Archive for the ‘Christmas’ Category
Christmas Games & Odd Traditions
Christmas traditions make the holiday season special. We all have certain rituals or customs we do every year to celebrate the season. Did you ever wonder how these customs got their start? Some traditions are well known to all some are celebrated by the few but all are a wonderful way to share the meaning of Christmas with those we love. Read on to learn more about how some traditions came to be.
Advent Calendar
Counting down the days until Christmas with an advent calendar is a popular holiday activity that started in 19th century German homes. The days were counted by making a chalk mark on the floor or hanging a different picture each day. This lead to homemade advent calendars with little doors that were opened each day revealing a Christmas image or bible verse.
Animal Crackers and Christmas?
The National Biscuit Company introduced “Barnum’s Animal Crackers” as a holiday seasonal promotion in 1902. The boxes carrying string was designed for hanging on the Christmas tree at a time when candy and treats were typical tree decorations.
Bells
Bells and Christmas are inseparable. A simple silhouette of bells depicts a Christmas meaning. Bells became part of Christian worship around the year 400 and their sound summoning the faithful to worship was their first link to Christmas. This became the notion of “ringing-in” Christmas. In England Christmas is rung in starting December 21st. In Scandinavia, bells ring to announce the end of work and the beginning of the festive season. In some stories, St Nick carries around a hand bell on his visits. The gift-giver in Italy, Befana, rings a bell as she descends the chimney and in Hungary, angel bells are rung to announce that the children’s presents have been delivered. Numerous carols use bells as a metaphor for joy and hope as in “Silver Bells,” “I heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” and “Jingle Bells.”
Boxing Day
In Britain and many Commonwealth countries, December 26th is a legal holiday known as Boxing Day. Since the middle ages it was the custom during the Christmas season for English employees to solicit tips from people with whom their employer did business. These tips were collected in earthenware boxes which is where the day got its name.
Candy Canes
The red and white striped stick of hard candy known as the candy cane has its origins around 1670. The candy was invented as a means of quieting children during the Christmas service by a choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral. The candies were made in the shape of a shepherds hook. The shape of the hook soon led to hanging them on the tree as it was the custom to decorate the tree with sweets.
Christmas Carols
Carols were started as songs celebrating events of the Nativity. The word carol is said to be derived from a Greek word for circle dancing. Throughout the years religious organizations have both participated in and prohibited singing carols depending on the religious teachings of the day. During the 17th century carols were sung by carolers on “begging visits” during the Christmas season. After 1878, the Church of England renewed its use of Christmas carols which led to their popularity. The 20th century saw a continued interest in carols and a number of new religious and secular Christmas songs were written and became popular holiday favorites.
Childremas
December 28th is that date of the Feast of the Holy Innocents which commemorates the murder of the male babies of Bethlehem by King Herod. In many countries the day was considered a day of ill omen. In England no business was conducted on that day. In Ireland, no new venture was to begin on that day . Many sailors would not sail on December 28th. On the Aran Islands, no one was to be buried that day. In Cornwall washing that day would bring death to one of your relatives.
Christmas Crackers
A Christmas novelty made popular in Britain. The Christmas cracker is a small cardboard tube covered in decorative wrap. When pulled apart the tube makes a small explosive sound and the inside reveals toys and papers with humorous sayings. It was invented by a London confectioner who wanted a novelty that would sell for the Christmas season. Originally filled with sweet treats it was later filled with humorous or romantic sayings and prizes from inexpensive toys to expensive jewelry. It is now a popular part of Christmas celebrations in homes around the world.
Department Store Santa
The first department store to feature a visit with Santa was the J. W. Parkinson’s store in Philadelphia in 1841. Astonishingly, no other department stores copied this event until 1890 when a store in Boston repeated it. Before long lines of children formed at stores across America to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him their Christmas wish list. The department store Santa has been immortalized in films such as Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas Story.
Eggnog
This popular holiday drink takes its name from an old term for ale, “nog.” It is copied from the French drink lait de poule, made of eggs, milk and spices. Americans added rum to it and topped it with nutmeg.
Elves
Small creatures who are associated with Christmas as Santa’s helpers in the North Pole. They were not always so friendly. They originated in Scandinavia as house-elves who could be helpful if bribed but malicious if slighted, especially at Christmas. In Denmark, its customary to leave a bowl of milk out for them. Elves begin to take on a more positive and Christmas oriented persona in the 19th century as part of a drive to make Christmas more child-centered.
Christmas Decorations And Social Customs
In many countries, businesses, schools, and communities have Christmas parties and dances in the weeks before Christmas. Christmas pageants may include a retelling of the story of the birth of Christ. Groups may visit neighborhood homes to sing Christmas carols. Others do volunteer work or hold fundraising drives for charities.
On Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, a special meal of Christmas dishes is usually served. In some regions, particularly in Eastern Europe, these family feasts are preceded by a period of fasting. Candy and treats are also part of Christmas celebration in many countries.
