White Christmas

Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" a song that paints a picture of holiday nostalgia for the 1942 film Holiday Inn. It is the most performed Christmas song in history, with more than 500 versions recorded.

Irving Berlin foresaw its success when he wrote "White Christmas", telling his secretary, “I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!”

Berlin was tapped to present the Best Original Song at the 1942 Academy Awards. The Winner turned out to be "White Christmas"  and to this day Berlin remains the only Oscar presenter to present the award to him/her self in any category.

Bing Crosby's version of "White Christmas" is the best-selling single of all time, having sold more than 50 million copies. He originally recorded it on May 29, 1942 with help from the Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter's Orchestra. At the advice of Bing's record producer Jack Kapp, the original first verse about being sunny in California was cut as it made no sense outside of the context of the film.

"White Christmas" became a huge hit, spending 11 weeks on the Billboard sales charts in late 1942 and early 1943.

This recording was so successful that repeated pressings supposedly wore out the master. Crosby returned to the studio on March 19, 1947, using the same backing singers in an attempt to re-create the original recording as closely as possible. The new version was the one that was a hit almost every year from 1947 through 1962. It was honoured with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1974.

Ironically Christmas was always a bittersweet time for the Berlin family. Irving and Eileen Berlin's only son, Irving, Jr., died at only a few weeks old, of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, on Christmas Day, 1928. Every year, on Christmas Day, the Berlins would lay a Christmas wreath on his grave, a tradition their heirs carry on today.

Irving Berlin was so offended by Elvis Presley's 1957 rock 'n' roll version of "White Christmas" that he had his staff call radio stations across the country, urging their personnel not to play it.

'White Christmas' ended the Vietnam War in 1975 – it was used as the radio code signal for the evacuation of Vietnamese people who had assisted the US from Saigon.

Source Songfacts

Silent Night

Disaster hit the church at St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria when the church organ broke down just before the Christmas of 1818. The priest, 26-year-old Father Josef Mohr, realized it couldn't be repaired in time to provide music on Christmas Eve. He recounted his troubles to his friend, a headmaster and amateur composer named Franz Gruber, while giving him as a present a poem he had written two years earlier. Gruber was so taken by the rhythm of the poem that he came up with an instrumental accompaniment,

On Christmas Eve 1818 there was music after all at St. Nicholas. Mohr played his guitar while the pair sung the song. It was the first public performance of "Stille Nacht" or "Silent Night".

Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. Photograph by Gakuro

When the organ builder, Carl Mauracher, finally did show up to repair the St. Nicholas organ, he was given a copy of the "Silent Night" composition and brought it home. From there, traveling folk singers got a hold of the tune and began incorporating the carol into their repertoire. The first edition was published by Friese (de) in 1833 in a collection of Four Genuine Tyrolean Songs.

"Silent Night" didn’t find universal fame until the 1850s when it became a favorite of the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm  IV.

As the song gained popularity throughout Europe, Franz Gruber composed several different orchestral arrangements. He donated all profits from the carol to local charities for children and the elderly, and eventually died penniless in 1863.

Autograph (c. 1860) of the carol by Franz Gruber

An Episcopal priest John Freeman Young, then serving at Trinity Church, New York City, wrote and published in 1859 the English translation that is most frequently sung today, translated from three of Mohr's original six verses.

Bing Crosby’s version is the third best-selling single of all time.

On Spotify there are over 26,000 different versions of "Silent Night," meaning you could listen to a different rendition of the carol every night for 72 years.

A version titled "A Very Silent Night" was released as a Christmas single by the New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in 2007. It was recorded at frequencies too high for humans to hear, but the song is audible to most dogs. It proved very popular in New Zealand, where it topped the singles chart, raising about $20,000 for the SPCA.

Music licensing company PPL announced in December 2010 that this carol tops the list of Britain's "most recorded Christmas song of all time." Said Mike Dalby, Lead Reporting Analyst at PPL: "Silent Night is a beautiful carol which encapsulates the feeling of Christmas entirely. Everyone from punk band The Dickies right through to Sinead O'Connor has recorded it, which exemplifies just how much it resonates with all different types of artists."

Source Much of this material was originally written for Songfacts

Santa Claus

HISTORY

Although the characters "Santa Claus" and "Father Christmas" have for most practical purposes been merged, historically the characters have different origins and are not identical.

Santa Claus portrayed by children's tv producer Jonathan Meath. By Jonathan G Meath 

First recorded in Tudor England and pre-dating the first recording of Santa Claus, Father Christmas was a jolly well nourished man who typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, bringing peace, joy, good food and wine and revelry.

