CHRISTMAS DECÒR

Christmas decorations
There can be no Christmas without Christmas decorations! Decors evoke Christmas sentiments among children and grown-ups.

Christmas decorations date all the way back to the old Christmas markets in 16th century Germany. In those days, Christmas food, such as sugar rods, honey cakes, and other Christmas candy, were particularly used as Christmas decorations. In the 18th century, many other kinds of Christmas decorations became popular. Among them were glazed paper, colored paper, and those which contain candies, nuts, cakes, raisins, and fruits.

Today, many different kinds of Christmas decorations are known. Here are a few:

Angels:

As early as the mid-1880’s, using angels as Christmas decorations became widespread. Angles are associated with the Christian culture, but are also known in Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism, where angels or beings similar to angels are used as messengers.

Christmas balls:

As far back as three hundred years ago, glass balls were already used as Christmas decorations. Today, the big, shiny balls of thin plastic or glass are used. They were originally invented in Germany.

Christmas candles:

To decorate the Christmas tree with Christmas candles is a tradition that dates back to the 16th century – the time when the Christmas tree was first brought into a living room. The candle symbolizes life and joy in a dark time, and is perfect for Christmas

Tinsel:

In 1610, tinsel was invented in Germany and was made from genuine silver. Machines that shredded silver into thin tinsel-sized strips were invented. However, since silver tinsel tarnishes and loses its shine over time, people eventually created artificial replacements. It must be noted that the original inventor of tinsel remains unknown.

In many families, Christmas decorating traditions and decorations are passed on from generation to generation. However, every year, new decorations are purchased to replace the old or if new inspiration is needed.

CHRISTMAS PARTY

Christmas party
Christmas is a time for numerous social events. Many people get involved in voluntary work during the yuletide season -- collecting money for charitable purposes or personally helping out in the local community. Christmas is also a season for parties. Typically, a Christmas party is organized by a school, a company, an organization, a church, or a family. Traditionally, such parties include songs, dances, competitions, and games.
Obviously, there is a great difference between a Christmas party for children and grown-ups, but here in the site, we offer you some ideas for both types of holiday parties.

A Christmas party for children
Children love to dress up, thus, during Christmas; it is a good idea to come up with a Christmas theme when children are invited for a party. Try a Xmas Candy land theme where all children are dressed up as candy, or what about a Christmas light theme where the whole house is decorated with colored electric lights before the children arrive. You can also make a Tower of Gifts where you put candy in small boxes, tie them together in several tall towers, and use them as table decorations. That is a guaranteed success with the children.

Games and small christmas party competitions are also great ideas to keep children busy:
1. Gift wrap gameWrap 5-10 gifts in several layers of gift paper and seat the children around a table. Play Christmas music, and pass the gift around among the children. The children may only take the paper off the individual gift while the music plays and it is your job to turn off the music with short intervals. When the music stops, the gift is passed on to the next. The child who pulls off the last piece of gift paper while the music is playing wins the gift.
2. Find the Christmas starAsk each of the children to fold a Christmas star. When the stars are complete, you lead the children to another room and hide the stars in the living room. It is now the children’s task to find the stars.
3. Where is your sleigh?Have children sit in a large circle and blindfold one child. Another child will be given the sleigh and must say: Santa Santa, where is your sleigh. Someone has come and taken it awayGuess who? Guess who? The blindfolded child gets three guesses. The child who has the sleigh is next to be blindfolded.

A Christmas party for grown-ups
For most grown-ups, the company and Christmas food are the top priorities when planning a Christmas party. During the party it’s a good idea to sing some Christmas songs and arrange a Christmas quiz as entertainment. Actually, there doesn’t have to be that much of a difference between a Christmas party for children, and a Christmas party for grown-ups. Grown-ups also love gifts; therefore, a gift game is an obvious choice for all age groups. Here are some examples on how grown-ups can entertain themselves at a Christmas party

1. Gift gameEverybody brings a small gift to the party. At the start of the game, all of the gifts are placed on the table, and each guest rolls a dice by turns. When the dice rolls to 6, the guest may choose a gift from the table or “steal” others’ gifts. After twenty minutes, everybody can keep his/her gifts. The game is usually a lot of fun.
2. Guess a songBuy 2 - 3 CDs with Christmas music or download the music from the Internet. Play 5 seconds of each song. Guests will have to guess the right title of the Christmas song that has been played.
3. True or falseThis is a good game if many of the guests don’t know each other. Each person tells three stories. Only one of the stories should be true. It is now up to the other guests to guess which of the stories is true. The game can be played all year round, but during Christmas it’s a great idea to tell stories related to Christmas.