Many people also send Christmas cards to their friends and family members. Many cards are also produced with messages such as “season’s greetings” or “happy holidays”, so as to including senders and recipients who may not celebrate Christmas.
In the United States and Europe, rolls of paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured for the purpose of wrapping gifts. Common motifs include Christmas trees, wreaths, Santa Claus, the Nativity, angels, Christmas tree ornaments, candies, stars, snowflakes, snowmen, and penguins.
Christmas trees may be decorated with lights and ornaments. The interior of a home may be decorated with garlands and evergreen foliage, particularly holly and mistletoe. In Australia, North and South America and to a lesser extent Europe, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures.
Since the 19th century, the poinsettia has been associated with Christmas. Other popular holiday plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus.
Municipalities often sponsor decorations as well. Christmas banners may be hung from street lights and Christmas trees placed in the town square. In the U.S., decorations once commonly included religious themes. This practice has led to many lawsuits, as some say it amounts to the government endorsing a religion. In 1984, the US Supreme Court ruled that a city-owned Christmas display, even one with a Nativity scene, does not violate the Amendment, Lynch (1984)
Although Christmas decorations, such as a tree, are considered secular in many parts of the world, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia bans such displays as symbols of Christianity.
Gift-giving is a near-universal part of Christmas celebrations. The concept of a mythical figure who brings gifts to children derives from Saint Nicholas, a bishop of Myra in fourth century Lycia, Asia Minor. He made a pilgrimage to Egypt and Palestine in his youth and soon thereafter became Bishop of Myra. He was imprisoned during the persecution of Diocletian and released after the accession of Constantine. He may have been present at the Council of Nicaea, though there is no record of his attendance. He died on December 6 in 345 or 352. In 1087, Italian merchants stole his body at Myra and brought it to Bari in Italy. His relics are preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari. An oily substance known as Manna di S. Nicola, which is highly valued for its medicinal powers, is said to flow from his relics.”Nicholas of Myra”, Catholic Encyclopedia, 1998.
The Dutch recognized a Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, who gave gifts on the eve of his feast day of December 6. He became associated with Christmas in 19th century America and was renamed Santa Claus or Saint Nick. In the Anglo-American tradition, this jovial fellow arrives on Christmas Eve on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, and lands on the roofs of houses. He then climbs down the chimney, leaves gifts for the children, and eats the food they leave for him. He spends the rest of the year making toys and keeping lists on the behavior of the children.
One belief in the United Kingdom, United States, and other countries passed down through the generations is the idea of lists of good children and bad children. Throughout the year, Santa supposedly adds names of children to either the good or bad list depending on their behavior. When it gets closer to Christmas time, parents use the belief to encourage children to behave well. Those who are on the bad list receive a booby prize, such as a piece of coal or a switch with which their parents beat them, rather than presents.
The French equivalent of Santa evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In some cultures Santa Claus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, or Black Peter. In other versions, make the holiday toys. His wife is referred to as Mrs. Claus. Many shopping malls in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia have a Santa Claus children can visit to ask for presents.
In many countries, children leave empty containers for Santa to fill with small gifts such as toys, candy, or fruit. In the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada children hang a Christmas stocking by the fireplace on Christmas Eve because Santa is said to come down the chimney the night before Christmas to fill them. In other countries, children put their empty shoes out for Santa to fill on the night before Christmas, or for Saint Nicholas to fill on December 5, the eve of his saint’s day. Family members and friends also bestow gifts on each other.
Christmas Carols
Who hasn’t heard the sweet Christmas carols and the many melodious Christmas songs in life ? Everyone who has an ear for music or those who’re far from it would equally feel enraptured by the soulfulness of the Christmas carols and songs. No Christmas is ever complete without the carols and songs being sung. Apart from enhancing the sweetness of the holiday, Christmas carols and songs are wonderfully tuneful and can instantly brighten up anyone’s day. So if you want to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in the hearts of your dear buddies, family or your special someone, sing in your good wishes with some carols and songs today. Here are a few Christmas carols and Christmas songs for you to take leaf from:
One of the most favorite Christmas songs and undoubtedly the most popular Christmas carol is the Silent Night, written in 1816 by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr.
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
And who doesn’t know this one ? From the tiniest kid to the oldest living soul, this Christmas score has been deeply etched in the hearts of thousands across the world, irrespective of race and ethnicities. Here comes Jingle Bells to sweep you off your feet. But hey, you must note this interesting fact here-the Jingle Bells song had originally been written for Thanksgiving, and not for Christmas. James Pierpoint, the author and composer of this Christmas song, had composed it for the children at a Boston Sunday School Thanksgiving. But it became so popular that it continued to be sung during Christmas and now, Jingle Bells stirs up images of the jolly old Santa Claus riding his way to the children. The sound of Christmas bells jingling and the melody of the song speak more of Christmas than of Thanksgiving. Check it out.
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight
**Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
A day or two ago
I thought I’d take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
We got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot
Repeat **
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.
