DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

  This is a nice light list of songs to increase your Christmas spirit on this wonderful holiday. It includes some songs that commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, and some that are more modern in concept – but regardless of the type, they are all great songs and perfect for the first prize of our competition. Merry Christmas! 10.  Josh Groban and Brian McKnight/ Angels We Have Heard on High    This is quite a great Christmas carol that is sung beautifully by Josh Groban and Brian McKnight. “The words of the song are based on a traditional French carol known as Les Anges dans nos Campagnes (literally, The Angels in our Countryside). Its most common English version was translated in 1862 by James Chadwick. 9.  Billy Porter and Vanessa Williams/ Joy To The World    “Joy to the World ” is one of the best-known and best-loved of Christmas carols. It contains a message of joy and love replacing sin and sorrow. It may also be interpreted...

Effortlessly elegant, chocolate mousse makes a cool partner for any occasion. For a party-pretty presentation, chill individual portions in heart-shaped ramekins or china teacups, and serve the sauce on the side in a cream pitcher.    Ingredients 2 cups  whipping cream, divided 2  (8-ounce) packages semisweet chocolate squares 1/2 cup  light corn syrup 1/2 cup  butter or margarine 1/4 cup  sifted powdered sugar 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract 1  (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed Garnishes: fresh mint sprigs, fresh raspberries Preparation Line a 9- x 5-inch loafpan with plastic wrap, extending edges of wrap over sides of pan; set aside. Combine 1/2 cup whipping cream, chocolate squares, corn syrup, and butter in a heavy saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until chocolate melts. Cool. Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla at high speed with an electric mixer u...

    The  Scoppio del Carro  ("Explosion of the Cart") is a folk tradition of Florence, Italy. On Easter Sunday, a cart, packed full of fireworks and other pyrotechnics, is lit and provides a historic spectacle in the civic life of the city. A Little History on the Festival     The event of the  Scoppio del Carro  has its origins in the First Crusade, when Europeans laid siege to the city of  Jerusalem  in a conflict to claim Palestine for Christianity. In 1097,  Pazzino de' Pazzi,  a Florentine from a very prominent family, was by tradition, the first man to scale the fortified walls that surrounded Jerusalem. As a reward for this act of bravery, his commander gave him three  flints  (fire starters) from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which were then carried back to Tuscany. These were and still are kept in the  Chiesa delgli Santi Apostoli .     It b...