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS

Christmas stockings
Christmas stockings are hung near the chimney on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus to fill it with goodies for the children. It is an empty sock or a bag that is given the shape of a sock. The children in United States and some other countries have been following this tradition of hanging a Christmas stocking, believing that Father Christmas will fill it with sweets and gifts for them. The items that are believed to be stuffed in the Christmas stocking by Santa Claus are known as stocking stuffers.

The tradition of the Christmas stockings began by a story told since ancient time about a kind noble man who had three daughters. The wife of the nobleman expired and the daughters and their father were left in a state of sorrow. The daughters had to do all the work in the house. When the daughters became young and eligible for marriage, the poor father could not afford to give the huge dowries to their husbands.
One evening the daughters, after washing their stockings hung them near the fire place to be dried. Santa Claus being moved by the plight of the daughters came in and put in three bags of gold one in each of the stocking hanging by the chimney. The next morning the family noticed the gold bags and the nobleman had enough for his daughter’s marriage. The daughters got married and they lived happily ever after. Since then children have been hanging Christmas stockings.

Christmas stockings are supposed to have the gifts given by Santa Claus. The other gifts are wrapped in present papers and placed near the Christmas tree. It is believed that a child who misbehaves during the year will not get a gift in their Christmas stocking. The Christmas stockings are traditionally hung on the fireplace. But as most of the modern homes do not have a fireplace, any location is suitable for hanging the Christmas stockings. In many traditions the Christmas stocking is to be stuffed by a gift that will stimulate the five sensory organs.
The gift given by Santa Claus would be something to eat, a thing that makes a sound and gives a pleasant view to the eyes or gift which has a lovely fragrance.In the present modern culture there are special Christmas stockings available in the market. Some families design unique stockings for each family member.

MANY FACES OF SANTA

The Many Faces of Santa
"He had a broad face and a round little belly,That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly,He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself"
Clement Moore, "A Visit from St. Nicholas"
Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, La Befana, St. Nick, Pere Noel
On the night before Christmas, all across the world, millions of children will be tucked in their beds while "visions of sugarplums dance in their heads." When they awake they will check their stockings to see if Santa Claus has come.
Santa Claus has become the most beloved of Christmas symbols and traditions. The image of the jolly old elf flying in a sleigh pulled by reindeers and leaving toys and gifts for every child is known worldwide.
The history of Santa Claus begins with a man called Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey. Saint Nicholas was know for his charity and wisdom. Legends tell of him coming from a wealthy family and giving all his money to the poor. He also was said to posses magical powers. He died in 340 AD and was buried in Myra.

Late in the 11th century religious soldiers from Italy took the remains of the saint back with them to Italy. They built a church in honor of him in the town of Bari, a port town in southern Italy. Soon Christian pilgrims from all over the world came to visit the church of Saint Nicholas. These pilgrims took the legend of Saint Nicholas back to their native lands. As the legend of Saint Nicholas spread it would take on the characteristics of each country.
In Europe during the 12th century Saint Nicholas Day became a day of gift giving and charity. Germany, France, and Holland celebrated December 6th as a religious holiday and gave gifts to their children and the poor.
When the Dutch colonists traveled to America, they brought with them their Sinterklaas, an austere bishop who wore a red bishop's costume and rode on a white horse.
The American image of Sinterklaas would gradually evolve into that of a jolly old elf. He was first described as a plump and jolly old Dutchman by Washington Irving in his comic History of New York. In 1823 Sinterklaas/Saint Nicholas' metamorphosis continued with the publication of Clement Moore's poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas (Twas the night before Christmas...).
In the 1860s cartoonist Thomas Nast drew pictures of a plump and kindly Santa Claus for the illustrated Harper's Weekly. This image of Santa Claus was becoming ingrained in the minds of the American people. As time went on this image of Santa Claus traveled across the globe, back to Europe, to South America, and elsewhere.
Many countries have kept their own customs and traditions of Saint Nicholas. In some cultures Saint Nicholas travels with an assistant to help him. In Holland, Sinterklaas sails in on a ship arriving on December 5th. He carries a big book which tells him how the Dutch children have behaved during the past year. Good children are rewarded with gifts and the bad ones are taken away by his assistant, Black Peter.
In Germany Saint Nicholas also travels with an assistant, known as Knecht Ruprecht, Krampus, or Pelzebock, and comes with a sack on his back and a rod in his hand. Good children receive a gift, but naughty children are punished by the assistant with a few hits of the rod.
In Italy La Befana is a good witch who dresses all in black and brings gifts to children on the Epiphany, January 6th. In many Spanish countries; Spain, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and South America, the children wait for the Three Kings to bring their Christmas gifts.
In France Father Christmas or Pere Noel bring gifts for the children. Switzerland has the Christkindl or Christ Child who bears gifts. In some towns children await the Holy Child and in others Christkindl is a girl-angel who comes down from heaven bearing gifts.
The Scandinavian countries celebrate with an elf, called the julenisse or the juletomte who bears gifts. And in England Father Christmas, an more austere and thinner version of Santa Claus, brings gifts.
In North American it is the round and plump "Ho Ho Ho'ing" Santa Claus who flies in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeers delivering toys to the children of the world.

