DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

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