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We Three Kings of Orient Are

We three Kings of Orient are;

Bearing gifts we travel so far,

field and fountain, moor and mountain,

following yonder star.

O star of wonder, star of night,

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain

Gold I bring to crown him again

King forever, ceasing never

Over us all to reign.

Star of wonder, star of night,

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect light.

Frankincense to offer have I;

Incense owns a Deity nigh;

Prayer and praising, all men raising,

Worship him God most high.

Star of wonder, star of night,

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect light.

Myrrh is mine; it's bitter perfume

Breathes a life of gathering gloom;

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,

Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

Star of wonder, star of night,

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect light.

Glorious now behold him arise,

King and God and Sacrifice.

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Earth to heaven replies.

Star of wonder, star of night,

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect light.

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Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! the herald angels sing, -

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled."

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With the angelic host proclaim,

"Christ is born in Bethlehem."

Hark! the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!

Christ, by highest heaven adored:

Christ, the everlasting Lord;

Late in time behold him come,

Offspring of the favoured one.

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;

Hail, the incarnate Deity:

Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Hark! the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!

Hail! the heaven-born Prince of peace!

Hail! the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings,

Risen with healing in his wings

Mild he lays his glory by,

Born that man no more may die:

Born to raise the son of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!

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Oh come, all ye faithful

O come, all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

Come and behold Him,

Born the King of Angels!

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

Sing, alleluia,

All ye choirs of angels;

O sing, all ye blissful ones of heav'n above.

Glory to God -

In the highest glory!

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning;

Jesus, to Thee be the glory giv'n;

Word of the Father,

Now in the flesh appearing,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

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Adeste Fideles (Oh Come All .. Latin)

Adeste Fideles (Oh Come All Ye Faithful - Latin)

Adeste Fideles

Laeti triumphantes

Venite, venite in Bethlehem

Natum videte

Regem angelorum

Venite adoremus

Dominum

Cantet nunc io

Chorus angelorum

Cantet nunc aula caelestium

Gloria, gloria

In excelsis Deo

Venite adoremus

Dominum

Ergo qui natus

Die hodierna

Jesu, tibi sit gloria

Patris aeterni

Verbum caro factus

Venite adoremus

Dominum

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In The Bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter,

frosty wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron,

water like a stone;

snow had fallen, snow on snow,

snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter,

long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him

nor earth sustain;

heaven and earth shall flee away

when he comes to reign:

in the bleak midwinter

a stable place sufficed

the Lord God incarnate,

Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels

may have gathered there

cherubim and seraphim

thronged the air;

but his mother only,

in her maiden bliss,

worshiped the beloved

with a kiss.

What can I give him,

poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd,

I would bring a lamb;

if I were a wise man,

I would do my part;

yet what I can I give him

give my heart.

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God Rest You Merry Gentlemen

God rest you merry, gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay,

Remember Christ our Saviour

Was born on Christmas day,

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray;

Glad tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

Glad tidings of comfort and joy.

From God our heavenly Father

A blessed angel came.

And unto certain shepherds

Brought tidings of the same,

How that in Bethlehem was born

The Son of God by name:

Glad tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

Glad tidings of comfort and joy.

Fear not, then said the angel,

Let nothing you affright,

This day is born a Saviour,

Of virtue, power, and might;

So frequently to vanquish all

The friends of Satan quite;

Glad tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

Glad tidings of comfort and joy.

The shepherds at those tidings

Rejoiced much in mind,

And left their flocks a-feeding,

In tempest, storm, and wind,

And went to Bethlehem straightway

This blessed babe to find:

Glad tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

Glad tidings of comfort and joy.

But when to Bethlehem they came,

Whereat this infant lay

They found him in a manger,

Where oxen feed on hay;

His mother Mary kneeling,

Unto the Lord did pray:

Glad O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

Glad tidings of comfort and joy.

Now to the Lord sing praises,

All you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas

All others doth deface:

Glad tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

Glad tidings of comfort and joy.

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Away in a Manger

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.

The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,

The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,

But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.

I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky

And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,

And take us to heaven, to live with Thee there

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The Holly and The Ivy

The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown,

Of all trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown:

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom,

As white as lily flower,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,

To be our dear Saviour,

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a berry,

As red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,

To do poor sinners good,

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a prickle,

As sharp as any thorn,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,

On Christmas Day in the morn,

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a bark,

As bitter as the gall,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,

For to redeem us all,

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown,

Of all trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown,

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

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Deck The Halls

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

'Tis the season to be jolly

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Don we now our gay apparel

Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la.

Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

See the blazing Yule before us.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Strike the harp and join the chorus.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Follow me in merry measure.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

While I tell of Yule-tide treasure.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Fast away the old year passes.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Hail the new year, lads and lasses

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Sing we joyous, all together.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

heedless of the wind and weather.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

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The First Noel

The first Noel, the angel did say,

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,

On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the the East, beyond them far;

And to the earth it gave great light,

And so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

And by the light of that same star,

Three wise men came from country far;

To seek for a King was their intent,

And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

This star drew night to the northwest,

O'er Bethlehem it took its rest;

And there it did both stop and stay,

Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

Then entered in those wise men three,

Full reverently upon their knee;

And offered there in his presence,

Their gold, and myrrh, and frankincense.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

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Once in Royal David's City

Once in Royal David's city

stood a lowly cattle shed,

where a mother laid her baby

in a manger for his bed:

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven,

who is God and Lord of all,

and his shelter was a stable,

and his cradle was a stall;

with the poor, the scorned, the lowly,

lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And, through all his wondrous childhood,

he would honour and obey,

love and watch the lowly maiden

in whose gentle arms he lay:

Christian children all must be

mild, obedient, good as he.

For he is our childhood's pattern,

day by day like us he grew;

he was little, weak and helpless,

tears and smiles like us he knew.

and he feeleth for our sadness,

and he shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see him,

through his own redeeming love;

for that Child who seemed so helpless

is our Lord in heaven above;

and he leads his children on

to the place where he is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,

with the oxen standing round,

we shall see him; but in heaven,

set at God's right hand on high;

when like stars his children crowned,

all in white shall wait around.

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Silent Night

Silent night, holy night!

All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.

Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight.

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,

Christ the Saviour is born!

Christ the Saviour is born.

Silent night, holy night!

Son of God love's pure light.

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

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Good King Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas looked out,

On the Feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about,

Deep and crisp and even;

Brightly shone the moon that night,

Tho' the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight,

Gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me,

If thou know'st it, telling,

Yonder peasant, who is he?

Where and what his dwelling?"

"Sire, he lives a good league hence,

Underneath the mountain;

Right against the forest fence,

By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine,

Bring me pine logs hither:

Thou and I will see him dine,

When we bear them thither."

Page and monarch, forth they went,

Forth they went together;

Thro' the rude wind's wild lament

And the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now,

And the wind blows stronger;

Fails my heart, I know not how,

I can go no longer."

Mark my footsteps, good my page;

Tread thou in them boldly:

Thou shalt find the winter's rage

Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod,

Where the snow lay dinted;

Heat was in the very sod

Which the saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure,

Wealth or rank possessing,

Ye who now will bless the poor,

Shall yourselves find blessing.

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The Night Before Christmas - Moore

By Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that ST. NICHOLAS soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!

On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes - how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL - AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT."

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The Little Drummer Boy

Come they told me

Pa rum pum pum pum

A new born King to see

Pa rum pum pum pum

Our finest gifts we bring

Pa rum pum pum pum

To lay before the king

Pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum

So to honour Him

Pa rum pum pum pum

When we come

Little baby

Pa rum pum pum pum

I am a poor boy too

Pa rum pum pum pum

I have no gift to bring

Pa rum pum pum pum

That's fit to give our King

Pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum

Shall I play for you

Pa rum pum pum pum

On my drum

Mary nodded

Pa rum pum pum pum

The ox and lamb kept time

Pa rum pum pum pum

I played my drum for Him

Pa rum pum pum pum

I played my best for Him

Pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum

Then He smiled at me

Pa rum pum pum pum

Me and my drum

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Jingle Bells

Dashing through the snow

On a one-horse open sleigh

Over the fields we go

Laughing all the way;

Bells on bob-tail ring

making spirits bright

What fun it is to ride and sing

A sleighing song tonight

Jingle bells

Jingle bells

jingle all the way!

O what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh

A day or two ago

I thought I'd take a ride

And soon Miss Fanny Bright

Was seated by my side;

The horse was lean and lank;

Misfortune seemed his lot;

He got into a drifted bank

And we

we got upsot

Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells

Jingle all the way!

What fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh

A day or two ago

the story I must tell

I went out on the snow

And on my back I fell;

A gent was riding by

In a one-horse open sleigh

He laughed as there

I sprawling lie

But quickly drove away

Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells

Jingle all the way!

What fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh

Now the ground is white

Go it while you're young

Take the girls tonight

And sing this sleighing song;

Just get a bob-tailed bay

two-forty as his speed

Hitch him to an open sleigh

And crack! you'll take the lead

Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells

Jingle all the way!

What fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh

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The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me

A partridge in a pear tree

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Ten lords a-leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Eleven pipers piping

Ten lords a-leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Twelve drummers drumming

Eleven pipers piping

Ten lords a-leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

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White Christmas - Song

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the treetops glisten

and children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white

- by Irving Berlin

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Christmas

Christmas Day is on 25 December.

It is the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day (December 26) are traditionally days when families spend time together at home.

