Over the weekend I watched the hallmark movie, Let it Snow. It was a sweet show about a family resort that celebrated Advent and had various traditions from around the world. I thought it would be fun to do a post about traditions around the world, ideas to make your holidays even more special and memorable.

AROUND THE WORLD: Here are some ideas from around the world.

Eastern Orient: In this part of the world children make paper lanterns for their tree, which is called ‘the tree of light and Santa is known as ‘Dun Che Lao Ren’ which means ‘Christmas Old Ma’ They do fireworks as part of the celebrations. Fun Tradition for your family: have a fun lantern you light and send up into the sky or if permitting, light off a few fireworks. Here is a great link to 10 ideas to make your own lanterns http://ingspirations.com/2013/09/07/10-lantern-making-ideas/

Norway: In this part of the world the people celebrate this time of Solstice. Everyone bathes, puts on new clothes for a special dinner of rice pudding that has a hidden lucky almond. They put a large sheaf of grain that they hang out for the birds. Norway is where the Yule Log originated. Fun tradition for your family: Make special pine cones or throw bird seed out for the birds. Here is a link to a recipe to make your own bird feeder with pine cones http://www.mykidsadventures.com/pinecone-bird-feeder/

Swiss: In this part of the world gifts are brought by the ‘ChristKind’ or St. Nicholas or even Father Christmas. THe week before Christmas, children dress up and visit homes with small gifts. Bell ringing and mass is followed by family gatherings where huge homemade doughnuts, called ringli and hot cocoa are shared. Here is a fun tradition you could invite your family to join in…Saint Lucia’s Day, December 13, in the first light of dawn the oldest daughter dresses in a white robe and wakes the rest of the family to serve them breakfast. 

Russia: In this part of the world St. Nicholas is especially popular. The Christmas Eve dinner is meatless but festive. The most important part of the meal is a special porridge called kutya. It is made of wheat berries, which symbolize hope and immortality, and honey and poppy seeds which ensure happiness, success and untroubled rest. Fun Tradition: Try a meatless dinner that you make together as a family OR do something special with poppy seeds in your breads.

Scotland: In this part of the world the people celebrate this time of year with big bonfires and dance around them while playing bagpipes. Bannock cakes made of oatmeal are traditionally eaten at Christmas. They decorate their homes with holy wreathes, candles and tinsel and the tree is decorated with baubles. Fun Tradition: Decorate with baubles. Here is a idea link http://www.workingberlinmum.com/2013/11/handmade-christmas-make-your-own.html

Australia: In this part of the world the holiday is in the middle of the summer, so it is usually enjoyed going to the beach and having a family picnic. They decorate Christmas bushes, hang wreaths and have contests for the best light displays. When Santa arrives to Australia he gives the reindeer a rest and uses six white ‘boomers’ (kangaroos) and changes his clothes so he is not so hot!! The main Christmas meal is eaten at lunch time and is usually a bbq or fish. Fun Tradition: Have a fun Christmas bbq during the holidays.

France: Santa is known as Pere Noel. They have a special dinner at midnight on December 24th called Le Reveillon. Fun Tradition: having a special dinner on Christmas Eve, but I also like the idea that there is a special place (shoes/stocking) where a special gift can be left to remind us of the baby Jesus.

OTHER FUN TRADITIONS you could include in your holiday season this year:  

From Germany: Put out wooden shoes (or you can put shoes or boots near the fireplace) out on December 6th. Have everyone in the family buy a tiny present to put in the shoes for one another OR you could have each person write something nice about the other members of your family. A few years ago I found some wooden clogs on a local classified post & we cut strips of paper & write kind things & then we share them over dinner.

From England: English Crackers, colorful paper tubes with small toys and candy inside. When pulled apart, the traditional crackers make a loud snapping noise, giving the crackers their name.

Make these at home from toilet paper tubes. Stick tiny story books, hard candy, chocolates and small toys inside each tube and stuff some tissue paper in after them to keep them from falling out. Wrap each tube in wrapping paper, gathering the ends of the wrapping paper and tying them closed with ribbon. The next day, your children can each grip the end of a cracker and pull them apart. They won’t make noise, but you can sprinkle glitter or confetti on the inside of the wrapping paper for an extra surprise.