Dear to the hearts and close to every festive soul, this Christmas carol is impregnated with good wishes for a wonderful holiday and satiated in the spirits of the season. Yes, we’re talking about We Wish You a Merry Christmas !
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer
We won’t go until we get some;
We won’t go until we get some;
We won’t go until we get some, so bring some out here
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Come ! Tune Your Heart is one of the warmest and most harmonious Christmas carols published by Rev. Henry Ramsden Bramley and Sir John Stainer in the 1860s. The music was composed by Rev. Sir F. A. G. Ouseley and the German verses were translated by Frances Elizabeth Cox. So…come tune your heart.
1. Come! Tune your heart,
To bear its part,
And celebrate Messiah’s feast with praises, with praises;
Let love inspire
The joyful choir,
While to the God of Love, glad Hymns it raises, it raises.
2. Exalt His Name;
With joy proclaim,
God loved the world, and through His Son forgave us;
Oh! What are we,
That, Lord, we see
Thy wondrous love, in Christ who died to save us!
3. Your refuge place
In His free grace,
Trust in His Name, and day by day repent you;
Ye mock God’s word,
Who call Him Lord,
And follow not the pattern He hath lent you.
4. O Christ, to prove
For Thee, my love,
In brethren Thee my hands shall clothe and cherish;
To each sad heart
Sweet Hope impart,
When worn with care, with sorrow nigh to perish.
5. Come! Praise the Lord;
In Heaven are stored
Rich gifts for those who here His Name esteemed;
Alleluia;
Alleluia;
Rejoice in Christ, and praise Him ye redeemed.
Let’s not Freak out about Christmas
Go ahead and have a celebration. If you are Christian, celebrate the birth of Jesus and the gifts of the magi (even though they probably didn’t arrive in Bethlehem until a year or two after he was born). If you are not a Christian, celebrate family, friends and gift giving. And Christians, don’t worry about Christmas being commercialized. It always has been (more on this below). And let’s keep it public. Who can complain about a holiday with family and gifts and cards and travel, and Christmas specials on TV. What about Christmas eve church services that includes people who usually don’t attend church, nicely decorated city streets and parks, and houses dripping with lights, and big Christmas trees and manger scenes, and traveling, and food? Let’s keep it a very public event.
Christians, this is our (human) holiday. It is not Christ’s holiday. I can’t find in the Bible where He told us to celebrate His birth, or even His resurrection (Easter). He didn’t tell us to celebrate those events. But He did invite us to partake in Communion. Do you get as excited about Communion as you do about Christmas or Easter?
If you are not a Christian don’t freak out if the little old lady who works at city hall puts a manger scene on the lawn. It won’t change you unless you want it to. And don’t freak if I say Merry Christmas. If it offends you, let me know and I will try to remember not to wish you any merriment. If it doesn’t offend you and you are just protesting because you think it might offend someone else who might overhear it (political correctness). Then you are a very silly person.
And if you prefer “Happy Holidays,” isn’t that the same as “Happy Holy Days?” Just asking.
Let’s look at the commercialization of Christmas. The Christmas Holiday’s growth in this country was due to its commercialization. The mostly Protestant settlers of the continental US did not typically celebrate Christmas. Christmas was a European (Catholic) tradition. Christmas = Christ Mass. It was too Catholic for them. The Protestant disdain for Christmas even helped us win the Revolutionary War. In 1776 we were getting our butts kicked. British troops occupied both Boston (though they were soon to leave) and New York. They thrashed George Washington’s Army up and down Long Island. He was retreating to New Jersey and very close to total defeat. He was saved only because the British inexplicably failed to pursue and finish him off. Washington needed a military victory and he knew that nearby Hessian (German) soldiers in Trenton would be celebrating Christmas. So he made his famous boat ride across the Delaware River and captured the drunken Hessians and their supplies. The newly invigorated and freshly re-supplied Continental Army followed up this easy victory with another success in Princeton. They would go on to fight another year.
We have to progress into the 19th century before Christmas starts to be widely recognized in the states. A huge increase in Catholic immigration (Italian, Irish, et al) in the early part of the century, and later arrivals of German and Scandinavian celebrators helped to spread the holiday. American authors Washington Irving (The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.) and Clement Clarke Moore (Twas the Night before Christmas, actually A Visit from St. Nicholas), and Englishman Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol helped to popularize it. In the 1830s some of the southern states began to recognize it and in 1870 it became a national holiday.
Surrounding all of these events was a newly emerging industrial revolution that was rapidly improving the standard of living. People discovered a disposable income and the Christmas Holiday started to boom. Now throw in the growth of advertising in newspapers and catalogues, the creation of dependable electric power, and travel, and later radio, movies, TV, the internet, etc. Christmas was bound to evolve. I think the commercial success spurred Christmas, not vice-versa. I further think that Christians who protest the commercialization are self-righteous and just trying to showcase their moral indignation. It gets even crazier when the Pope denounces a materialistic Christmas. Have you ever been inside the Vatican?
I don’t think Christ would be very upset that we have commercialized Christmas. It is our holiday, not His. That is the same lesson He gave us about the Sabbath long ago.