We also recommend that you read the page called 'Christmas - A History' for a good overview of Christmas.

http://www.gouk.com/christmas/traditions/traditions2.asp?Name=Christmas+%2D+A+History

Christmas Evergreens

Evergreen plants are used as Christmas decorations - the most popular ones being holly and ivy.

Before Christianity these plants were thought to be magical and were hung up to protect against evil spirits and to encourage Spring to come. Christians used these plants in their customs to remind people that the prickles on the holly were like the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he died.

Welcome wreaths - a welcome wreath of evergreens is often placed on front doors and dates back to the Roman times when a garland of leaves signified good luck.

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Mistletoe

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on the branches of trees. Druids used mistletoe as a symbol of fertility. Victorians bound the mistletoe to a frame to make a "kissing ring." Each time a gentleman caught a lady under the mistletoe, he was allowed to claim a kiss. When the branches were bare, the kissing had to stop! A traditional rhyme about mistletoe is:

'Pick a berry off the mistletoe

For every kiss that's given.

When the berries have all gone

There's an end to kissing.'

It is still customary to kiss someone under the mistletoe.

In the Middle-Ages, aware of mistletoe's pagan origins, the church banned mistletoe and suggested that holly should be used as an alternative evergreen. However, the tradition refused to die out and mistletoe and holly can still be found side by side in most houses today during the Christmas period.

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Christmas Trees

The use of Christmas trees began in the 17th century in Strasbourg, France and spread throughout Europe. Evergreen fir trees are usually adorned with lights (as symbols of eternal life and hope) and decorations. In the UK, they were made popular by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, who had a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle from 1840.

Martin Luther, in the 16th century, is believed to be the first person to put a candle on a tree - the light signifying hope and symbolising the star in the east which guided the Three Wise Men in their quest to find baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

Woolworths sold the first manufactured Christmas tree ornaments in 1880 whilst electric tree lights were used for the first time in 1882.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0736904379/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Presents

The notion of exchanging gifts at Christmas can be traced back to the Magi (the Three Wise Men) who, guided by a star in the sky, travelled to Bethlehem to offer gifts to Jesus: gold, incense and myrrh. However, it was not until the 1860s when the story of Santa Claus (St Nicholas) became fashionable that the idea really took hold and it became popular to give gifts to members of your family and friends.

Christmas presents are usually put under the Christmas tree and opened on Christmas Day.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0810945347/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Cards

Christmas (and New Year) cards are given at Christmas time.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0810945347/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Stockings

From 1870 children have hung up Christmas stockings at the ends of their beds or along the mantelpiece.

The stockings (or sacks) are filled during the night by Father Christmas whilst the children are asleep, ready for Christmas Day.

Children write letters to Father Christmas to let him know what they want. Usually they "post" these letters a few weeks before Christmas Day by leaving them in the fireplace for Father Christmas to collect.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0810945347/gouktheezinefo07

Santa Claus - His Story

There are dozens of names and millions of images depicting Santa Claus - each generation regarding him slight differently -  but the origins for Santa Claus go back to a real man: St Nichols of Myra.

St Nicholas was born in Myra (in modern day Turkey) in about 300 A.D. The only child of a wealthy family, Nicholas was orphaned as a young boy when his parents were taken by the plague. Raised by monks, Nicholas became a priest at the tender age of 17 and stories soon started to abound of his generosity and kindness, especially towards children. He became the bishop of Myra and, after his death, his grave became a shrine renowned throughout the Christian world.

In 1807, Italians sailors stole his remains and took them back to the port of Bari in Italy where they remain to this day in the basilica of San Nicola.

By the Middle Ages, Nicholas had been made a Saint and, given his reputation for being both kind and generous, was adopted as the patron saint of Russia and Greece, as well as for many charities, guilds and cities, and many churches were dedicated in his name.

Following the Reformation, Nicholas’ popularity waned throughout Europe as the new Protestant groups broke away from the traditions and saints of the Catholic church. Instead of one gift-giver, different countries found names for their own gift-giver: Father Christmas in the UK, Pere Noel in France, Christmas Man (Weihnachtsmann) in Germany, Grandfather Frost in Russia, and Sinterklaas in the Netherlands.

Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (now New York) took the tradition of Sinterklaas with them to America in the 17th century and Sinterklaas was rapidly accepted by the English-speaking majority there under the anglicised name of Santa Claus and his own legend became mixed with Nordic folktales about a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good ones with gifts.

The Santa we know today was largely inspired in 1823 by one man, Clement Clarke Moore, in one poem, ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ in which he described St Nicholas as "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf". Moore not only described Santa, he also set out the flying reindeer and the concept of Santa coming down the chimney on Christmas Eve and dolling out gifts to good little children.

Some 40 years later, the political cartoonist Thomas Nast produced a series of illustrations of Santa for the magazine Harper's Weekly. Nast’s Santa was a plump, jolly old fellow with a white beard. Then, between 1931 and 1964, Haddon Sundblom created a new Santa each Christmas for Coca-Cola advertisements that appeared worldwide on the back covers of Post and National Geographic magazines. This is the Santa we know and love today with a red suit trimmed with white fur, leather boots and belt, long white beard and a pack of toys slung onto his back. Many people wrongly believe that Santa’s red suit is down to Santa being dressed in Coca-Cola colours, but this is not true as the colours originate from the red clothes worn by the original St Nicholas when he was bishop of Myra.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140501258/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Dinner

It is traditional to have turkey with stuffing, sprouts, carrots, peas, and bacon/sausages for Christmas dinner, and Christmas plum pudding and/or mince pies with rum butter for desert.

The Christmas pudding has brandy poured over it and is lit. The flaming pudding is brought to the dinner table. A coin is often placed in the pudding - bringing "good luck" to the person who finds it.

For Delia Smith's Christmas cook book, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563370645/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Crackers

A London sweet maker, Thomas Smith, invented Christmas crackers in 1846.

The idea of these crackers were taken from the French bonbons - sweets wrapped in twisted pieces of coloured paper.

Thomas Smith added love notes to the bonbons and then had the idea of making the sweets go bang.

Paper hats and small toys were also added to the crackers.

Christmas crackers are usually pulled around the dinner table before the meal starts.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0752431641/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Games

A popular game for families to play at Christmas time is charades.

In charades, players have to act out words (usually the names of films, books, or song) in mime.

The other players who are watching the mime have to guess what the charade is.

Whoever guesses the charade first has to perform the next charade.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1859671063/gouktheezinefo07

Pantomimes

Pantomimes (usually shortened to "pantos") are traditional Christmas plays put on in theatres for children to watch.

Most pantos are based on popular children's stories such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Mother Goose, Aladdin.

In pantos, ugly women are always played by men, and handsome young men are always played by pretty young women!

It is traditional for the audience to join in with the panto - cheering the hero or heroine and hissing at the villains.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1859671063/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Carols - Brief History

Carols (French 'noel') are popular religious songs usually sung at Christmas.

Carols are sung to remember the singing of the angels who sang 'Gloria in Excelsis Deo' in heaven to give thanks for Christ's birth.

Since Victorian days, singers and musicians have visited houses at Christmas time. The Carollers sing carols and collect money, which is usually given to charity. The Carollers are normally given drinks made of warm ale, apples, and spices - if they're lucky!

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005TP9D/gouktheezinefo07

New Year - Hogmanay

Scottish New Year

Scotland is well-known for its New Year Eve’s celebrations. There is a magical firework display and torchlight procession in Edinburgh and throughout many cities in Scotland. The Scots have a long heritage associated with the New Year which is known as Hogmanay.

For New Year merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1902314018/gouktheezinefo07

Hogmanay Customs

The theme that dominates all the traditions and customs surrounding Hogmanay is that the new year must begin on a happy note, with a clean break from all that may have been bad in the previous year.

Houses are cleaned in preparation for New Year as a purification ritual. After sunset, juniper branches are collected and burnt. They are carried throughout the house to purify the home.

Bonfires are lit to ward off evil spirits and to get rid of the old year. Sometimes a straw figure known as "the Auld Wife" which represents the old year would be thrown on the bonfire.

On New Year’s Eve everyone links arms and sings the traditional new year song "Auld Lang Syne"

For New Year merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1902314018/gouktheezinefo07

First Footing

This is a time when relatives and friends come to visit the home. The first person to come to the door in the New Year should be a dark-haired man (or fair-haired depending on the area). He should bring a small gift such as a piece of coal, bread, salt, whisky which are symbols of life. This will ensure prosperity in the New Year.

For New Year merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1902314018/gouktheezinefo07

New Year Food

Haggis, shortbread, scones, oatmeal cakes, cheese, whisky and wine and traditional new year black buns are ate and drunk at New Year.

For New Year merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1902314018/gouktheezinefo07

Auld Lang Syne

Scottish words meaning: "good old days", or "time remembered with fondness."

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

7and days of Auld Lang Syne.

For Auld Lang Syne, my dear,

for Auld Lang Syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet

for Auld Lang Syne.

(Repeat entire verse)

LONGER VERSION

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And auld lang syne?

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,

We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet

For auld lang syne.

And surely, ye'll be your pint stowp!

And surely I'll be mine!

And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

Chorus:

We twa hae mn about the braes

And pou'd the gowans fine;

But we've wander'd mony a weary foot

Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus:

We two hae paidled i' the burn,

Frae morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid hae roar'd

Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus:

And here's a hand, my trusty fiere,

And gie's a hand o' thine;

And we'll tak' a right gude-willy waught,

For auld lang syne.

