Rosemary has long been associated with Christmas and was often used during the middle Ages by the women folk who spread it on the floor and as people walked on it crushing it under foot a pleasant aroma was released.
Tradition
tells us that Rosemary is so fragrant because Mary laid on its branches the
garments of the Christ Child on the night he was born.
The
legend also says that suddenly flowers blossomed on the trees and they bore
abundant fruit even though they were out of season.
If an Elf is wearing earmuffs
Call
him anything you choose
Safe
in the happy knowledge
That
he can’t possibly hear you
It was in Germany that tinsel was first invented, and it was made from real silver.
A
crude machine was used to shred the silver into thin strips which were then
twisted onto a central wire.
This
was indeed a luxury product although and obviously only available to the
privileged classes.
However,
the silver tinsel did not last forever as Silver would tarnish and lose its
shine in time.
Despite
its lack of longevity however it remained in use by those who could afford it
until a cheaper artificial alternative was invented.
A remarkable Christmas story of loss and renewal in which the Boyajian’s have not celebrated Christmas in 11 years not since they lost their son to the Persian Gulf War and their faith was lost with him.
But that all changed when a stranger joined
them, who was around the same age their son would have been.
George (William Devane) struggles with the past and his wife Carol (Meredith
Baxter) searches for answers
and his daughter Jean (Reagan Pasternak) fights
for the future.
They wonder if the stranger, Matthew (Dean
McDermott), is a con artist or if he is perhaps the miracle their family has
been waiting for.
Slowly his influence reawakens their faith
and appreciation of Christmas in a way that will change them forever.
It’s
a lovely endearing tale of small-town America and learning to appreciate what
you have through what you’ve lost.
Since the advent of Cable and Satellite Every Christmas is the same. It used to be bad enough in the old days when there were only three channels to fill but now, we allegedly have more choice the terrestrial channels don’t even try to offer anything that we might consider to be acceptable.
Take
this Christmas just gone, it doesn’t have to be the latest everyone is the same
now, but we will stick with this latest offering as they are freshest in the
memory.
They
really pulled the stops out and so packed was the schedule that they couldn’t
even squeeze in the Great Escape.
Unfortunately,
all five channels were packed with a mixture of repeats and things which should
never be seen again.
Tom
Browns schooldays gave the impression it might brighten an otherwise dull
selection only to disappoint.
However,
the choice plum of the holiday season has to be Uncle Adolph, what were they
thinking, at one-point good old incestuous Uncle Adolph was sat knocking out a
tune on the piano to impress his niece when I thought he was going to burst
into a chorus of “Springtime for Hitler” the play couldn’t have been anymore
ludicrous if he had.
Thankfully
the smug and inanely grinning Miss Marple has been returned to the asylum from
whence she came (hopefully never to be released again) and the writers have
returned to writing daytime soaps for the Outer Mongolia broadcasting
corporation.
Still,
it won’t be long before we’re doing it all again so better get the sprouts on.
A Christmas superstition In Ireland holds that the gates of Heaven open at midnight on Christmas Eve and all those who die on Christmas Day will go straight to Heaven.
The hanging of greens, such as Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe is a British winter tradition with origins far before the Christian era.
Greenery
was used to lift people’s spirits during the long winter and remind them that
spring was not far away.
The
original Garlands were made by intertwining Holly and Ivy into thick vines of
greenery and used in the ancient custom to decorate doorways.
The
Holly and Ivy represented the unity between the dual halves of divinity the
Holly was the Goddess and was feminine while the Ivy was the eternal consort to
the goddess and therefore was masculine in nature.
The
modern Garlands are very colorful but they are artificial and have no other
purpose than to look nice.