Now that I am done bashing some Christians, you secularists need a dope slap too. Your assault on Christmas is silly. Lighten up. You are not upholding the finest traditions of your made up mantra about the separation of church and state. All you are doing is trying to level down the Christians. Every year Ramadan is explored, Hanukkah is talked about, Kwanzaa is legitimized, but just try to mention Christmas and a liberal goes through the roof. Remember that your tolerance should also apply to Christians. You can’t have selective tolerance. That is the same as intolerance.
In closing, let’s discuss the actual date of Christmas. No one knows for sure when Christ was born. Below is a short discussion about some of the dates I have heard. I’m not going to offer any hard facts and references on these dates. I’m not attempting to convince you of some sort of conclusion. Just attempting to share some stuff I have picked up over the years.
Dec 25th- The traditional date in the Catholic Church. Why did they pick this date? Some claim that it was to counter the Roman feast of Saturnalia. But I have also read that this is redacted history. The Christian Holiday of Dec 25th was supposedly established before the feast of Saturnalia which really wasn’t ever established. Just talked about.
Another interesting theory I heard was that this particular date was related to His death and conception. I heard of a Jewish belief that prophets have what is called an “integral age.” This is the belief that a prophet’s death was either on the anniversary of their birth or their conception. So, if Christ died at Easter (late March) and we use that as his conception. Nine months later would lead us to a December birth date.
Jan 6th – The traditional date in the Eastern Orthodox Church. You know, the 12 Days of Christmas (DEC 25th- Jan 6th). The Eastern Orthodox Church grew out of Asia Minor. This is the part of the world that the Apostles first witnessed to after giving up on Israel. If somebody has a traditional date that is accurate, then it would probably be this church.
Sep 11- This date gets the conspiracy nuts going (9/11). Anyway, someone looked at all of the Bible clues and did some calculations. The considered the Roman leader Pontius Pilate, the Jewish puppet King Herod, the census history, astronomy (the Star), and even the temple schedule of Zacharias. There is probably some other stuff I am overlooking but this is the date they came up with.
Mid-to-late October- This is my favorite choice. Certain events in Christ’s life corresponded with Jewish festivals.
1. His crucifixion was during the Jewish festival of Passover (Pesach). Christ was the sacrificial Passover lamb.
2. His Ascension was during Pentecost (Shavuot) or the harvest festival. Perhaps this makes Christ the harvester of our souls (His fruits).
3. His birth might have been during Sukkoth, the feast of the Tabernacles. The “ushpizzin” or celebration of the 7 shepherds of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David) is a part of this festival. Christ is the shepherd to us, His sheep.
4. Pesach, Pentecost and Sukkoth make up the “Shalosh Regalim.” Three Jewish festivals that require a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. If we use Sukkoth for his birth then this would complete a “trinity” of the major events in His life.
You might ask, if we are using Jewish festivals to milestone Christ’s life, then why not use Hanukkah for his birth? Hanukkah is an important Jewish holiday and it would give us a December date for his birth. That is always a possibility, but Hanukkah isn’t a major Jewish festival. It has only been brought to the forefront due to its close association with Christmas. So now maybe the Jews can freak out about Christmas because it is leading to the commercialization of Hanukkah. Just kidding.
And one more thing for us Christians. If Christmas is Christ’s birthday, did you remember to give Him anything?
Merry Christmas!
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
12 Ways to Create Your Own Family Christmas Holiday Tradition – Part II
Family Christmas Holiday Tradition gives us freedom and guidance in a time that is otherwise hectic and stressful, and often unorganized. Tradition gives us a blueprint of how our family anticipates and loves the holiday season, what they expect, how they love to celebrate.
7. When the holiday draws nearer, we children got more and more excited. When we were high-spirited and tempestuous, mom just needed to say. “Look, an angle’s hair!” And we would look in awe and see really a golden hair. Little did we know that mom must have made some gift packages and the golden threat must have fallen on the floor. But for us children this was a sure sign that Christmas was near. Mom left signs of the coming holy night everywhere for us, so we would remember to be good, and patient, and kind. This made it easier for us children, who yearned for that long awaited Christmas Day!
8. Then, one day the wait was over – the 24th of December dawned. We children had to take a little afternoon nap – I am sure mom needed the time to make last adjustments to the Christmas tree and the arrangement of our Christmas presents. In Europe the Christmas tree is the highlight of the 24th. The tree is hidden from view for children, and for the first time seen in the holy night when the door to the Christmas room magically opens. The room is locked already the night before Christmas. We children were especially attentive – maybe we would hear a movement in the Christmas room – maybe an angle came by – or the Christkind personally – to bring presents!
9. The nap on the 24th was very hard for us kids. Who can sleep when such an excitement lies in the air? When we finally got up, we laid on our best clothes. Then mom came with the traditional Christmas storybook! It was a story of a little boy named Heinele, who’s mother had sent him out in rags into the bitter cold winter night to sell toys to the busy people on the streets – who rushed home to their family celebration without even noticing him. The boy went into the woods and as he looked in the snow – lonely and ice cold – he found the Golden Star of Christmas.
