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| Blogs > dinty3 > It's in the book |
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Only 45 days to the First day of Christmas, and so it begins. Stay calm now, I bought my first Christmas gift yesterday. Now it is watch and listen for clues from those around you. In fact, today (while grocery shopping) I heard mrsdinty say "I need that" and later an oooh that's nice for something else. Ha, on my way to three down soon. I will give some ideas for stocking stuffers soon. But first here is one story on the first Christmas tree: The first Christmas tree, legend has it, was an evergreen that sprang from the center of an oak cut down by St. Boniface in Germany, in the 8th century. The oak was sacred to the pagan religion practiced then, and chopping it down symbolized that the old beliefs were no more. As the new tree reached up to the sky, St. Boniface told the crowd: "This... shall be your Holy tree. It is the sign of endless life, for its leaves are evergreen. See how it points toward the heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christ ; gather about it in your homes and surround it with loving gifts and rites of kindness." However, it wasn't until the early 17th century that the Christmas tree really became a part of the holiday celebration. European families brought it into their homes and decorated it with homemade ornaments, such as paper roses, candies and cookies. and with candles which represented the stars in the sky over Bethlehem. Later, as immigrants came to America from all over Europe, these beautiful traditions came with them. There are other stories of how the first Christmas tree came to be, this is one that I remember. Aside: President Franklin Pierce (1804 - 1869) arranged to have the first Christmas tree in the White House during the mid 1850s. President Calvin Coolidge (1885 - 1933) started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the White House lawn in 1923 To early to think of Christmas? Maybe, but I wont be caught in the rush a week or two before the Holiday, or have to say where did the time go. |
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Thank you Dinty for that story... how delightful!! We still do the gift exchange but nothing elaborate (I feel it's the thought) ... plus I try not to go all crazy beforehand. As a matter of fact, I was in a store last week & saw something I know my neighbour will adore so I bought it for her!
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We rarely do adult gifts, unless someone really needs or wants something specific and then we will combine our resources and buy a major gift from all of us......There are usually a dozen adults at our family Christmas dinners.....what we do is bring one gift and put it in a pile and we each take one.......we make a ceremony out of it and we usually contribute gifts that will add to the fun......silly hats, slippers or jokes. We do give more serious gifts to the younger children and sometimes adults that are opened on Christmas Eve.......Our family comes from many different traditions, so we tend to mix it up.Last year I gave snowman poop and Grinch pills.........I got a lovely set of bar glasses that I have never removed from their box.
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I'm glad to see someone understands...... many think it is strange that we don't exchange gifts. Joe doesn't drive any more, so he can't go shopping without me. Takes any surprise out of a gift if I'm there when he buys it, LOL. And besides, what do we need or want? We just go get it when the need arises. Our children usually give us gift cards and those are really nice. We do still give $ to younger grandchildren on their birthdays and for Christmas, but that stops when they graduate high school. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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I've heard of folks starting to shop for the next Christmas at the after Christmas sales! My uncle and aunt could not afford to shop before his last paycheck with his bonus on the payday before Christmas. We went shopping with them one year, and it really was fun......... all the hustle and bustle and last minute sales. Now? Joe and I usually don't even exchange gifts. Sad, eh? Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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Dinty, those are Interesting facts about the first Christmas tree and how the tradition started. I would recommend that when you and the little wifey are in a store, you keep her moving, if you let them stop for a single instant, they will see something they CANNOT manage without!!
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