Here is a collection of stories about the birth of Jesus Christ, the Three Wise men and Santa Claus. There are other anecdotes that tell us about the popular Christmas symbols and traditions and their origin such as hanging the stockings on Christmas Eve, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Evergreen Trees, Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe and many other things frequently used and done in Christmas season.
Have fun, and write your opinions in the comments
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It seems that each year, the holidays bring not only fun and family gathering but they bring financial stress as well. To head off this stress, it is a good idea to plan a Christmas budget now during the fall months, so that when the holiday shopping is in full swing, you won’t be stressing out over overspending.
There are many categories of holiday purchases that we all make every year. It is a good idea to make your holiday budget comprehensive enough to include all the ways that you spend money on holiday preparations and Christmas related purchases. Here are a few ideas about how to set up your Christmas Budget.
Start early – ideally you should start in January for each holiday season. Many of us don’t think about Christmas that early. If you are like most of us, October is when we start to think about the winter holidays. If you do start early, you can take advantage of those after Christmas sales to make purchases of holiday stables like ornaments, gift-wrap, and party supplies.
Make sure you sock some holiday savings away each month throughout the year so that you can have a Christmas Spending account that won’t dig into your regular household account during the holidays. The last thing you want is to take money away from paying your monthly bills in order to buy presents.
You can open a Christmas Club account at most financial institutions including credit unions that you can designate an amount such as $25, or $50 to come out of your paycheck each month and deposited into this Christmas fund. You can even set up auto-transfer for each pay period.
Shop for Christmas year-round. There are many sales events that you can take advantage of throughout the year, saving you money.
Make up a master-shopping list for Christmas that includes each person you need to buy gifts for along with some gift ideas. Keep this in your wallet or purse all year, so that you can refer to it while passing sales items.
Don’t forget about the values you can find online. You can comparison-shop to discover what stores have the best deals. When actually making purchases online, don’t forget to take shipping into consideration when comparison-shopping for price.
Major stores will often have Internet discounts that are just for their online customers, so check Websites of stores that you frequent most often for these deals.
Save money by baking or making presents for relatives who may appreciate the extra thoughtfulness of these personal gifts.
There may be some people on your list who really do not need or want more “things”, but may be happy with the gift of time (running errands for them, or doing yard work, or household chores).
Keep a pocket notebook handy all year and jot down in it whenever someone mentions something they need, or something they see that they would like. When you notice sales events of these items you can then purchase them at a savings. This handy notebook will also assure you that you are indeed buying gifts that the recipients will truly enjoy getting.
Are you tired of Turkey for your Christmas Dinner? Here are some yummy ideas to serve at Christmas dinner that may please your family and your guests.
Love the southern flavor? Try serving Shrimp and Grits for Christmas dinner (serves two people). Double for 4.
You will need cooked grits (2 serving sizes)
Olive Oil (2 Tablespoons)
Diced Tasso Ham (1/2 cup)
Diced Leeks (2 Tablespoons)
Diced Onion (2 Tablespoons)
Diced Green Peppers (2 Tablespoons)
Large Shrimp (20 medium, peeled, de-veined, with tails on
White Wine (1 to 2 Tablespoons
Heavy Cream (1 cup)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chopped Green Onion Tops
Instructions: Read more »
Everyone remembers how difficult it was as a kid to be patient during the weeks before Christmas. There was just too much excitement about presents and candy and having fun with friends; well what was a kid to do? Here are some quick and easy craft ideas to help you entertain your kids during the pre-Christmas season this year.
Christmas Cards:
Instead of spending a lot of money buying commercial Christmas cards in the store, how about having your kids make Christmas cards to send out to family and friends? Cards are easy to make and can be done using craft material you can find around your home or purchase inexpensively in a local craft store. Here are some card ideas to get you started:
Photo Christmas Cards: use photos you already have or take some specifically for the cards. These are great for grandparents, aunts and uncles because they love seeing updated pictures of the kids. Use card stock or construction paper for the card and cut out a rectangle, square, or circle in the middle of the front of the card. Lay a favorite photo of the kids on the inside over the cutout so that the photo shows through on the front of the card. Decorate the card with holiday stickers and crayon drawings from the kids and you have a winning card that anyone would treasure. Make sure you remember to place a poem or short holiday greeting on the inside of the card. Read more »
Nothing spoils the holidays faster than a miserable trip getting there, so taking the time to plan your trip just may be the very thing that keeps it happy. Here are some tips to planning your trip.
