Showing posts with label holiday traditions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday traditions. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Christmas Activities & Holiday Traditions
http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com will give your family some cool ideas for holiday traditions & advent calendar ideas
12 Days of Christmas: Beliefs & Traditions
The Twelve Days of Christmas is actually one of the most incorrectly identified holiday traditions and time periods on the calendar today. Most people assume that the 12 days of Christmas, like the advent calendar comes before and leads up to Christmas day. However, it actually begins on or after Christmas.
The 12 days of Christmas is also known as the period of Christmastide. During Christmastide, the way people celebrate the holiday season varies slightly. For instance, there are different beliefs as to when the holiday should be celebrated. These beliefs are typically influenced by the culture that you live in as well as the religious denomination that you practice.
For example, some traditions celebrate the twelve days of Christmas from Christmas day until January 5th. Other traditions celebrate it starting on Christmas evening until January 6th.
The 12 days of Christmas reflects a major component of the Christmas history. As we know Christmas day represents the birth date of Jesus Christ. The 12 days of Christmas represents the time period in which the 3 Kings from the region of Arabia decided to visit the baby Jesus. Traveling from their homeland they traveled to Bethlehem to see the infant. When they arrived, they presented gifts of great value, gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus.
When it comes down to the giving of gifts there are several different philosophies behind when gifts should be given during this time period. Some people believe that gifts should be given on Christmas day. Others believe that you should give gifts only on the 12th day of Christmas. Still others believe that you should give gifts on each of the 12 days of Christmas.
There are many ways this period is celebrated and highlighted. For instance, one common tradition is to light a candle for each of the 12 days. You can purchase a set of 12 candles that you can light for each day in the Christmastide holiday season.
Another of the holiday traditions for the twelve days is the Christmas dinner. Like the gifts, some practitioners of the holiday host a big Christmas dinner only on Christmas. In the past, this period was a major feast time. People would come together every night during the 12 days of Christmas and enjoy a fantastic feast of food. The biggest feast of all would take place on the final day of the 12 day period.
Another important aspect of the holiday is the 12 days of Christmas song that enjoys worldwide popularity. This song talks about the different gifts that the recipient receives during this time period from his or her "true love." It has been hotly debated as to whether there is any hidden meaning behind this song. There are some people who believe that this song actually makes hidden references to different aspects of the Christian faith. They believe the song was created to help believers remember the key aspects of their faith. Others believe that this is simply an urban myth.
Regardless of what you believe on how the twelve days of Christmas should be celebrated, it can be an incredible opportunity for you to gather with your friends and family and have fun. You can choose the best way to celebrate it based on your own beliefs and convictions about the holiday season.
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas crafts to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about holiday traditions with many of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Calendar Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
——————–
(c) Kerry Beck, 2008You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio above. Links in resource box must be clickable to reprint this article. If you can’t click the link, please ask permission to reprint.
The 12 days of Christmas is also known as the period of Christmastide. During Christmastide, the way people celebrate the holiday season varies slightly. For instance, there are different beliefs as to when the holiday should be celebrated. These beliefs are typically influenced by the culture that you live in as well as the religious denomination that you practice.
For example, some traditions celebrate the twelve days of Christmas from Christmas day until January 5th. Other traditions celebrate it starting on Christmas evening until January 6th.
The 12 days of Christmas reflects a major component of the Christmas history. As we know Christmas day represents the birth date of Jesus Christ. The 12 days of Christmas represents the time period in which the 3 Kings from the region of Arabia decided to visit the baby Jesus. Traveling from their homeland they traveled to Bethlehem to see the infant. When they arrived, they presented gifts of great value, gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus.
When it comes down to the giving of gifts there are several different philosophies behind when gifts should be given during this time period. Some people believe that gifts should be given on Christmas day. Others believe that you should give gifts only on the 12th day of Christmas. Still others believe that you should give gifts on each of the 12 days of Christmas.
There are many ways this period is celebrated and highlighted. For instance, one common tradition is to light a candle for each of the 12 days. You can purchase a set of 12 candles that you can light for each day in the Christmastide holiday season.
Another of the holiday traditions for the twelve days is the Christmas dinner. Like the gifts, some practitioners of the holiday host a big Christmas dinner only on Christmas. In the past, this period was a major feast time. People would come together every night during the 12 days of Christmas and enjoy a fantastic feast of food. The biggest feast of all would take place on the final day of the 12 day period.