At the same time in heaven, the angles were hectic, looking for the Golden Star that Christkind had lost as it flew over the winter world on earth. Finally they found the frozen boy, holding the Golden Star tight in his hand. He was dead. They took the boy into heaven. Here it was warm. It gave plenty to eat, and Heinele was truly happy – probably for the first time in his young life. But the good boy, as he saw that his mother in the cold house down on earth was crying because her child did not come home, returned to earth to comfort his mom, bringing her true Christmas love. Love reigned over the joy and comfort of staying in heaven. A true sacrifice.
And while we children hang on every word that came from mom’s lips, suddenly – first faint but then louder – we heard the clear Christmas bell. It signaled that Christkind was here! We would rash to the Christmas room. The doors silently swung open. And we would stand there in awe, still and devout, our wide open eyes reflecting Christmas Spirit. The Christmas tree would stand in all its magic beauty – brightly shining with many real candles and magic stars. We would sing Christmas carols and dad would read the Christmas story from the Holy Bible.
Finally we children could rush to our Christmas presents – many big and little gift-wrapped boxes in all colors, decorated with beautiful ribbons and a fir twig on each gift box. We had each a little extra corner right under the Christmas tree, and close to the crib where Maria and Josef and the beautiful baby would remind us of the reason for our joy. To find our space, the packages had little cards with our names on them. And the Ah and Oh was great!
10. And mom did not forget the lonely people outside. She put a warm shining candle in each window to greet those who were lonely and cold this night.
11. The Christmas dinner was another highlight of the day. We had our traditional fish dinner with potato salad which I loved. The table was set with grace and glister. Each set had a mandarin that held a Christmas candle. Fir twigs were decorating the table. It was festive and the candle light reflected in our smiles!
12. The Midnight Christmas mass was for the older kids. I remember sitting in church and seeing the happy smiles on every face. This alone showed me that in this special night a miracle must have occurred. I could see the new hat, the new shawl, new boots that people were wearing. Everyone had something new this night. And if it was not a new piece of cloth, it was the renewed hope and light in their heart that held the promise that life is good and all is well, no matter the life circumstances.
Today I am old. My children are out of the house and I am alone again. But at Christmas time, I still remember my family’s holiday tradition: the haunting scent of Christmas; the dazzling light that lightens the eye that looks into the world with hope; music and laughter that fills the hearts and the room at Christmas eve. I thank my parents for the wonderful Christmas tradition that they had given us – a tradition that lives on …
When Christmas holiday draws near, don’t let yourself be burdened by stressful last minute holiday preparations. Follow your time proven family holiday tradition – and if you don’t have a holiday tradition yet, manifest your own! Utilize some of the suggestions I shared with you from our own family Christmas holiday tradition.
This is Part II of our Family Christmas Holiday Tradition. (Read Part I also for great holiday ideas.)
Christmas Games & Odd Traditions
Christmas traditions make the holiday season special. We all have certain rituals or customs we do every year to celebrate the season. Did you ever wonder how these customs got their start? Some traditions are well known to all some are celebrated by the few but all are a wonderful way to share the meaning of Christmas with those we love. Read on to learn more about how some traditions came to be.
Advent Calendar
Counting down the days until Christmas with an advent calendar is a popular holiday activity that started in 19th century German homes. The days were counted by making a chalk mark on the floor or hanging a different picture each day. This lead to homemade advent calendars with little doors that were opened each day revealing a Christmas image or bible verse.
Animal Crackers and Christmas?
The National Biscuit Company introduced “Barnum’s Animal Crackers” as a holiday seasonal promotion in 1902. The boxes carrying string was designed for hanging on the Christmas tree at a time when candy and treats were typical tree decorations.
Bells
Bells and Christmas are inseparable. A simple silhouette of bells depicts a Christmas meaning. Bells became part of Christian worship around the year 400 and their sound summoning the faithful to worship was their first link to Christmas. This became the notion of “ringing-in” Christmas. In England Christmas is rung in starting December 21st. In Scandinavia, bells ring to announce the end of work and the beginning of the festive season. In some stories, St Nick carries around a hand bell on his visits. The gift-giver in Italy, Befana, rings a bell as she descends the chimney and in Hungary, angel bells are rung to announce that the children’s presents have been delivered. Numerous carols use bells as a metaphor for joy and hope as in “Silver Bells,” “I heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” and “Jingle Bells.”
Boxing Day
In Britain and many Commonwealth countries, December 26th is a legal holiday known as Boxing Day. Since the middle ages it was the custom during the Christmas season for English employees to solicit tips from people with whom their employer did business. These tips were collected in earthenware boxes which is where the day got its name.
Candy Canes
The red and white striped stick of hard candy known as the candy cane has its origins around 1670. The candy was invented as a means of quieting children during the Christmas service by a choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral. The candies were made in the shape of a shepherds hook. The shape of the hook soon led to hanging them on the tree as it was the custom to decorate the tree with sweets.
