DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

 Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like---jolly, with a red suit and a white beard.  But he didn't always look that way, and Coke advertising actually helped shape the modern day image of Santa.    2006 marked the 75th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus.  Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit.  Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on their advertising. 1931 Coke Santa Ad  Before the 1931 introduction of the Coke Santa Claus, created by artist Haddon Sundblom, the image of Santa ranged from big to small and fat to tall.  Santa even appeared as an elf and looked a bit spooky.    Through the centuries, Santa has been depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to an elf.  He has worn a bishop's ...

  This year I thought it would be nice to see what we are all eating on Christmas day – so I am going to start the ball rolling by telling you what people in various nations will be eating.  This will be a nice way for us to all get to know the nicer details of Christmas. 10. Eastern Europe      In the areas of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (e.g., Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania), an elaborate and ritualised meal of twelve meatless dishes is served on the Eve of Christmas (24th December). This is because the pre-Christmas season is a time of fasting, which is broken on Christmas Day. As is typical of Slavic cultures, great pains are taken to honour the spirits of deceased relatives, including setting a place and dishing out food for them.    A traditional Christmas meal in the Czech Republic is fried carp and potato salad. This tradition started after excessive increase of fishpond cultivation in the Baroque era. Many ho...

     In Japan, the most practiced religions are Buddhism and Shinto.  Because of this, Christmas is a more commercial event, much like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day in the United States.  Furthermore, the main celebration revolves around Christmas Eve and not the day that is honored in the West as the day of Christ's birth.    Though Christmas is not generally celebrated in honor of the birth of Christ, Japanese families enjoy the same focus on the importance and joy of generosity and giving.  Gift giving on Christmas is common.  In families, children believe that only Santa Kuroshu (Santa Claus)gives gifts on Christmas, so children do not give gifts to their parents.  It is believed that Santa has eyes in the back of his head so he can always see what the children are doing.  Children who do not believe in Santa don't receive gifts.       Christmas trees and lights on homes ar...

     If you're considering a trip to China for the holidays, you'll find that some of their Christmas traditions are similar to ours, but many are very different.  You'll see decorated trees, beautiful lights, and many scenes similar to the ones you would see at Christmas in the United States, but in China, most of the decorations are intricate paper folding that form flowers, lanterns and chains on the tree.    Yes, they have Santa in China, but they don't call him by the name Americans do, he's referred to as Dun Che Lao Ren (dwyn-chuh-lau-oh-run), which means Christmas Old Man.  Another name for Santa is Lan Khoong.  Although most citizens of China are not of the Christian faith there are still plenty of celebrations.    The festival where everyone celebrates the most, occurs at the end of January, call the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year.  This is the time when children receive gifts of toys and clothing, ev...

   It's the most wonderful time of the year! From trimmed trees to twinkle lights to knit stockings hanging over the fireplace, you really can’t escape the Christmas cheer. Although we have many Christmas time traditions, the Christmas tree is definitely the first and foremost.    This timeline takes us through the history of the Christmas tree from the first decorated tree in 1600, to the first Christmas tree in the white house, to the Griswolds "A Christmas Vacation". It is easy to see the influence of the different fads and trends through out the century, like the bubble lights from the 1940′s. My best friend’s tree has bubble lights each year! Its their Christmas tree staple.    The other main aspect of the timeline is the debate between the real and artificial tree. My family are a bunch of real tree advocates, claiming that they will never own an artificial tree ever. I do agree and love the real tree, but artificial trees are so easy and re...

The nicest and naughtiest movie Santas    Whether it's the classic jolly fat man or a surly drunk guy in a red suit, Santa Claus has been depicted countless times on TV and film. Here's a look at some of the best and worst of them.     Good :  Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer  (1964).  Who doesn't have a special place in their heart for this clay-mation classic?   Bad:   Bad Santa  (2003).  Billy Bob Thornton's chain-smoking alcoholic scam artist Santa lives up to the movie's name. This is not the kind of person you want coming down the chimney on Christmas Eve.     Good :  Elf  (2003) . Played to great comedic effect by the somewhat surly Ed Asner. And Will Ferrell's energy portraying an over-eager man-elf is infectious.     Bad :  Futurama .  1000 years from now, Santa Claus will be real. But he'll be an evil robot with a malfunc...