Showing posts with label Christmas Stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas Stories. Show all posts

Tuesday

January 6th Epiphany

Traditionally by the 6th of January, your Christmas decorations should be taken down. The twelve days of Christmas are drawing to an end. Hopefully your Christmas and New Year celebrations were blessed and happy. 

The 6th of January marks the last day of Christmas and is the day of Epiphany or Twelfth Night. 

Also know as Three Kings Day. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Mathew ii,11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas

Thursday

The 12 Days Of Christmas (Twelve Days of Christmas)

I hope that your Christmas is a blessed one! No matter where we are, Let us remember those Who are not so fortunate, Those who are ill or alone, And those that are working, In hospitals and care facilities, and Emergency services, and those serving and protecting our country. Take care, keep yourselves safe and Please don't Drink and Drive!!! The Twelve Days of Christmas (The 12 Days of Christmas) Start with Christmas Day and finish with the eve of Epiphany on 5th January. The Twelve Days of Christmas dates back to English origins in the sixteenth century although the music is reputed to be French. The first publication date for The Twelve Days of Christmas (The 12 Days of Christmas) was 1780. 

It is said that each of the The Twelve Days of Christmas has a religious significance and are symbolised following the lyrics of The Twelve Days of Christmas.


Silent Night - Christmas Eve

The origin of the Christmas carol we know as Silent Night was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody for Silent Night was composed with this in mind. The music to Silent Night was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass. Silent Night is the most famous Christmas carol of all time!. Silent Night Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin Mother and Child Holy Infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ, the Saviour is born Christ, the Saviour is born Silent night, holy night Son of God, love's pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth " And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger. - St. Luke ii. 10-12

Wednesday

Kissing beneath the Mistletoe

"Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind." -- Helen Steiner Rice -- Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with )the Greek festival of Saturnalia) and later with primitive marriage rites. Mistletoe was believed to have the power of bestowing fertility, and the dung from which the mistletoe was thought to arise was also said to have "life-giving" power. In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up. In some parts of England the Christmas mistletoe is burned on the twelfth night lest all the boys and girls who have kissed under it never marry. And for those who wish to observe the correct etiquette: a man should pluck a berry when he kisses a woman under the mistletoe, and when the last berry is gone, there should be no more kissing! by Sara Williams.
More Legend.... The mistletoe has long been considered a magical plant. It was believed to be conceived where lightning struck trees. It was worn as rings and around necks as protection from witchcraft, demons, fits, poison, and sickness. In spite of its toxicity, Germans called this plant Gut Hyl or "all-heal." It was used in various potions as a universal remedy and fertility drug. It gave strength to the athlete, the hunter, and the swordsman. Norsemen often gave the name "Mistelsteinn" to their swords because of the mistletoe's magical and strengthening effects. This plant is Oklahoma's state flower. Like other evergreens, the mistletoe is a symbol of immortality. Since it thrives in the trees rather than being rooted in the earth, it is considered representative of both the divine and the topsy turvy. Like other parasitic plants, mistletoe symbolizes the feminine need for masculine protection and provision. Its white berries make this plant a lunar, female, or fertility symbol. Diana (a.k.a. Artemis), fertility goddess of the Ephesians wore a crown of mistletoe as an emblem of fertility and immortality. [Acts 19:24-41] According to Crippen, any unmarried lady who is not kissed under the Christmas mistletoe will remain single for yet another year. A romantic symbol, this plant represents happiness, peace, and welcome. It is believed that ancient enemies, accidentally meeting under wild mistletoe in the forests, would embrace and enjoy a day of truce. A lot of this kissing may have its origin in the Scandinavian myth of Balder, the Norse equivalent of Apollo the sun god. According to this myth, when Balder was born, his mother, Frigga, goddess of love and beauty, obsessed with concerns for her son's safety, created charms and drew promises from every creature, plant, and object that they would do no harm to him. Unfortunately, Frigga forgot to extract a promise from the mistletoe and the evil god, Loki, tricked his blind brother into throwing a mistletoe spear at Balder and inadvertently killing this god of sunlight and vegetation. The death of Balder brought winter into the world and caused Frigga to cry so pitifully that her tears turned into the plant's white berries. Fortunately, the gods restored Balder to life. Then Frigga declared that the mistletoe must ever after bring love rather that death into the world. Everyone passing under this plant was enjoined to embrace as Frigga planted a kiss of gratitude upon them in memory of the resurrection of her son. Although its pagan associations often caused mistletoe to be banished from Christian festivities, it remained a popular Christmas symbol of love and eternal life. It was called Herbe de la Croix and Lignum Sanctae Crucis or "the Wood of the Sacred Cross" because it was believed to have been the tree which supplied the wood for the cross of Christ. For its part in the Crucifixion, it was condemned to the life of a parasitic vine, in the same way the serpent was condemned to crawl upon its belly for its part in the fall of man. Some believe that an additional penance was required: that the mistletoe bestow good fortune and blessings upon everyone who walked beneath it. Because it grew on the sacred oaks they worshiped, Druids believed mistletoe was of divine origin; brought to earth by a stroke of lightning. It was believed to share in the strength of the oak. After the winter solstice, they gathered the plant with great ceremony in a sacred fertility ritual. It was cut with a golden sickle and caught in a white cloth to avoid its contamination by contact with iron or the earth. It was then offered to their gods along with a sacrificial bull. With the coming of the new year, mistletoe becomes the legendary Golden Bough. Its withered yellow leaves were believed to assist its owner in the search for buried treasure. According to Virgil's story, Aeneas, leader of the Trojan refugees, carried the Golden Bough into the Underworld to seek news of his future from his deceased father. Other legends state that slaves might win their freedom by touching the sacred Golden Bough.