Chorus:

For New Year merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1902314018/gouktheezinefo07

Regent Street Lights

The main lights in London, along with Oxford Street

Switched on from the middle of November, 6-9pm onwards

Regent Street, W1

Tube: Oxford Circus or Piccadilly

Tel +44 (0)20 7491 2249

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.regentstreetonline.com/association/lights_history.asp

Somerset House Ice Rink

End of November to end of Jan

One of London’s most famous buildings turns its courtyard into an ice rink over the festive period.

Somerset House, Strand, WC2

Tube: Temple

Tel 020 7845 4600

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.somerset-house.org.UK

Christmas Market, Spitalfields

Usually second and third weeks of December

Shoreditch Church, Shoreditch High Street, E1

Tube: Old Street

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.spitalfieldsfestival.org.uk

Cooking up History, Hampton Court

The Great Kitchens will be transformed into working kitchens from the Tudor, Stuart and Georgian periods. Historic cooks re-create dishes from these eras and invite visitors to learn more about the food and court life of the palace

Hampton Court Palace, KT8 9AU

Tel +44 (0)20 8781 9500

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.hrp.org.UK

Christmas Baroque Music

Charpentier’s joyful mass based on popular French carols together with the Nativity setting.

Nonsuch Singers, Canzona and young vocal soloists perform in a concert in Sir Christopher’s Wren’s favourite church.

St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, London

Tel: 020 7381 0441

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.st-james-piccadilly.org

Christmas Tree, Trafalgar Sq

The Christmas tree is a present from the people of Norway for the help that the British gave to them during WW2.

The tree is lit and carols are sung around the tree from 5pm to 9pm on certain evenings until 24 Dec, by groups in aid of various charities.

There will be a switch on ceremony at approximately 6.30 pm on 4th December 2003

Beginning December to 6th January

Trafalgar Square, WC2

Tel +44 (0)20 7983 4234

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.anglotrees.co.uk/info/famous_trafalgar_square.asp

Great Christmas Pudding Race

A relay race around the East Piazza in fancy dress, avoiding novelty obstacles whilst carrying a Christmas pudding on a tray. Events before and after the race in aid of the Cancer Research Campaign

Covent Garden, WC2N

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.coventgardenmarket.com

Blessing of the Crib

Hundreds of people gather as the Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields blesses the crib. Short outdoor service with carols and accompaniment by the Salvation Army Brass band.

Trafalgar Square, WC2

Tel +44 (0)20 7766 1100

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org

Varsity Rugby Match

Annual rugby match between the teams from Oxford and Cambridge Universities

First or second week of December

Rugby Football Union Ground, TW1 1DZ

Tel: +44 (0)20 8892 2000

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/RFUHome.Twickenham

Christmas At Leeds Castle

Giant Christmas trees, strings of white lights and Father Christmas in his grotto

Usually last two weeks of December

Leeds Castle, Kent, ME17 1PL

Tel +44 (0)1622 765400

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.leeds-castle.com/

Olympia Show Jumping

One of the premier show-jumping events of the year, with first-class horsemanship and the biggest names in the sport

Usually in the last two weeks of December

Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, W14

Tel +44 (0)1865 388000

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.olympiashowjumping.com

Carol Services, London

Carol Service and Services on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, London

St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, WC2

24th December 2003 at approx 6.30.pm Carol Service

24th December 2003 at approx 11.30 pm Midnight Mass

25th and 26th December

Tel: 020 7766 1100

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org

Peter Pan Cup Swimming

Cold 100 yards swimming race held on Christmas Day since 1864. Spectators welcome

25th December

Hyde Park, W2

Tel: 01753 765000

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.serpentineswimmingclub.com/christmas_day_race.htm

Hampton Court Palace

Join in singing Christmas carols in the courtyards at Hampton Court Palace. Words provided.

The Tudor kitchens will produce food from 1602-3. Upstairs will be festive fun, dancing and games from the Elizabeth 1 period

Outdoor ice skating rink in the spectacular outdoor setting of Hampton Court Palace.

Hampton Court Palace, KT8 9AU

Tel +44 (0)20 8781 9500

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.hrp.org.uk

The Winter Treasure Trail

Solve the clues in the grounds and win prizes

End of December - Start of January

Leeds Castle, ME17 1PL

Tel +44 (0)1622 765400

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.leeds-castle.com

Covent Garden Market

Host of Christmas activities and entertainment - carol singers, street performers, visiting artistes, Christmas pudding race

November to December

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.coventgardenmarket.com

Edinburgh Hogmanay

UK’s largest street party, celebrating the New Year with live music, street theatre, carnival, dance, fireworks. Tickets required

End December to 4th January

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.edinburghshogmanay.org

Bob Wilson Funfair

Funfair in Leicester Square’s resident funfair

Most of December and early January

Leicester Square, WC2

Tube: Leicester Square

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.funfairs.net/

Christmas Past

400 years of seasonal traditions in UK homes

November to January

Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, London, E2

Tube: Old Street or Liverpool Street

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/

Christmas at Kew Gardens

London's Kew Gardens is changed into a world of magical lights, music and family entertainment. Events includes late-night opening, shopping, live music, guided Christmas tree walks and more.

November to January

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London

Tube: Kew Gardens

020 8332 5655

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.kew.org

Dickensian Christmas

Victorian Christmas in Rochester’s High Street - Scrooge, carol singers, bellringers, street theatre, children's shows, Father Christmas and Dickensian characters.

Usually in early December

Rochester, Kent

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.medway.gov.uk/tourism

Honda Challenge Tennis

Some of the world’s great tennis legends compete over the 5 day tournament

Usually in early December

Royal Albert Hall, SW7 2AP

Tel +44 (0)020 7351 7499

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.hondachallengetennis.co.UK

Claus.com

This is a great site for kids aged 3 to 103. Lots of interactive fun - you can find out how naughty or nice you've been, play online games, and even track Santa's progress on 24th December.

"Santa Claus is really excited you've come to visit, and he has the North Pole Village full of fun things to do for both kids and parents, including lots of new things this year. Check your Naughty or Nice rating. Choose your very own Elf Buddy. Play games in Elf School. Print your Honorary Elf Diploma. Sing along with new original Christmas songs. Try funny holiday recipes. Visit the amazing Toy Workshop. Send E-mail to Santa Claus. Follow Santa Claus in his sleigh on Christmas Eve. See how many cookies Santa Claus eats on his trip. Wonderful illustrations and a creative family experience. CLAUS.COM is one of the top-rated Santa Claus websites and is known around the world."

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.claus.com/

Christmas.com

"Christmas.com's WorldView started in 1994 as an effort to share how Christmas is celebrated around the world. This year we've combined the best music, recipes, features and information of the past in a new community based format. Our goal is to have some amount of information for every country in the world. Although, we currently have over 387 worldview entries and/or articles, some countries still don't have complete information. Our content team is actively filling in the gaps with more and more information being added every day. New for this year is a feature that gives you quick statistics about each major region and country. This should easily allow you to see what's available."

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://christmas.com/worldview/

Christmas Funnies

Fun and humour for Santa lovers everywhere.

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.netcore.ca/~gkillops/xmas.html

Christmas In Poland

"For Poles, Christmas Eve is a time of family gathering and reconciliation. It's also a night of magic: Animals are said to talk in a human voice and people have the power to tell the future. The belief was born with our ancestors who claimed that Dec. 24 was a day to mark the beginning of a new era. It was bolstered by sayings such as, "As goes Christmas Eve, goes the year." Hoping for a good 12 months, everyone was polite and generous to one another and forgave past grievances."

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.polishworld.com/christmas/

Christmas Movies

If you're looking for a Christmas film - it's probably here! Click the link below:

http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/christmas_movie.html

Christmas Seal Campaign

"Canada's first Christmas Seal campaign was in 1927. Since then, the Canadian public has provided funds for sanatoria, TB prevention, community programs, and research into preventing and treating lung disease.

About 3,000 cases of tuberculosis still occur every year in Canada, and the occurrence of other diseases of the lungs such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma has increased enormously."

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.lung.ca/christmas/

French Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions in France and in Canada

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/noel/angl/noel.htm

Greg's Christmas Page

Enthusiasts' site and well worth a visit.

"Welcome to my Christmas home where everyday is a celebration of that most wonderful season of the year!

For your enjoyment, I have assembled a collection of fun things to do on these cold winter days, so let the snow fly and the wind blow, it is warm and comfortable here in my home. Grab a nice cup of hot coco, turn on the Portable Music Machine and come sit by the fire and have some fun with me!"

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.kraftmstr.com/christmas/index.html

HappyChristmas.com

Commercial site which just might have what you need.

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.happychristmas.com/

Christmas on the Net

"Welcome to Christmas on the Net

Christmas is a time for Families, Fun, and Festivities! A time of family gatherings and holiday meals. A time for Santa, stars, and singing carolers. A time for ornaments, gifts, and twinkling lights. Of sleigh rides, hot cocoa, and gingerbread cookies.

So here for your entertainment are some fun Holiday things for you and your family."

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.holidays.net/christmas/

Reader's Digest Christmas

Festive site from Reader's Digest

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.rd.com/images/holiday_showcase_redirect.html?wtGroup=domain&wtID=rdchristmas.com

Vatican Christmas

Putting it all into perspective.

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.vatican.va/

E-Christmas Cards

Send a card this Xmas online!

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://postcards.www.media.mit.edu/PO-bin/readRack.perl?Santa2.list|More+Santa+Postcards

Family Christmas Quiz

"Welcome to our illustrated on-line Christmas trivia quiz.

This is the Novice Level quiz, featuring ten of the easier questions from the AHA! Christmas trivia collection. We hope you enjoy it."

