The word Christmas comes from the Old English words, Cristes maesse, which means "Christ's Mass." Christmas was probably first celebrated in AD 336 in Rome.
The evergreen Christmas tree tradition began in Germany around AD 700, and then moved to England and on into America through Pennsylvanian German immigrants. People probably started decorating Christmas trees in the 16th century after Martin Luther first put candles on the Christmas tree.
Mistletoe, sharply-pointed holly leaves, symbolic of Christ's crown of thorns and the red berries of drops of his blood has been used as a house decoration for thousands of years.
The term Yule dates from early Anglo Saxon celebrations of lengthening daylight after the winter solstice. It is a term derived from the Middle English Yollen, which means to "cry aloud."
Santa Claus, based on Saint Nicholas, was a bishop of Myra in Lycia (Turkey) and attended the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Mr. Nicholas had a wonderful reputation for kindness and generosity. Legends grew of miracles he performed for the poor and unhappy people. The Christmas stocking tradition originated from a legend that Mr. Nicholas left gold coins in the stockings of three poor girls who needed the money for wedding plans and saved them from a life of prostitution.
The modern view of Santa Claus, his sleigh, reindeer, chimney and all else associated with him comes largely from the poem "The Night before Christmas," written for his family in 1822. The poem was widely reprinted in magazines and newspapers. The red suit Santa wears is from Saint Nicholas's traditional bishop's robes.
The famous "Rudolf" appeared when the Montgomery Ward Stores gave away 2.4 million copies of a booklet called: "Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer," in 1939. The booklet was written by Robert May from their advertising department. The song, a musical version of the poem, is now second only to White Christmas in popularity.
Irving Berlin wrote the song "White Christmas," for the Holiday Inn film in 1942. It was sung by Bing Crosby. It had become the best-selling song of all time by the end of the Second World War.
The Nutcracker, a beloved ballet, created in 1892 and introduced to North America in the early 20th century by Russian touring companies. It has been performed by the world's most prestigious dance companies, been on television, and adapted across North American providing numerous performances. The NYCB's Nutcracker was seen across the continent when televised n the late 1950s. It has become a meaningful ritual for many Americans.
Source: Gold S, Chenoweth E, Rotella M, et al. NUTCRACKER NATION: How an Old World Ballet Became a Christmas Tradition in the New World (Book). Reed Business Information / Reviews; 2003:69. Available from: MAS Ultra - School Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 10, 2008.
William Reville D. The evolution of Santa Claus and other Christmas traditions. Irish Times [serial online]. December 22, 2005. Available from: Newspaper Source, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 10, 2008.
Written by: Connie Limon For more Christmas celebration ideas visit http://smalldogs2.com/ChristmasCelebrationIdeas For a variety of reprint articles visit http://www.camelotarticles.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Limon
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Prepare For a Cookie Baking Christmas
Cookie baking is one of the holiday season's most fun traditions. To get the most out of your cookie baking, here's a few tips:
Supplies
You'll need some basic supplies to bake cookies. Make sure that you have the following on hand:
* Cookie sheets - You'll want to have at least 2 so you can be baking one batch while you are preparing another batch on another sheet.
* Measuring devices - You'll want a Pyrex glass cup for wet ingredients such as oil and water. You'll also want to have a set of plastic measuring cups for dry ingredients such as flour, sugar and chocolate chips and a set of measuring spoons ranging for things like baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla.
* Mixing bowls - You'll want a set of sturdy mixing bowls. Metal or plastic will work fine. Have at least one small, one medium and a couple larger sized bowls.
* Mixing devices - Make sure you have several sizes of spoons on hand. You'll want a couple large wood spoons as well as some smaller mixing spoons.
* Cookie cutters - You should have a set of Christmas themed cookie cutters. Made of metal or plastic, you can find them at any grocery store or even dollar stores.
* Spatula - To remove the cookies from the sheet, you'll need a spatula. A plastic one will work best and won't scratch your nonstick surface like a metal spatula would.
* Cooling rack - To cool your cookies properly, you'll need a cookie rack. Usually made of metal, you might need several depending on how many batches of cookies you will be making.