A similar figure with the same name (in translation) exists in many other countries, including Canada and France (Père Noël), Spain (Papá Noel, Padre Noel) and almost all Hispanic South America (Papá Noel).

The 17th century Dutch settlers version of Santa Claus was tall, slender, dignified and most importantly, beard-less.

The American version of the tradition, Santa Claus, is derived from Bishop Nicholas of Myra who died in Asia Minor aged 73 on December 6, 343. Among his other attributes, Nicholas was noted for his care of children, generosity and the giving of gifts. He was accompanied by helpers, and inquired about the behaviour of children during the past year before deciding if they deserved gifts or not. The church and legend transformed him into jolly old Saint Nicholas.

13th-century depiction of St. Nicholas from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai

The familiar image of Santa Claus with flying reindeer and entry down chimneys, began in America with poetry. On December 23, 1822, Dr Clement Clarke Moore, a university professor, wrote a poem for his children. He called it "A Visit from St. Nicholas." The work was never meant for publication, for he feared he would be ridiculed for writing children's verse. A friend, however, sent a copy to a newspaper and very soon the poem became famous across the United States.

At first Santa Claus was drawn in his bishop robes, but with possible influences from the earlier English figure of Father Christmas. German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast's image of him, based on the traditional German figures of Sankt Nikolaus and Weihnachtsmann began the journey towards today's image of him as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man.

Nast's Santa Claus on the cover of the January 3, 1863, issue of Harper's Weekly

By the 1880's Santa Claus had evolved into the robed, fur clad form we now recognize.

In 1890, the first department store Santa appeared—James Edgar, a store owner, brought joy to his patrons by dressing up as the character.

 Man dressed as Santa Claus fundraisingt in Chicago in 1902, 

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" is the title of a famous editorial that appeared in The New York Sun on September 21, 1897. The editorial was written by Francis Pharcellus Church, a veteran newspaper editor and reporter. He wrote it in response to a letter sent to The New York Sun by 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon where she asked whether Santa Claus truly existed, as some of her friends had told her otherwise. Church's response sought to reassure her and capture the spirit of Christmas.

Since its initial publication in the New York Sun on September 21, 1897, the "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial has been reprinted countless times. The New York Sun itself regularly republished it during the Christmas season until their closure in 1950. Other newspapers and publications have followed suit, making it a staple of holiday reading for generations. It is widely considered the most reprinted editorial in the English language.

Until the 1930s, depictions of Santa Claus had him wearing a green cloak. Santa Claus as we know him today, with white beard, red tunic, hat and trousers trimmed with white fur, was created by an American commercial artist, Haddon Sundblom for a 1931 Coca-Cola advertisement.

The Coca Cola American adverts portrayed Santa in a red suit because that was the color they used for their ads.

When Coca-Cola created the modern image of Santa Claus in their advertisements, Santa was depicted without a wedding ring, causing fans to write to the drinks company asking whether he was still married to Mrs. Claus.

Shirley Temple stopped believing in Santa at the age of 6 after her mother took her to see him in a department store and he asked for her autograph.

Leaving cookies and milk for Santa started to become popular in the U.S during the Great Depression. Parents wanted to teach their children it was better to give and to be grateful for presents they received during times of economic hardship.

The Charles W Howard Santa School, Michigan is the world’s oldest Santa school. It began in 1937.

The tradition behind NORAD Tracks Santa began on December 24, 1955, thanks to a printing error. A Colorado Springs newspaper accidentally listed the classified phone number of the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD)—NORAD’s predecessor—in a Sears Roebuck “call Santa” ad. When children started dialing, Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup answered, expecting a Cold War emergency, and instead found himself fielding calls for Santa. Rather than hang up, he told his staff to “track” Santa on radar and give updates—turning a military defense center into a Christmas tradition that still continues today.

In 1974, staff at Canada Post's Montreal office were noticing a considerable number of letters addressed to Santa Claus entering the postal system, and those missives were being treated as undeliverable. They created the H0H 0H0 ("ho ho ho") postcode and started responding to children's previously unanswered letters. Now they answer one million letters per year, many of them originating from outside Canada, in the letter's native language.

In 2009, a man dressed as Santa Claus robbed a bank in Tennessee: he claimed he needed money to 'pay his elves'.

Lloyd's of London issued in 2010 the first insurance policy to protect Santa Claus. The policy covered Santa until December 25th in the event of accident and illness, in the run up to and during his worldwide travels to deliver presents to good children.

FUN SANTA FACTS

In the Marvel comics Santa Claus is actually the world's most powerful mutant ever registered by the X-Men.

Santa has his own postal code – HOH OHO – in Canada.

There is a Santa Claus museum in Columbus, Texas.

