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12 Point Checklist for Buying Your Business Christmas Cards
1. Determine how many Christmas cards you will need. Will they all need to be the same Christmas card with the same personalization or will some need to be different? Will you be buying just for your immediate office or are there other branches that...
Christmas Decorating: Create A Lifelike Santa In Your Bathroom
If you love to go all out with your Christmas decorating, here is a whimsical, original idea for your bathroom:
Materials needed:
White shower curtain, canvas, or fabric (a new canvas drop cloth works great)
Shower curtain liner (to protect...
Christmas in Budapest
Are you going to celebrate Christmas in Budapest with Hungarian friends? I tell you some essential information about opening hours, public transport and some interesting Hungarian Christmas traditions.
In mid-November Budapest starts to prepare...
I Don't Want To Do Christmas!
Marianne sat on the edge of her seat, leaning towards me and,
through her sobs and hiccoughs, stated very clearly, "I don't
want to do Christmas!" "I can't, I just can't."
Marianne was one of my clients, a middle-aged woman whose
husband had...
Wreath Christmas Tree
Do you live in an apartment or small house? Chances are, you
don't have a lot of floor space on which to put a Christmas
tree. On the other hand, there is often unused wall space. This
is a fun and novel project to solve your tree dilemma.
...
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Christmas and the Mistletoe Tradition
Have you ever wondered where some of our modern traditions came from? As the Christmas season approaches, I have been doing some research regarding certain holiday-related topics. My findings may surprise even the biggest scrooge!
Mistletoe has been revered by certain cultures for many, many years. The ancient Celts of Britain felt that Mistletoe held sacred powers of healing, and that it contained the soul of the tree from which it was cut. In the Celtic language, Mistletoe means "All Heal".
The Druids also had an interesting ceremony that included Mistletoe. The pagan priests of the time would carefully cut boughs of Mistletoe from the sacred Oak tree with a golden sickle. They were ever careful not to let the boughs touch the ground, for fear of contaminating them. The priests then divided these boughs into sprigs, and gave them to the people to protect them from storms and other forms of evil.
Mistletoe has also been included in many famous myths from earlier times. The Norse myth that comes to mind is that of the resurrection of Balder, the god of the summer sun. The myth states that Balder had a dream in which he dies. His mother Frigga, the goddess of beauty and love, was rather alarmed by this. Frigga went to all of the elements (air, fire, water, and earth) and asked that they spare her son. When she was satisfied that she had secured their cooperation in this matter, she informed Balder that he would live forever.
Balder had one enemy, though.
Loki, the god of evil, discovered one plant that Frigga had overlooked. That plant was Mistletoe. Loki fashioned an arrow made from the branch of the Mistletoe, and dipped it in poison. He then tricked Balder's blind brother, Hoder, into firing it and killing Balder. Each of the elements tried to bring Balder back to life, but none were successful save for his mother, Frigga. It is said that her tears turned into the berries from the Mistletoe, and when they rained upon Balder they brought him back to life.
In her joy at Balder's resurrection, she reversed the poisonous reputation of the Mistletoe and kissed everyone who walked beneath the tree on which it grew. She also issued a decree that anyone passing under the Mistletoe must kiss, and therefore no harm would come to them.
I love that story, and I think of it each year as I hang the Mistletoe in my home. The tradition of kissing under the Mistletoe seems to have faded somewhat in modern times. So I'm going to hang it in every doorway I pass under during this Christmas season!
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 christmaslightsanddecorations.com - an online resources for all things relating to Christmas and decorations, with information about Christmas tree ornaments, Christmas candles, Christmas lights and more.
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