* Frosting tools - If you will be decorating your cookies, you might want to pick up a pastry bag as well as several pastry tips so you can make great looking designs with your frosting.
Ingredients
Some basic ingredients you should have:
* Flour - Pick up a bag of all purpose flour.
* Sugars - You'll want to have at least 1 bag each of white sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar.
* Eggs & Butter - A dozen large eggs and a pound or two of salted butter.
* Oils - Some recipes call for vegetable oil, canola oil works great.
* Flavorings & Colorings - Many cookie recipes use vanilla extract, get the real kind, not artificially flavored for best taste. For coloring, you'll want this to color your frosting too. You can usually get a set of coloring bottles around the holidays on sale.
* Decorations - Sprinkles, nonpareils, candies, kisses, hard candies, cinnamon candies etc. Whatever your recipe calls for or whatever you like, get a bag or two.
Cookie Baking Tips
Always preheat your oven, it should be one of the first things you do. Also, doublecheck that you have set the right temperature. When placing the dough on the cookie sheets, try to make every cookie a uniform size. You can even use a measuring cup, spoon or ice cream scoop so you can get the same size cookie, this is important for proper and even baking. Keep a close eye on the first batch to test the doneness and adjust the temperature and baking time if needed, as every oven tends to be different.
During baking, try and rotate the cookie sheets, turn them around and switch racks for more even cooking. Once one batch of cookies is done and you have removed the cookies from it, let the cookie sheet cool for a minute or two before placing the next batch of dough on it, this keeps the dough from spreading too much due to the heat from the last batch. You'll want to leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a minute or so before removing them to lessen the chance of breakage when you remove them.
Lastly, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ricky Alberta writes for Cookie-Recipes.net, home of hundreds of cookie recipes of all kinds plus a cookie recipe forum and blog.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Alberta
Supplies
You'll need some basic supplies to bake cookies. Make sure that you have the following on hand:
* Cookie sheets - You'll want to have at least 2 so you can be baking one batch while you are preparing another batch on another sheet.
* Measuring devices - You'll want a Pyrex glass cup for wet ingredients such as oil and water. You'll also want to have a set of plastic measuring cups for dry ingredients such as flour, sugar and chocolate chips and a set of measuring spoons ranging for things like baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla.
* Mixing bowls - You'll want a set of sturdy mixing bowls. Metal or plastic will work fine. Have at least one small, one medium and a couple larger sized bowls.
* Mixing devices - Make sure you have several sizes of spoons on hand. You'll want a couple large wood spoons as well as some smaller mixing spoons.
* Cookie cutters - You should have a set of Christmas themed cookie cutters. Made of metal or plastic, you can find them at any grocery store or even dollar stores.
* Spatula - To remove the cookies from the sheet, you'll need a spatula. A plastic one will work best and won't scratch your nonstick surface like a metal spatula would.
* Cooling rack - To cool your cookies properly, you'll need a cookie rack. Usually made of metal, you might need several depending on how many batches of cookies you will be making.
* Frosting tools - If you will be decorating your cookies, you might want to pick up a pastry bag as well as several pastry tips so you can make great looking designs with your frosting.
Ingredients
Some basic ingredients you should have:
* Flour - Pick up a bag of all purpose flour.
* Sugars - You'll want to have at least 1 bag each of white sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar.
* Eggs & Butter - A dozen large eggs and a pound or two of salted butter.
* Oils - Some recipes call for vegetable oil, canola oil works great.
* Flavorings & Colorings - Many cookie recipes use vanilla extract, get the real kind, not artificially flavored for best taste. For coloring, you'll want this to color your frosting too. You can usually get a set of coloring bottles around the holidays on sale.
* Decorations - Sprinkles, nonpareils, candies, kisses, hard candies, cinnamon candies etc. Whatever your recipe calls for or whatever you like, get a bag or two.