Easy Christmas Crafts

Santa Claus Hat

You need red construction paper,

glue and cotton balls.

Cut out two large triangles of the construction paper.

Then staple them together and make them to fit your kids head.

Glue small cotton balls on the bottom edge.
Santa Claus Face

Paint you child’s hand in a flesh color from the center down and from the center up to the twist in red color and the fingers in white.

Then handprint the hand with the fingers pointing down, on a white construction paper or on the window.

When ready you can allow your kid to decorate the Santa Clause face with black marker for his eyes and with whatever color he wants he can draw his mouth.

Pasta Wreath

Make an extravagant wreath using pasta.

You need small paper plates, different shaped pasta, glue, paint spray.

You have to cut out the bottom of each plate with scissors.

Then stick the pasta noodles around the ring and let it dry for 2 hours.

Then with the spray paint the noodles in the color you have chosen.

Let it dry again ant tie a nice Christmas ribbon.

Green Wreath

You need paper plate, evergreen branches and ribbons.

Cut the bottom of the paper plate and with glue stick the branches.

Leave it to dry for 1 hour.

Then tie different colors ribbons.

Other possibility is to tie the branches with one color ribbon and to stick different origami figures over.
Now you will need wooden hoops and fabric piece.

Paint the hoops in red color.

With green, paint your kid’s hands and he has to make overlapped hand prints in a circle on the fabric.

The circle should be a little bit smaller than the hoop is.

Leave for a while to dry and paint the kid’s finger tips in red color.

Now he has to make finger prints in group of three on some places over the green prints.

When the paint dry, tight it in the hoop. That is a great parents Christmas present.

Funny Christmas Quotes

“I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.”Harlan Miller
“From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it.”Katharine Whitehorn
“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.”Shirley Temple
“There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries.”W.J. Cameron
“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it “white”.”Bing Crosby
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”Hamilton Wright Mabi
“I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.”Bernard Manning
“A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all, But softly gives itself away; While quite unselfish, it grows small.”Eva K. Logue
“Christmas is a race to see which gives out first - your money or your feet.”
“Come to me. I want to plow you like a Calgary driveway at Christmas.”John Cleese, “Mony Python”
The one thing women don’t want to find in their stockings on Xmas morning is their husband.Joan Rivers
“Christmas at my house is always at least six or seven times more pleasant than anywhere else. We start drinking early. And while everyone else is seeing only one Santa Claus, we’ll be seeing six or seven.”W. C. Fields
“Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.”Johnny Carson
“I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.”Bernard Manning
“There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.”Erma Bombeck
“Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.”Funny Christmas quote by Victor Borge
“Christmas begins about the first of December with an office party and ends when you finally realize what you spent, around April fifteenth of the next year.”P. J. O’Rourke
“Did you ever notice that life seems to follow certain patterns? Like I noticed that every year around this time, I hear Christmas music.”Tom Sims
“Let me see if I’ve got this Santa business straight. You say he wears a beard, has no discernible source of income and flies to cities all over the world under cover of darkness? You sure this guy isn’t laundering illegal drug money?”Tom Armstrong
“Why is Christmas just like a day at the office? You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.”

