Christmas Joys

World Hoiday Traditions by Mindy Tulsi

Cold and snowy days, long nights, colorful lights, festivals, parties and shopping can only signify one thing- the holiday season. With hundreds of different celebrations throughout the world, December is the official month of holidays. Here in the West most people decorate trees and give each other gifts to commemorate the birth of Christ. But many people don’t know where the tradition originated or what the other major holidays around the world are.

It started with the sun

Originally the month of December marked a hard and difficult time for people. With the harvest season officially over and winter quickly approaching, people living in northern latitudes had to live off whatever food they had stored and any animals they were able to hunt. Not only did they have this to deal with, but on top of that, the sun got lower and lower in the sky during this time and the days got shorter. People feared that the sun would disappear and leave them in a permanent state of cold and darkness.

However, after the winter solstice which occurs on December 21, they noticed that the days started getting longer and the sun went higher in the sky. This, of course, was reason to celebrate. Granted, there was still many months of winter ahead, but this event reassured everybody that the coming of spring was inevitable and only a matter of time.

Throughout the world and across many different religions and belief systems people had their own ceremonies and traditions to celebrate the solstice. Candles were lit, trees were decorated, people gave thanks, sang songs and said prayers.

Christmas

The Christmas holiday, which many people around the world celebrate today, is closely linked to the solstice celebration. In the 4th century, many Christians wanted to celebrate the birth of Christ, however there was no official record of the date of his birth. Also at that time the Roman Emperor was trying to make Christianity the official religion, so December 25 seemed like the perfect time because many Romans were already celebrating the solstice. With the conversion to Christianity, people could keep their festivities and traditions, but instead of celebrating the sun, they now celebrated the birth of Christ.

Other then the time of the celebration, there are many other traditions that have made their way from Ancient Rome to modern times. Decorating trees with lights and ornaments, holly, ivy, mistletoe, the Yule log, giving gifts, and magical reindeer are all traditions that are associated with the Ancient Romans.

Additionally we have also come up with new ways and new traditions to celebrate Christmas. Santa Claus is a popular figure amongst children throughout the world. In many countries, Santa Claus comes down your chimney and gives presents to good children and lumps of coal to bad children. In other places children put their shoes out at night and “Father Christmas” comes and fills them with presents. But no matter how you celebrate Christmas now, if it wasn’t for our ancient ancestors, it would be a very different holiday.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is another celebration of light. This is a Jewish tradition that occurs for eight days during December. It commemorates the war fought by the Maccabees for religious freedom. When they returned to their temple, they only had enough oil to last one day. However, the oil ended up burning for eight days.

Today, modern Jews celebrate this holiday by lighting a menorah every day for eight days. There are nine spaces in the menorah, the center one being where they keep the “lighter” candle that lights the others. Each day, they light one more candle, until finally on the last day, all nine candles are glowing brightly.

Nowadays Hanukkah is a much bigger celebration then it used to be. Mainly because of the popularity of Christmas, this holiday has grown in importance, especially for children. In addition to lighting the menorah, every day for eight days, the children receive a gift from their parents. Other festivities include building a Hanukkah House, playing with dradles, singing songs, baking cookies and decorating the house with silver and blue.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is an African holiday celebrated by millions of people throughout the world with African roots. It’s a celebration of culture and tradition that speaks to what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense. It was created in 1966 by a professor of African studies at California State University and was intended to be a cultural holiday rather than a religious one. In that sense anyone can celebrate the holiday, no matter what their faith.

Kwanzaa is celebrated for one week from December 26 to January 1. Each of the seven days of the celebration is based on one of the seven principles which are Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.

During Kwanzaa people decorate their homes with the African colors black, red and green. They put out traditional African symbols such as African baskets, cloth patterns, art objects and harvest symbols. People greet each other using Swahili, saying “Habari gani?” The answer is one of the seven principles- whichever one is the focus of that day’s festivities.

Gifts are given only to children. But every gift must include a book and some sort of heritage symbol. The book emphasizes the African value of learning and the heritage symbol is to reinforce the African commitment to tradition and history.