The Santa Claus Museum in Columbus, Texas

Since 1937, hundreds of Santas a year have attended the Santa School in Michigan, with curriculum including Santa history, sign language, handling difficult present requests, sleigh flight lessons, and the habits of live reindeer.

Santa was number one on Forbes list of the world's richest fictional people with an infinite wealth to give children.

While American children famously leave milk and cookies for Santa Claus, Irish kids put out mince pies and a bottle of Guinness.

Instead of Santa Claus, Dutch children wait for “Sinterklaas” and his helper Black Pete on December 6. If the kids left shoes filled with hay and sugar for Sinterklaas’ horse, he will refill the shoes with candy and nuts.

Sinterklaas arriving in the Dutch town of Schiedam in 2009. By Sander van der Wel 

 In China, Santa Claus is often depicted with a saxophone and no-one seems to know why.

Santa Claus received 670 votes in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Santa's reindeer were introduced in the poem "A Visit From St Nicholas" written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1823. He named eight reindeer. Rudolph was only added in 1939.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, was created in 1939, in Chicago, for the Montgomery Ward department stores for a Christmas promotional booklet. The lyrics were written as a poem by Robert May, but weren't set to music until 1947. Gene Autry recorded the hit song in 1949.

Promotional booklet cover of the original story by Robert L. May. Wikipedia

The original Rankin-Bass holiday favorite Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964 on NBC.  It is currently the longest running Christmas special on US television.

Rudolph is copyrighted - Chuck Berry had to pay up when he wrote a rock song about the famous reindeer ("Run Rudolph Run").

The idea of ‘Rudolph The Red Nosed-Reindeer’ having a bright red nose was originally rejected as a red nose is a signifier of chronic alcoholism.

Rudolph's nose would actually be useful to Santa's reindeer—their ultraviolet winter vision would be rendered useless by fog.

Rudolph should probably be depicted without antlers as male reindeer shed theirs in winter.

Poinsettia

The poinsettia, traditionally an American Christmas flower, was originally grew in Mexico.

HISTORY

Poinsettias were used by the Aztecs to produce red dye and as a medication for fever.

In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called Cuitlaxochitl, meaning "flower with leather petals" and it was believed to represent the new life that warriors attain in battle.

The name of the plant in Mexico, "Nochebuena" literally means "a good night" in Spanish, but this is also the name that is given to Christmas Eve, so for Mexicans, this is the Christmas Eve flower.

Leaves, bracts, and flowers at Jayanti in Buxa Tiger Reserve in  India. By J.M.Garg 

The plant's association with Christmas began in 16th-century Mexico, where a peasant girl, commonly called Pepita or Maria, was anxious to bring a gift in celebration of Jesus' birthday to the Christmas Eve service. She had nothing of value, though, so she went empty-handed. On her way to the church she met an angel, who told her to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Miraculously, crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became poinsettias.

Franciscan friars in Mexico started to include the plants in their Christmas celebrations from the 17th century and the Poinsettias became popular decorations for Mexican churches and homes during the Christmas festival.

A red Poinsettia. By André Karwath aka Aka  Wikipedia Commons

The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus.

The poinsettia - pronounced "poyn-SET-ee-ah" or "poyn-SET-ah" - is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, who served as the USA's first ambassador to Mexico, from 1825 to 1829. During that time he came to admire a shrub with brightly-colored red leaves encircling small, greenish-yellow blossoms, which the Mexicans had adopted as their Christmas flower. He liked it so much that he sent specimens back to the USA, where they soon flourished.

Poinsett grew the beautiful plants in his Greenville, South Carolina plantation and gave them out as gifts to friends.

Poinsettia Day was officially declared by an Act of Congress. It is in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, who died on December 12, 1851.

DESCRIPTION

The true flowers of the poinsettia are small and yellow. They are surrounded by much larger, colourful modified leaves called bracts. The bracts turn most often from green to a bright red during flowering, but they can also be orange, pale green, cream, pink, white, or marbled.

In Mexico, the poinsettia is a perennial shrub that can grow up 12 feet high. In the US commercial growers have bred dwarf varieties that can thrive as potted plants.

Today, the poinsettia is the highest selling potted flowering plant in U.S.

Sources Europress Encyclopedia,  About.com, Stl Public Radio

Pantomime

HISTORY

The pantomime is a British Christmas entertainment for children. The word is made up of two Greek words, "panto" means all kinds and "mimos" is a type of silent acting which we still know today as mime.

Pantomime really began as an entertainment for adults. It can be traced back to the pantomimos in Ancient Greece, the name given to a masked dancer, who by movement and gesture alone represented the different characters in a short scene based on classical history or mythology.

