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Crafty
Christmas Gifts and Decorations
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 Christmas
Holiday Features & Crafts
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 Christmas
Articles
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Kids
Christmas Activities
Children's
crafts are a terrific way to keep the young
ones busy and encourage budding artists to expand
their imaginations with new projects - and, you
can teach valuable recycling
lessons with homemade craft adventures.
Make
a Holly Wreath decoration you can use as an
Advent calendar - our free printable can be glued
to a paper plate or poster board. Add a new leaf
every day from December 1 until Christmas.
 NORAD
- the American and Canadian military organization
responsible for aerospace defense of the United
States and Canada - tracks Santa's global progress
on Christmas Eve each year.
2004 marked their 50th anniversary reporting
on Santa's flight 'round the globe on Christmas.
Click
here to visit NORAD and learn about Tracking Santa's
annual voyage this Christmas from your home computer
this year!
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Santa
Claus Letters
 Send
a Letter to Santa at the North Pole
The US Postal Service offers these tips
on sending kids' letters to Santa - you
can even get a reply to your child - with
a North Pole postmark - if Mom or Dad help
to address and stamp the letters, and if
they enclose a reply letter in a self-addressed
stamped envelope.
Place the reply letter inside a sealed
and stamped envelope addressed to the child,
then put that envelope into a larger envelope
and mail it to:
NORTH POLE CHRISTMAS CANCELLATION
Postmaster
5400 Mail Trail
Fairbanks, AK
99709-9998
Mail
by December 10.
Santa letters must arrive in Fairbanks
by December 15 to make sure they can return
to your child on time for the holiday.
HO! HO! HO!
More Christmas city postmarks
- click
here
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Free Clip Art and Printables
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 Sights
& Sounds of Christmas
Extreme
Christmas Lights
No matter what the weather in
your town, you can view hundreds of outdoor home
holiday lighting displays at this very cool web
site!
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 Advent
Season
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Printable Christmas
Games
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 Christmas
Humor
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 Baby's
First Christmas
 What
could be worse than a lump of coal in baby's first Christmas
stocking?
You might be surprised to learn that some of those
new and traditional gifts may be just the WRONG thing
for Baby's first stocking stuffer.
If you're shopping for a special gift for your favorite
newborn's first Christmas, take
these tips from an in-the-know-mom on what NOT to
buy and get suggestions on some really wonderful gifts
for Baby's First Christmas holiday.
>Click
here to read article: Baby's first Christmas
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 Christmas
Season - Customs Around the World
December is a time of holidays around the world. Learn
how people in many countries celebrate Christmas (and
other December holidays) in this interesting article
about holiday customs and cultures. >
Click here to read Christmas
'round the World
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Seasonal Features - Christmas Crafts & Printables
(FREE)
Make your own greeting cards, or print out some of
ours and add your own personal greeting inside. Our
holiday cards can be used as gift tags or enclosed in
an envelope to send through the mail to friends and
family. Follow the links to find more Christmas
printables including gift
tags, greeting
cards, clip
art, bookmarks,
stickers,
decorations and scrapbook
craft goodies.
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 Christmas
Decorating Ideas
Victorian
Christmas Decorations
If you love Victorian style
decor, it's easy to add the beauty of Victorian Christmas
decorations to your home during the holidays.
The delicate lace and ribbons that make up the essence
of Victorian decor lend a romantic and welcoming style
to your home during the holiday season. From wreaths
to angels to other items, you are sure to find Victorian
Christmas decorations that will complement your home's
style at craft shows, holiday stores or antique shops
- or you can make your own.
>
Victorian Christmas decorations - click here.
Country
Comforts for Christmas
Add
a little country charm to your Christmas decorating
this year. Seasonal fruits and from your garden
or neighborhood are inexpensive and plentiful. You can
collect twigs, seeds, nuts, and flowers during the summer
months for everlasting crafts and dried arrangements
year 'round.
Use gourds, apples, squashes and vines from your garden
to create lovely autumn decorations. Pine cones and
acorns gathered in the fall make wonderful winter accents
for your home.
Forego the glitz and glam for natural materials, check
fabrics and homemade country style. The beauty of this
type of decorating is that it doesn't have to look perfect.
The odd crooked stitch or slightly askew angel wing
just shows that it is homemade and adds to the charm.
Lots of these projects are perfect for children to help
with too.
READ
MORE > Country Christmas Decorating
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Advent
Season Crafts - Make An Advent Wreath Decoration - Free
Printable Craft
The days leading up to Christmas are a time of anticipation
for the Christmas holiday. As a small child, I looked
forward to the beautifully illustrated German advent
calendar my Nana would send us at Thanksgiving. Each
day in December leading up to Christmas my brothers
and sisters and I would open up a little numbered door
on the calendar picture to get a delicious bit of chocolate
and expose a Nativity scene. The final door was the
largest, and behind it was baby Jesus in the manger.
An advent calendar helps little children count down
the days and learn about the origins of Christmas. You
can make an advent wreath using our free Christmas Wreath
craft sheet - click here to download the full color
printable Christmas
Wreath Advent craft.
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Personalizing
the Holidays
by Sandra Kuykendall-Lombard © 2003
Each year it seems Christmas comes sooner. Everyone
is in a rush to decorate their homes and find that perfect
gift. It's easy to get caught up spending more than
we can afford and this stresses many of us with little
or no money. Ask your parents or grandparents and they
will tell you how they celebrated the holidays. It was
spent sharing the company of family and friends, having
a good meal and being grateful for what you have.