Cookie Baking Tips
Always preheat your oven, it should be one of the first things you do. Also, doublecheck that you have set the right temperature. When placing the dough on the cookie sheets, try to make every cookie a uniform size. You can even use a measuring cup, spoon or ice cream scoop so you can get the same size cookie, this is important for proper and even baking. Keep a close eye on the first batch to test the doneness and adjust the temperature and baking time if needed, as every oven tends to be different.
During baking, try and rotate the cookie sheets, turn them around and switch racks for more even cooking. Once one batch of cookies is done and you have removed the cookies from it, let the cookie sheet cool for a minute or two before placing the next batch of dough on it, this keeps the dough from spreading too much due to the heat from the last batch. You'll want to leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a minute or so before removing them to lessen the chance of breakage when you remove them.
Lastly, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ricky Alberta writes for Cookie-Recipes.net, home of hundreds of cookie recipes of all kinds plus a cookie recipe forum and blog.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Alberta
Sunday, September 7, 2008
The Christmas Box - Book Review
“The Christmas Box” was written by Richard Paul Evans in 1994 as a story for his children. Evans circulated some copies of the story to his friends who encouraged him to publish it. When it was published, the little book became a #1 seller on the NY Times list as a hardback and a paperback edition at the same time. It was the first book to achieve that distinction.
“The Christmas Box” is a short story about the author’s family of three and an elderly woman who offers the family the use of part of her very large home in exchange for domestic help in the home. The family and the woman become good friends.
The father discovers an elegant, antique box in the attic. He recognizes it as a Christmas box, a box designed to hold important Christmas treasures that the owner wishes to preserve. He notices some personal letters inside the box but tries his best not to intrude upon the privacy of the box.
The main action of the story takes place during the Christmas season. The woman challenges the father to give his viewpoint about the first and most important present of Christmas. The father has some ideas about how to respond to the question, but he realizes that his ideas are weak and that he seems to be missing something important.
By the end of the story the father has discovered the meaning of the contents of the Christmas box in the attic and the lesson that the woman teaches him about the first present of Christmas. These revelations were the most charming part of the story in my opinion. They gave a focus to some important lessons that need to be learned and relearned periodically throughout our lives. I was glad to have the opportunity to relearn them.
Another aspect of the story that captured my imagination involved the description and meaning of a statue of an angel. It was a very touching part of the story that I will long remember. I have since learned that replicas of the angel statue from “The Christmas Box” have been placed in over 25 cities throughout the nation, and that there are plans for many more.
Obviously, “The Christmas Box” is a story that has touched the lives of many people.
“The Christmas Box” by Richard Paul Evans is published by Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81499-4.
********************
Garry Gamber is a public school teacher and entrepreneur. He writes articles about politics, real estate, home businesses, poetry, and books. He is the owner of Good Politics Radio Alaska and a BookWise information lens on Squidoo.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garry_Gamber
“The Christmas Box” is a short story about the author’s family of three and an elderly woman who offers the family the use of part of her very large home in exchange for domestic help in the home. The family and the woman become good friends.
The father discovers an elegant, antique box in the attic. He recognizes it as a Christmas box, a box designed to hold important Christmas treasures that the owner wishes to preserve. He notices some personal letters inside the box but tries his best not to intrude upon the privacy of the box.
The main action of the story takes place during the Christmas season. The woman challenges the father to give his viewpoint about the first and most important present of Christmas. The father has some ideas about how to respond to the question, but he realizes that his ideas are weak and that he seems to be missing something important.
By the end of the story the father has discovered the meaning of the contents of the Christmas box in the attic and the lesson that the woman teaches him about the first present of Christmas. These revelations were the most charming part of the story in my opinion. They gave a focus to some important lessons that need to be learned and relearned periodically throughout our lives. I was glad to have the opportunity to relearn them.
Another aspect of the story that captured my imagination involved the description and meaning of a statue of an angel. It was a very touching part of the story that I will long remember. I have since learned that replicas of the angel statue from “The Christmas Box” have been placed in over 25 cities throughout the nation, and that there are plans for many more.
Obviously, “The Christmas Box” is a story that has touched the lives of many people.
“The Christmas Box” by Richard Paul Evans is published by Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81499-4.