2nd-century Macedonian theatrical sculpture, representing a pantomime's mask. By Fkitselis 

The pantomimus wore the costume of the tragic actor--a long cloak and a silken tunic--and a mask with no mouthpiece, changing it when necessary.

The Roman pantomime drew upon the Greek tragedy and other Greek genres from its inception. These silent comedies were enjoyed particularly during the Roman Saturnalia festivities, a midwinter feast, at which everything was supposed to be turned upside-down. Men dressed up as women and women as men. Pantomime dames (men comically dressed up as women) and principal boys (young women dressed up as boys) are the modern day equivalent.

The Roman tradition of mime was brought to Britain during the Roman occupation.

Twentieth-century British pantomime developed from the continental commedia dell'arte, the Italian tradition of improvised theater that developed in the Early Modern Period. The stories had many 'stock' characters in them such as clowns and a 'baddie'. Over the years traditional plots became mixed up with fairy stories, folk tales, or tales from the Arabian Nights.

By the 17th century, adaptations of the commedia characters had become familiar in English entertainments. From these, the standard English harlequinade developed, a mix of dance, music, and slapstick comedy depicting the eloping lovers Harlequin and Columbine, pursued by the girl's foolish, haggard father Pantaloon and his comic servants Clown and Pierrot.

Christmas Pantomime color lithograph bookcover, 1890, showing the harlequinade characters

Characters such as Mother Goose, still a panto favourite today, were familiar to 18th- and early 19th-century audiences through the performances of the great clown Joseph Grimaldi at Drury Lane Theatre. His act inspired many routines and panto traditions.

It was during the Victorian age that pantomime as we know it became the most popular of all Christmas entertainment for children. They didn't get to bed till late though. Victorian pantomimes starting at 7pm often didn't finish until midnight.

Dan Leno and Herbert Campbell in Babes in the Wood, 1897, at the Drury Lane Theatre

The traditional figures from the commedia dell'arte gradually disappeared, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries pantomimes were considerably changed due the popularity of the music-hall. The stars of the day – comedians and music hall artistes – often changed the plot out of all recognition, just so they could do their own normal routines and modern pop stars and television personalities continue this tradition.

The English music hall star Dan Leno (December 20, 1860 – October 31, 1904), was best known for his dame roles in the annual pantomimes that were popular at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, from 1888 to 1904. He was paid £200 for each of the pantomime seasons. Leno turned the character from an incidental role into the main attraction of Christmas theatre. He considered the dame roles in two of his last pantomimes, Bluebeard (1901) and Mother Goose (1902), to be his favorites. Leno later became known as ‘the King’s Jester’ after entertaining Edward VII at Sandringham.

Leno as Mother Goose

In 1900, the 11-year-old Charlie Chaplin's brother Sydney helped him get the role of a comic cat in the pantomime Cinderella.

Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret acted in a number of pantomimes during World War Two. The future queen's roles included playing the part of Prince Florizel in Cinderella in 1941.

Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret in a Windsor Castle wartime performance of Aladdin

MODERN PANTOMIME

Today the pantomime is traditionally performed at Christmas. It is a show for children, but adults generally enjoy them as well.

Usually a well-known story is told. Among  the centuries old tales that are retold in the 'panto' are Babes in the Wood, which first appeared in England over 500 years ago and Puss in Boots and The Sleeping Beauty, which are over 450 years old. Others include Snow White, which was first printed  in Giambattista Basile's 1634 Pentamerone and Cinderella, which was first published in Paris in 1697.  In 1717 The Arabian Nights stories were translated into English and some became pantomimes, including, Aladdin and His Magic Lantern, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Sinbad the Sailor. Dick Whittington, Goldilocks, Robinson Crusoe, The Three Little Pigs and Robin Hood are all Victorian creations.

Today, the pantomime season lasts from December to February and has become a traditional part of the British Christmas festivities.

The world record for the fastest 100m by a pantomime horse (female) is just over 18 seconds by two Brits — Samantha Kavanagh (front) and Melissa Archer (rear).

Sources Tamworth Herald, Compton's Encyclopedia, Microsoft® Encarta® 99 Encyclopedia.

The Nutcracker

After the success of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty, the St Petersburg Opera commissioned the Russian composer to write another score. He was asked to compose the music to accompany an adaption of a 1816 German story, E.T.A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, that they wanted to perform as a ballet.

According to German folklore, nutcrackers are given as good luck charms, and help to ward off evil. Hard-shelled nuts were often hung from Christmas trees, hence the nutcracker doll becoming a 19th Century festive staple.

The story is about a little girl who dreams that she is transported to a land of sweets and magic by the Nutcracker Prince and at first Tchaikovsky was unhappy with the setting of a Christmas party for children. However. the choreographer persuaded him by giving exact specifications of the rhythms and tempos needed for each dance.

