing said
about whether visitors actually have any chance of having a word with the man
himself. While the chances of doing so are believed to be non-existent, among
the questions that inquiring minds could ask Santa is whether Rudolph is the son
of Donner (and to confirm the spelling - Donner or Donder) or whether Santa
spotted him in a different reindeer village one foggy Christmas Eve when he had
already started on his Christmas toy-delivery mission.
If mere mortals got a chance to question Santa, then he also would likely have
some questions for us humans. He may want to know whose idea was it to have
Christmas trees and for the gifts to be placed under them.
The tradition of Christmas tree as it exists today comes from Germany by
way of immigrants. But it isn't clear how the tradition really gained a foothold
in Germany. One story is that Christians in Germany during the 16th century
started to bring trees that were decorated into their homes. Some of those
Christians would build pyramids for Christmas. The pyramids were made of wood
and would be decorated with evergreens and candles if wood was in short supply.
It is however Martin Luther, a Protestant reformer, who is said to have
been the first to add lighted candles as decoration to a tree based on his
inspiration from the brilliant light of twinkling stars that shone through
evergreen trees as he walked home one winter evening.
As the legend goes, Martin Luther placed a tree in a primary room of his
house and placed wires with small, lighted candles around the branches of the
tree. And that is how, as the tale goes, the Christmas tree as known today, was
started.

During the Christmas season, summer and its body-conscious state of mind
are distant memories. Hearty indulgence in the many foods shared at Christmas
therefore doesn't produce the same feelings of guilt. Nevertheless, its not a
pleasant thought to start the New Year carrying any extra pounds. So why then
eat yourself into a resolution to 'take off a few extra pounds' if you can
smartly avoid it?
Whether it's sharing cookies and candies at work, or having an evening out
at a party or dinner, you can have Christmas food and enjoy it. While you seem
to be eating heartily with a smile, the key is to have a secret strategy of
moderation. It involves sticking to a plan that can be called 'Eating on a
Budget.'
'Eating on a Budget' is not about the cost of what is eaten, but about the
quantity of what is eaten. It is important that a 'budget' or eating in
moderation plan is developed because it is almost impossible to avoid exposure
to a lot of cookies, candies and other sweets at Christmas. At work, you may
risk appearing like the Grinch who stole Christmas if your response will always
be something like, 'Uh..no..bah humbug' all the time that some Christmas goodies
are offered. It will seem as if you aren't in the spirit of the holidays
especially since at that time of year everyone is usually in a festive and more
relaxed mood, and the pace at work is usually slower.
A practical way to partake in Christmas goodies, for example, is to
substitute some holiday cookies for say the bagel that you usually have with
breakfast or for a mid-morning snack. And instead of just taking one cookie,
from the platter, which is noticeable and likely will encourage a colleague to
tell you to have more, take three instead. That's where the plan can come into
play. You can then enjoy the cookies over two or more hours, because nobody will
be watching how you really eat. You can always have a few candies, one cookie or
a cookie and a half by your desk and that way it will seem as if you are
heartily enjoying the holiday treats.
Another strategy is to bring - bake or buy - low calorie Christmas cookies
and candies to work to counteract others that are being offered. Since eating
healthy is highly encouraged, health-conscious cookies will not be looked down
upon so long as they taste great. A box of sugar-free Christmas chocolate
candies for example will look just as delightful as regular chocolate candies.
It's interesting to note that in a poll sponsored by the National Confectioners
Association in 2004, chocolate was the favorite food gift that Americans said
they preferred to receive for the holidays. The lowly and much maligned fruit
cake was last on the list. The second favorite holiday food gift was a fruit
basket and a plate of cookies was third on the list, according to the
Association.
For an occasion such as a Christmas party or a dinner, including Christmas
Dinner, where larger quantities and selection of food is available, the 'Eating
on a Budget' plan means that serving portions and the choice of food selected
should be carefully watched.
At a party where more desserts and sweets are likely to be available, a few of
the selections can be sampled. If the urge to try everything can't be resisted,
then do so, but then second helpings have to be severely limited. The same is
somewhat true for Christmas Dinners. One big difference is that the food served
during Christmas Dinner will be heavier, so by selecting portions wisely, one
can always say truthfully that the stomach is full.
And indeed, after a sumptuous Holiday Dinner, your body is likely to be full
from food and your soul full of joy from sharing another memorable holiday
tradition with family, friends and loved ones.