From China: Include a paper chain on your Christmas tree. At our home we invite all our guests to write something they are grateful for on a strip of wrapping paper and then we chain them together.

From Denmark: make homemade tree decorations and then gather around the tree and sing hymns.

From Mexico: Celebrate with a pinnate or luminaries. Make your own paper luminaries. They also enjoy Lilies and evergreens. Maybe share a christmas lilly with those you love. Here is a sweet luminary jar you could make http://diyandcrafts.com/pin/2139/

From the Movie Let it Snow

St. Thomas Night: (This was in the movie Let it Snow) In Austria, legend says that unmarried girls can see their future on St. Thomas Night, if they climb into bed over a stool and throw their shoes toward the door, the toes of the shoes pointing downward. If they sleep with their heads at the foot of the bead, the dreams will reveal visions of their future husbands. Also, if a single woman on St. Thomas Day can pick out a young rooster from among a brood of sleeping chicks, she will soon obtain a husband, or see him in her dreams. Celebrated December 21st

Feast of the Seven Fishes: The Feast of the Seven Fishes is part of the Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration. Today, it is a feast that typically consists of seven different seafood dishes. It originates, however, from Southern Italy, where it is known as The Vigil (La Vigilia). However, some Italian-American families have been known to celebrate with nine, eleven or thirteen different seafood dishes. This celebration commemorates the wait, the Vigilia di Natale, for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.

Building Gingerbread houses: It is widely known that monasteries were one of the first places to sell gingerbread. It wasn’t until gingerbread found its way to Britain that it started being painted. It was displayed in shop windows and became the popular holiday treat we now know today.

Special Ornaments for the Tree: It is often a favorite tradition for families to purchase a new ornament to symbolize the new year or the previous memories from the year. Many ornaments are also purchased to symbolize firsts.

Lighting of the Christmas tree: This is a great and in-depth article of the origins of lighting of the christmas trees. http://gizmodo.com/5425395/christmas-lights-the-brief-and-strangely-interesting-history-of    This is a beautiful tradition that lights up the holiday season, during one of the darkest periods of the year. Thank heavens for light!

ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS:

History of the Christmas Ornament:  

Christmas wasn’t widely celebrated in the United States until the 1800s, however, because of the Puritans’ influence. As a result, decorated trees did not become widely popular until people saw the ornaments brought to America by families emigrating from Germany and England in the 1840s.

Ornaments became a big hit. F.W. Woolworth of five-and-dime fame had reluctantly stocked his stores with German-made ornaments in 1880. By 1890, he was selling $25 million worth of ornaments at nickel and dime prices.

The ornaments available at that time primarily were German hand-cast lead and hand-blown glass decorations. As time passed, the ornaments became more elaborate – and expensive. Silk and wool thread, chenille and tinsel embellished many of them. Stiff spun glass appeared as angel and butterfly wings; tinsel was used on fancy flower baskets, vases, air balloons and egg zeppelins.

Germany faced virtually no competition until 1925. Then Japan began producing ornaments in large quantities for export to this country. Czechoslovakia also entered the field with many fancy ornaments. By 1935, more then 250 million Christmas tree ornaments were being imported to the United States.  (Hallmark.com)

Beautiful glass ball ornament that you create yourself…http://ayellowbicycle.blogspot.com/2011/11/pinterest-challenge-painted-ornaments.html

The Legend of the Candy Cane

Many years ago, a candymaker wanted to make a candy at Christmas time that would serve as a witness to his Christian faith. He wanted to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus.
He began with a stick of pure white hard candy. The white symbolized the virgin birth and the sinless life of Jesus.
He made the candy hard to symbolize the that Jesus is the solid rock and the foundation of the church. The firmness also represents the promises of God.
The candy maker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. He thought it could also represent the staff of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
The candy maker then added red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received, by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could be forgiven and have the promise of eternal life.
The flavor of mint is similar to hyssop. In Old Testament times, hyssop was associated with purification and sacrifice.

St. Nicholas

Saint Nicholas also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek^[5] Bishop of Myra(Demre, part of modern-day Turkey)^[6] in Lycia. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker . He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series ofelisions and corruptions of the transliteration of “Saint Nikolaos”. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints. (wikpedia)