FUNNY CHRISTMAS CARDS

It is considered that the laughter is an antidote of boredom that, in addition, prolongs our life. Christmas is the very holiday when you have endless opportunities to present many gifts of laughter to your natives, friends and, of course, your beloved. One of the ways to make you close human laugh is giving funny and original Christmas cards to him.
Nowadays there is a vast variety of Christmas cards that may contain love confession, sorry request, humor and the like. They may be uproarious, touching, nice, containing subtle humor and such. Your key task is just to obtain those Christmas cards that will help you to make your close people feel perfect and happy.
You can find special funny Christmas card for each of your friends, thus, making this holiday fascinating and unforgettable for him. Remember you need to keep in mind the sensibilities of the person to whom you are giving the Christmas card. Thus, nobody will feel offended. Avoid those funny cards that contain loud humor as, possibly, the recipient will not understand it.
Nowadays the sources of getting funny Christmas cards are various and numerous. You can find the cards in the stores, Christmas specialty shops and in the internet. You just need to pick up the card you wish to send from the vast Christmas collection that is offered on different sites. No doubt, you will agree, this task is not so difficult and can be easily fulfilled. To paint the Christmas day into bright colors for your friend you may create a funny message to your e-card as well. Thus, you will make him feel pleasant, joyful and happy during the whole holiday.
So, do not be lazy!! Start selecting the funny Christmas cards right now. Thus, you will manage to find special one for each person to whom you are going to send it on the Christmas holiday.

RUDOLF THE RED NOSE REINDEER

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Perhaps the best know of all the reindeer is Rudolph - the red nosed reindeer. Rudolph was the creation of Robert May, an advertising writer for the Montgomery Ward department store in Chicago. May, who was very imaginative, wanted to create a booklet to give to parents who shopped at Montgomery Ward and with the help of Denver Gillen, a friend who had artistic skills, they created a booklet about Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. The story of how Rudolph lit the way through the fog to help Santa Claus deliver his toys was distributed for several years, with millions of booklets distributed at Montgomery Wards stores over the years.
In 1947 the story of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer was put to music by a friend of Robert Mays by the name of Johnny Marks. It was recorded and sung by Gene Autry a famous TV star and sold millions of copies of the song. Rudolph has had his own TV shows and movies and continues to grow in popularity with every passing year.

Origin of Christmas Tree

The tradition of having an evergreen tree become a symbol of Christmas goes back past recorded written history.
The Druids in ancient England & Gual and the Romans in Europe both used evergreen branches to decorate their homes and public buildings to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Over the years, these traditions were adopted by Christians, who incorporated them as part of their Christmas holiday celebration.
Trees used specifically to celebrate Christmas are mentioned in the early 1600's in Germany and surrounding countries. The families would set up these trees in a prominent location of their home and decorate them with colored paper, small toys, food, and sometimes candles. As these people moved or immigrated to other countries, they brought this tradition with them.
Through the years many different things were used to decorate Christmas trees. As the world moved into the 1900's, many trees were decorated with strings of popcorn, homemade cards and pictures, cotton to look like snow, candy in all shapes and sizes, and occasionally, fancy store made glass balls and hand blown glass figurines. Candles were sometimes used, but often caused devastating fires, and many different types of candle holders were devised to try to prevent tree fires. Electric tree lights were first used just 3 years after Thomas Edison has his first mass public demonstration of electric lights back in 1879. The early Christmas tree lights were handmade and quite expensive.
Today, Christmas tree ornaments can be found in nearly every size, color, and shape imaginable, and they are used to decorate the millions of Christmas trees used throughout the world.

IS THERE REALLY A SANTA CLAUS?