The ballet was premièred at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on December 18, 1892. The original production was not a success, one critic called it "completely insipid." However, the 20-minute "Nutcracker Suite" that Tchaikovsky extracted from the ballet was well received - the Sugar Plum Fairy supposedly received five curtain calls.

The original production of The Nutcracker St. Petersburg, 1892 Wikipedia

One novelty in Tchaikovsky's original score was the use of the celesta, a percussion instrument, which produces a bell-like sound. The composer had secretly bought the newly invented glockenspiel-like instrument in Paris and he used it for the character of the Sugar Plum Fairy to characterize her because of its "heavenly sweet sound."

The Odeon label released the first ever long-playing album in 1909 when it released the "Nutcracker Suite" by Tchaikovsky on four double-sided discs in a specially designed package.

The Nutcracker was not performed in Western Europe until 1934 when it premiered in London. The complete Nutcracker has enjoyed enormous popularity since George Balanchine's 1954 production in New York and is now performed by countless ballet companies, primarily during the Christmas season,

The original manuscript of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite was found on December 9, 1946 in wastepaper bought to cover the walls of a flat in St Petersburg, then Leningrad.

Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas was born to a wealthy Christian Greek family in the city of Patara in ca. 280 AD. Patara is a port on the south-west coast of Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey near the modern small town of Gelemiş.

St. Nicholas lived most of his life in the nearby town of Myra.

He suffered persecution under the Emperor Diocletian, who exiled and imprisoned Nicholas. During this period he suffered a broken nose.

A 13th-century depiction of St. Nicholas from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai

As Bishop of Myra, he is believed to have attended the Council of Nicaea in 325, at which the date of Christmas as December 25 was fixed.

According to research on his bones in 2005, St Nicholas was five feet tall.

Many stories, some miraculous, are told about Nicholas. On one occasion he brought back to life three children, who had been killed by a malicious butcher during a famine. They had been placed in a barrel to be cured and sold as ham.

Saint Nicholas is also said to have helped three poor girls who couldn't afford a dowry to get married by throwing purses of money through their window. The idea of Santa Claus coming down chimneys to deliver presents has its origin in that story.

The dowry for the three virgins (Gentile da Fabriano, c. 1425, Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome).

Saint Nicholas died on December 6, 343 AD. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting silver coins in the shoes of his followers, and during the Middle Ages, this practice was celebrated in many European countries on his feast day.

Saint Nicholas' feast day of December 6th was celebrated in Holland with the giving of gifts to children who behaved well. Dutch immigrants brought St. Nicholas, known to them as "Sinterklaas", and traditions of his feast day to their colonies in America. He became popularized there as Santa Claus and his gift-giving day moved from December 6 to Christmas Day.

Before chimneys became common in Europe, it was said that St. Nicholas came in through the window.

The earliest depictions of Santa Claus have him wearing a green cloak. His modern image, with flying reindeer and entry down chimneys, began with Clement Clarke Moore’s poem A Visit From St Nicholas which was published anonymously in the Troy, New York Sentinel on December 23, 1823.

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors. He also been claimed as a patron saint of many diverse groups such as merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers and pawnbrokers as well as in various cities and countries around Europe.

A watery liquid known as 'manna' is said to be exuded from St Nicholas's bones in Myra, and a flask of it is collected on December 6 every year.

Artists have portrayed St. Nicholas more times than any other saint except Mary.

Source Daily Express

Mistletoe

Mistletoe is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “little dung twig.” It is named thus because the plant grows from seeds that have passed through the digestive tract of birds.

There are around 1,300 species of mistletoe worldwide, around 20 of which are endangered.

The name 'Mistletoe' was first given to Viscum album (European mistletoe,), the only species native in Great Britain and much of Europe. Later the name was given to other related species, including Phoradendron serotinum (the eastern mistletoe of eastern North America,).

European mistletoe attached to a silver birch

European mistletoe has smooth-edged, oval, evergreen leaves borne in pairs along the woody stem, and waxy, white berries that it bears in clusters of two to six. The Eastern mistletoe of North America is similar, but has shorter, broader leaves and longer clusters of 10 or more berries

A separate species of mistletoe, Viscum cruciatum, occurs in Southwest Spain and Southern Portugal, as well as North Africa, Asia and Australia.

The Celtic people believed the mistletoe had miraculous healing powers. In fact the name for mistletoe in the Celtic languages is 'all heal'.

In Celtic and Teutonic tradition mistletoe could cure diseases, render poisons harmless, make humans and animals fertile,.bring good luck and protect houses from evil spirits.