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.familygames.com/features/quizzes/xmasquiz.html

The North Pole

"Take on The North Pole Mission - Make a difference in your family, communities, or the world. Find something you like to do that makes a positive difference in someone's life. Find your passion. Then ask yourself, how can I do my passion and make a difference at the same time. It doesn't matter how big or how small. It only matters that you do it. Send Santa your mission. We may just highlight yours here on our site. "

To visit the associated website, click the link below.

http://www.thenorthpole.com/

Christmas Number Ones

The most prestigious time of the year for a recording artist to have a number one single in the UK is at Christmas time. 

YEAR - ARTIST - RECORD TITLE

2004 - ???? - ????

2003 - Gary Jules & Michael Andrews - Mad World

2002 - Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground

2001 - Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman - Somethin' Stupid

2000 - Bob The Builder - Can We Fix It?

1999 - Westlife - I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun

1998 - Spice Girls - Goodbye

1997 - Spice Girls - Too Much

1996 - Spice Girls - 2 Become 1

1995 - Michael Jackson - Earth Song

1994 - East 17 - Stay Another Day

1993 - Mr Blobby - Mr Blobby

1992 - Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You

1991 - Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are The Days Of Our Lives

1990 - Cliff Richard - Saviours' Day

1989 - Band Aid II - Do They Know It's Christmas?

1988 - Cliff Richard - Mistletoe & Wine

1987 - The Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind

1986 - Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite

1985 - Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone

1984 - Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas?

1983 - The Flying Pickets - Only You

1982 - Renee & Renato - Save Your Love

1981 - The Human League - Don't You Want Me

1980 - St Winifred's School Choir - There's No One Quite Like Grandma

1979 - Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall

1978 - Boney M - Mary's Boy Child-Oh My Lord

1977 - Wings - Mull Of Kintyre / Girls' School

1976 - Johnny Mathis - When A Child Is Born

1975 - Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

1974 - Mud - Lonely This Christmas

1973 - Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody

1972 - Jimmy Osmond - Long Haired Lover From Liverpool

1971 - Benny Hill - Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)

1970 - Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knockin'

1969 - Rolf Harris - Two Little Boys

1968 - Scaffold - Lily The Pink

1967 - The Beatles - Hello Goodbye

1966 - Tom Jones - The Green Grass Of Home

1965 - The Beatles - Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out

1964 - The Beatles - I Feel Fine

1963 - The Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand

1962 - Elvis Presley - Return To Sender

1961 - Danny Williams - Moon River

1960 - Cliff Richard & The Shadows - I Love You

1959 - Emile Ford & The Checkmates - What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For 

1958 - Conway Twitty - It's Only Make Believe

1957 - Harry Belafonte - Mary's Boy Child

1956 - Johnnie Ray - Just Walkin' In The Rain

1955 - Dickie Valentine - Christmas Alphabet

1954 - Winifred Atwell - Let's Have Another Party

1953 - Frankie Laine - Answer Me 

1952 - Al Martino - Here In My Heart

For a Christmas CD, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004YTXA/gouktheezinefo07

A Christmas Carol - Dickens

Written by Charles Dickens in 1843, A Christmas Carol is the greatest English Christmas story. It tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old and doomed miser who is saved from damnation by the intervention of his long dead partner's spirit and by three ghosts which represent Scrooge's past, present and future. Seeing the folly of his ways, Scrooge is changed man - embracing Christmas with an open and willing heart.

Dickens' Preface:

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.

December, 1843"

To read the full text of A Christmas Carol electronically you have several format choices - choose from the links in the right hand navigation panel for Word, PDF or HTML versions.

To buy the printed book, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140439056/gouktheezinefo07

A Christmas Carol - Word - Dickens

To read the full text of A Christmas Carol in MS Word format, click on the link below.

Dickens' Preface:

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.

December, 1843"

Please note that you can also right click the link with your mouse and choose "Save Target As" to save to your own PC

File size 187 kb

http://www.gouk.com/christmas/books/AChristmasCarol.doc

A Christmas Carol - PDF - Dickens

To read the full text of A Christmas Carol in PDF format, click on the link below.

Dickens' Preface:

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.

December, 1843"

Please note that you can also right click the link with your mouse and choose "Save Target As" to save to your own PC

File size 155 kb

http://www.gouk.com/christmas/books/AChristmasCarol.pdf

A Christmas Carol - HTML - Dickens

To read the full text of A Christmas Carol in HTML format, click on the link below.

Dickens' Preface:

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.

December, 1843"

Please note that you can also right click the link with your mouse and choose "Save Target As" to save to your own PC

File size 176 kb

http://www.gouk.com/christmas/books/AChristmasCarol.asp

A Christmas Carol - Film

There are more than 20 versions of A Christmas Carol - let alone all the spin-off films like Bill Murray's "Scrooged" which offer film goers a variation on Charles Dickens' original Christmas Carol theme.

The 1971 version, with Alistair Sim in the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge, is often regarded as the best cinematic attempt to bring the book to the big screen - though most people who have read the book (available for free from our website - see Books above) think that no film-maker has yet really done justice when trying to capture the magic of Dickens' seminal Christmas tale.

Written by Charles Dickens in 1843, A Christmas Carol is considered to be the greatest English Christmas story. It tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old and doomed miser who is saved from damnation by the intervention of his long dead partner's spirit and by three ghosts which represent Scrooge's past, present and future. Seeing the folly of his ways, Scrooge is changed man - embracing Christmas with an open and willing heart.

Click the link below for a full list of Christmas Carol films.

http://us.imdb.com/find?q=A%20%20Christmas%20Carol;tt=1

White Christmas - Film

Released in 1954, White Christmas - directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Allen - is a musical of near mythological proportions. The title song by Irving Berlin, originally used in the earlier film 'Holiday Inn', has become as synonymous with Christmas as Santa Claus or evergreen trees.

The plot in itself is pretty thin: two post-war buddies join up to form a singing duo; they fall in love with two singing sisters and then get involved in a plan to help their old army General save his flagging hotel in unseasonallly snow-starved Vermont. When it look like the snows will never come - thereby ruining the General’s business prospects - Bing swings his vocal cords into action hitting the mellow notes of White Christmas and managing to charm not just the General, his belle, a whole platoon of GI veterans, and the audience but the snow out of the sky as well.

White Christmas is a staple part of the Yule-time diet every festive season, and you can buy it on DVD using the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NFXH/gouktheezinefo07

It’s A Wonderful Life

Released in 1946, It's A Wonderful Life - directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers and Lionel Barrymore - is a sublime piece of cinema history which constantly crops up on people’s ‘best ever’ film lists.

Capra’s egalitarian hero (George Bailey played by Stewart) is a man hoping beyond hope to slip the reins of his small town childhood so that he can set off and see the world and really make a difference. Capra wields George a fate that is to thwart his efforts to leave Bedford Falls whenever it seems as if he might just about manage to find a way to escape the town. With a twitch upon a thread, George is hauled back each time from the minute of departure by a whole series of inescapable problems. The boy who dreamed of circling the globe is never actually seen stepping foot outside of the town.

In a moment of desperation when it looks as if George is about to be slung into prison for an error (a stack of lost notes) made at his Building and Loans company by his absent-minded uncle, George decides that life has really lost all meaning and, in turmoil, decides to end his perceptibly miserable existence by jumping off a bridge.

Time for Clarence, George’s appointed but somewhat bumbling Guardian Angel in-training, to appear. Realising what George is about to do and knowing that George is a good man who has always helped others before himself, Clarence throws himself off the bridge before George has climbed the parapet and George, unable to standby when anyone is in need, elects to jump into the water to save Clarence rather than to take his own life.

Drying out in an old cabin, Clarence tells George that he is an angel and that he has come to earth solely for George’s welfare. George, naturally enough, doesn’t believe Clarence and thinks at first that he is just a dotty old fool. When George declares that he wishes he had never been born, Clarence seizes on this idea and uses it to show George what life would have been like if George really never had been born.

You’ve guessed it: without George, life would have been a lot different: his beautiful wife would have ended up an old maid; his brother would have died in an incident on a frozen pond; the local druggist would have made a fateful error and killed a patient with a wrong prescription; and the town itself would have become a hell-hole run and owned by the avaricious Mr Potter. Seeing all this, George decides that, notwithstanding the way in which his dreams have been thwarted, he does want to live even if it means having to go to jail for someone else’s mistake.

Returning to the bosom of his iconic family, George is overwhelmed when the entire populous of the town wedges itself into his front-room and comes with open pockets to help replace the money lost by the uncle and therefore saving George at the eleventh hour and the fifty-ninth minute from inevitable incarceration.

Capra’s tear-jerking tale has not been bettered in the decades since it was made and it will always stand as a fine piece of art beyond that of mere moviemaking.

You can buy It’s A Wonderful Life on DVD using the link below

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004R7AL/gouktheezinefo07

Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th Street has been made and remade several times, but the most popular version in the UK is the 1994 Les Mayfield adaptation starring Richard 'Dickie' Attenborough in the dual lead role of Kris Kringle and Santa Claus, who as plain old Kris Kringle is employed by Macy’s department store as their seasonal grotto keeper, without them ever realising that dear old Dickie in fact the real-Santa-deal.

In a world where the yo-ho-ho is umbilically linked to the peal of the cash registers, Santa Kris uses his jolly sparkle to change the fortunes of those around him - notably a young girl and her jaded mother.

A heartwarming family film for a lazy afternoon in the weekend before Xmas.

You can buy Miracle on 34th Street on DVD using the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NOM0/gouktheezinefo07

Scrooged

Scrooged, directed by Richard Donner and starring the ubiquitous Bill Murray, is a film twist loosely based on Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol.