Another important aspect of the holiday is the 12 days of Christmas song that enjoys worldwide popularity. This song talks about the different gifts that the recipient receives during this time period from his or her "true love." It has been hotly debated as to whether there is any hidden meaning behind this song. There are some people who believe that this song actually makes hidden references to different aspects of the Christian faith. They believe the song was created to help believers remember the key aspects of their faith. Others believe that this is simply an urban myth.
Regardless of what you believe on how the twelve days of Christmas should be celebrated, it can be an incredible opportunity for you to gather with your friends and family and have fun. You can choose the best way to celebrate it based on your own beliefs and convictions about the holiday season.
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas crafts to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about holiday traditions with many of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Calendar Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
——————–
(c) Kerry Beck, 2008You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio above. Links in resource box must be clickable to reprint this article. If you can’t click the link, please ask permission to reprint.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Holiday Traditions from Christmas Around The World
There are many different ways to celebrate the holiday Christmas around the world. Whether you are in Asia, Europe, The United States or Australia, each group has their similarities and differences when it comes down to Christmas activities and the way the holiday is celebrated.
Christmas in the United States is based on many of the European traditions of Christmas. However, because of the various cultures and influences in the country there are some differences as well. One of the main holiday traditions celebrated in the USA is the Christmas stories surrounding Santa Claus
One major component of Christmas celebrations in America is the Christmas stories of Santa Claus. Santa Claus is widely celebrated and promoted during the holiday season. Charities dress workers up in Santa Claus outfits to raise funds during the holidays. Santa Claus appears on television and in advertising campaigns. Kids can even go to the mall to see Santa Claus and take pictures with him.
In Australia, December is the beginning of the summer season. As a result, Christmas is as much of an outdoor activity as it is an indoor activity. While the Australians do the traditional indoor stuff, like open Christmas presents and eat a big family dinner, outdoor activities like backyard fun and picnics are incorporated as well.
Religious worship is a major piece of the Christmas holiday in Australia. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic or Protestant so church plays a major role in the celebration of the holiday. Most churches have a midnight mass that you can attend and many families go to church together.
Japan is a country that celebrates Christmas despite the religious beliefs of its citizens. Since less than 1% of the population is Christian, Christmas is considered more of a commercial holiday as oppose to a spiritual celebration. In fact it's not even an official holiday in Japan where people get the day off.
Although people still have to work on Christmas day, the Japanese still find time to celebrate the holiday anyway. One of the most unique experiences of the Japanese approach to Christmas is their Christmas dinner activities. Most places of the world have a large, home-cooked dinner in the home. In Japan, it is common for people to order a special Christmas Chicken dinner from Kentucky Friend Chicken, or KFC.
China also celebrates Christmas more for its commercial aspects as opposed to its religious aspects. In China, the Chinese word for Santa literally means "Christmas Old Man" in English. The Chinese do a lot of shopping and other Christmas activities as well.
Although Christmas is celebrated in China, it is nowhere near as important a holiday as it is considered in other parts of the world. The equivalent to Christmas in Chinese culture comes in the following month, which is the Chinese New Year.
The people of France celebrate Christmas very similar to the Americans. One thing they do not do though is decorate Christmas trees. Instead, they spend more of their time creating Christmas stories out of their yards by creating massive displays of characters and ornaments.
One thing the French do spend a lot of time on is putting up nativity scenes and other scenes that illustrate Christmas stories outside of their homes and in public places. In French scenes, besides traditional characters, you may also see characters that represent French local influence and personality.
As you can see, holiday traditions and Christmas around the world is as diverse as many of the Christmas activities and traditions of the various nations of the world. Despite the differences, one theme that remains consistent is the value of family and the joy of the holiday season.
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about Christmas history with many of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Calendar Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
Christmas in the United States is based on many of the European traditions of Christmas. However, because of the various cultures and influences in the country there are some differences as well. One of the main holiday traditions celebrated in the USA is the Christmas stories surrounding Santa Claus
One major component of Christmas celebrations in America is the Christmas stories of Santa Claus. Santa Claus is widely celebrated and promoted during the holiday season. Charities dress workers up in Santa Claus outfits to raise funds during the holidays. Santa Claus appears on television and in advertising campaigns. Kids can even go to the mall to see Santa Claus and take pictures with him.
In Australia, December is the beginning of the summer season. As a result, Christmas is as much of an outdoor activity as it is an indoor activity. While the Australians do the traditional indoor stuff, like open Christmas presents and eat a big family dinner, outdoor activities like backyard fun and picnics are incorporated as well.