Rudolph and Father Christmas

At one stage it was thought that Father Christmas (Santa Claus) lives in the North Pole. In 1925 it was discovered that there are no reindeer in the North Pole. But there are lots in Lapland, Finland. So today we know that the reindeer live around the secret village of Father Christmas and the elves somewhere on the Korvatunturi mountain in the Savukoski county of Lapland, Finland, which is on the Finnish-Russian border. Long ago, Father Christmas and the elves discovered the special formula of Magical Reindeer Dust which make them fly. This dust is sprinkled on each of the reindeer shortly before they leave on Christmas eve. It gives them enough magic to fly right around the world. They can fly very fast: at about the speed of a Christmas light. Rudolph is the most famous reindeer. He is the leader of the other 8, whose names are Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donder, Prancer, and Vixen. The names of the 8 reindeer were published by Clement Clark Moore, an American poet and professor of theology, in his 1822 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas." Rudolph was first written about only in 1939 by Robert May, who included him in a story for the Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue. (Of course, the elves knew their names long, long before Moore and May did.) http://www.didyouknow.cd/xmas/xmasreindeer.htm

Thursday

Christmas Stockings

As with so many of our Christmas traditions, the idea of hanging a stocking up on Christmas Eve, was popularised by the Victorians. The first representation to achieve mass distribution is believed to be the illustrations by Thomas Nast, who in 1886 illustrated the George Webster story Santa Claus and his Works. The illustrations showed stockings hanging on the mantleplace by the fire. The tradition actually goes back much further. Many people trace it to 16th century Holland where Dutch children would leave their clogs by the fireplace in the hope that Sinterklaas would fill them with treats. There is a story of unknown provenance that tells of a father who had three daughters. Since the father couldn't afford dowries, the daughters remained single. One winter St Nicholas decided to help and dropped three gold coins down the chimney of the house. The coins were caught in the stockings which the girls had hung up to dry by the fireplace. The next day they discovered the coins, were soon married and lived happily ever after. Today Today there are many variations on the Christmas stocking tradition. Sometimes it is placed by the fireplace (warning: be very, very careful if you are lucky enough to have a real fire). Other children place them at the foot of the bed - this has the advantage of keeping the kids occupied for a while when they first wake up! http://www.wyrdology.com:80/festivals/christmas/stockings.html

Saturday

Decorating for Christmas

I am sure we are all now dressing up our homes for Christmas. Play your favourite Christmas music to set the tone. I found some lovely candles scented with cinnamon and mulled wine and some pretty floral decorations so will be making a Christmas flower arrangement today too. It certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas:) Let us keep Christmas beautiful Without a thought of greed, That it might live forevermore To fill our every need, That it shall not be just a day, But last a lifetime through, The miracle of Christmastime That brings God close to you. --Garnett Ann Schultz--

Tuesday

December is here

December is here and the Christmas planning has already begun, for "The Season of Goodwill!" Enjoy shopping and decorating and spending time with family and friends and celebrating and most of all remember that...... "Jesus is the Reason for the Season". If cold December gave you birth, The month of snow and ice and mirth, Place on your hand a turquoise blue, Success will bless whate'er you do. ANON I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely, and so I say, God bless Christmas! -- Charles Dickens -