DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Christmas is a Holy Christian observance that is often celebrated with imaginative, fanciful traditions from folklore and legend.  Santa Claus is a legendary personality, similar to St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Sinterklass, and Julenisse.  Christkindl, representing the Christ Child, started bringing small gifts to children in Germany during the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and German Christkindl.    Christmas personalities are authority figures who bring gifts to good children.  In some cultures the Santa Claus figure is feared because he knows all and sees all and may decide children are bad and leave nothing or something like a lump of coal.    As people move around the world, traditions mix and change with time.  The United States is a melting pot of cultures with different traditions observed by the many ethnic groups in the country.  Likewise, many cultures may adopt the tradit...

   I have been seeing a great many Christmas articles lately and there is a question that should be answered at this time of year.  What did the "Three Kings" see?  A common Question to be sure and it does tickle the mind for Christians that believe something came to pass, that could not have been ordinary.    So where do we start on this small exposition?  Let's start with the Kings.  We know them as Kings however, they were not really "Kings", they were scientist priests, well versed in astrology and were most honored by the ruling class of that time and place.  The word "king" was used by the Christian writer Tertullian in 120 A.D. when speaking of the priests as Magi.  What made these men so important during the time of Christ's birth was their ability to interpret the celestial heavens, in particular, heralds.    Because the Magi found prognostic events within the night sky, the Hebrews of that time and place found t...