THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS COINCIDENCE (2018)

 

As Christmas rapidly approaches, Paula (Kimberley Sustad), a St. Louis antique appraiser, reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal from her workaholic attorney boyfriend, Daniel (Giles Panton).

When she tells her Aunt Jane (Kathie Lee Gifford), she senses that Paula has mixed emotions over the engagement, and invites Paula to her Nantucket home.

But upon her arrival, her Aunt explains that she needs to meet with her publisher so Paula takes a day trip to the nearby island of Martha's Vineyard where she meets Gery Conover (Paul Campbell), the kind hearted and charming owner of the Charlotte Inn.

But when bad weather prevents her from departing, Paula winds up staying at Gery's inn and enjoying the local holiday festivities alongside him and they begin to have feelings for each other but when the weather clears up, they part ways and Paula returns to Nantucket.

On her return Aunt Jane senses she's fallen for Gery, and shares with Paula her belief that their meeting was God's way of “winking” at her to help determine which direction her life should take.

But would Paula take the hint and accept that she and Daniel were not compatible and that her future was with Gery on Martha’s Vineyard.

THE STARVING OF SYRACUSE

 

A terrible famine struck Sicily and hunger had weakened the people greatly.

So in Syracuse a large group went to the church and prayed to Santa Lucia for deliverance from the famine.

While they prayed a ship loaded with grain sailed into the harbor and they were saved.

So to celebrate Santa Lucia day and to commemorate the miracle the Italians feast on a boiled wheat dish they call Cuccia or Cuccidata.

FREYA

 

When Christianity reached Scandinavia, St Lucia dethroned a pagan goddess to become the most revered female figure.

In Norse mythology the pagan goddess Freya was the most beautiful goddess of love and fertility to whom sacrifices were offered at Yule.

She was the daughter of the god Njord and the sister of Freyr and married to the mysterious god Od who disappeared, she mourned so much for the loss of her husband that she wept tears of gold.

Freya wore the bright necklace of the Brisings and a cloak of bird feathers which allowed her to change into a falcon, and

her chariot was pulled by two cats.

I TRIED MY HAND AT FORTUNE TELLING

 

I tried my hand at fortune telling

Using an old snow globe

And I became very good at predicting

Really cold winters

ST LUCIA OF SYRACUSE

 

Lucia was born to a noble and prosperous family in Syracuse on the island of Sicily.

It was in the days of Diocletian and his persecution of Christian’s that Lucia carried food and drink to Christians hiding in dark underground tunnels.

In order To light her way she wore a wreath of candles on her head.

Lucia’s father was long dead and her ailing widowed mother, Eutychia, planned to marry the beautiful young Lucia to a pagan bachelor.

Lucia however had no interest in marriage and spurned the suggestion of marriage and told her mother she had no want of worldly goods and she had vowed to remain a virgin in the tradition of St. Agatha, at whose tomb she regularly prayed for help and for three years she managed to keep the marriage on hold.

To change her mother Eutychia's mind about the girl's new faith, Lucy prayed long at the tomb of St Agatha.

Miraculously her mother's long hemorrhagic illness was cured and to show her gratitude to her devout daughter the grateful mother was ready to exceed to Lucia’s wish to give herself to prayer and poverty and commit her life to god.

The young pagan suitor, Paschasius, was less understanding and was so angry that he denounced her as a Christian to the Roman authorities.

In keeping with the Emperor Diocletian’s edict to eradicate Christianity the Roman governor sentenced her to be taken to a brothel and forced into prostitution.

The Romans were thwarted in their efforts after divine intervention as Lucia became rooted to the spot and was thus immovable and the Romans could not carry her away even when they hitched her to a team of oxen.

Not to be diverted after they tortured her and tore her eyes out the Romans next condemned her to death by fire, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afirebut after another divine intervention she proved impervious to the flames.

In the end a roman soldier pierced her neck with a sword and she died.

Miraculously her eyesight was restored before her death which is why she is the patron saint of the blind.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE CHRISTMAS CURE (2017)

 

Emergency room doctor Vanessa Turner (Brooke Nevin) returns to her home town for the first time in years to spend Christmas with her family to find that her father Bruce (Patrick Duffy) has decided to retire from his own practice.

Back at the hospital she is one of the candidates for the head of Emergency Medicine but after reconnecting with her high school sweetheart Mitch (Steve Byers), she must decide whether that is still what she wants or should she stay and take over her father's practice.

CHRISTMAS HILL PARK

 

Christmas Hill Park is near Gilroy, California and boasts a large amphitheater and an extensive network of paved and dirt trails for bikes and walkers alike.