William Shakespeare mentions it in Titus Andronicus, Act II, Scene I: "Overcome with moss and baleful mistletoe".

Medical research has found substances in mistletoe that can slow down tumor growth.

Mistletoe berries contain a poison called phoratoxin. They should never be eaten.

The average mistletoe measures 8 inches in diameter.

Mistletoe is often used as a Christmas decoration. Viscum album is used in Europe and Phoradendron serotinum is used in North America.

According to custom, the mistletoe must not touch the ground between its cutting and its removal as the last of Christmas greens at Candlemas; it may remain hanging through the year, often to preserve the house from lightning or fire, until it was replaced the following Christmas Eve.

Mistletoe in winter

According to a custom during Christmas, any two people who meet under a hanging of mistletoe are urged to kiss. The origin of the tradition may have stemmed from either the Celtic belief that mistletoe symbolizes fertility or  the Anglo-Saxons who associated the plant with Frigga (the goddess of love).

The correct mistletoe etiquette is for the man to remove one berry when he kisses a woman. When all the berries are gone, there is no more kissing permitted underneath the plant.

Source Daily Express

Mary (mother of Jesus)

LIFE 

Mary (c. 18 BC – AD c. 43) was a young woman who was engaged to be married to a carpenter called Joseph. She belonged to The Tribe of Judah and the House of David.

During her betrothal — the first stage of a Jewish marriage - the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she would give birth to a son. The angel told Mary that she should call her son Jesus. The angel also said that Jesus would save people from their sins. Mary did not doubt the message,but rather asked how pregnancy would be possible, since she was a virgin. The angel told her that God had made her pregnant through a miracle.

The Annunciation by Eustache Le Sueur

According to the law that Israelites follow, Joseph had the right to divorce Mary publicly, but he did not. In a dream Joseph was told that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.

At this time, the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, made a law that everyone in the Roman Empire had to pay a tax. Everyone had to go back to the town that their family came from, to have their name put on the tax lists. So Joseph took Mary to his hometown of Bethlehem. There, she gave birth to the baby, Jesus. She gave birth in an animal shed, because Mary and Joseph could not find a room to stay in.

Mary had four other sons after Jesus (James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon) and at least two  daughters, whose names are not known.

It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus started his public ministry.

Thirty-three years later, Jesus was killed by crucifixion. Many of Jesus' apostles were scared of the Roman soldiers and ran away. However, Mary stood by the cross and was with Jesus when he died. As he was dying, he told the young disciple John to care for Mary as if she was his own mother and the words were "Women,this is your son."This is your mother".

On the third day after Jesus' death, Mary went to Jesus' tomb with other women. They saw that the stone was rolled away from the tomb, and his body was gone. An angel told the women that Jesus had risen and is alive.

Mary was the only person to be present with Jesus at his birth and his earthly death. She comforted Jesus as He entered this world, and also as He left it to return to the Father

Mary continued to meet with the early church after the Ascension. Acts 1: 14 records Mary as the only person to be mentioned by name other than the eleven apostles who were in the upper room, when they returned from Mount Olive.

Eleusa Theotokos with scenes from the life of Mary, 18th century

Mary's death is not recorded in the scriptures, but Catholic and Orthodox tradition and doctrine have her assumed (taken bodily) into Heaven.

CHRISTIAN DEVOTION

The Church of St Mary Major was dedicated in 435. It was the first church in Rome to be dedicated to the Mother of God.

In 431 The Council of Ephesus was called by Emperor Theodosius II. One of its chief concerns was the differences between Nestorius the Bishop of Constantinople and Cyril the Patriarch of Alexandria. Cyril insisted on the perpetual virginity of Mary and to glorify her, she should be called by the title "Theotokos" - the Mother of God. Nestorius maintained the view that Mary should not be called by the title "Theotokos," as she was only the mother of the human and not the divine Jesus. The western bishops decided in favor of the Patriarch of Alexandria in part because Cyril got Nestorius deposed before the late arrival of his Syrian supporters.

After the Council of Ephesus there was an increasing veneration of Mary and by the end of the sixth century, adoration was widely offered to her and prayers were being addressed to her.  Nestorius was seen as a heretic and banished to Antioch where he founded the Nestorian church.

In the later Middle Ages there was a surge in the veneration of the Virgin Mary as the teaching developed that she was free from sin from the moment she was born. Consequently Mary became to many the prime intercessor between humanity and God and she played a pivotal role in church worship.