Today, Santa Claus still brings toys and gifts to good little boys and girls around the world. Sometimes children have doubts about Santa Claus and wonder if he is real. One little 8 year old girl named Virginia O'Hanlon decided the way to find out if there really was a Santa Claus was to ask the best source she could find - the New York Sun newspaper. Virginia wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897. Virginia's letter and response are shown below written by the Sun editor, Francis P. Church.
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

Originally published in The New York Sun in 1897.
We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Signed Virginia O'Hanlon
The answer as published in the New York Sun was:
Virginia, your little friends are wrong.
They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Carols and Caroling:The origins of caroling

The origins of caroling during the Christmas holiday is uncertain and scholars tend to agree to disagree on the beginning of the tradition.
French historians write about Bishop Telesphorus of Rome whom introduced the custom of celebrating Christmas with songs about 129 A.D.
Some confusion comes because songs were often sung while pagans danced joyfully at their Winter Solstice celebrations. "Carole" is defined as Old French as "...round dance with singing." Pagans celebrated every season with their caroling - not just for winter.
Along with starting a tradition of a live nativity scene (creche) it is believed that St. Francis of Assisi brought additional joyful music (other than the traditional hymns) during the midnight mass worship services in AD 1223.
It is true that millions of people everywhere enjoy watching and listening to carolers every Christmas season. Today, many European towns and countries even house those who boast it is their hometown location for the origin of the Christmas caroling tradition. What is not disputed is that music in religious celebrations to honor the birth of Jesus was commonly practiced

How "Merry Christmas" is said in different Language

Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees

Afrikander: Een Plesierige KerfeesAfrican/ Eritrean/

Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats

Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden

Arabic: Milad MajidArgentine: Feliz Navidad

Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand

Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi OlsunBahasa

Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal

Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!

Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha

Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce

Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina

Brazilian: Feliz Natal

Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat

Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo

Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!

Chile: Feliz Navidad

Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun

Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan (Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw SunChoctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito

Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo

Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth

Corsian: Pace e salute

Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo

Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi

Croatian: Sretan Bozic

Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok

Danish: Glædelig Jul

Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak

Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast

English: Merry Christmas

Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!

Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon

Estonian: Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi

Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal

Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!

Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad

Finnish: Hyvaa joulua

Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar

French: Joyeux NoelFrisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!Galician: Bo Nada

Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!

German: Fröhliche Weihnachten

Greek: Kala Christouyenna!

Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato Brichto

Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!

Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka

Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova

Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!

Hawaian: Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket

Icelandic: Gledileg Jol

Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal

Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah

Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat

Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.

Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie

Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags

Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha

Lao: souksan van Christmas

Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!

Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!

Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto

Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus

Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu

Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar

Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik

Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb

Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa

Maori: Meri Kirihimete

Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Navajo: Merry KeshmishNorwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul

Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado

Papiamento: Bon Pasco

Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu

Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!

Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo

Philipines: Maligayang Pasko!

Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie

Portuguese:Feliz Natal

Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha

Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua

Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn

Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!

Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit

Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom

Sami: Buorrit Juovllat

Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou

Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou

Serbian: Hristos se rodi

Slovakian: Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce

Sami: Buorrit Juovllat

Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou

Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh

Serbian: Hristos se rodi.Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa

Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok

Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto

Spanish: Feliz Navidad

Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År

Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong

TaonTamil: (Tamizh) Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!

Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas

Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym or Z RIZDVOM HRYSTOVYM

Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh

Welsh: Nadolig Llawen

Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

Sayings, Superstitions and Quotes on Christmas

Sayings, Superstitions and Quotes

• "To have good health throughout the next year, eat an apple on Christmas Eve."



• "Eat plum pudding on Christmas and avoid losing a friend before next Christmas."



• "On Chrismas Eve all animals can speak. However, it is bad luck to test this superstition."



• "The child born on Christmas Day will have a special fortune."



• "Wearing new shoes on Christmas Day will bring bad luck."



• In Ireland it is believed the gates of Heaven open at midnight on Christmas Eve. Those who die then go straight to Heaven.



• If you refuse a mince pie at Christmas dinner, you will have bad luck for the coming day.
  If you eat a raw egg before eating anything else on Christmas morning, you will be able to carry heavy weights.



• "Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green."



• "Good luck will come to the home where a fire is kept burning throughout the Christmas season.



• "Place shoes by side on Christmas Eve to prevent a quarreling family."



• "A clear star-filled sky on Christmas Eve will bring good crops in the summer."



• "A blowing wind on Christmas Day brings good luck."



• In Greece, some people burn their old shoes during the Christmas season to prevent misfortunes in the coming year.



• In the Swedish countryside, from cock crow to daybreak on Christmas morning the trolls (wicked elves) roam about.



• In Devonshire, England, a girl raps at the henhouse door on Christmas Eve. If a rooster crows, she will marry within the year.



• You will have as many happy months in the coming year, as the number of houses you eat mince pies in during Christmastime.