Christmas Carols
Carols were started as songs celebrating events of the Nativity. The word carol is said to be derived from a Greek word for circle dancing. Throughout the years religious organizations have both participated in and prohibited singing carols depending on the religious teachings of the day. During the 17th century carols were sung by carolers on “begging visits” during the Christmas season. After 1878, the Church of England renewed its use of Christmas carols which led to their popularity. The 20th century saw a continued interest in carols and a number of new religious and secular Christmas songs were written and became popular holiday favorites.
Childremas
December 28th is that date of the Feast of the Holy Innocents which commemorates the murder of the male babies of Bethlehem by King Herod. In many countries the day was considered a day of ill omen. In England no business was conducted on that day. In Ireland, no new venture was to begin on that day . Many sailors would not sail on December 28th. On the Aran Islands, no one was to be buried that day. In Cornwall washing that day would bring death to one of your relatives.
Christmas Crackers
A Christmas novelty made popular in Britain. The Christmas cracker is a small cardboard tube covered in decorative wrap. When pulled apart the tube makes a small explosive sound and the inside reveals toys and papers with humorous sayings. It was invented by a London confectioner who wanted a novelty that would sell for the Christmas season. Originally filled with sweet treats it was later filled with humorous or romantic sayings and prizes from inexpensive toys to expensive jewelry. It is now a popular part of Christmas celebrations in homes around the world.
Department Store Santa
The first department store to feature a visit with Santa was the J. W. Parkinson’s store in Philadelphia in 1841. Astonishingly, no other department stores copied this event until 1890 when a store in Boston repeated it. Before long lines of children formed at stores across America to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him their Christmas wish list. The department store Santa has been immortalized in films such as Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas Story.
Eggnog
This popular holiday drink takes its name from an old term for ale, “nog.” It is copied from the French drink lait de poule, made of eggs, milk and spices. Americans added rum to it and topped it with nutmeg.
Elves
Small creatures who are associated with Christmas as Santa’s helpers in the North Pole. They were not always so friendly. They originated in Scandinavia as house-elves who could be helpful if bribed but malicious if slighted, especially at Christmas. In Denmark, its customary to leave a bowl of milk out for them. Elves begin to take on a more positive and Christmas oriented persona in the 19th century as part of a drive to make Christmas more child-centered.
Early Christmas Shop For the Best Christmas Gifts
Do you promise yourself each and every year that you will get all your Christmas shopping done early so that you can have a relatively stress free holiday season, only to find yourself shopping for last minute Christmas presents a day or two before Christmas day and having no idea what to get or where to get it? Proper planning is important. I am sure that you can come up with at least ten minutes a day or week to think about your Christmas list. The only way to have a stress free holiday season is to early Christmas shop for the best Christmas gifts.
As we get closer to the holiday season, you need to find a couple of minutes to compile a list if you haven’t done so already for the best Christmas gifts. Last minute shopping does not allow you to find the best Christmas gifts for your friends and family. A thoughtless gift is worse than no gift at all. Getting the best Christmas gifts requires that you put some thought into the task and early Christmas shop for the best Christmas gifts.
If you have no idea what holiday gifts to get and what would make great holiday gifts, find suggestions on or offline on the best gift ideas and where to find them or pay attention to any hints dropped by family and friends in order to prepare a list of the best Christmas presents.
Make this the year that you early Christmas shop. Most holiday shoppers usually wait until the very last minute which is seen with the crowds of people at the mall and other shopping centers and the resulting stress. Waiting until December to find Christmas presents also means that if you are using a credit card, you will have a large credit card bill in the new year to pay off. Early Christmas shopping for the best Christmas gifts allows you to spread out your expenses on Christmas presents.
Online shopping is continuing to explode and while you do not deal with the crowds, you need to place the orders early to ensure that you receive the best Christmas presents well before Christmas day especially if you need to mail some of these holiday gifts. Plan to shop early to avoid the stress of wondering whether you will receive the Christmas presents before Christmas. Although some online stores can gift wrap and mail the Christmas present to the recipient for you, I prefer my own wrapping and you do not want the recipients to receive the Christmas presents too early or too late.
Various stores and other outlets should have information on some of the best gift ideas to help you with your Christmas list. You also need to set a budget that you stick to when reviewing the best gift ideas.
This information on the best Christmas gifts usually contains lists of the best Christmas gifts for men, the best Christmas gifts for women and the best Christmas gifts for girls and boys in order to help you come up with ideas on great holiday gifts to fill out your Christmas list. Once you spend some time compiling this Christmas list early of the best Christmas gifts and made the purchases, you can then have a relaxing and stress free holiday season because would have done all your Christmas shopping early.
One of the best ways to Christmas shop early for the best Christmas gifts that you can keep in mind for next year’s Christmas since it is already late in the year 2010, is to shop in the few days after Christmas day 2010 for for the following year’s holiday gifts since a vast number of stores both off and online have various sales to prepare for the new year by getting rid of excess inventory which means that you will be able to get some of the best Christmas gifts for the following year.
