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    1. #1
      Andy Chapman

      Christmas Thread

      ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS

      Only 19 days until Christmas





      The word "Christmas" means "Mass of Christ," later shortened to "Christ-Mass." The even shorter form "Xmas" - first used in Europe in the 1500s - is derived from the Greek alphabet, in which X is the first letter of Christ's name: Xristos, therefore "X-Mass."
      Today we know that Christ was not born on the 25th of December. The date was chosen to coincide with the pagan Roman celebrations honouring Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (the ancient god of light), a form of sun worship. These celebrations came on or just after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, to announce that winter is not forever, that life continues, and an invitation to stay in good spirit.
      But there's much more to the fascinating history of Christmas! Where did the Christmas tree originate, why are Christmas candles important, etc

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    3. #2
      Andy Chapman
      Christmas becomes popular

      The popularity of Christmas was spurred on in 1820 by Washington Irving's book The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall. In 1834, Britain's Queen Victoria brought her German husband, Prince Albert, into Windsor Castle, introducing the tradition of the Christmas tree and carols that were held in Europe to the British Empire. A week before Christmas in 1834, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol (in which he wrote that Scrooge required Cratchit to work, and that the US Congress met on Christmas Day). It was so popular that neither the churches nor the governments could not ignore the importance of Christmas celebrations. In 1836, Alabama became the first state in the US to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1837, T.H. Hervey's The Book of Christmas also became a best seller. In 1860, American illustrator Thomas Nast borrowed from the European stories about Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, to create Father Christmas (Santa Claus). In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. Year by year, countries all over the world started to recognise Christmas as the day for celebrating the birth of Jesus.
      Have a merry Christmas
      Today, many of the pagan uses are reflected in Christmas. Jesus was born in March, yet his birth is celebrated on 25 December, the time of solstice. The Christmas celebrations end the 12th day of Christmas (6 January), the same amount of days that the return of the sun was celebrated by ancient and Roman pagans. It thus is no surprise that Christian puritans - or even conservative Christians - often are upset that Christmas "is not as religious as it was meant to be," forgetting that Christmas was not celebrated at all until fairly recently.
      The 25th of December is celebrated as the birth date of Jesus Christ. The Bible does not mention Christmas, and early Christians did not observe the birthday of Christ. Christmas as we know it became widely popular only in the 19th Century.
      Christmas starts on 25 December and ends 12 days later on 6 January with the Feast of Epiphany also called "The Adoration of the Magi" or "The Manifestation of God."

    4. #3
      Cal
      Cal is offline

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      Senior Member
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      May 2008
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      Jimboomba,Brisbane
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      Cal will become famous soon enough
      someone gave me this link ,it is a great website for kids (and big kids) well worth a look
      http://www.emailsanta.com/Christmas_Trivia-Arts.asp

      Cal x

      Remember the road to success is always under construction...

    5. #4
      Andy Chapman
      Thanks Cal, nice find

    6. #5
      Andy Chapman

      Beetle

      A Dog's Rules For Christmas ......:tonguexmas:
      1. Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual and they will appreciate long comforting dog leans.


      2. They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours.


      3. Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.


      4. They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and cover it with lights and decorations. Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so there are some things you need to know:


      a. Don't pee on the tree


      b. Don't drink water in the container that holds the tree


      c. Mind your tail when you are near the tree


      d. If there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or that have your name on them, don't rip them open


      e. And finally don't chew on the cord that runs from the funny-looking hole in the wall to the tree.:frownxmas:


      Andy

    7. #6
      Doz
      Oh i just love that one Andy, thankyou yet again for entertaining me

    8. #7
      Andy Chapman
      The pleasures all mine Doz, anything i find that interests
      me and i think it will others i post on here.

    9. #8
      Andy Chapman

      Paintbrush

      :spinny:21 THINGS CAN ONLY GET AWAY WITH SAYING AT CHRISTMAS....

      1. I prefer breasts to legs

      2. Tying the legs together keeps the inside moist.

      3. Smother the butter all over the breasts!

      4. If I don’t undo my trousers, I’ll burst!

      5. I’ve never seen a better spread.

      6. I’m in the mood for a little dark meat.

      7. Are you ready for seconds yet?

      8. It’s a little dry; do you still want to eat it?

      9. Just wait your turn, you’ll get some!

      10. Don’t play with your meat.

      11. Stuff it up between the legs as far as it will go.

      12. Do you think you’ll be able to handle all these people at once?

      13. I didn’t expect everyone to come at the same time!

      14. You still have a little bit on your chin.

      15. How long will it take after you put it in?

      16. You’ll know it’s ready when it pops up

      17. Just pull the end and wait for the bang.

      18. That’s the biggest bird I’ve ever had!

      19. I’m so full; I’ve been gobbling nuts all morning.

      20. Wow! I didn’t think I could handle all that and still want more!

      21. I do like a good stuffing.

      Andy....:wisemanxmas:

    10. #9
      Doz
      Well they had me spitting my coffee out with laughter Andy

    11. #10
      Andy Chapman
      Ahhhh it's always nice to make some-one laugh or even a smile makes it all worth while Doz.

     

     
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