Save money by contacting a travel agent well in advance of your departure date. The lowest-priced fares, hotel rooms and rental car fees can be obtained by securing them far in advance of the holiday season.
Pack light to save energy, time and money. You also should check with your particular airline as some will place special restrictions on carry-ons during the holiday season because of the higher demand for space.
Save on airline space by shipping your gifts instead of taking them with you. Allow at least two to three weeks for your package to arrive at your destination because both Federal Express and UPS are busy during the holidays.
Make sure that before you leave on your holiday trip, your home, plants, and pets are secure and well cared for. Pet sitters will often times care for the plants and home as well, so they are a good investment and will give you peace of mind.
Don’t forget to have someone collect the mail and newspapers so that it won’t look like no one is home at your house. You should have your lights set on timers so that they come on at different times. Check to be sure that you locked all windows and doors and turned off the oven and stove before leaving. Do NOT leave any message on your answering machine or voicemail that indicates you are leaving for a trip.
Avoid peak travel days at the airport like the day before or the day after a holiday. Book your flight two days before a holiday. Try to book a non-stop flight if possible.
If you have an early flight, consider sleeping over at an airport hotel the night before and taking an airport shuttle right from the hotel to the airport the next day.
If traveling by car always have the car serviced by a certified mechanic. Make sure they check the fluid levels, brakes, tire pressures, and any other car part that needs regular maintenance. Bring along jumper cables, extra fluids, maps, first aid kit, flashlights, blankets, water, snacks, flares, ice scraper, chains for the tires and also a cell phone.
Traveling with kids by car or air means bringing snacks and something to keep them busy like games, toys or music. If they will be sleeping during the trip bring blankets and pillows.
Good planning is essential for a safe and happy holiday trip so take the time to plan.
Christmas is a yearly holiday when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus and many families exchange Christmas gifts. It is celebrated on December 25th.
There are many holiday traditions including Christmas dinner, sending Christmas cards, visiting Santa, baking Christmas cookies and making homemade Christmas candies. Homes are decorated inside and out with colorful lights and holiday decorations. People usually try to spread goodwill, compassion and peace during the Christmas holiday season.
Some countries celebrate on Christmas Eve, other on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day, while other countries celebrate Boxing Day on December 26th. One church, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6th. Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th. The date is just a tradition and is not considered to be Jesus’ actual birth date.
The word “Christmas” actually comes from two words: Christ’s mass. Many of the seasons decorations lead back to Christ’s birth such as Nativity managers, star ornaments and the giving of gifts.
Christmas day during the Middle ages was more of a festival. King William I of England chose Christmas Day to be crowned king in 800.
During the Reformation, Protestants condemned the celebration of Christmas as mere trappings, while Catholics promoted the festival as a religious event.
Colonial America saw the Puritans disapproving of the trappings of the Christmas celebration and it was outlawed in Boston in 1659 to 1681. However Christian residents of Virginia and New York celebrated the holiday.
Charles Dickens’ book “A Christmas Carol”, published in 1843 did much to revive the holiday that was to instill goodwill and compassion. Washington Irving also wrote short stories about Christmas and the “Twas the Night Before Christmas Poem by Clement Clarke.
There was great controversy in the 20th century over the nature of Christmas (was it a religious holiday or was it a secular holiday). The issue was brought to trial several times to decide because of the view that a federal holiday was a violation of separation of church and state. On December 6th, 1999, the verdict for Ganulin vs. United States declared that “the establishment of Christmas Day as “a legal public holiday does not violate the Establishment Clause because it has a secular purpose.” This decision was later upheld on December 19, 2000 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Many christians believe the holiday has become too secular and it is common to hear cries of “getting back to the true meaning of Christmas” around the holidays.