They were right! You can get into the spirit of the
season by personalizing it and creating your own traditions
and rituals. The most meaningful traditions don't
involve spending a lot of money. Click
here to read more...
Christmas Trivia
By Marilyn
Pokorney
Everyone enjoys the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and decorating.
Children love to write letters to Santa and get a reply with an envelope stamped
"North Pole". But even more fascinating is the origins of many of our beloved
Christmas traditions.
 Exchanging Gifts:
In ancient times holiday meals were shared with family, friends, and the poor.
It was believed that in order to have a prosperous year, one must not be selfish
for to hoard what they already had would guarantee that they would never be
blessed with more. This is why we exchange gifts today.
Tree decorating: In olden times trees represented life triumphant over
death. The Romans trimmed trees with trinkets, candles, and toys. The Druids
tied polished apples and other offerings on tree branches. In Munich, even trees
in cemeteries were decked with holly and mistletoe. Therefore, the evergreen
tree, which decorates our homes today, has come to signify the ever living Christ.
Yule Logs: The ancient
Druids and other cultures believed that the sparks from a burning log carried
their wishes for a prosperous New Year to the gods. Today, fireplaces with burning
logs recapture this ancient custom with the belief that the firelight is symbolic
of the light that came from Heaven when Christ was born.
Candles: In England, large candles were burned in conjunction with the
yule log. In America today, the candles represent the Star of Bethlehem.
Holly: The Druids believed that holly was favored by the sun because
it was always green. Today holly represents the ever living Christ. The white
flowers, purity; the red berries, his blood; the leaves, his crown of thorns,
and the bitter bark, his sorrow.
Mistletoe: Comes from a Norse legend. Freyja, a goddess, had arranged
for her son to be protected from all earthly dangers. When he was shot with
an arrow made from mistletoe, Freyja made mistletoe promise never to harm anyone
ever again. So today, mistletoe is a symbol of peace and love. It's winter blossoms
bring promise of bounty for the coming spring.
Caroling: In Scandinavian custom, every Christmas, a party was given
to the god Thor, represented by a goat. After much singing and dancing the goat
would pretend to die and return to life. Today, carolers go from door to door
singing and this represents the life of Christ.
Santa Claus: Santa actually started out as a version of Poseidon, Greek
god of the sea. Sailors feared him because he could bring terrible storms or
grant them safe journeys. Because he could save them from angry waters, he became
known as "giver of all good things". Due to the rise of Christianity, the old
custom was changed to honor Nicholas of Myra, an Asian bishop. Nicholas wore
red clothing, rode a white horse who could fly, and delivered gifts anonymously.
Today, he is Santa with his flying reindeer!
About the Author:
Marilyn Pokorney, Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading. Website: http://www.apluswriting.net
Source: www.isnare.com
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Twelve Days of Christmas - Symbolism and Tradition
According to this author's research, the symbols behind the beloved carol,
Twelve Days of Christmas, have their roots in religion.
A Christmas History Lesson
by Catherine Spelling
The Twelve Days of Christmas is one of the most famous Christmas carols
ever written. It has been sung for a great many years, and is known the world
over. To most it is a delightful hymn, but it was originally created with a
very serious intent.
In England between the years of 1558 and 1829, it was illegal to practice Catholicism
in public or private. It was essentially a crime to be Catholic in England during
those years.
The Twelve Days of Christmas was written to help preserve the traditions
of the Catholic faith during the years that Catholicism was banned in England.
The song is steeped in symbolism, and the fact that it is so well known throughout
the world is a testament to the faith of the followers of the Catholic doctrine.
The symbols contained in the song are as follows:
1st verse - "True Love" refers to God.
2nd verse - "2 Turtle Doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.
3rd verse - "3 French Hens" refers to Faith, Hope, and Charity.
4th verse - "4 Calling Birds" refers to the Four Gospels or the
Four Evangelists.
5th verse - "5 Golden Rings" refers to the first five Books of the
Old Testament.
6th verse - "6 Geese-a-laying" refers to the six days of creation.
7th verse - "7 Swans-a-swimming" refers to the seven sacraments.
8th verse - "8 Maids-a-milking" refers to the eight beatitudes.
9th verse - "9 Ladies dancing" refers to the nine fruits of the
Holy Spirit.
10th verse - "10 Lords-a-leaping" refers to the Ten Commandments.
11th verse - "11 Pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.
12th verse - "12 Drummers drumming" refers to the twelve points
of the Apostle's creed.
I love this song. It is, by far, my favorite Christmas carol. I had no idea
about the symbols contained in the song, until I Googled the song lyrics
one afternoon. I find it very interesting that a song we all know so well could
contain so many hidden meanings. I would never have guessed that it was anything
more than lovely Christmas carol. It's always nice to learn something new, especially
about the wonderful celebration of Christmas. I hope you learned something,
too.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
About the Author
Catherine Spelling absolutely loves spending Christmas with family and friends.
When she is not counting down the days until Christmas, she writes for http://www.christmaslightsanddecorations.com/
- an online resources for all things relating to Christmas and decorations,
with information about Garland, Ornaments, Holiday Decorations and more.
Holiday
De-Stressing Tips for Kids
The holiday season can be a hectic, stressing time
not only for adults, but also for children: lots of
driving around town in traffic jams; schlepping through
overcrowded shopping malls; giving up your room for
out-of-town relatives who emit a funny smell. Yep, it
can be a difficult time. Here
are a few tips to keep your little ones, and yourself,
calm and comfortable during the holiday season.
Click
to read the complete article.
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A Mom's Letter to Santa
You'll chuckle and possibly recognize yourself in this
humorous letter from one Mom to Santa Claus ...
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