Francis Cross (Scrooge in the body of Bill Murray) is a successful TV mogul whose hardnosed attitude to work above all other things has taken him to the top whilst making himself and everyone around him pretty darn miserable.

Forcing his film crew to work over Christmas on a seasonal spectacular (in part a candy-box pastiche of Dickensian England), Francis is visited first be his former and very much deceased boss and then in turn by three ghosts who in showing him his past, present and future, help Francis see the gaping errors of his ways.

It may not be the Bill Murray we have all come to love in Groundhog Day and it certainly isn’t classical Dickens, but it is fun to watch.

A good family film which you can buy on DVD using the link below

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000505H0/gouktheezinefo07

Blackadder's Christmas Carol

Blackadder's Christmas Carol, released in 1988 and starring Rowan Atkinson as our eponymous hero, is yet another version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. In this version though, rather than a wretched misanthropic miser, Blackadder, in the Scrooge role, is the kindest and loveliest man in the kingdom.

His benevolent character starts the film being fleeced by the townsfolk who take wanton advantage of his generosity by relieving him of both his money and seasonal gifts. Queue the ghost (Robbie Coltrane aka Hagrid from the Harry Potter films) who takes Mr Nicey Blackadder back through time to see how marvellously his ancestors had done when being truly vile and horrid. Come the morning, Blackadder is a changed man – a cynic and a stasher of the very highest order.

You can order Blackadder's Christmas Carol on DVD using the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006JI22/gouktheezinefo07

Little Donkey

Little donkey, little donkey,

On the dusty road.

Got to keep on plodding onwards,

With your precious load.

Been a long time, little donkey,

Through the winter’s night.

Don’t give up now, little donkey,

Bethlehem’s in sight

Ring out those bells tonight

Bethlehem, Bethlehem.

Follow that star tonight,

Bethlehem, Bethlehem.

Little donkey, little donkey,

Had a heavy day.

Little donkey, carry Mary safely on her way.

Little donkey, little donkey,

On the dusty road.

There are wise men waiting for a

Sign to bring them here.

Do not falter, little donkey,

There’s a star ahead.

It will guide you, little donkey,

To a cattle shed.

For a book of Christmas poems, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1405020334/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Bells - Longfellow

- By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The Carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;

‘For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

For a book of Christmas poems, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1405020334/gouktheezinefo07

The Three Kings - Longfellow

- By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Three Kings came riding from far away,

Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar;

Three Wise Men out of the East were they,

And they travelled by night and they slept by day,

For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star.

The star was so beautiful, large and clear,

That all the other stars of the sky

Became a white mist in the atmosphere,

And by this they knew that the coming was near

Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy.

Three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows,

Three caskets of gold with golden keys;

Their robes were of crimson silk with rows

Of bells and pomegranates and furbelows,

Their turbans like blossoming almond-trees.

And so the Three Kings rode into the West,

Through the dusk of the night, over hill and dell,

And sometimes they nodded with beard on breast,

And sometimes talked, as they paused to rest,

With the people they met at some wayside well.

"Of the child that is born," said Baltasar,

"Good people, I pray you, tell us the news;

For we in the East have seen his star,

And have ridden fast, and have ridden far,

To find and worship the King of the Jews."

And the people answered, "You ask in vain;

We know of no King but Herod the Great!"

They thought the Wise Men were men insane,

As they spurred their horses across the plain,

Like riders in haste, who cannot wait.

And when they came to Jerusalem,

Herod the Great, who had heard this thing,

Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them;

And said, "Go down unto Bethlehem,

And bring me tidings of this new king."

So they rode away; and the star stood still,

The only one in the grey of morn;

Yes, it stopped - it stood still of its own free will,

Right over Bethlehem on the hill,

The city of David, where Christ was born.

And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,

Through the silent street, till their horses turned

And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard;

But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,

And only a light in the stable burned.

And cradled there in the scented hay,

In the air made sweet by the breath of kine,

The little child in the manger lay,

The child, that would be king one day

Of a kingdom not human, but divine.

His mother Mary of Nazareth

Sat watching beside his place of rest,

Watching the even flow of his breath,

For the joy of life and the terror of death

Were mingled together in her breast.

They laid their offerings at his feet:

The gold was their tribute to a King,

The frankincense, with its odor sweet,

Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,

The myrrh for the body's burying.

And the mother wondered and bowed her head,

And sat as still as a statue of stone,

Her heart was troubled yet comforted,

Remembering what the Angel had said

Of an endless reign and of David's throne.

Then the Kings rode out of the city gate,

With a clatter of hoofs in proud array;

But they went not back to Herod the Great,

For they knew his malice and feared his hate,

And returned to their homes by another way.

For a book of Christmas poems, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1405020334/gouktheezinefo07

The Nativity

MARY

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you." But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and pondered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His Kingdom there will be no end."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have not known a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be the Son of God. . . . For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)

BETHLEHEM

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So everyone went to their own towns to be registered. And Joseph also went, out of the city of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. He went to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was expecting a child. (Luke 2:1-5)

It was a crowded city that night, Bethlehem, the city of David. People from all over had returned to the city of their fathers. Here they would register and a census would be taken. Joseph and Mary sought for a place to stay. An inn. A room somewhere, anywhere. A safe place from the chilly night air. But there was no place, no room in the inn. At the city’s edge was a stable, a place where animals could be protected and fed. There, in a stable, Mary and Joseph found warmth and protection. They would stay here until a new day brought light.

BIRTH

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, wrapped Him in bands of cloth, and laid Him in a manager, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6-7)

SHEPHERDS

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you; You will find a Child wrapped in bands of cloth, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the heavenly host praising God and saying; "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among all people!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the Child, who was lying in a manger. (Luke 2:8-16)

MAGI

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to pay him homage."

When King Herod heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had called together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; For from you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and determined from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and pay him homage also."

When they had heard the king, they departed; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it came and stood over where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had entered the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and fell down and paid him homage. Then opening their treasure chests, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. (Matthew 2:1-12).

For a book of the Nativity, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0806637129/gouktheezinefo07

The Little Match-Seller - Andersen

- by Hans Christian Andersen

It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and the darkness, a poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, roamed through the streets. It is true she had on a pair of slippers when she left home, but they were not of much use. They were very large, so large, indeed, that they had belonged to her mother, and the poor little creature had lost them in running across the street to avoid two carriages that were rolling along at a terrible rate. One of the slippers she could not find, and a boy seized upon the other and ran away with it, saying that he could use it as a cradle, when he had children of his own. So, the little girl went on with her little naked feet, which were quite red and blue with the cold. In an old apron, she carried a number of matches, and had a bundle of them in her hands. No one had bought anything of her the whole day, nor had anyone given her even a penny. Shivering with cold and hunger, she crept along; poor little child, she looked the picture of misery. The snowflakes fell on her long, fair hair, which hung in curls on her shoulders, but she regarded them not.

Lights were shining from every window, and there was a savoury smell of roast goose, for it was New Year's eve - yes, she remembered that. In a corner, between two houses, one of which projected beyond the other, she sank down and huddled herself together. She had drawn her little feet under her, but she could not keep off the cold; and she dared not go home, for she had sold no matches, and could not take home even a penny of money. Her father would certainly beat her; besides, it was almost as cold at home as here, for they had only the roof to cover them, through which the wind howled, although the largest holes had been stopped up with straw and rags. Her little hands were almost frozen with the cold. Ah! Perhaps a burning match might be some good, if she could draw it from the bundle and strike it against the wall, just to warm her fingers. She drew one out - scratch! - how it sputtered as it burnt! It gave a warm, bright light, like a little candle, as she held her hand over it. It was really a wonderful light. It seemed to the little girl that she was sitting by a large iron stove, with polished brass feet and a brass ornament. How the fire burned! and seemed so beautifully warm that the child stretched out her feet as if to warm them, when, lo! the flame of the match went out, the stove vanished, and she had only the remains of the half-burnt match in her hand.

She rubbed another match on the wall. It burst into a flame, and where its light fell upon the wall it became as transparent as a veil, and she could see into the room. The table was covered with a snowy white tablecloth, on which stood a splendid dinner service, and a steaming roast goose, stuffed with apples and dried plums. And what was still more wonderful, the goose jumped down from the dish and waddled across the floor, with a knife and fork in its breast, to the little girl. Then the match went out, and there remained nothing but the thick, damp, cold wall before her.

She lighted another match, and then she found herself sitting under a beautiful Christmas tree. It was larger and more beautifully decorated than the one which she had seen through the glass door at the rich merchant's. Thousands of tapers were burning upon the green branches, and coloured pictures, like those she had seen in the show-windows, looked down upon it all. The little one stretched out her hand towards them, and the match went out.

The Christmas lights rose higher and higher, until they looked to her like the stars in the sky. Then she saw a star fall, leaving behind it a bright streak of fire. 'Someone is dying,' thought the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only one who had ever loved her, and who was now dead, had told her that when a star falls, a soul was going up to God.

She again rubbed a match on the wall, and the light shone round her; in the brightness stood her old grandmother, clear and shining, yet mild and loving in her appearance. 'Grandmother,' cried the little one, 'Oh take me with you; I know you will go away when the match burns out; you will vanish like the warm stove, the roast goose, and the large, glorious Christmas-tree.' And she made haste to light the whole bundle of matches, for she wished to keep her grandmother there. And the matches glowed with a light that was brighter than the noonday, and her grandmother had never appeared so large or so beautiful. She took the little girl in her arms, and they both flew upwards in brightness and joy far above the earth, where there was neither cold nor hunger nor pain, for they were with God.