Of course, there are countless other festivals and celebrations going on in every country around the world at this time of year. No matter where you live or what your faith, there’s sure to be some sort of holiday or celebration associated with the change of seasons. So have fun, be merry and Happy Holidays!

Mindy Tulsi is the owner of Vancouver-based Green N Green, creating unique gift baskets that a lasting impression.

Article Source: Happy Living Articles

Exclusive! The A-Listers of Christmas - Baby Jesus, Santa, Rudolf, Frosty - Reveal Their Stories by John Smith

When it comes to the biggest characters of the Christmas season, you might initially think of all of your television favourites. After all, what Christmas would be complete without at least the possibility of sitting down in front of the TV - post-lunch - and enjoying a repeat of ET, James Bond, Indiana Jones or - shock horror - perhaps even Mary Poppins? There’s Rambo too, but not until after the kids have gone to bed. Or perhaps the Queen comes to mind when one thinks of the most important faces of Christmas. After all, who hasn’t tuned into to Her Majesty’s afternoon slot, and - filled with a sense of pride - listened to what the Queen considers to be the most important highlights of the year that is now drawing to a close? There really are few Christmas Gifts more magical than that.

But, Christmas would not be complete without a few more heavy-hitters; the real A-List celebrities of the festive season. And the Big Daddy of them all is little Baby Jesus. Also known as Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, Baby Jesus is a central figure of Christianity and a prophet of Islam.

Those familiar with the nativity story will know that Baby Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem and his mother was the Virgin Mary. Born in a manger because of a severe shortage of accommodation - presumably because it was hard to book in advance at this point in history - after his birth Baby Jesus was visited by the Three Wise Men, who are also known as the Three Kings or the Kings from the East. And it was from these men that he received the three Gifts of myrrh, gold and frankincense. Even today, Baby Jesus is associated with gift giving at Christmas time and with gift giving in the Czech Republic taking place on Christmas Eve, it is the duty of baby Jesus to make sure the Christmas Gifts are under the tree.

Santa is another one of the heavyweights of the season of goodwill. Although also known as Father Christmas, the two names actually relate to different traditions. But don’t break the news to the kids quite yet. Depicted as a jolly but portly individual, Santa is mostly seen sporting a red outfit, trimmed with white - not forgetting the black leather boots - and is known across the world as the giver of Christmas Gifts. The history of Santa can be found in American culture, but he also has his origins in early Christian times, as well as Dutch folklore and even pre-Christian periods. Father Christmas on the other hand was originally the personification of the Christmas season and was not initially associated with the giving of Gifts. All that has certainly changed now

Next in line is Rudolf. Also known by his full title Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, this friendly character is a member of Santa’s sleigh-pulling entourage and an essential component of the jolly man’s Christmas Gifts-giving process. Known for sporting a red nose, Rudolf works with a team of eight other reindeer who all possess the ability to fly (unless of course you come from Finland, where they don’t). Needless to say, this cute Christmas character is entirely fictional, which could prove to be a crushing blow to children below a certain age; but then they’ll have to be told the truth at some point.

Frosty the Snowman is another famous character from Christmases past and present. Often featured on cards and the wrapping paper on Christmas Gifts, the well-known song that we all associate with this cute little snowman was created by Steve Nelson and Walter Rollins. And their little gift to music came hot on the heels of that other well-known Christmas favourite, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Frosty has also appeared on an animated short film and there was even a Frosty the Snowman television special, which was produced in 1969.

And for those who long to sing the song of Frosty, it tells a tale of a happy snowman, made from a corncob, a button and coal. Frosty was a man who, while made of snow, was able to dance and play with children. But ultimately he knew his fate and that his destiny was to be melted by the snow. However, before he left, he declared that one day he would return. Not much chance of that this year though, without a decent amount of snow.

To explore our range of christmas gifts further, please visit our website at http://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk.

Article Source: AamRas.com - Articles

How Radiator Covers May Help You Afford Christmas Much Easier by William Penworthy

With winter nipping at your nose, radiator covers and radiator cabinets are an idea you may really warm to. As the weather turns increasingly cold and miserable, most of us reach for the radiator controls and thermostat, boosting the heating and making sure we stay warm and comfortable. But with every turn of the radiator control, we increase not just the temperature of our homes, but the size of our heating bills. Fuel costs are spiralling, and the forecast isn’t set to change much.