• "Shout 'Christmas Gift' to the first person knocking on your door on Christmas Day and expect to receive a gift from the visitor.



• A three year old once gave this reaction to her Christmas dinner:"I don't like the turkey, but I like the bread he ate."



• "I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens.



• "I heard the bells on Christmas DayTheir old, familiar carols play,And wild and sweet the words repeatOf peace on earth, good-will to men! -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



• "He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree." - Sunshine Magazine.



• "Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year" - John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Christmas 1971).
• "You might as well do your Christmas hinting early." - Anon.



• "No Santa Claus! Thank God, he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood." - Francis P. Church



• A three-year-old gave this reaction to her Christmas dinner. "I don't like the turkey, but I like the bread he ate."



• Mother decided that 10-year-old Cathy shoud get something "practical" for Christmas.



• "Suppose we open a savings account for you?" mother suggested. Cathy was delighted."It's your account, darling," mother said as they arrived at the bank, "so you fill out the application."Cathy was doing fine until she came to the space for "Name of your former bank." After a slight hesitation, she put down "Piggy."



• For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is "hurry". And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognize the spirit of Christmas. It is not a matter of days or weeks, but of centuries-nearly twenty of them now since that holy night in Bethlehem. Regarded in this manner, the pre-Christmas rush may do us greater service than we realize. With all its temporal confusion, it may just help us to see that by contrast, Christmas itself is eternal. - Burton Hills



• There was the little boy who approached Santa in a department store with a long list of requests. He wanted a bicycle and a sled, a chemical set, a cowboy suit, a set of trains, a baseball glove and roller skates."That's a pretty long list," Santa said sternly. "I'll have to check in my book and see if you were a good boy.""No, no," the youngster said quickly. "Never Mind checking. I'll just take the roller skates."



• "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring-not even a mouse:The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. - Clement C. Moore



• At Christmas play and make good cheer,For Christmas comes but once a year. - from "A Hundred Points of Good Husbandry", 1557



• Let the children have their night of fun and laughter, let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures.... Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965



• BIRON. At Christmas I no more desire a roseThan wish a snow in May's newfangled mirth;But life of each thing that in season grows.- William Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost 1:1



• I have often thought, says Sir Roger, it happens very well that Christmas should fall in the Middle of winter.- Joseph Addison 1672-1719



• As I sat on a sunny bank,On Chrismas Day in the morning,I spied three ships once sailing by.- Anonymous As I Sat on a Sunny Bank



• I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas.- Irving Berlin 1888-1989



• Christians awake, salute the happy morn,Whereon the Saviour of the world was born.- John Byron 1692-1763



• The first day of Christmas,My true love sent to meA partridge in a pear tree.- Nursery Rhyme mirth without mischief



• It is Christmas Day in the workhouse.- George R. Sims 1847-1922



• While shepherd's watch'd their flocks by night,All seated on the ground,The Angel of the Lord came down,And glory shone around.- Nahum Tate 1652-1715



• At Christmas play and make good cheer,For Christmas comes but once a year.- Thomas Tusser 1524-80



• To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year.- Elwyn Brooks White 1809-1985



• Little Jack HornerSat in a cornerEating a Christmas Pie;He put in his thumb,And said, What a good boy Am I!- Nursery Rhyme Namby Pamby (Henry Carey)



• Christmas comes but once a year. - Proverb



• I'm walking backwards till Christmas.- Spike Milligan the Goon Show



• Feed the WorldLet them know it's Christmas.- Band Aid Song written to raise money for the relief of famine in Ethiopia. Do they know it's Christmas?

A visit from St. Nicholas

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
by Clement C. Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas,

when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

Now, Dasher! now, Dancer!

Now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys,

and St. Nicholas too.And then, in a twinkling,

I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled!

