DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    India is a secular nation and houses every community. Christians are a minority here and form nearly 2.3% of the population. But the fact that there are only about 25 million Christians in India, in no way lessens the observance of the festival. Moreover, the occassion is celebrated not only by Christians but by people of other religions as well.     The tradition of  Christmas  observance was introduced here with the colonisation of Europeans. Though the country gained its independence in 1947, many European  customs  and festivals stayed on. The fact that there is the presence of a Christian community in India, helped the maintaining of these traditions in no less a way. Today, Christmas is the biggest and most-loved festival of Indian Christians. The festival is also enthusiastically celebrated by people of other religions residing here.     Like in many other countries, Christmas is observed in India on 25th December. Everyone gears up for the festival fr

Christkindelmarkt, Leeds - a little piece of Germany in the heart of Leeds City Centre     Christkindelmarkt , Leeds   is one of the most established German Christmas Markets in the UK, with traditional wooden stalls, festive greenery, Christmas carousel ride and twinkling colourful lights all creating a unique continental style festive atmosphere in the heart of Leeds city centre.    Set in the stylish civic setting of the award winning  Millennium Square ,  Christkindelmarkt   attracts many hundred thousands of visitors to Leeds each year and forms an integral part of the city’s annual events program.     The market consists of over  40 wooden chalet stalls  from authentic German   traders  providing a wide range of seasonal gift ideas for everyone including; handcrafted toys, jewellery, Christmas cards and festive decorations, speciality foods and traditional German delicacies such as gluhwein, bratwurst sausages, g

   One of my favorite parts of christmas is experimenting with festive holiday cocktails. Christmas parties are always packed with the regular beer and wine, but having a signature cocktail is a little more impressive. This infographic takes you around the world for some the signature christmas cocktails. Everyone seems just delicious to me, but that may mean something about my lifestyle. I would definitely go with a Gingerbread Sacrifice in Paris, Candy Cane Eggnog in New England and a Santa’s Stiff Hot Chocolate up in the North Pole.    These days, Pinterest allows us to find many delicious cocktail recipes at the drop of a hat. Each one is more original and unique than the rest. At a holiday party last week we tried out a holiday sangria, containing two bottles of wine, 5 cans of sprite, orange liquor (as much as you’d like, we put in a bunch), pomegranate seeds and lime slices. It was a huge, refreshing hit. Another christmas classic is a simple mulled wine, with two bottles of r

   Santa knows whether you’ve been naughty or nice, but he doesn’t know how much he’s hurting the environment. In one night, Santa uses as much carbon as Qatar does in one year! I like getting toys for Christmas, but I don’t think I need them that badly!    Maybe we need to raise our standards on who makes the ‘nice’ list.    Not sure what else to say about this infographic. Santa’s a carbon glutton and needs to be put away.  In this kind of economic recession we need to cut down on spending and we are wasting too much on Santa. Or maybe get him a hybrid sleigh?    Well I guess this infographic is a good exercise for thinking critically about our energy usage. Although I’m not sure where they got the statistics. But now you know to limit the amount of wrapping paper you use to help offset Santa’s ridiculous carbon usage.  

Ethiopia  (and especially the Ethiopian Orthodox Church) still use the old Julian calendar, so the celebrate Christmas on January 7th, not December 25th! The Christmas celebration in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is called Ganna. Most people go to Church on Christmas day. Many people fast (don't eat anything) on their 'Christmas Eve' (6th). At dawn on the morning of Ganna, people get dressed in white. Most people wear a traditional garment called a shamma. It's a thin white cotton piece of cloth with brightly colored stripes across the ends. It's worn like a toga. If you live in a big town or city you might wear 'western' clothes. The early Ganna mass starts at 4am! The Ethiopian capital city is Addis Ababa. It's a modern city. Most people who live outside big cities live in round house made of mud-plastered walls which have thatched cone-shaped roofs. Sometimes houses in the country are rectangular and made of stone. The design of Ethi

This diy comes from  www.bhg.com  . Something to add to your holiday table so your guests know where they are being seated on Christmas dinner night. Enjoy! Santa Hat Place Cards for Christmas Craft these Santa hats to help guests find their places at the Christmas table. What You'll Need: Tracing paper  or a copier; pencil Square of stiff red glitter felt Scrap of white fluffy, furry  fabric Fabrics glue Hand-sewing needle; red  sewing  thread Straight pins;  scissors 20-mm gold jingle bell Download pattern How to Make It: Trace the pattern using tracing paper or a copier. Place the pattern on the red glitter felt, and cut out one shape for each holder. Cut 1-1/2x8-inch piece of white fabric. Fold long edges under 1/4 inch, and glue the to the back side of the fabric to make a strip 1x8 inches. Glue white trim in place on the front lower curved edge of the red felt. Match straight edges of the red felt; form into a cone. Pin the straight edges

This comes from  www. showtellshare.blogspot.com  . These would look really great on your Chirstmas buffet and dessert table. Good luck! Peppermint Topiary Trees Some of my special childhood memories of Christmas center around holiday candy. Peppermint sticks and marshmallow Santas and those creamy bits of heaven called Lindt balls were stocking standards in our home. I would savor my stocking candy for weeks, trying to prolong the magical taste of Christmas. Santa always left Starlight mints for us among the cookie crumbs on his plate, and although I enjoyed them year round, those enchanted drops touched by The Man Himself always tasted special and different on Christmas morning. Last holiday season my friend brought a peppermint-covered decoration to our girls' craft night. The sight of her ball brought back vivid memories of Christmas-morning delight and crispy-coolness melting in my mouth. I knew I had to make some peppermint topiarie