1. Christmas trees were first lighted with actual candles, which presented a fire hazard. As a result containers filled with water
had to be kept near the Christmas tree.
2. Workers in the construction industry are responsible for the tradition of having a Christmas tree on display at Rockefeller
Center in New York City. They are credited with placing an undecorated tree at the site in the early 1930s.
3. Since the mid-1960s, The National Christmas Tree Association has maintained a presence in the White House at Christmas
by donating a Christmas tree to the First Family.
4. The former Woolworth department store first sold manufactured Christmas tree ornaments in 1880.
5. Plastic became the primary material used to make tinsel after their use for decorative purposes was at one time prohibited
because lead was used in the manufacturing process.
6. The idea of Christmas greeting cards started in Britain in the late 1830s when John Calcott Horsley started to produce small
cards that had festive scenes and a holiday greeting written inside. Similar cards were also being made in the United States
at about the same time by R.H. Pease, in Albany, New York, and Louis Prang, who was a German immigrant. The idea of
sending the greeting cards during Christmas gained popularity in both countries about 10 years later when new postal
delivery services started.
7. The shortened form Xmas for Christmas has been popular in Europe since the 1500s. It is believed to be derived from the
Greek word 'Xristos' which means Christ.
8. According to the National Confectioners Association, for 200 years candy canes were only made in the color of white and
it wasn't until in the 1950s that a machine was invented that could automate the production of candy canes.
9. The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day in England and it is a national holiday. Several stories exist for the
origination of the name. It is believed to have originated from the practice of boys who would be about collecting money in
clay boxes. Another thought is that the term is derived from a custom in the Middle Ages, about 800 years ago, when
churches would open their 'alms boxes' and distribute the contents to poor people on the day after Christmas. Alms boxes
are boxes in which donations of gifts and money would be placed. Yet another belief is that it comes from a custom of
masters giving their servants Christmas presents in boxes on the day after Christmas.
10. Evergreen trees had special meaning in winter to people, particularly in Europe, before Christianity started. Ancient
peoples would hang evergreen branches over their doors and windows because evergreens were believed to ward off
witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. For worshipers of the sun god, evergreen plants were a reminder of all the green
plants that would grow with the return of summer and the sun god being strong again.
11. In ancient times, many people worshiped the sun as a god in December because they thought winter occurred yearly
because the sun god had fallen into ill health. They therefore celebrated the winter solstice because it was a sign that the
son god would begin to regain strength and return to good health.
12. Legislators in Congress did business on Christmas Day in 1789, which was the first one to be observed under the country's
new constitution. The reason for the Congressional session was because it had become unpopular then to observe and take
part in English customs following the American Revolution. And when Christmas celebrations were barred in Boston
earlier in 1659 to 1681, it became a costly thing to be seen participating in any event or activity related to Christmas.
Anyone caught doing so had to pay five shillings.

Christians celebrate Christmas to observe the birth of Jesus Christ, which is an event and not a tradition. But many other
activities related to celebrating the Christmas season evolved from certain traditions, many of which are from other countries,
particularly from peoples in Europe.
Among common items used in Christmas decorations are the holly and the mistletoe. Both are used primarily in wreaths
and garlands. The Druids started the tradition of using the mistletoe as decorative items up to two hundred years before Christ. To
celebrate the winter season, the Druids would gather the plants and use them to decorate their homes. The Druids believed the
mistletoe would bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. They also believed that the mistletoe had a healing quality and could be
used for everything from healing wounds to increase fertility.
In Scandinavia, the mistletoe was seen as a plant of peace and harmony and was associated with Frigga, the goddess of
love. This association is probably what led to the custom of kissing under the mistletoe. In the Victorian period, the English also
would hang mistletoe from ceilings and in doorways during holidays. The habit developed that if someone was standing under the
mistletoe, someone else in the room would kiss that person. Such outright behavior was not generally seen in Victorian society.
The use of the mistletoe in Christmas celebrations was once banned by the church however because of its associations with
pagan traditions, and the use of holly was suggested as a substitute.
Poinsettias are another traditional decorative flower used at Christmas. It is native to Mexico and is named after Joel
Poinsett, who was the first U.S ambassador to Mexico and who brought the plants to America in 1828. Mexicans believe the plants
were a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem and that's one reason they are associated with Christmas. There's also the story that a young
boy was going to see the Nativity Play at a church but realized he didn't have a gift for Baby Jesus. The boy gathered some green
branches, which others scoffed at. But as he placed them near the manger, a bright red poinsettia flower started to bloom on each
branch, which gave rise to their traditional use at Christmas.