His dimples how merry!His cheeks were like roses,

his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly

.He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Christmas in Philippines

The only Asian nation in which Christianity is the religion chosen by the people. Christmas celebrations start nine days before Christmas with a mass known as Misa de Gallo. At this mass the story behind the birth of Christ is read from the Bible.
The Panunuluyan pageant is held each Eve. A couple is chosen to re-enact Joseph and Mary's search for shelter.
Mass is held hourly on Christmas Day so that everyone can attend. Religious services include pastore, or play, based on myth of the birth of the Christ Child. The pastore closes with a star from the upper part of the church sliding down a wire and coming to rest over the church's Nativity scene.
Christmas celebrations may have evolved from old tribal customs mixed with other influences. Serenading cumbancheros, or strolling minstrels, end their performances by singing Maligayang Pasko to the tune of "Happy Birthday".
Carolyn Mathews, Texas
As part of my people's traditions, the children also go around their neighborhood and sing carols to each household. Sometimes, they get money, sometimes they get fed. The money they get, they use to buy gifts for themselves or loved ones.
We also have the unique tradition of making 3-D "parols" or star lanterns made from thin strips of bamboo and covered in colored thin plastic film to symbolize the guiding star that the three wise men followed to find Jesus Christ; it is also the Filipinos' way of inviting the spirit of Christ into their home- it is to mentally reverse the notion of "no room at the inn". The star symbolize the willingness of each home to "house" the baby Jesus.
Also, most Filipino grandparents gather their grandchildren on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, after church and they toss coins in the middle as extra gifts and wishes of prosperity for the new year.
In more affluent households, it is traditional to serve all kinds of food as a form of Thanksgiving to all that Jesus Christ embodied with the traditional lechon or roast suckling pig and pansit (noodles) as centerpieces.
Christmas time is also the best time to enjoy all kinds of fireworks. We also have the noche buena or the meal served at midnight. Traditionally, it is for after the family comes back from the midnight mass.

HO-HO-Holiday Omelet

You will need:
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS (OPTIONAL)
1/2 cup chopped ham
3 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons chopped tomato
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped black olives
1) Preheat oven to 375°
2) Grease a 9 by 9 inch square baking pan or a 9 inch round baking pan.
3) In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a fork.
4) Add milk, cheese, salt, and pepper and stir well.
5) Stir in as many additional ingredients as you like.
6) Pour egg mixture into baking pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until eggs are completely set.
The more additional ingredients you add, the longer the omelet ill take to cook.
Serves 4

Write SANTA CLAUS a letter!

Mom & Dads, you now can have Santa personally write and mail a letter back to your child. A real treasure for your child. Hurry the Christmas rush is on!
You can use regular mail to mail your letter to Santa! Santa replies to all letters. Hurry before time runs out! With special thanks to all the Elves at the Canada Post Corporation!

Write to:
SANTA CLAUS
THE NORTH POLE
CANADA
H0H 0H0

Christmas In INDIA

Christmas In INDIA
Christians in India decorate mango or banana trees at Christmas time. Sometimes they also decorate their houses with mango leaves. In some parts of India, small clay oil-burning lamps are used as Christmas decorations; they are placed on the edges of flat roofs and on the tops of walls. Churches are decorated with poinsettias and lit with candles for the Christmas Evening service.

Christmas In CHINA

Christmas In CHINA
Christians in China celebrate by lighting their houses with beautiful paper lanterns and decorating their Christmas trees, which they call "Trees of Light," with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns. Chinese Children hang muslin stockings and await a visit from Santa Claus, whom they call Dun Che Lao Ren (dwyn-chuh-lau-oh-run) which means "Christmas Old Man.".
Since the vast majority of the Chinese people are not Christian, the main winter festival in China the Chinese New Year which takes place toward the end of January. Now officially called the "Spring Festival," it is a time when children receive new clothing, eat luxurious meals, receive new toys, and enjoy firecracker displays. An important aspect of the New Year celebration is the worship of ancestors. Portraits and paintings of ancestors are brought out and hung in the main room of the home.

Christmas In BETHLEHEM

Christmas In BETHLEHEM
The little town where Jesus is said to have been born is the site of the Church of the Nativity, which is ablaze with flags and decorations every Christmas. On Christmas Eve natives and visitors alike crowd the church's doorways and stand on the roof to watch for the dramatic annual procession. Galloping horsemen and police mounted on Arabian horses lead the parade. They are followed by solitary horseman carrying a cross and sitting astride a coal-black steed. Then come the churchmen and government officials. The procession solemnly enters the doors and places an ancient effigy of the Holy Child in the church. Deep winding stairs lead to a grotto where visitors find a silver star marking the site of the birth of Jesus.
Christian homes in Bethlehem are marked by a cross painted over the door and each home displays a homemade manger scene. A star is set up on a pole in the village square. .