In his apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus (Latin for "Ineffable God") Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was conceived free of original sin. The decree was promulgated on December 8, 1854, the date of the annual Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Mary with an inscription referencing Luke1:46-47 in St.Jürgen church in Gettorf. By Agnete - Wikipedia 

Mary (Maryam) also has a revered position in Islam, where a whole chapter of the Qur'an is devoted to her, also describing the birth of Jesus. The Qur'an references Mary 70 times in total and identifies her as the greatest of all women.

Jingle Bells

The words and music for this Christmas classic were written by James Pierpont, a popular American composer with the title of "One Horse Open Sleigh." It was copyrighted on September 16, 1857.

Pierpont was a member of a staunch Unitarian Church family, and his father was a minister. "Jingle Bells" was originally written for a local Sunday school entertainment on Thanksgiving Day in Savannah, Georgia. Its catchy tune was soon taken up by Christmas revelers.

James Lord Pierpont was the uncle of the financier and banker  J. P. Morgan.

Some of the many artists to record versions of this song include Jim Reeves, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Lawrence Welk, Andy Williams, Michael W. Smith and Kimberley Locke.

One of the more unusual versions is by The Singing Dogs, which was created by a Danish man named Don Charles and featured four dogs barking out the tune. It was originally released in 1955 as a medley with "Pat-A-Cake" and "Three Blind Mice," but in 1970 the song got some attention and was re-released with just "Jingle Bells."

"Jingle Bells" was the first song to be sung in space, On December 16, 1965 the Astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra crooned the tune accompanied by a harmonica to Mission Control during a pre-Christmas mission aboard Gemini 6.

Originally written for Songfacts.com

Jesus Christ

EARLY LIFE

The Roman Emperor Augustus issued a decree in 6 BC that a census be taken of the entire Roman world. As a consequence a carpenter called Joseph was forced to register in his hometown of Bethlehem. He was accompanied by his young pregnant fiancé, Mary, whose baby had been conceived by the Holy Spirit.

The baby was named Jesus meaning "Yahweh is salvation". He was born inauspiciously in a cave in Bethlehem thus fulfilling a prophecy in the Jewish sacred book of Micah, and laid in an animal's feeding trough.

Jesus' name translated from Hebrew to English would be 'Joshua'. We get the name 'Jesus' by translating the Hebrew name to Greek to Latin to English.

After hearing of King Herod's intentions of slaying all children aged two years or younger, due to his concern that the anointed King of the Jews had recently been born, Mary and Joseph, along with the baby Jesus, were forced to flee to Egypt.

After Herod's death, Mary and Joseph returned to Palestine. From about the age of 6, Jesus would have received some education from a teacher paid for by the Nazareth synagogue, using used what we now know as the Old Testament as his textbook.

Jesus excelled in his early schooling: the Bible tells us in Luke 2 that the 12- year-old Jesus astounded the nation’s foremost teachers at the Temple Courts in Jerusalem.

ADULT LIFE

Jesus Christ probably was olive skinned, clean shaven, (or possibly a short cropped beard, it was a known fashion of third century Jews.) It was only in the fourth century that images of Christ showed him with a beard.

Saint Paul said it was disgraceful for men to have long hair in 1 Corinthians 11 v 14, so it was unlikely Christ had long hair.

Jesus was a keen fisherman; He relaxed by taking out a boat onto the middle of the lake. He also gained much strength by praying to his Father in heaven.

The Greek word for "Carpenter" more accurately translates as "home builder" and since Judea built structures primarily out of stone, Jesus was likely a stone mason.

Jesus had plenty of platonic friendships with women, which was unusual in his culture. However his main friendships were with the twelve disciples who he trained up to spread the Christian message. Of the disciples he was closest to John. It is thought He knew the majority of them before his public ministry started.

We know that Jesus was able to read from Luke 4 v 18 where He reads out an Old Testament passage to the congregation in the temple.

MINISTRY

Around 26 AD a cousin of Jesus, John the Baptist, was going round Jerusalem and Judea baptizing in water all who came to him and confessing their sins. He was announcing the Christ's imminent coming.

After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, He commenced his public ministry during which He traveled around towns and villages healing the sick, casting out demons and proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God.

A researcher has calculated that the total miles Jesus walked during the three years of his public ministry was 3,125 miles.

The first public miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine. Unlike His Nazirite cousin, John the Baptist, Jesus was happy to imbibe wine and He attracted criticism from various quarters for His willingness to drink and mix with tax collectors and "sinners".

Many who were not virtuous people before such as a prostitute called Mary and a crooked tax collector called Zacchaeus were attracted to Christ's message because of His willingness to socialize and drink with the unpopular members of society and many saw their lives transformed.

