Christmas is truly a global celebration! Although the traditions and foods associated with it vary with climate, culture, country -- even calendar -- the spirit of the day transcends all such differences.The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of the Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Jesus Christ was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule log, the giving of gifts, carnivals(parades) with floats, carolers who sing while going from house to house, the holiday feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians. Read on ............. to know more.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN JESUS?? I HAVE....


I have seen Sign of the Cross. In her eyes I see the face of Jesus. Some years ago Sandra, my grandmom's world was between her bed and her chair. Alzheimer's had taken away her cognitive abilities. I am sure she did not recognize me. But each time when I lifted Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, she would smile and her face would light up. She knew who Jesus was... and I had gotten to know him closely, too. Then there was a family with a large dog. I visited them to bring communion to the husband as he was suffering with cancer. The dog would bark and bark each time... and when I held up Jesus, he would mysteriously quiet down and look at me with doleful eyes. Did he really know what was going on? I think so. ... because Jesus is alive... he might not have seen Him, but he knew He was there.

We see Jesus in the strangest places, in hospitals and homes. In streets and in back alleys. We see Him suffering deeply when we meet a person who is homeless, has no friends, no money, and often no hope. We see Him suffering because of an uncaring and selfish humanity who would allow one to become homeless. For a while, about 6 years ago, I would see a man, I believe his name was Jason. He had a self-storage place in a self-storage facility. So whenever I would go out there to store something or get something, Jason would be there. Jason was a good man, not a burden to anyone. But it slowly dawned on me that Jason was jobless and probably homeless. For a long while, he used to live in a semi trailer, but when the lot it was standing on was sold, Jason was forced to leave. Jason was a If Jesus is there, why did He not stop the evil?" Jesus sometimes allows situations, not created by Him, to continue... so people can turn to Him in their need. We are ultimately responsible for hatred. We are responsible by our personal actions as well as our social and civil actions. The love of Jesus and is present in our lives, to inspire us and help us to do the right thing. He gives us the opportunity to receive the Gift of Discernment and Wisdom .When we are finally able to love all people that would be our ideal time to meet Jesus. He will be there for us again, with arms stretched out to welcome us to His Kingdom.

CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATION OR A REFLECTION OF YOUR TRUE SELF???


The Christmas tree is a bundle of symbols showing what creation has to offer: light and the movement of angels, the gifts of orchard and field, forest and sea, all topped off by the star that pointed to the end of the journey, the place of peace. A Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colorful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or a star is often placed at the top of the tree.

Individuals' decorations vary wildly, typically being an eclectic mix of family traditions and personal tastes; even a small unattractive ornament, if passed down from a parent or grandparent, may come to carry considerable emotional value and be given pride of place on the tree. Conversely, trees decorated by professional designers for department stores and other institutions will usually have a "theme"; a set of predominant colors, multiple instances of each type of ornament, and larger decorations that may be more complicated to set up correctly.
I will use Tinsel and several types of garland or ribbon to decorate my Christmas tree. I would see to it that the lighting with candles or electric lights is commonly done, and a tree topper completes the ensemble. I will hang strands of tinsel in groups from longer branches to simulate icicles. Baubles are another extremely common decoration, and usually consist of a fairly small hollow glass or plastic sphere coated with a thin metallic layer to make them reflective, and then with a further coating of a thin pigmented polymer in order to provide coloration. I have heard that many people also decorate outdoor trees with food that birds and other wildlife will enjoy, such as garlands made from unsalted popcorn or cranberries, orange halves, and seed-covered suet cakes.

The Christmas season is upon us and people everywhere are digging out decorations, choosing trees and checking fairy lights. But did you know that THE WAY YOU DRESS YOUR TREE SPEAKS VOLUMES OF YOUR OWN PERSONALITY TRAITS?
According to psychologists people who stick to a conventional red and gold theme are more likely to be traditionalists, who buy into the concept of Christmas and have done so for many years.

The ones who dress their trees in all one color, have a streak of obsessive-compulsiveness in their system. Alternatively, they may be perfectionists who take extreme care to co-ordinate their tree.
For those that subscribe to the "anything goes" method of tree decoration, are the ones who probably love Christmas but aren't that concerned with conventions and may be a bit disorganized.