In the dawn of morning there lay the poor little one, with pale cheeks and smiling mouth, leaning against the wall; she had been frozen to death on the last evening of the year; and the New Year's sun rose and shone upon a little corpse! The child still sat, in the stiffness of death, holding the matches in her hand, one bundle of which was burnt. 'She tried to warm herself,' said some. No one imagined what beautiful things she had seen, nor into what glory she had entered with her grandmother on New Year's day.

For a Hans Christian Andersen book, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0517092913/gouktheezinefo07

The Christmas Mystery - Gaarder

- by Jostein Gaarder

Written by one-time Norwegian professor of philosophy Jostein Gaarder, The Christmas Mystery (published in 1992) serves up a metaphysical advent calendar which has us running, quite literally, back through time and space, in part to solve the mysterious disappearance of a girl from a department store in Oslo some half a century ago, but also to whisk us back to the very moment when Christianity took its first breath with the birth of Jesus.

The book is enchanting and delightful for young and old alike, and whilst it is intrinsically a deliberation on God and Christian doctrines, it at no point tries to preach to or convert its readers. It can be read on one level as being akin to a fairy tale as innocuous as Snow White, or read on another level which asks you to question your philosophical relationship to the festive season.

Our young hero, Joachim, leads us through each day/chapter of the metaphysical advent calendar as we join in his search to solve the mystery of the girl who ran after a sheep in the middle of a department store and who simply disappeared. To save her and to solve the mystery, he must unravel all the clues by Christmas Eve and the time when the last advent door is finally opened.

If you’ve ever read and enjoyed Paul Coelho’s 'The Alchemist', then Gaarder’s Christmas Mystery should be on your list to start reading on the first of December.

To buy the book, please click on the 'Click Me' link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0753808668/gouktheezinefo07

Angels From The Realm Of Glory

Angels, from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o'er all the earth;

Ye, who sang creation's story,

Now proclaim the Messiah's birth:

CHORUS:

Come and worship,

Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the new-born King.

Shepherds, in the field abiding,

Watching o'er your flocks by night,

God with man is now residing;

Yonder shines the Infant-Light:

CHORUS:

Saints before the alter bending,

Watching long in hope and fear,

Suddenly the Lord, descending,

In His temple shall appear

CHORUS:

Saints and Angels join in praising

Thee, the Father, Spirit, Son;

Evermore their voices raising

To the Eternal Three in One

To buy a Christmas CD, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005TP9D/gouktheezinefo07

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old;

From angels bending near the earth,

To touch their harps of gold!

"Peace on the earth, good will to men;

From heaven's all gracious King!"

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,

With peaceful wings unfurled;

And still their heavenly music floats,

O'er all the weary world.

Above its sad and lowly plains,

They bend on hovering wing.

And ever o'er its Babel sounds,

The blessed angels sing.

For lo! the days are hastening on,

By prophet bards foretold;

When, with the ever-circling years,

Comes round the age of gold.

When peace shall over all the earth,

Its ancient splendours fling;

And all the world give back the song,

Which now the angels sing.

To buy a Christmas CD, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005TP9D/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas is coming

This is a traditional English poem - popular with young children:

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat.

Please put a penny in the old man's hat.

If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do.

If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you.

For a book of Christmas poems, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1405020334/gouktheezinefo07

Brandy Butter Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 raw egg yolk

2 fl oz brandy

4 oz butter

12 oz sifted icing sugar

Grated rind of one orange

METHOD

Cream the butter with the grated rind. Add half the sugar and beat together until fluffy and light. Add the egg yolk, the remaining sugar and the brandy, beating again. This mixture will keep for approximately two weeks in a fridge.

For Delia Smith's Christmas cook book, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563370645/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Pudding Recipe

Christmas Puddings should be prepared between 1 and 12 months in advance of Christmas Day!

INGREDIENTS

8 oz suet

1lb raisins

Half a lb currants

Half a lb sultanas

Half a lb mixed peel

6 oz sugar

1tsp baking powder

6 oz plain flour

1 oz almonds, blanched and chopped

Juice and rind of 1 lemon

3 eggs

Half a lb of breadcrumbs

Pinch of salt

4-5 tbs brandy

Milk to mix

METHOD

Put all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl together with the eggs, brandy and lemon juice. Beat well and add a little milk so that the mixture is not too stiff.

Pour into three 1.5 pt pudding basins.

Place a piece of greaseproof paper over each pudding and then tie a cloth over the top fastening it around the rim of the basin with a piece of string. Tie the four corners of the cloth on top of the basin to make a handle to lift the pudding.

Steam the puddings for 8 hours either in water in a saucepan or in a steamer. Top-up the water with boiling water from a kettle if necessary.

Re-steam for 2 to 4 hours on Chritmas Day so that the puddings are served piping hot.

SERVING

Ladle a teaspoon of brandy over the pudding and set it alight.

Take it to the table flaming and serve with caster sugar, double-cream or brandy butter.

For Delia Smith's Christmas cook book, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563370645/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Pudding History

No Christmas dinner in the UK is complete without a flaming Christmas Pudding – regarded as one of the highlights not only of the main celebratory meal, but also of the entire Christmas festivities.

Originally a meat based dish dating from the Middle Ages, Christmas Pudding evolved over the years as various ingredients were added and dropped until we have the non-meat, dried-fruit based pudding that we all gobble furiously today. Though eaten in some shape or form for hundreds of years, it was only established as a Christmas ‘must’ in the 1800s when Queen Victoria’s husband, with his insatiable appetite for ‘plum duff’, made it fashionable throughout the country. Prince Albert’s stomach clearly has a lot of cases of indigestion to answer for!

A Christmas Pudding takes about 8 hours to cook initially and is usually prepared at least a full month before Christmas - the intervening time being needed for the pudding and its flavours (especially the alcohol) to roundly mature. On Christmas Day, the pudding is re-steamed for about 2 to 4 hours so that it is served piping hot at the table. 

It is traditional for Christmas Puddings to be covered with brandy just before serving and for the brandy to be set alight and carried into the dining-room as a flaming pud.

There are many and varied traditions associated with the pudding and its making:

- it should be made with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and His Disciples

- every member of the family should take a turn to stir the pudding with a wooden spoon from east to west, in honour of the three kings

- setting the brandy alight is said to represent Christ’s passion

- a sprig of holly is often used to top the pudding as a reminder of the crown of thorns worn by Christ on the cross

- holly is supposed to bring good luck and have special healing powers; and it is often planted near houses in the belief that it protects the inhabitants

- some families add coins to the pudding for luck - everyone then stirs the pudding and makes a wish

- whoever gets a coin in their serving on Christmas Day will get wealth, health, happiness and all their wishes will come true

- some people even add gold rings to the mixture in the belief that the finder of the ring on Christmas Day will get married in the coming year

- in some families, the father or grandfather (honours to the eldest) of the family carries the Christmas Pudding to the dining-room where he has to knock on the closed door. The rest of the family have to shout ‘Hurrah for the Christmas Pudding’ as loudly as they can, at which point the bearer of the pudding teases that he cannot hear anyone calling for the pud and he is therefore going to take it away as clearly no-one wants any. He knocks again three or four times, each time saying that he cannot hear one or other member of the family, before he eventually agrees to enter the room and dish out the once-a-year treat

For Delia Smith's Christmas cook book, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563370645/gouktheezinefo07

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 lb cranberries

Half a pint of water

Half a lb of castor sugar

Grated rind of half a lemon

METHOD

Place all the ingredients in a small heat resistant container, cover with a lid or foil, place in an oven at gas mark 2  (310 ) and allow to cook until all the cranberry skins are broken. Serve hot or cold sprinkled lightly with chopped fresh mint.

For Delia Smith's Christmas cook book, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563370645/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Cake Recipe

Make at least 1 month before Christmas and then ice one week before Christmas

INGREDIENTS

12 oz plain flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. mixed spice

Half a tsp. salt

4 oz candied peel

4 oz cherries

2 lb died fruit

4 oz blanched almonds

4 eggs

4 tbsp sherry

1 finely grated lemon rind

8 oz butter

8 oz sugar

1 tbsp black treacle

METHOD

- Sieve the flour

- Mix the peel, fruit, cherries, chopped almonds and lemon rind

- Whisk the eggs and sherry together

- Cream the butter, sugar and black treacle until soft

- Add the flour and egg mixtures alternately to the butter

- Stir in the fruit mixture

- Put into an 8-9 inch tin lined with greaseproof paper round the sides and at the bottom

- Put in the middle of a hot oven and bake for a total of 3.5 hours as follows: at gas mark 3 for the first 1.5 hours and then decrease to gas mark 2 for the remainder of the cooking time

- Cool the cake in the tin for 30 minutes and then turn on to a mesh cake tray to cool completely

- Store in an airtight container.

For Delia Smith's Christmas cook book, click the link below

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563370645/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Wreaths

Welcome wreaths - a welcome wreath of evergreens is often placed on front doors and dates back to the Roman times when a garland of leaves signified good luck.

Evergreen plants are used as Christmas decorations - the most popular ones being holly and ivy.

Before Christianity these plants were thought to be magical and were hung up to protect against evil spirits and to encourage Spring to come. Christians used these plants in their customs to remind people that the prickles on the holly were like the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he died.

For Christmas merchandise, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0736904379/gouktheezinefo07

Letters from Father Christmas - Tolkien

- by J.R.R. Tolkien

"Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R.Tolkien's children. Inside would be a letter in strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or some sketches. The letters were from Father Christmas. They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how all the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house into the dining-room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house!"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0261103865/gouktheezinefo07

What is Christmas?