Some of the best gift ideas for 2010 will more or less still apply for the coming year. For electronics, you will probably have to wait until the coming year before making purchases because updates occur frequently in this area.
Another tip to help you with early Christmas shopping for the best Christmas gifts once you have reviewed any lists showing the best gift ideas, is to purchase two gifts instead of one gift for the people on your list at the time of their birthday so that you can give them one gift as a birthday gift and the second gift at Christmas time.
These are only a few tips to keep in mind that will ensure that you have a relatively stress free time at Christmas because all your Christmas presents would have been purchased and wrapped since you properly planned and put a lot of thought into your gift giving and allowed yourself enough time to come up with the best Christmas gifts for your family and friends.
What’s Your Christmas Dinner?
Think Christmas Dinner and the first image that comes to mind is a table groaning under the weight of a spread fit for kings – roast turkey, mashed or roast potatoes, cranberry sauce, steamed veggies and other trimmings, all characteristic of a typical Christmas meal.
Well, ancient customs and native traditions have combined to influence what lands up on the table on Christmas Day for families in different countries around the world. Let’s embark on a culinary journey around the globe and see what people gorge on for their Christmas Dinner!
Traditionally, Christmas Dinner is the primary meal that is eaten either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
UK and Ireland
Interestingly, the Britons did not eat roast turkey as the traditional Christmas meal till about 1650. In Medieval England, the main fare was always roast goose, peacock or boar, with the last being more popular. It was only when the French Jesuits imported turkey into Great Britain from Europe that it began to grace Christmas dinner tables from the 1700s onwards. Today, of course, it is unthinkable to image Christmas dinner without roast turkey and all the other trimmings. A typical Christmas spread (mostly in the afternoons) consists of roast turkey, served with cranberry sauce, bread sauce, roast potatoes, steamed Brussels sprouts and carrots, with the Christmas pudding bringing up the grand finale. Mince pies are equally a must-have accompaniment to the Christmas meal.
Australia
Since Christmas falls during the summer season in the Southern hemisphere, meats like chicken, ham and turkey are more popularly served cold as the traditional Christmas dinner. Seafood is another popular option, specially barbecued shrimps and prawns. Dessert could be a baked meringue topped by the fruit in the season – mangoes or cherries.
Austria
Christmas Eve in Austria brings to an end the pre-Christmas fasting. Christmas is a national holiday in the country and Austrians normally spend the day feasting and enjoying with their family members. Typical dishes for the traditional Christmas dinner include fried carp, roast goose and ham served with mulled wine and fruit punch. The meal is usually rounded off with rich chocolate mousse.
Brazil
Christmas is celebrated with all the fervour of a carnival in this South American country! The Christmas meal is nothing short of a feast and is served on Christmas Eve (24 December). Roast turkey, fresh vegetables like kale, seasonal fruits and Brazil nuts form a prominent part of the lavish meal. Roast pork, roast chicken and fish are also consumed in many parts of Brazil. A variety of desserts such as lemon tart, chocolate cake and pies are consumed.
Czech Republic
A departure from the traditional roast turkey can be seen in the Czech Republic’s Christmas dinner that typically consists of fried carp and a potato salad. A vast quantity of Christmas cookies is baked by families, to offer friends and relatives on Christmas day.
Denmark
Christmas dinner takes place on December 24 and includes roast pork with crackling, goose or duck. There is plenty of gravy, roast potatoes and red cabbage. The sweet dish is not the traditional plum pudding but a rich rice pudding served with cherry or strawberry sauce and filled with almonds. Mulled wine flows freely.
Finland
The Christmas fare in this Nordic country is more of a ‘Christmas table’, the traditional food board served at Christmas in Finland. Occupying centrestage is the typical large Christmas ham, which is usually eaten with mustard or bread in addition to a variety of other dishes. There is also fish, casseroles with liver, potatoes, rice and carrots.
France
The French enjoy their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve in anticipation of staying awake till midnight and beyond. Topping the list of dishes are goose or duck liver (foie gras), oysters, smoked salmon, lobster, and roasted stuffed duck, goose or turkey. A sumptuous and traditional Christmas cake called ‘La Buche de Nol or a Yule log is relished on this day. It is a rich flavoured cream cake shaped like a log. The typical drink is…you guessed it, champagne!
Germany
The traditional Christmas dinner is served either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day itself, and consists mostly of roast goose and roast carp. Roasted suckling pig or duck also finds its way on many tables. Cabbage and its varieties like kale, Brussels sprouts and red cabbage dominate the side dishes which also include roast potatoes. Christmas pastries include marzipan, spice bars, and several types of fruit breads.
Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland
These three Eastern European countries are noted for their elaborate 12-meal Christmas Eve supper. This ritualised meal consists of twelve meatless dishes in honour of the 12 apostles of Christ. The stress on vegetarian fare is because the time leading up to Christmas is observed with fasting and praying. There is no meat, eggs or milk and so the dishes are dominated by fish, mushrooms and all sorts of grains.
