8 Things You Didn’t Know About Christmas

Here are 8 things you probably didn’t know about Christmas:

1. Date of Christmas

As no certain date is known to be the date of the birth of Jesus, 25^th December was chosen to represent the date of his birth.

2. Santa Claus

Santa Claus was portrayed in different ways but the grandfather style of Coca-cola’s Santa changed people’s perception of him to the chubby and jolly old man we all love.

3. Christmas Trees

Did you know the tallest living Christmas tree is believed to be the 122-foot, 91-year-old Douglas fir in the town of Woodinville, Washington?

Read more on Christmas trees here http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees

4. Christmas Decoration

It is believed that Martin Luther first added lighted candles to the tree. While walking home one winter evening he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens so he tried making a replica for his family.

5. Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is the only time the Catholic Church has mass at midnight because it’s believed Jesus was born at midnight.

6. Boxing Day

It’s believed to have been started 800 years ago in the Middle Ages when alms boxes and collection boxes kept for the poor were opened so they could be distributed to the poor.

http://www.whychristmas.com/

7. 365 Presents for you

Count the gifts from the song ’12days of Christmas’ and you’d notice that if you actually received all those gifts you’d have 365 presents in all.

8. The Christmas Truce

On the morning of December 25th, 1914, German soldiers on the western front stepped out of their trenches and walked towards Allied troops calling out “Merry Christmas” in English and even exchanged gifts. It was not a plot to attack them.

A friend once asked me, ‘why are the different Christian denominations?’ That was a question that got me thinking about why we have to be against each other just because we don’t approve the origin of a fellow Christians joyful celebration. Christmas should serve as a moment to share joy, compassion, kindness and love, not that it’s limited to the moment of celebration but to be followed everyday. As Christians the one law to follow is to love your neighbour as yourself and Christmas is one of those days to remind you of the birth of someone who loved us as he loved himself and even gave up his life for us.

Although, I secretly hope you don’t have to give up your life. There’s too much you’ve got to accomplish. Happy Holidays!

9 Things to do this Holiday Season

The Holiday season is back and livelier than ever. Whatever it is you love about Christmas from the decorations to the sight of Santa or about the coming New Year, there’s more you can do to make it the best ever. Check out these top 10 things to do to make this holiday the best. They are simple things to do but will be more fun if done together with friends or family.

1.  Shopping

The Christmas season is a good time to go shopping. Not only do you get great discounts, you’d get to see the new stock pulled in for shoppers flocking in. Malls like SGS, Kumar Pacific, Amanora and rushing onto FC Road would be a great start to filling up your Christmas needs.

2.   Eat Out

You can search for restaurants that have good offers during this season and enjoy a  meal out there. Instead of eating at home, take the family with you and visit some really good restaurants.

3.   Take part in Plays

There are those plays done at school or church about the birth of Christ during Xmas which you could take part in.

4.   Decorate

Pull the creative part of you and let your imagination grow wild as you decorate your home or Christmas tree in the best way ever. There are lots of DIY ideas out there you could use for inspiration.

5.   Organize a party

There’s nothing better than a whole lot of friends coming together and having a good time especially during times when we don’t probably don’t see each other for nearly more than 6months. This party is a good time to catch up on those lost times, give seasonal greetings in person and share a gift.

6.   Sing Christmas Carols

The sound of Christmas Carols has that power of putting us into the sprirt of celebration. For some it’s the best part of Christmas. If your are one of those lucky ones blessed with an angelic voice you could try joining the choir but if you aren’t you could simply enjoy the sound on Christmas Eve or grab a couple of CDs.

7.   Try new recipes or cook something special

For those great cooks, the ones who know their way around the kitchen like Ratatouille, you could treat your dear ones to something really nice you made.

8.   Go sightseeing

If you are the type of family that loves going out, sight seeing to some places you wanted to visit but didn’t get the time to could be a great idea. This is a good idea if done before the real celebration begins.

9.   Show some Love

There may be some things you no longer need or consider useless show some love to those who lack such things. They could be old blankets or clothes, but it would surely bring a smile to them this Christmas.

Wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.