********************
Garry Gamber is a public school teacher and entrepreneur. He writes articles about politics, real estate, home businesses, poetry, and books. He is the owner of Good Politics Radio Alaska and a BookWise information lens on Squidoo.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garry_Gamber
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Family Christmas Celebration Ideas
In this article read about some of the ways families across America celebrate Christmas.
Christmas tradition #1:
• Purchase music from the great English cathedrals. Gather stories about the Salisbury and Worchester Cathedral of England. As you play your music during the holidays tell your family the stories of how the great organs played in these Cathedrals and the choirs sang during the Christmas holiday celebrations
Christmas tradition #2:
• Set aside time to do some special holiday baking. Involve the entire family in the process. Package up your goodies to give to family, friends and neighbors as they visit and deliver their presents to you. Allow your children to give out the gifts of home baked goods.
• Fruitcakes, homemade chocolate chip cookies are staples of Christmas baking. Continue to create your own line of baked goods each year
Christmas tradition #3:
• As you start your baking traditions, gather your stories of the true meaning of Christmas and encourage your children to pass these stories to their children and on and on through each generation after you. All the while you are sifting; stirring, baking and preparing the gift packages tell the stories to your children and other family members.
Christmas tradition #4:
• As the season unfolds, read or purchase audio tapes of the Christmas story and the Dickens' A Christmas Carol, or any other favorite Christmas story. Decorate the house and put up the tree as your stories in the background play.
• Be an example by keeping a spirit of generosity, peacemaking and hospitality throughout the Christmas season
• Keep in mind and in your story telling the incarnation, the moment of when God became one of us to share our everyday experiences as we do, and that Christmas is the time we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Christmas tradition #5:
• Purchase a nativity scene and have this set up in a prominent place in your home
• Each time a child is born into your family, purchase another figurine to add to the scene and display these each year. Your figurines can be anything you desire to represent each new person born into your family. When in-laws are added, add a figurine to your nativity scene.
Christmas tradition #6:
• Celebrate Christmas Eve with your parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and so on.
• Have an open house on Christmas Day for anyone with nowhere else to go and present a gift or home made baked gift and dinner to those who may otherwise have no Christmas at all.
• You may want to organize a rotation with your neighborhood for the big open house Christmas party each year.
Christmas tradition #7:
• Dress up your kids in costumes like Mary and Joseph and go door to door, asking if they can come in to sing Christmas songs or deliver baked goods.
These are just some of the ways we can participate in the joy and hope of the Christmas season. Through our traditions we teach our children a small lesson in life of why Christ was born and how he would have us to treat one another - with love and kindness.
Source: O'Connell M. Get wrapped up in family traditions this Christmas. U.S. Catholic [serial online]. December 2000;65(4):29. Available from: MAS Ultra - School Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 12, 2008.
Written by: Connie Limon For more Christmas celebration ideas visit http://smalldogs2.com/ChristmasCelebrationIdeas For a variety of reprint articles visit http://www.camelotarticles.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Limon
Christmas tradition #1:
• Purchase music from the great English cathedrals. Gather stories about the Salisbury and Worchester Cathedral of England. As you play your music during the holidays tell your family the stories of how the great organs played in these Cathedrals and the choirs sang during the Christmas holiday celebrations
Christmas tradition #2:
• Set aside time to do some special holiday baking. Involve the entire family in the process. Package up your goodies to give to family, friends and neighbors as they visit and deliver their presents to you. Allow your children to give out the gifts of home baked goods.
• Fruitcakes, homemade chocolate chip cookies are staples of Christmas baking. Continue to create your own line of baked goods each year
Christmas tradition #3:
• As you start your baking traditions, gather your stories of the true meaning of Christmas and encourage your children to pass these stories to their children and on and on through each generation after you. All the while you are sifting; stirring, baking and preparing the gift packages tell the stories to your children and other family members.
Christmas tradition #4:
• As the season unfolds, read or purchase audio tapes of the Christmas story and the Dickens' A Christmas Carol, or any other favorite Christmas story. Decorate the house and put up the tree as your stories in the background play.