Religious worship is a major piece of the Christmas holiday in Australia. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic or Protestant so church plays a major role in the celebration of the holiday. Most churches have a midnight mass that you can attend and many families go to church together.
Japan is a country that celebrates Christmas despite the religious beliefs of its citizens. Since less than 1% of the population is Christian, Christmas is considered more of a commercial holiday as oppose to a spiritual celebration. In fact it's not even an official holiday in Japan where people get the day off.
Although people still have to work on Christmas day, the Japanese still find time to celebrate the holiday anyway. One of the most unique experiences of the Japanese approach to Christmas is their Christmas dinner activities. Most places of the world have a large, home-cooked dinner in the home. In Japan, it is common for people to order a special Christmas Chicken dinner from Kentucky Friend Chicken, or KFC.
China also celebrates Christmas more for its commercial aspects as opposed to its religious aspects. In China, the Chinese word for Santa literally means "Christmas Old Man" in English. The Chinese do a lot of shopping and other Christmas activities as well.
Although Christmas is celebrated in China, it is nowhere near as important a holiday as it is considered in other parts of the world. The equivalent to Christmas in Chinese culture comes in the following month, which is the Chinese New Year.
The people of France celebrate Christmas very similar to the Americans. One thing they do not do though is decorate Christmas trees. Instead, they spend more of their time creating Christmas stories out of their yards by creating massive displays of characters and ornaments.
One thing the French do spend a lot of time on is putting up nativity scenes and other scenes that illustrate Christmas stories outside of their homes and in public places. In French scenes, besides traditional characters, you may also see characters that represent French local influence and personality.
As you can see, holiday traditions and Christmas around the world is as diverse as many of the Christmas activities and traditions of the various nations of the world. Despite the differences, one theme that remains consistent is the value of family and the joy of the holiday season.
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about Christmas history with many of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Calendar Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Christmas With MUCH LESS Stress
You might say that I have lost my mind if I said that I have a stress free Christmas. Well, my sanity is still intact and we have had several Christmases that were stress-free in the past. I would like to tell you about the things I've learned to help reduce the stress during the Yuletide season.
AFTER WAKING IN THE MORNING, READ GODS WORD
Reading Gods Word seems to be the first obvious task every mom should do, but we sometimes forget that. I need to hear from Him & talk to Him everyday so I am invigorated to be the mom that He wants me to be. During mealtime, we do our family devotions and jumpstart our kids' day on the proper footing as well. Each of my children know that they are to read the Bible after waking up. There are times ,of course, that one of them needs a little more reminding than usual.
DON'T DO EVERY ACTIVITY THAT POPS UP
This seems quite evident, but it took me a decade to apply this. Actually, my marvelous husband helped me learn how to minimize the activity in our lives during the Christmas season. Back then, I wanted the children to experience everything available during Christmas. Instead, stress and nervousness crept up and finally would explode around Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. (I'm positive that none of you have gone through this before:-)
WHICH ACTIVITIES DO I SELECT
What works for us is to select 1 or 2 Christmas activities to go to outside our home. Other than those 2 activities, most time is spent in our home. This way I'm not harboring stress by bothering my husband to attend one more Christmas activity each week. He is still providing for our family and loving it. Therefore, he is much happier going to a few activities and enjoying being with family and friends at home.
We enjoy having other people in our home, so we take advantage on this. Our kids help in the cleaning and cooking, so our workload is minimized and I feel stressed when our visitors come.
HAVE FUN AT HOME
Back then, I would had more activities for us than we have time for. In our recent Thanksgiving weekend, I picked which activities will wait until next year.
REMEMBER: YOU CANT DO EVERY THING, EVERY YEAR.
I try to select activities that inspire my children to do something for others, instead of only thinking of themselves during the holiday season. One of the things we used to do is charity work by raising money for a missionary family. The kids would take orders for pumpkin bread loaves and chocolate chip cookies. After making and delivering them to their customers, they would pay me back for the ingredients and supplies used. The remaining money was their profit, which was used to buy useful gifts for a missionary family.
This season we will have other kids over to bake cookies so their moms can do some Christmas shopping, uninterrupted. A Christmas card stamping party for younger kids would be a great idea for an activity. Im still thinking it over how that will work.
I have some other ideas that are included in Advent, Christmas & Epiphany Celebration Ideas.