Candy canes became a Christmas tradition not because their red and white stripes matched the colors of the season, but for
the most unusual reason of discipline. that's because they were first used as treats that were give to German children to keep them
well-behaved for the duration of church sermons. Over time, the legend of candy canes at Christmas came to be associated with some
of the strongest symbols and beliefs of Christianity: the Father, Son and Holy Ghost known as the Trinity, the Blood of the Son of
God, Jesus as the embodiment of holiness, purity and without sin and the Son of God as the shepherd of man. The candy cane
represents these symbols respectively with its three stripes, its red and white color and its shape.
Sending greeting cards during Christmas and the holidays is as prevalent today as the custom of giving gifts. The tradition
of sending Christmas cards started in 1840 in Britain with the start of public postal delivery service of the 'Penny Post.' Then from
about 1860, large numbers of Christmas greeting cards started to be produced. The popularity of the cards increased in Britain when
they could be sent by the postal service for one half-penny, which was half the price to post a standard letter at the time, if they were
in an unsealed envelope. Religious pictures of Mary, Joseph , Baby Jesus, the angels, shepherds and Wise Men were traditionally
placed on Christmas cards. Some cards today include scenes from the Nativity, but pictures of Santa Claus, winter scenery, Christmas
trees, gift packages and others are also depicted on contemporary Christmas greeting cards.

Nov. 24 – Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving, you have time off from work and it's the official start of the Christmas season
and of Christmas shopping. Stores are open 3-4 hours earlier and they close later. Holiday sales begin, it's the first time that some
items will be available…. but definitely won't be among the crazies up at 4am to get to the top of the line to make some wild dash for
the $99 flat-screen television or the Crazy Elmo toy. (Black Friday is the second single biggest shopping day for retailers and got its
name because in the days of old so much shopping was done on this day that it would turn the tide for many stores and put them in the
black, or, make them profitable.)
Dec. 2 – First Saturday in December – weekends are important because it means free time to shop. The early holiday and Christmas
shopper should be more than halfway through shopping list. Average shoppers are just starting to browse.
Dec. 3 – First Sunday – weekend Christmas shopping can be done but stores close the usual earlier time on Sundays.
Dec. 7 – Pearl Harbor Day – it isn't recognized by most but is very important to war veterans. The President usually gives a speech to
a Veterans group and lays a wreath in honor of those who died on Pearl Harbor Day and in World War II.
Dec. 9 – Second Saturday – only two full weeks to go before Christmas. Where did the time go and where did the year go? To your
disguised annoyance, you are starting to hear the ubiquitous phrase, 'Finished all your Christmas shopping yet?' Christmas shopping
has to pick up speed or panic will set in. You are running out of time to enjoy some quality Christmas entertainment with your family.
Dec. 10 – Second Sunday – go to church if you haven't been attending so that you won't look like a 'Christmas only attendee.' Need
to squeeze in some shopping and must start sending out Christmas greeting cards this week.
Dec. 16 – Third Saturday, First Day of Hanukkah – it's unbelievable that there's only one full week to go before Christmas. Make
supermarket shopping list for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner preparations.
Dec. 17 – Third Sunday – exactly one week before Christmas. Make sure Christmas toys and presents in hiding are still undiscovered.
Make final plans for family dinner on Christmas Day.
Dec. 21 – oh dear me!!! Only three days to go before Christmas. Do last minute planning, get as many chores as possible out of the
way, finish all Christmas and supermarket shopping. Assign final preparatory tasks to family members as necessary. Go over plans for
Christmas Dinner.
Dec. 22 – First Day of Winter – My goodness!! you still have shopping to do!!? You dread going to the mall this weekend. Pray for a
miracle to find one of those needle in a haystack salesperson who will hold hand and get you 95% through your Christmas shopping
list.
Dec. 23 – Last Saturday before Christmas – Now The Single Biggest Shopping Day of the Year!!!! The mall is absolutely crazy and
there are no sales people anywhere. It's a zoo everywhere – on the roads, in the supermarket, even at the gas station people are
honking, hollering at the gas attendant to pump faster! But you know what … stopped at my favorite pastry store and was in and out in
a nanosecond… there was no line!!
Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve – downtown is glorious, everything is so splendid and magical…. will go to Midnight Mass…. Christmas is
the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!!