• Be an example by keeping a spirit of generosity, peacemaking and hospitality throughout the Christmas season
• Keep in mind and in your story telling the incarnation, the moment of when God became one of us to share our everyday experiences as we do, and that Christmas is the time we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Christmas tradition #5:
• Purchase a nativity scene and have this set up in a prominent place in your home
• Each time a child is born into your family, purchase another figurine to add to the scene and display these each year. Your figurines can be anything you desire to represent each new person born into your family. When in-laws are added, add a figurine to your nativity scene.
Christmas tradition #6:
• Celebrate Christmas Eve with your parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and so on.
• Have an open house on Christmas Day for anyone with nowhere else to go and present a gift or home made baked gift and dinner to those who may otherwise have no Christmas at all.
• You may want to organize a rotation with your neighborhood for the big open house Christmas party each year.
Christmas tradition #7:
• Dress up your kids in costumes like Mary and Joseph and go door to door, asking if they can come in to sing Christmas songs or deliver baked goods.
These are just some of the ways we can participate in the joy and hope of the Christmas season. Through our traditions we teach our children a small lesson in life of why Christ was born and how he would have us to treat one another - with love and kindness.
Source: O'Connell M. Get wrapped up in family traditions this Christmas. U.S. Catholic [serial online]. December 2000;65(4):29. Available from: MAS Ultra - School Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 12, 2008.
Written by: Connie Limon For more Christmas celebration ideas visit http://smalldogs2.com/ChristmasCelebrationIdeas For a variety of reprint articles visit http://www.camelotarticles.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Limon
Monday, September 1, 2008
Christmas Container Hire
We have all been there, preparations are under way for the festive season and are going relatively stress free until the much anticipated Christmas present shopping trip. At first it is a time of joy and happiness, walking around huge shopping centers decorated with glowing chaser lights and hundreds of trees suspended high above the retail hungry shoppers, spending hard earned money to make a friend or family member smile as they tear off the wrapping paper. This scene brings so much hope and delight... that is until you have to store all your gifts before the big day. As bicycles, televisions, games consoles and even the generic cuddly toy get scanned at the checkout, you know your storage problem has just escalated. There is however a very simple solution. That solution comes in the form of container hire. Don't let presents pile up amongst the family, pets and house decorations. Store them quickly and safely in a container, prefect for keeping Christmas presents under wraps until the 25th.
Hidden away from keen hands trying to get a sneak preview before Christmas morning, presents can be locked away in a secure container until the last minute. Behind every successful Christmas is a good solid plan. There are many factors to consider in making every Christmas as special as the year before. Food, drink, decorations and visitors all need some level of planning in order to start Christmas off with a bang. Some people love feeling the pressure when planning for Christmas, seeing it as a challenge, however others can crack under the pressure and sadly hope it passes rather quickly. Container hire makes Christmas less stressful, solving your storage needs faster than wrapping paper gets ripped apart exposing that long awaited prize possession.
It has been known for the number of house burglaries to increase around Christmas time, putting your Christmas purchases at risk. Lock them up now in a container and have a very merry Christmas
Top Triangle provides Container Hire solutions for business and Container Hire solutions for private storage needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vince_Samios
Hidden away from keen hands trying to get a sneak preview before Christmas morning, presents can be locked away in a secure container until the last minute. Behind every successful Christmas is a good solid plan. There are many factors to consider in making every Christmas as special as the year before. Food, drink, decorations and visitors all need some level of planning in order to start Christmas off with a bang. Some people love feeling the pressure when planning for Christmas, seeing it as a challenge, however others can crack under the pressure and sadly hope it passes rather quickly. Container hire makes Christmas less stressful, solving your storage needs faster than wrapping paper gets ripped apart exposing that long awaited prize possession.
It has been known for the number of house burglaries to increase around Christmas time, putting your Christmas purchases at risk. Lock them up now in a container and have a very merry Christmas
Top Triangle provides Container Hire solutions for business and Container Hire solutions for private storage needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vince_Samios
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