INCORPORATE CHRISTMAS IN YOUR SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
If you homeschool, drop some of your formal schoolwork and have fun during this season. There are myriad of ways of incorporating math, writing & reading concepts as we do baking, shopping and preparing for Christmas day. At home, we still read aloud each morning and then proceed to work on a Christmas activity. It may be handwork type crafts or other quiet easy to do activity.
DO YOU FEEL A TREMENDOUS NERVOUS STRAIN DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS?
Stop and take a moment right now and prioritize all the activities you and your family want to do. Pick only 1 or 2 activities that the entire family can enjoy and pass on the rest. Being at home with your family is enjoyable. Invite another family over to roast marshmallows and mingle with them. At the center of this Christmas activity, keep your hearts tuned to Jesus Christ. Without His love for us, we would not be celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare you for Christmas. You'll learn more about holiday traditions with some of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
--------------------
(c) Kerry Beck, 2008You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio below. Links in resource box must be clickable to reprint this article. If you can't click the link, please ask permission to reprint.
about Kerry Beck
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare you for Christmas. You'll learn more about Christmas around the world with some of the daily activities. You can receive her free Advent Countdown here: http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
AFTER WAKING IN THE MORNING, READ GODS WORD
Reading Gods Word seems to be the first obvious task every mom should do, but we sometimes forget that. I need to hear from Him & talk to Him everyday so I am invigorated to be the mom that He wants me to be. During mealtime, we do our family devotions and jumpstart our kids' day on the proper footing as well. Each of my children know that they are to read the Bible after waking up. There are times ,of course, that one of them needs a little more reminding than usual.
DON'T DO EVERY ACTIVITY THAT POPS UP
This seems quite evident, but it took me a decade to apply this. Actually, my marvelous husband helped me learn how to minimize the activity in our lives during the Christmas season. Back then, I wanted the children to experience everything available during Christmas. Instead, stress and nervousness crept up and finally would explode around Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. (I'm positive that none of you have gone through this before:-)
WHICH ACTIVITIES DO I SELECT
What works for us is to select 1 or 2 Christmas activities to go to outside our home. Other than those 2 activities, most time is spent in our home. This way I'm not harboring stress by bothering my husband to attend one more Christmas activity each week. He is still providing for our family and loving it. Therefore, he is much happier going to a few activities and enjoying being with family and friends at home.
We enjoy having other people in our home, so we take advantage on this. Our kids help in the cleaning and cooking, so our workload is minimized and I feel stressed when our visitors come.
HAVE FUN AT HOME
Back then, I would had more activities for us than we have time for. In our recent Thanksgiving weekend, I picked which activities will wait until next year.
REMEMBER: YOU CANT DO EVERY THING, EVERY YEAR.
I try to select activities that inspire my children to do something for others, instead of only thinking of themselves during the holiday season. One of the things we used to do is charity work by raising money for a missionary family. The kids would take orders for pumpkin bread loaves and chocolate chip cookies. After making and delivering them to their customers, they would pay me back for the ingredients and supplies used. The remaining money was their profit, which was used to buy useful gifts for a missionary family.
This season we will have other kids over to bake cookies so their moms can do some Christmas shopping, uninterrupted. A Christmas card stamping party for younger kids would be a great idea for an activity. Im still thinking it over how that will work.
I have some other ideas that are included in Advent, Christmas & Epiphany Celebration Ideas.
INCORPORATE CHRISTMAS IN YOUR SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
If you homeschool, drop some of your formal schoolwork and have fun during this season. There are myriad of ways of incorporating math, writing & reading concepts as we do baking, shopping and preparing for Christmas day. At home, we still read aloud each morning and then proceed to work on a Christmas activity. It may be handwork type crafts or other quiet easy to do activity.
DO YOU FEEL A TREMENDOUS NERVOUS STRAIN DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS?
Stop and take a moment right now and prioritize all the activities you and your family want to do. Pick only 1 or 2 activities that the entire family can enjoy and pass on the rest. Being at home with your family is enjoyable. Invite another family over to roast marshmallows and mingle with them. At the center of this Christmas activity, keep your hearts tuned to Jesus Christ. Without His love for us, we would not be celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare you for Christmas. You'll learn more about holiday traditions with some of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
--------------------
(c) Kerry Beck, 2008You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio below. Links in resource box must be clickable to reprint this article. If you can't click the link, please ask permission to reprint.
about Kerry Beck
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare you for Christmas. You'll learn more about Christmas around the world with some of the daily activities. You can receive her free Advent Countdown here: http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
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