DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    Santa Claus gets a lot of attention during the holiday season.  He deserves it....rumor has it that he takes into account your wish list, helps you improve your behavior from naughty to nice and travels around the world in just one night to deliver all of those presents.  But how could he do all of this by himself???    As it turns out, Santa's not alone.  According to folklore, working hard behind the scenes and under the big guy's shadow are Santa's elves.  Typically under appreciated during the holidays, the amount of labor these tiny, mythical creatures clock in is pretty astounding.  We have to assume that much like Rudolph and his red nose, without the help of the elves, Santa could have a lot more stress leading up to Christmas and wouldn't be nearly as jolly.    But have you ever wondered what the life of an elf is really like?  Sure, there are a lot of stories and movies about Santa's elves...they're feat...

   In the cobwebs and dust of old farmhouse loft in Denmark, it is reported that there lives a mischievous elf named Julenisse , or Nisse.   He is said to wear gray wool clothing, a red bonnet, red stockings, and white clogs upon his feet.  Though he is usually kind and helpful around the farm towards good children, he does love to play jokes.    During the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Danish celebrate Advent.  Each Sunday in Advent, family and friends gather to light candles in the Advent crown.  Refreshments of sweet fruit juices are served to the children, while adults drink a cocktail of red wine, raisins, and spices.  Little fire-baked cakes sprinkled with sugar provide a tasty snack.     On December 13th, Lucia processions are held at many hospitals, schools, and rest homes.  Children's choirs perform a parade in honor of Lucia, "the saint of lights".  The childre...

          We have all heard the silliness of the Twelve days of Christmas and the litany of gifts bestowed by the true love.  Have you ever wondered what that song is really about?  Whether you believe it or not, there is a much deeper message to the song that has spiritual roots. During the Protestant rule of England the teachings of Catholic church were forbidden and the church as a whole was outlawed.  It was during this time that the church went into hiding and sought ways to teach their doctrine in secret.  One of the ways that the doctrine spread was through the Twelve days of Christmas.    Before we launch into the meaning of the song, we need to remember that there were twelve days to Christmas.  These twelve days began on Christmas day and went through the celebration of Epiphany twelve days later.  The song begins on a specific day of Christmas and my true love gave to me.  The true love in ...

   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 an...

 Map of Scotland  Flag of Scotland        In Scotland, Christmas is known as Nollaig Beag, which means "Little Christmas".  The date for Christmas was one of the many holidays chosen to take the place of a pagan holiday.  Instead of pagan winter solstice festivals.  Christmas was celebrated.  Christmas was celebrated as a primarily religious festival during ancient times, and continues to remain a primarily religious celebration today.  Christmas was celebrated in Scotland until the Reformation.  The celebration of Christmas was banned in Scotland in the 1600's.  Protestantism had spread throughout Scotland, and Christmas was considered a Catholic holiday.  Prior to the Reformation, Scots did celebrate New Years' Day, called "Hogmanay", which included many characteristics of Christmas.  Hogmanay is still a more important holiday in Scotland today than Christmas. Scottish Christmas Traditions, Decorations...

           There has been a big question many of us have faced during recent Christmases.  LED (light emitting diode) or traditional (incandescent) lights?  LED and traditional lights have been sharing the Christmas light market for several years now, and that has made many people unsure of what the differences are between LED and traditional lights.  Why are LED lights becoming so popular, and why do traditional lights still manage to hang on to a large share of the Christmas light market? LED Versus Traditional Lights    While both LED and traditional Christmas lights offer their own types of benefits, it can be difficult to make a decision during the holiday season as to what type of Christmas light will work better for you and your home.  Let's compare some of the pros and cons of LED and traditional Christmas lights to make the decision a little easier. Led Christmas Lights: Pros    LED Christ...

           Christmas in Ireland includes several Christmas traditions that have been adapted around the world.  The hanging of holly, candles in the windows, and whitewashing the house are a few Christmas traditions involved in celebrating Christmas in Ireland that go back to the early years of Ireland.    Using holly growing naturally in Ireland during Christmas time.  Because of the availability, even the poorest of families could deck their homes to celebrate Christmas in Ireland.    To this day although Christmas trees decorated with tinsel and ornaments are common, the tradition of using holly at Christmas still stands and the Christmas tradition has spread around the world to include many parts of the world having "Hanging of the Greens" festivities prior to Christmas.            A candle in the window is another Christmas in Ireland tradition seen around the wo...