Philippines
Known as Noche Buena by the locals, the traditional Christmas dinner in the Philippines is very much a family affair. It is enjoyed after the entire family has attended the late evening or the Midnight Mass. Pork has a strong presence in this South East Asian country and the mainstay of the Christmas dinner is the Christmas ham. It is served with an Edam cheese ball – a popular Christmas season dish. Affluent Filipino families may also serve spit-roasted pig, stuffed chicken, spicy beef stew and other top favourite Filipino dishes. Hot chocolate is the popular beverage during Christmas in the Philippines.
Long live the cuisines of the world!
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Christmas Games & Odd Traditions
Christmas traditions make the holiday season special. We all have certain rituals or customs we do every year to celebrate the season. Did you ever wonder how these customs got their start? Some traditions are well known to all some are celebrated by the few but all are a wonderful way to share the meaning of Christmas with those we love. Read on to learn more about how some traditions came to be.
Advent Calendar
Counting down the days until Christmas with an advent calendar is a popular holiday activity that started in 19th century German homes. The days were counted by making a chalk mark on the floor or hanging a different picture each day. This lead to homemade advent calendars with little doors that were opened each day revealing a Christmas image or bible verse.
Animal Crackers and Christmas?
The National Biscuit Company introduced “Barnum’s Animal Crackers” as a holiday seasonal promotion in 1902. The boxes carrying string was designed for hanging on the Christmas tree at a time when candy and treats were typical tree decorations.
Bells
Bells and Christmas are inseparable. A simple silhouette of bells depicts a Christmas meaning. Bells became part of Christian worship around the year 400 and their sound summoning the faithful to worship was their first link to Christmas. This became the notion of “ringing-in” Christmas. In England Christmas is rung in starting December 21st. In Scandinavia, bells ring to announce the end of work and the beginning of the festive season. In some stories, St Nick carries around a hand bell on his visits. The gift-giver in Italy, Befana, rings a bell as she descends the chimney and in Hungary, angel bells are rung to announce that the children’s presents have been delivered. Numerous carols use bells as a metaphor for joy and hope as in “Silver Bells,” “I heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” and “Jingle Bells.”
Boxing Day
In Britain and many Commonwealth countries, December 26th is a legal holiday known as Boxing Day. Since the middle ages it was the custom during the Christmas season for English employees to solicit tips from people with whom their employer did business. These tips were collected in earthenware boxes which is where the day got its name.
Candy Canes
The red and white striped stick of hard candy known as the candy cane has its origins around 1670. The candy was invented as a means of quieting children during the Christmas service by a choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral. The candies were made in the shape of a shepherds hook. The shape of the hook soon led to hanging them on the tree as it was the custom to decorate the tree with sweets.
Christmas Carols
Carols were started as songs celebrating events of the Nativity. The word carol is said to be derived from a Greek word for circle dancing. Throughout the years religious organizations have both participated in and prohibited singing carols depending on the religious teachings of the day. During the 17th century carols were sung by carolers on “begging visits” during the Christmas season. After 1878, the Church of England renewed its use of Christmas carols which led to their popularity. The 20th century saw a continued interest in carols and a number of new religious and secular Christmas songs were written and became popular holiday favorites.
Childremas
December 28th is that date of the Feast of the Holy Innocents which commemorates the murder of the male babies of Bethlehem by King Herod. In many countries the day was considered a day of ill omen. In England no business was conducted on that day. In Ireland, no new venture was to begin on that day . Many sailors would not sail on December 28th. On the Aran Islands, no one was to be buried that day. In Cornwall washing that day would bring death to one of your relatives.
Christmas Crackers
A Christmas novelty made popular in Britain. The Christmas cracker is a small cardboard tube covered in decorative wrap. When pulled apart the tube makes a small explosive sound and the inside reveals toys and papers with humorous sayings. It was invented by a London confectioner who wanted a novelty that would sell for the Christmas season. Originally filled with sweet treats it was later filled with humorous or romantic sayings and prizes from inexpensive toys to expensive jewelry. It is now a popular part of Christmas celebrations in homes around the world.
Department Store Santa
The first department store to feature a visit with Santa was the J. W. Parkinson’s store in Philadelphia in 1841. Astonishingly, no other department stores copied this event until 1890 when a store in Boston repeated it. Before long lines of children formed at stores across America to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him their Christmas wish list. The department store Santa has been immortalized in films such as Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas Story.
Eggnog
This popular holiday drink takes its name from an old term for ale, “nog.” It is copied from the French drink lait de poule, made of eggs, milk and spices. Americans added rum to it and topped it with nutmeg.
Elves
Small creatures who are associated with Christmas as Santa’s helpers in the North Pole. They were not always so friendly. They originated in Scandinavia as house-elves who could be helpful if bribed but malicious if slighted, especially at Christmas. In Denmark, its customary to leave a bowl of milk out for them. Elves begin to take on a more positive and Christmas oriented persona in the 19th century as part of a drive to make Christmas more child-centered.