As for the age-old "real vs. fake" debate, a fake Christmas tree could be the sign of a person on-the-go, without time to "muck around with the real stuff". He still enjoys celebrating Christmas but perhaps doesn't have the time to deal with the mess and fuss of a real tree.
On the other hand, those that opt for a real tree are more family oriented, who want to bring children and family members into the equation and have the time to put some extra effort into a real tree.

LEGENDS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE


A Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colorful ornaments during the days around Christmas. But do you know how the Christmas tree came into existence? I chanced upon the interesting origin of the tree and wish to share it with you. I hope you would feel the same way too.

Many legends exist about the origin of the Christmas tree. One is the story of Saint Boniface, an English monk who organized the Christian Church in France and Germany. One day, as he traveled about, he came upon a group of pagans gathered around a great oak tree about to sacrifice a child to the god Thor. To stop the sacrifice and save the child's life Boniface felled the tree with one mighty blow of his fist. In its place grew a small fir tree. The saint told the pagan worshipers that the tiny fir was the Tree of Life and stood for the eternal life of Christ.Another legend holds that Martin Luther, a founder of the Protestant faith, was walking through the forest one Christmas Eve. As he walked he was awed by the beauty of millions of stars glimmering through the branches of the evergreen trees. So taken aback was he by this beautiful sight that he cut a small tree and took it home to his family. To recreate that same starlight beauty he saw in the wood, he placed candles on all its branches.

Yet another legend tells of a poor woodsman who long ago met a lost and hungry child on Christmas Eve. Though very poor himself, the woodsman gave the child food and shelter for the night. The woodsman woke the next morning to find a beautiful glittering tree outside his door. The hungry child was really the Christ Child in disguise. He created the tree to reward the good man for his charity.

Others feel the origin of the Christmas tree may be the "Paradise Play." In medieval times most people could not read and plays were used to teach the lessons of the bible all over Europe. The Paradise Play, which showed the creation of man and the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden was performed every year on December 24th. The play was performed in winter creating a slight problem. An apple tree was needed but apple trees do not bare fruit in winter so a substitution was made. Evergreens were hung with apples and used instead.

Another story comes from Germany about spiders and Christmas trees. Long ago families allowed their animals to come inside and view the Christmas trees on Christmas Eve. Because the Christ Child was born in a stable, they felt that the animals should take part in the Christmas celebration. But spiders weren’t allowed because housewives didn't want cobwebs all over everything. Of course the spiders were unhappy about this, so one year they complained to the Christ Child. He felt sorry for them and decided that late at night He would let them in to see the trees. The excited spiders loved the Christmas trees and all night long they crawled about in the branches, leaving them covered with webs. On Christmas morning the housewives saw what the spiders had done. But instead of being angry, they were delighted. For in the night the Christ Child had turned all of the cobwebs into sparkling tinsel. And even today, tinsel is often used to decorate Christmas trees to add that same sparkle the Christ Child gave the cobwebs long ago, in Germany.

CHRISTMAS DECORATION


Hey all! Its Christmas time & the first thing that I need to do is to make plans to decorate my house. So, first I will decide on the sort of Christmas look that I want to achieve. Whether it should be beautiful and elegant Christmas decorations? Or Whether it should be whimsical decorations that reflects a child’s love for Christmas? Whether a bright decorations in the living room and a more subdued look in the dining room would look good or not. It will take me a few minutes to decide on it and then my plan for Christmas decoration will become much easier.

Grouping similar Christmas decorations together is another way to simplify my Christmas decoration. I will create a small village of snowmen or a choir of singing angels on the mantle. I will use snow-globes on side tables in similar colors to coordinate the look and place Christmas candle holders on shelves and tables to finish the theme.

To add warmth and a coordinated look to my Christmas decorations, I would garnish the decoration with lighting and fabrics. I would use Christmas fabrics to create table runners, throw blankets, tablecloths, and throw pillows that coordinate with my Christmas decorations. Christmas candles would add the ultimate finishing touch to my Christmas decor. This is because, not only do candles create a warm glowing look, they add the unmistakable smells of Christmas. Scented candles such as cinnamon, pine, apple cider and peppermint all add the perfect Christmas touch and am definitely going to use them this Christmas to make my Christmas decoration JUST PERFECT!! This is because with just a little thought and creativity Christmas decorations can give our home a warm and inviting feel for the holiday season.