The word Christmas comes from two words Cristes maesse, or "Christ's Mass." For Christians, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The first observance of Christmas is believed to have been in Rome in the year 336 A.D.

Christmas is both a holy day and a holiday in the most general sense of the word. In fact, in secular America, it is becoming increasingly popular for people to wish each other Happy Holidays rather than Happy Christmas.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0862641438/gouktheezinefo07

25 December - Jesus' Birthday?

No one really knows for sure when Jesus was born - the most likely date is somewhere around the 20th to the 29th of September. However, in 336 A.D., in an attempt to popularise Christian beliefs and to challenge pagan ones, Christian leaders sought to attract followers by setting the date to 25th December to coincide with the popular pagan holiday of Saturnalia which marked the winter solstice.

Initially, Christmas celebrations amounted to little more than a simple mass, but over the years it has absorbed and replaced numerous other religious and national holidays around the world, absorbing many and varying traditions into the celebration over time

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0862641438/gouktheezinefo07

Yule Log

Yuletide for Christmastime is a word which has its origins in the ritual of the Yule Log, which in olden days was a vast oak log used as the base for holiday fires. Bringing in the Yule Log was as traditional as putting up a Christmas Tree is today. Yule, Anglo Saxon Middle English for "Cry Aloud", was celebrated after the passing of the winter solstice when it became clear that the nights were becoming shorter and the days longer.

The Yule Log was common is households in Europe until the 19th century. A large piece of oak was placed in the main hearth of the house and other smaller pieces of wood were stacked up on top of it. The smaller bits of wood would burn quite quickly and be replenished, but the Yule Log would only burn slowly and take up to 12 days to finally disintegrate into ash.

Today, people make cakes in the shape of Yule Logs (but the don’t burn very well - smile!).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0862641438/gouktheezinefo07

Poinsettias

Poinsettias come from Mexico, but were named Joel R. Poinsett, the American. ambassador to Mexico who introduced the plant to America in 1828.

Poinsettias were used by Franciscan monks in Mexico in their 17th century Christmas celebrations.

There is a fable which tells the story of a young Mexican boy who, on his way to visit the village Nativity scene and realising that he did not have a gift for the Christ child, stopped at the side of the road and gathered some of the flowers that he found there. Although other children ridiculed him, when he laid the leaves at the manger a beautiful star-shaped (like the star that had guided the Three Wise Men) flower appeared on each branch. The bright red petals, often mistaken for flowers, are actually the upper leaves of the plant.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0862641438/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Stockings - fable

Once upon a time there a feeble minded Lord whose wife had died of a fever leaving the Lord and their three daughters in great despair. To take his mind off his sorrows, the Lord set to inventing things, but because he was a man of little imagination his ideas never worked and he quickly lost his family’s fortune, forcing them to move to a lowly cottage where his daughters kept house for him doing the cooking, cleaning and sewing.

As the years went by, the daughters eventually became old enough to be married, but the Lord was even more sad and depressed because being now so poor he had no dowries to offer to prospective suitors.

One day, the daughters worked hard washing clothes all morning and all afternoon, and in the evening they hung their stockings on the mantelpiece over the fire to dry. That very night, St Nicholas was passing the house and he heard the father crying and berating himself for being so poor and leaving the girls without any dowries. Hearing the Lord’s bitter cries of grief, St Nicholas waited outside the cottage for the family to go to bed and then using great stealth he snuck inside the house and dropped a small pouch of gold coins in to each daughters’ stockings.

The next morning, when the daughters woke early for the start of another day, they tried to pull on their stockings but found them full of gold coins – more than enough to provide them with dowries for their marriages.

And so, thanks to the generosity of St Nicholas, the Lord was able to marry off his three daughters and to see them all live happily ever after.

And that’s where the tradition of hanging out stockings comes from: though there are many regional variations:

France:

Children place their shoe by the fireplace on Christmas Eve for St Nicholas to fill with gifts.

The Netherlands:

Children fill their shoes with hay and carrots for Sinterklaas’ horses.

Hungary:

Children shine their shoes and leave them near a window or external door.

Italy:

On the eve of Epiphany, 5th January, children leave out their shoes so that La Befana, the witch, can leave nice presents for good children or coal for the bad ones.

Puerto Rico:

Children put small boxes under their beds and fill them with flowers and vegetables as nourishing offerings to the Three Kings’ camels.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0862641438/gouktheezinefo07

What are "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the 12 days that separate Christmas Day, on 25th December, and Epiphany which is celebrated on 6th January. Many people think the 12 Days are the days leading up to Christmas, but they’re not!

Epiphany, depending on the church, marks the day when Jesus was baptised or alternatively the day on which the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem to bestow gifts upon the infant child.

There is an urban myth that the 12 Days of Christmas song was written symbolically as follows:

A partridge in a pear tree

The one true God revealed in the form of Jesus Christ

Two Turtle Doves

The Old and New Testaments

Three French Hens

Faith, Hope and Charity

Four Calling Birds

The Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

Five Golden Rings

The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch" which contain the law condemning man for his sins

Six Geese A-laying

The six days of creation

Seven Swans A-swimming

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments of the Catholic faith

Eight Maids A-milking

The eight beatitudes

Nine Ladies Dancing

The nine Fruits of the Spirit

Ten Lords A-leaping

The Ten Commandments

Eleven Pipers Piping

The eleven faithful apostles

Twelve Drummers Drumming

The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me

A partridge in a pear tree

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Ten lords a-leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Eleven pipers piping

Ten lords a-leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Twelve drummers drumming

Eleven pipers piping

Ten lords a-leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking

Seven swans a-swimming

Six geese a-laying

Five gold rings

Four calling birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

To buy a Christmas CD, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005TP9D/gouktheezinefo07

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Apart from the logical excitement that the anticipation of Christmas Day brings, there is also a significant historical reason for why Christmas Eve is important: being traditionally marked by the singing of carols and the celebration of midnight mass.

The origin of holidays starting on the evening before the actual day is probably thanks to Judaism where all religious observances start on the evening before at sundown and not at midnight, with rituals such as the lighting of candles or the sharing of food or gifts. Jewish religious days usually run from sundown to sundown, and not from midnight to midnight.

To buy a Christmas CD, click the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005TP9D/gouktheezinefo07

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Famed throughout the English-speaking world and beyond, Rudolph was born in 1939 from the pen of an advertising executive who wrote for a chain store in the USA called the Montgomery Ward Stores.

Penned by Robert May and drawn by Denver Gillen as a freebie Christmas marketing story, Rudolph has been a part of Christmas ever since. The reindeer was originally to be called Rollo or Reginald, though managers at Montgomery Ward rejected both names as being inappropriate. It was May’s 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, who apparently christened the reindeer Rudolph.

Originally written as a poem in rhyming couplets, the bosses at Montgomery Ward were initially reluctant to endorse a story which had a central character supporting a red nose for fear that the image was too greatly associated with drunks and alcohol abuse. It was Gillen’s cheery illustrations that eventually convinced May’s bosses that they had nothing to worry about.

The story of Rudolph has parallels with The Ugly Duckling: Rudolph is seen as a bit of an oddity and an outcast by all the other reindeer save for his loving family. One Christmas Eve, Santa is struggling to deliver presents because of the fog and snow making it hard for him to see where he is going. Whilst delivering presents to Rudolph’s house, Santa spies the glow from Rudolph’s nose and recruits him to lead the sleigh for the rest of the night - thereby saving Christmas and getting all the gifts delivered on time.

In 1949, Gene Autry sang a musical version of the poem which made the story of Rudolph spread even further ensuring that he quickly became a worldwide phenomenon and a part of the modern-day Christmas tradition.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/155709294X/gouktheezinefo07

Why is Christmas spelt Xmas?

Well, it has been spelt that was for a long time: probably over 500 years as the earliest recorded written forms go all the way back to the 1500s.

Different theories abound on why the spelling exists, the favourite linguistic one being that it is inspired by the Greek word for Christ: Xristos.

For other people it is symbolic: Jesus died on the cross and the X in Xmas is thereby regarded being a representation of the cross and of Christ himself.

For others, Xmas (when pronounced as ex-mass) is a secular way of referring to the seasonal celebrations without having to actually say Christ’s name.

There is also one other theory stemming from the fact that December used to be, under the original Roman calendar, the 10th month of the year: the year starting in March. The Roman numeral for 10 is X, so Xmas can be read as being the “mass of the tenth month”.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005TP9D/gouktheezinefo07

The Ten Ages of Christmas

"Some of the celebrations we associate with Christmas today began way before Christianity developed, so that by medieval times traditions of mid-winter feasting were long established. Later the Puritans banned some festivities, but other 'holyday' pleasures still survived. It was not until the reign of Queen Victoria that many of today's customs - such as decorating fir trees - really took off. "

So how did people in other generations celebrate Xmas? Click the link below to find out!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/society/ten_ages_gallery.shtml

Christmas - A History

December 25th (January 6th for Orthodox Christians)

Welcome, welcome, welcome and a Merry Christmas to you all. My name is Mr Christopher Christmas and I am the Lord of Misrule (see my page: Lord of Misrule) who ensures that there is merriment and happiness on Christmas Day throughout the UK. Pour yourself a mug of O’Holic’s Triple Thick But Never Sick Hot Chocolate and pull up a chair and I will tell you everything you need to know about Christmas and how it is celebrated here on these fertile islands of ours.