But radiator covers may well offer an alternative solution - one which is affordable, which adds style and elegance to your home, increases the feeling of warmth in your home very quickly, and may lower your heating bills by a substantial amount. How do radiator cabinets achieve this, and what should you consider if looking into the idea of lowering your heating bills, adding style and elegance to your home, and enjoying the warmth this winter?

Traditional radiators actually do very little radiating of heat at all - it’s mostly convection, sending the warm air straight up to your ceiling where it hangs around, cooling down, and then sinking into the room. Cool air sinks, and warm air rises, and so the warm air only tends to have any effect once it has begun to cool, sinking into the room. To achieve a real feeling of warmth in a room you need to have the radiator on for so long that the cycle of warm air eventually catches up with itself, slowly increasing the ambient temperature of the air throughout the room. The alternative is to sit on top of your radiator, although this is rather uncomfortable and can lead to odd looks when guests arrive.

But how can radiator covers change or improve upon the way in which a radiator works? After all, radiator cabinets don’t even touch the radiator, and make no changes to the pipes or controls. So what’s going on that so many households are enjoying warmer homes whilst at the same time seeing lower fuel bills? The answer is that radiator covers turn a radiator into something that truly does radiate heat, in a much more efficient way.

If you look at a radiator cover you’ll notice three significant things about its design, apart from the style and appearance. The first feature is that there is often a large grill or grille which covers the majority of the face of the radiator cabinet. This may be decorative, and will extend almost the full width and height of the radiator itself. The second feature is a shelf or top to the radiator cabinet. This may be safely used for placing ornaments or pictures for decoration, with no risk of damage or deterioration through heat. The third feature is a gap at the base of the radiator cabinet. So how do these three features relate to each other in helping to improve the efficiency of a radiator, allowing you to turn down the radiator or turn off the heating much sooner, saving you money in fuel?

Radiator cabinets work by drawing in the cooler air which has sunk to floor level in through the gap at the base. The air is quickly warmed by the radiator, and then pushed out through the grill at the front. The shelf above the radiator prevents heat being wasted by being allowed to rise to the ceiling level where it can’t be felt or appreciated. This means that the air drawn up inside the radiator cabinet is heated much more quickly and effectively.

By pushing the heat out through the grille at the front of radiator covers, the warm air is directed to where it is actually needed. With a radiator cabinet in a room, you’ll feel the warmth almost immediately the radiator is switched on, unless you happen to spend your time swinging from the light fixtures or having tea parties on the ceiling in the style of Mary Poppins. The air is made to circulate much more quickly because of the smaller spaces through which it is both drawn in at the base and pushed out through the grills of radiator cabinets.

It is because of the way these three features work together that a room feels much warmer much sooner. This in turn allows you to either turn the heating down, since there’s less need for an immediate blast of heat, or even to turn the heating off altogether much sooner than without radiator covers. By being able to lower your heating or switch it off much sooner you will certainly be able to see significant savings in fuel bills. Indeed, the savings gained through turning your heating down, or off entirely much sooner, are likely to cover the costs of having radiator covers installed in the first place.

Radiator Covers | http://www.kingstoncabinets.co.uk/ | Radiator Cabinets

Article Source: AamRas.com - Articles

7 Top Christmas Gifts Of 2007 For Older Men by Peter Crump

He’s a little older now, his hair is greying a little, or a lot, and he’s a bit slower than he used to be.

But you love him more than ever and you need a hot Christmas gift for him this year and you’re completely out of great Christmas gift ideas.

Here’s 7 top Christmas ideas for an older man.

1. An LP to iPod converter. If he’s like me he still has a secret stash of LPs tucked away somewhere that he loves to listen to, but doesn’t any more because his equipment is broken, or just too old.

How about a turntable that converts his LPs into a format to play on an iPod or Nano, with software to help eliminate those annoying pops and crackles that are so common on LPs?