Christmas celebrations in African nations is characterized by
much outdoor activity because the season often occurs during a time
when the weather is pleasant. Using palm trees and participating in
processions are also characteristic features of activities related to
Christmas in many parts of Africa.
In South Africa, activities that occur outside during Christmas
include the usual caroling, but also the unusual ones of swimming and
camping. The beach and mountains play an important role during
Christmas in South Africa because the season occurs during the hottest
time of the year - summer.
Given the pleasant nature of the weather during Christmas,
families also take advantage of it by often going sightseeing in the
countryside on a relaxing drive in the late evening of Christmas Day. A
rich and sumptuous menu that includes a suckling pig or roast beef,
turkey, mince pies, yellow rice, vegetables and puddings usually makes
up the traditional South African Christmas dinner.
To create a festive environment, decorated pine branches and fir,
sparkling cotton wool and tinsel are used in homes and businesses as
decorations.
A similar decorative pattern of using evergreen, palm trees and
lighted candles are also seen in countries such as Ghana and Liberia.
While these are used in homes and businesses, they are also often
carried in processions and during caroling activities.
While South Africans gather at the beach during Christmas time to
enjoy the warm summer waters, people in other African nations often
gather outside at in town squares and in the streets to march, sing and
enjoy an overall feeling of merriment.
Despite the seemingly general similarity in activities, however,
countries have their own individual style that makes Christmas
celebrations unique.
Of all the celebrations in African nations, Christmas activities
in Ethiopia stand out for their difference in when they are celebrated
and how it is done. One of the features that make Ethiopian Christmas
different is that the main celebratory event occurs on Jan. 7, around
the time known as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day in North and South
America.
Given the general modest economic financial situations of a
significant number of the population in many African countries,
Christmas celebrations also tend to occur over a shorter period of
time, compared to activities in more wealthier countries.
Another difference in celebrations of Christmas in Ethiopia is
the participation of various people who take part in a pilgrimage and
converge on the capital city during Christmas Eve. These wanderers fill
the night air with a din of praying and chanting and create a
multicolor spectacle when they gather on Christmas morning to have a
religious service.
But retaining a similarity with other African nations, Ethiopians
enjoy a Christmas dinner that includes a meat stew. Stews, rice, root
vegetables such as yams, breads and soups often are part of the menu of
traditional Christmas day dinners in African nations.
Christmas dinners are likely enjoyed by families outside, where
everyone shares the meal while sitting in a circular pattern outside
under the shade of a sprawling tree, instead of sitting in a formal
setting at a table.
As is the practice in every household during Christmas, Africans
also exchange gifts. Popular items that are exchanged as Christmas
gifts include cotton cloth, soaps, sweets, pencils and books, all very
practical items that can be readily used. Again, this may be related to
the modest financial resources of up to half the population in many
African countries, as well as to cultural norms. Individuals aren't
able to afford extravagant gifts but they still want to surprise
children, family and friends at Christmas with an unexpected gift. The
generally pervasive cultural norm of humility and modesty that exists
among traditional African peoples, also plays an important role in not
having overreaching extravagance at Christmas.

Maybe it's the undeniable alliterative appeal of Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer
that makes him the most known or popular of all Santa's nine flying reindeers.
It certainly doesn't seem as easy to come up with a similar catchy description
for the others - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and
Blitzen - as named in the song.
The story of Rudolph whose glowing red nose made him a standout, first appeared
in 1939 when Montgomery Ward department stores distributed about 2.4 million
booklets with the poem in the form of a story about "Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer." It was written by Robert L. May, who worked in the store's
advertisement or marketing department, to be used to attract more people into
the store. When the booklet was reissued in 1939, sales soared to more than 3.5
million copies. But it wasn't until a decade later, in 1949, that the story
really gained immense popularity when Gene Autry sang a musical version of the
fable. As a Christmas song, it is second only in popularity to 'White
Christmas.'
Rudolph, the ninth reindeer whose lighted nose guides Santa's sleigh through the
night, is now known worldwide as the song has been translated into more than 20
different languages and an animated television movie has also been based on the
story. Rudolph and his noticeable nose have also become the subject of jokes and
sparked more interest in reindeers which has led to much research into Santa and
the flying reindeers who pull his sleigh through the sky.
Along with the catchy rhythm of the lyrics, Rudolph's story is also appealing
because of the moral lessons it contains. As the story goes, Rudolph was
ostracized by the other reindeers, which laughed and teased him about his shiny
red nose. But on a foggy night, when Santa must have been concerned that he may
not be able to deliver his Christmas gifts around the world, Santa spotted him
and kindly asked if he would step to the front as the leader to 'guide my sleigh
tonight.' His shiny red nose would after all be very useful in lighting the way,
Santa thought. From then on 'all of the other reindeers loved him," and rightly
predicted that he 'would go down in history.'
