The passing away of the old year and welcoming of the New Year is celebrated, every year, on New Year’s Eve on the night of December 31st. At the stroke of midnight on this last day of the year, the old year paves the way for the New Year, new hopes and new expectations. Read more »
The twelve days of Christmas (Twelve-tide) are the twelve days that separate Christmas day on December 25th from Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 6th. Many people think that these are the twelve days before Christmas while in most of the Western Church these are in fact the twelve days from Christmas (not including Christmas) until the beginning of Epiphany. Read more »
Boxing Day is the name given to the December 26th public holiday, which was identical to the exchange of gifts that would normally occur on this day. It falls on the day after Christmas and is also known as the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Boxing Day is one of the few British holidays, recognized since 1871, which is observed by banks, government offices as well as the post office.
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Christmas time can get a bit too hectic for those people who have left things a bit too late especially their cooking. At times we all get caught on the wrong foot; the secret lies in not letting it affect our reasoning and quick thinking. Read more »
Christmas Eve is observed on December 24th, a day before Christmas, in almost the whole of the Christian world. It is traditionally been set aside as the day for decorating churches and homes. It also marks the commencement of the time officially known as Christmas-tide. Christmas Eve is also an important day for religious reasons such as midnight mass. Read more »
Christmas Cookies, especially freshly baked homemade cookies are as much a part of Christmas as the Christmas tree or Christmas pudding. Traditionally, cookies were quite simple affairs, because until about fifty or so years ago, white sugar and white flour were kept aside only for guests. Most families had some special cookie recipes that were dug out at Christmas time. Read more »
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer is a very popular story and song of Christmas that has remained a favorite since it was introduced to the public more than 50 years ago. Rudolf caught the public attention because people like the feeling of championing the underdog. Rudolf with his glowing red nose fits the role of a misfit like a glove and has become a significant part of Christmas tradition. Read more »
Mrs. Claus is the charming wife of Santa Claus and has been his constant companion for many centuries. She has a very calming influence on Santa who is extremely excitable and impulsive. Mrs. Claus is the epitome of a middle aged homemaker, wears a bun and soft dresses and loves to cook and keep order in Santa land. Read more »
To celebrate Christmas you need to forget that you have grown up and have become too old to believe in miracles, in life and in hope and happiness in general. To lose ourselves in the spirit of Christmas we need to somehow return to a time in our childhood, or anytime past, when life was simple and made more sense to find any real meaning, any message in our lives. Read more »
To play the game of Dirty Santa or Yankee Swap one must have the spirit of fun and adventure. The game, also known as the Chinese Auction, involves exchanging gifts where the participants do not know who is gifting what. Although this game obviously had a Christmas related beginning, one obscure version traces the origins of the game to the American Civil War. It seems that during the war, to break the monotony of battle, the Yankees and the Confederates swapped prisoners; hence, the name Yankee Swap. Read more »