2. An iPod or Nano. Chances are there’s no point in giving him a turntable to convert his old LPs into a format to play on his iPod or Nano, because he doesn’t have one. Get him an iPod and he’ll understand why the kids love them so much.

Or get him numbers 1 and 2 together for his Christmas gift and he can listen to his old LPs anywhere he wants.

3. A 35mm slide or negative to digital converter. So he can convert all his old slides and negatives to digital format. Digital photos are so useful, there’s so many things he can do with them. And he can convert all or some of his old slides and negatives to digital, load them all on his computer and they’re all there, ready for a slide show.

4. A gutter cleaning robot. He’s getting a little past climbing up on the roof now and would rather employ someone else to clean all those leaves out of the gutters.

Why not save him the money and give him a gutter cleaning robot for Christmas. It cleans leaves, small branches and dirt out of his gutters. Designed by roboticists from the US army, it’s controlled by a hand held remote and runs on rechargeable batteries.

5. A peaceful progression wake up clock. Rather than the rude awakening he probably gets from his clock/radio alarm now there’s an easier way. Half an hour before wake up the clock starts to glow slightly, brightening slowly and warming releasing aromatherapy aromas into the bedroom atmosphere. Then a slow increase in personally chosen sounds of nature, culminating in an alarm at wake up time.

The perfect Christmas gift for the man who’s earned the right to a peaceful wake up. And it can work in reverse to encourage him to sleep if he doesn’t sleep as well as he used to.

6. An acoustic ear warmer. Like me he probably doesn’t hear quite as well as he used to, and feels the cold more than he used to. Give him some ear warmers that allow him to hear clearly. Designed to allow sound to pass through so he isn’t always asking you to repeat what you said.

And suggestion number 7 for a top Christmas gift idea for your favorite older man this Christmas. A remote controlled beverage buggy.

It’s a scale model dune buggy that has holders for 2 16 oz cans or bottles of his favorite drink. He holds the remote and sends the dune buggy to the fridge where one of his willing accomplices put his 2 drinks in it to send back to him. It’s a laugh and it allows him to consume whatever he wants to drink without getting off the chair. After all, he’s earned it.

Now there’s 7 quite unique Christmas gift ideas for the older man this year. So I don’t want to hear excuses that you can’t think of a single idea, ok?

Peter calls himself The Mens Gift Guru and runs a website called Find That Gift For Him where he looks for great Christmas Gifts ideas for men, as well as mens gift ideas in general.

Article Source: AamRas.com - Articles

Christmas Hampers - Beating the Recession
By David Harland

With many people feeling the effects of this drawn out recession its the best time to use morale building techniques to help your business, staff and families. Working in marketing, I thought I would write 5 top tips for using Christmas hampers to your benefit.

The first technique would be to use X-mas hampers to promote sales, this could be by offering them as a prize to encourage people to sign up to your mailing list. Alternatively by providing a hamper to a long term customer you are letting them know that you value there custom.

If you are about to promote a certain brand its worth offering Food Hampers as a prize. As an incentive you could say that when you buy an item you will immediately be placed in the prize draw for this luxury Christmas hamper.

The recession can make you be careful with rewards and offers, a luxury Christmas hamper instantly sets up a desire in people to have something nice to enjoy during the festive season. By offering people a luxury for a piece of their time or a way of keeping the dialogue open with them you can increase your sales efforts and good will at the same time.

With the festive season fast approaching its also of huge benefit offering a hamper as a staff incentive. For example for the “staff member of the year” offer a luxury Christmas hamper, to show them how much you appreciate their hard work and to let the other members of staff know that hard work is rewarded.

Finally a hamper is a great way of showing the people that you care about that you have brought them home a token of appreciation. A hamper works on so many levels that it is always a remembered element of any event. It is also nice as a business to be able to give people a real treat and also benefit at the same time.

Christmas Hampers are a great way of marketing that is positive and well received. Think about Xmas hampers the next time you start a campaign.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Harland
http://EzineArticles.com/?Christmas-Hampers—Beating-the-Recession&id=3155103