Among the moral lessons the story can impart is that an attribute that is
perceived as negative or as a liability can be used for a positive purpose, or,
become an asset. It also makes the point that an individual should not let the
negative behavior of others define him or her and limit expectations of what can
be achieved. And it also illustrates how quickly opinions and attitudes about a
person can change.
The question still lingers however of where Rudolph came from. He is commonly
regarded as the son of Donner (or Donder), one of the original eight reindeers.
But the Snopes.com site rejects this however, saying that he dwelled in a
reindeer village elsewhere and it was there that he was seen by Santa who had
already started on his Christmas Eve journey to deliver gifts. And in a more
modern evolution of the story according to Wikipedia.com, an animation by the
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) introduced a son, named Robbie, of
Rudolph. That son has now become the tenth reindeer.
It's also interesting to note that the idea of Santa's sleigh being pulled by
reindeers was originated in the poem, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas.' That
poem tells the story of St. Nicholas, who is Santa, calling his eight tiny
reindeers by their names, as previously mentioned, just before he came down the
chimney of a house to start filling the stockings from a sack full of toys he
carried on his back.

In the tropical islands of the Caribbean, the temperature is
above 75 degrees from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, which means that it is warm
and pleasant during Christmas. The Christmas season in the Caribbean is
also pleasant because it is far removed from the rainy season, which
usually occurs from late March to May. During Christmas time in the
Caribbean, the temperature is also more temperate and tolerable
compared to the searing hot days of the summer months.
As in many parts of the world, family, merriment, gift-giving are
among the many activities that the people of the Caribbean enjoy during
Christmas. Families often live in fairly close proximity to each other
however. But what makes getting together at Christmas so special is
that it often involves intense and laborious preparations that are not
done at any other time of the year.
In many homes, an intense cleaning is done in the two or three
weeks before Christmas Day. All furniture is moved and may even be
rearranged and new and fancy curtains put up for the season. The best
bed linens, tablecloths, cutlery and dinnerware are also used in
entertaining any visitors during the season. It is a common occurrence
for visitors, including people from the neighborhood, to stop for short
visits during the season.
During those visits, guests are entertained with certain food and
drinks, many of which are made only at Christmas time. These include
fermented drinks such as sorrel and mauby, as well as the alcoholic
drink rum punch. A special type of cake, called Black cake or
fruitcake, is also made at Christmas. It is made with raisins and other
dried fruit that are minced and placed in wine for several weeks.
This cake is the traditional dessert for Christmas dinner. The main
menu of a traditional Caribbean Christmas dinner includes baked
poultry, roast beef ham, boiled and steamed root vegetables, rice with
peas, seasoned rice or rice pilaf, with sorrel, rum punch or mauby as
the beverage.
Caroling has also been a tradition, although its practiced has
been declining in recent years. Small groups from churches or schools
will walk through neighborhoods singing Christmas carols or, will drive
from house to house to sing carols in neighborhoods primarily in rural
areas where houses are not always found in close proximity.
Two Christmas traditions that are unique to the Caribbean are the
practice of Jonkonoo and having a grand market. Jonkonoo consists of a
group of masked revelers who take part in a parade dancing to the beats
of drums, shaking tambourines and improvised instruments. The group
also include stilt walkers who appear as tall as some trees and single-
story buildings. Jonkonoos perform various antics to amuse onlookers
and to give candies and treats to children, especially younger children
who may seem scared of any of the Jonkonoo participants.
Grand market is the big outdoor market that takes place the week
before Christmas up to Christmas Eve. Outdoor markets, found in the
central points of regional towns, are common in the Caribbean as a
place to get fresh fruits, vegetables and produce that are grown by
local farmers. But at Christmas time, they also become filled with
assorted items that can be given as gifts and they bustle with activity
even after nightfall. It is a special treat for children to accompany
parents to grand market during the Christmas season.
Since Christmas falls during the high winter tourist season in
the Caribbean, Christmas is also an opportunity for many school
children to perform for tourists. Many hotels take advantage of the
fact that most schools and churches will have singing and dramatic
groups that perform the Christmas story and sing carols and Christmas
songs. These groups are often invited to provide local entertainment at
hotels and guesthouses during Christmas.