Jesus' attributed his healing gifts to His heavenly Father, whom He glorified when performing His miracles and many became  His followers after He'd ministered to them. Possibly Jesus'  most remarkable miracle was the raising of His friend Lazarus from the dead. Another time He healed a paralyzed man by forgiving his sins. (It was a common belief in Jewish culture at the time that sickness was the result of sin).

DEATH AND RESURRECTION

33 AD was the likely year of Jesus’ crucifixion and rising from the dead according to the Bible and earthquake research. It would have been in late march early April as it took place around the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Just before His crucifixion, Jesus and his twelve disciples participated in The Last Supper, a Passover meal where He predicted his imminent betrayal and death as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. The meal was roast lamb eaten in its entirety served with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.

The house where they were eating was daubed with the blood from the freshly slaughtered lamb. In referring to the bread as His body and the wine, His blood and bidding the disciples to participate of each, Jesus instigated the Eucharist/Holy Communion/Mass.

Jesus was open in his criticism of the hypocrisy of the religious Jews which made Him unpopular among the ruling classes. He also  made many enemies among the Jewish religious leaders with his declarations that He was the Son of God. On the morning following the Last Supper, He was arrested on trumped up charges and led away to be crucified.

Before He was nailed to the cross, Jesus was offered wine to drink mixed with gall, which is a narcotic for deadening pain. The Savior of the World refused to drink it as he wanted to retain a clear mind and be fully conscious on the cross. Because of His willingness to suffer for us without any medical help, we are now free to approach God without our sin getting in the way.

Jesus endured a horrendously painful death on the cross as a sacrifice for all our sins. By this means He enabled everybody who believes in the innocent sufferings of the crucified Christ as being counted by God as perfectly righteous. In other words, Jesus created a way out of the consequences of sin for all those who follow him.

Bronzino's depiction of the Crucifixion with 3 nails, no ropes, and a hypopodium standing support, c. 1545.

Jesus' body was buried in a tomb which belonged to one of his followers, Joseph of Arimathea. On the day after the Sabbath, early in the morning, some women went to treat the body with spice and perfumed oil, only to find the body of Jesus had gone, This is called the Resurrection.

Only a few days later, the risen Christ was appearing to his followers. Jesus spent 40 days training and encouraging them before ascending up to heaven.

Around ten days after Jesus' Ascension, on the Jewish feast called Pentecost, His followers were meeting together when they experienced the sound of a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire coming down on them. This, one of the Disciples, Peter, explained to the crowd immediately afterwards, was the coming of the Holy Spirit, as foretold by the prophet Joel.

The Bible tells us that there will be Second Coming when Jesus Christ will return to earth. Most English versions of the Nicene Creed include the following statements: "...He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. ... We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come."

HISTORICAL EVIDENCE

Josephus, the Jewish historian, who was governor in Galilee in 66 A.D., wrote a history of the Jews from Adam through the time of Nero. His book was called the Antiquities of the Jews. He mentioned three references to Jesus including one about Jesus’ relationship with his brother James who was put to death by the Sanhedrin.

The Jewish Talmud contains eight references to Jesus Christ. All are designed to discredit him. For example, one refers to the hanging of Jesus and mentions his practice of sorcery. Another ridicules the virgin birth and claims that Mary and a Roman soldier were his birth parents.

Both first century Roman historians, Tacitus and Suetonius make references to Christ and to his followers. Tacitus reports Nero’s persecutions and mentions that Christ was executed very the reign of Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate. Suetonius mentioned the expulsion from Rome of the who caused a great tumult under the influence of Christ.

Hundreds of second century documents refer to, or are written about, Jesus.

LEGACY

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all wrote biographies of Jesus written within 70 years of his death. These make up the gospels in the Bible.

Among the many fine oratorios and masses that Jesus has inspired possibly the most well known is Handel's "The Messiah" Other musical genres that comes from the Christian faith include hymns, carols and gospel music.

In 1927 H.B. Warner took the role of Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille's biblical cinematic epic King Of Kings. DeMille forbade the actor from pursuing such non-biblical activities as playing cards, riding in convertibles or swimming during the film's shooting.

The Head of Christ is a 1940 portrait painting of Jesus of Nazareth by American artist Warner Sallman (1892–1968). The work originated as a charcoal sketch done for the cover of the February, 1924 issue of the religious magazine Covenant Companion. Sallman did several variations of the picture over the years, and in 1940, he was asked to reproduce that painting by the students of North Park Theological Seminary. The yellow-brown picture of Christ with long flowing hair was an icon of the forties and fifties and more than 500 million copies have been sold.

Head of Christ, 1940

Today, the Christian faith, based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ is the world's largest religion with about 2.4 billion adherents.

41% of Americans say Jesus Christ will return to the Earth by 2050, according a 2015 Pew Research Center survey.

Source Crosswalk.com