I shall begin at the beginning, at the very dawn of time, when the earth started to spin and our great, great, great, great . . . grandfathers first looked up at the sky and saw the sun burning brightly above them giving out its generous warmth and bringing the dark earth to life.

DRUIDS - GREEKS - NORDICS - HEBREWS

Our great-whatever-grandfathers, you see, realised soon enough that the earth had seasons and that the changing of these seasons was in some way linked to the movement of the sun. In the summer, the sun stayed high in the sky for many hours, but come the winter it rose on one horizon and fell on the other with a rapidity of speed which was at first both frightening and worrying. Would the sun ever come back again and would the days ever get longer? Our friends up in the Nordic countries even worshipped the sun and believed it to be a great wheel in the sky which gently changed the seasons as it spun.

This puzzle, about the variable length of days, was resolved quickly enough when the most ancient of star gazers lay upon their backs to look upon the planets and realised that the heavens moved in a fairly regular pattern and that on the same day each year, the 21st December, the days stopped getting shorter and started to grow longer again. This was the time of the winter solstice (the time when the sun stands still) and it quickly became a date that was observed with some reverence and no small amount of celebration.

My dear cousins in ancient Greece, ever ones for a good party, started celebrating on the 17th December with the festival of Saturnalia and did not stop raving for a full seven days. Such happy times: men dressing up as women, masters dressing up as servants, houses decked with evergreens, candles - always a sign of hope and life - warmly lit, brightly coloured processions filling the towns, and presents being willingly exchanged.

Here in the UK, in the years before Christianity arrived on these shores, the Celtic Druid priests observed the winter solstice by cutting the parasitic plant mistletoe from the oak trees and blessing it as being a symbol of rebirth and a sign that the winter months were starting to turn their faces towards the dawning of a new year.

And in Israel, the Jewish people marked the mid-winter with the eight-day Hebrew festival of Hanukkah, lighting a new candle each day (again as a symbol of life and hope), exchanging gifts, and remembering the year that had just finished.

I guess you can begin to see already that December has always been a pretty important month, though historically up until now no one has yet called it Christmas. For Christmas, (the mass celebrating the birth of Christ) we need a birth, and that’s where the baby Jesus comes in.

NATIVITY

The sketchy account of the birth of Jesus (no one actually gives or knows a precise date!) is contained in two Gospels as part of the Bible’s New Testament: one written by Matthew and the other written by Luke. No two people see or report things in exactly the same way, and this is true of Matthew and Luke who give different accounts of Jesus’ birth, but from these accounts we’re able to piece together the story of the ‘nativity’: a word which simply means birth and which can apply to any birth, though which is most specifically associated with the birth of Jesus these days.

So, what do Matthew and Luke have to say? Well, they both agree that Jesus was born to a woman called Mary who was engaged at the time to a carpenter by the name of Joseph, and, that at the time of the birth, Mary was still a virgin. Big question, how does a woman who is a virgin (not had sexual intercourse) actually become pregnant? Luke knows: he says that Mary was visited by an angel of the Lord who told her that she was to carry God’s son in her womb. Matthew in part corroborates this with the assertion that Joseph too was visited by an angel and persuaded to marry Mary in the hope of protecting her during her pregnancy.

Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth, but travelled to Bethlehem near Jerusalem in Judea in order to register for the Census that had been ordered by the Roman Emperor, Augustus. That little sleepy town of Bethlehem was heaving with registrants when Joseph and Mary arrived and in spite of Mary’s heavily pregnant condition, they could not find a place to stay. Travelling from inn to inn searching for a bed, they eventually met an innkeeper who, because his inn was full, offered his stable as a place for Mary and Joseph to sleep for the night.

And whilst they were there, Mary went into labour and the baby Jesus was born.

Now this event, heralded by angels, was startling and wonderful. Out in the fields, an angel visited some shepherds and told them:

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth, lying in a manger."

And so the shepherds hurried off to find the baby Jesus and to honour his historic birth.

There were also Three Wise Men who followed a bright star in the east that hung over Bethlehem and they too came to pay homage to Jesus and marked his birth with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

And so, Jesus Christ was born, but many years passed before the first Christmas was celebrated.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS

As I mentioned before, the Gospels did not set out the date of Jesus’ birth (most likely to have been between 20 and 29 September) and it was not until the year 366 A.D. that the then Pope, Julius the First, hit upon the idea of decreeing that the 25th December was to be the date on which Jesus’ birth would be celebrated. This was quite a cunning plan: a ruse to Christianise the existing Pagan solstice celebrations by giving them a Christian focus. By the year 529, the 25th December had become a formal holiday, and by 567 the 12 days from Christmas Day to Epiphany (6th January) were all public holidays . . . a tradition sadly lost to us poor hard-working souls today! Epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning 'to show' and, depending on the church, marks the day when Jesus was baptised or alternatively the day on which the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem to bestow gifts upon the infant child. Right up until the 1800s, Epiphany was as much a celebration in its own right as Christmas Day - hence the long holiday!

TRADITIONS

So, thanks to the clever mind of Pope Julius the First, Christmas became an established Christian holy day, but in placing it so close to the existing solstice festivals, Christmas quickly became a mash of different traditions: Christian, Pagan, Hebrew, Greek, and Nordic to name but a few. The established church wanted Jesus’ birth to be celebrated each year by a simple mass, but the old traditions of feasting and merry-making refused to die out. One of the Four founding Fathers of the Greek Church went so far as to warn, in 389, against 'feasting in excess, dancing and crowning the doors'.

MEDIEVAL TRADITIONS:

During the Medieval period (approximately 400 to 1400), Christmas was a real out and out party time with only very limited religious observance. The old Pagan attitudes to the winter solstice long outlived Julius’ initial decree, as the Britons - having picked up many Pagan ideas form the Romans - set about having bawdy parties and decking their houses in greenery, much in the same way as the ancient Greeks had done in celebrating the festival of Saturnalia.

Again, the Church made moves to bring these Pagan attitudes within their area of influence: mistletoe was banned and holly, as a representation of the crown of thorns said to have been worn by Jesus when he was crucified, was offered as a replacement evergreen instead. Even carols, traditionally songs sung by Pagans celebrating the summer solstice and the importance of the early autumn harvest, were taken up by the church and re-written to praise the birth of Jesus Christ.

It was during this period that the tradition of the Nativity and the displaying a crib started, when, in 1223, St Francis set up a representation of the Nativity of Jesus outside a church in the small town of Greccio in Italy. Crib making flourished in Europe long before it became popular in the UK, suggesting that the British observance of Christmas was less Christian and more Pagan in nature than it was on the European mainland.

From the middle of the 17th century, Christian Puritans (people who wanted to rid the Church of unscriptural ideas and celebrations and to revert to a 'pure' Christian creed) worked hard to suppress the excesses of Christmas celebrations in both Europe and America. As Christ’s birth date was unknown from the Gospels and because Christmas had become too entwined with the old Pagan ways and the excesses of the Saturnalia celebrations, the Puritans decided to ban all Christmas activities including the decorating of houses, partying and even cooking or eating mince pies.

VICTORIAN TRADITIONS:

Out with the Puritans and enter the Victorians - named after the reigning Queen of the time, Victoria (1837 to 1901) - who took Christmas to their hearts in a big way, mainly thanks to Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, being such an enthusiast for Christmas and for having such influence over people in the country. In 1840, Albert had the first Christmas tree in England erected at his home in Brighton. What Albert did, others aped and soon everyone wanted to have a Christmas tree of their own.

Not only did the Victorians have Albert, they also had Dickens, Charles Dickens - author extraordinaire. In 1843, Dickens sat down and wrote the apocryphal story of A Christmas Carol: capturing the imagination of people on both sides of the Atlantic with its moralistic tale of salvation, redemption and philanthropy. Suddenly, Christmas was all right again and something which could be celebrated after the Puritanical years without any sense of guilt or shame.

In many ways, it is the Victorians who moulded Christmas into the shape and form that we recognise it as today: the fir trees, the evergreens, the carol singing, the present giving, and the exchanging of Christmas cards - an idea borrowed from Valentines’ Day and reworked for the Christmas market when you could send someone love and festive wishes without having to sentimentalise them as a lover.

Whilst many of the traditions revived by the Victorians date back to Medieval Britain, the modern day Christmas is heavily influenced by the rest of Europe and by America. Having Christmas trees in the home is an idea borrowed from Germany. Rudolph comes from the pen of an adverting exec in the USA (see page: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer). Santa Claus is a mix of Nordic legend, Turkish Bishop, American poem, and Coca-Cola advert (see Santa Claus - His Story).

ADVENT

Advent is the period of celebration marking the birth of Jesus Christ. It starts each year on the Sunday closest to 30th November and lasts until Christmas Eve. Many children have Advent Calendars and these usually run from 1st to 25th December. Traditionally, Advent Calendars are like posters with little doors cut into them. Each day, you open a numbered door and behind it you find a new picture. Originally, Advent Calendars depicted religious icons, but over the years the pictures have become more commercial and many companies now produce tacky Advent Calendars which offer a small gift (a chocolate, for example) behind each door.

The word Advent comes from Latin ‘adventus’ meaning ‘coming’ and was originally a period of penitence when followers were expected to fast. This tradition has long since died out.

Advent wreaths - their circular shape reminding us of the perfection and eternity of God - are popular, especially in churches, and usually are made from evergreen firs (Pagan influence again) and contain four candles. One candle is supposed to be lit each Sunday during Advent. The four candles represent hope, peace, joy and love.

CHRISTMAS TODAY IN THE UK

Christmas is the Christian Festival most celebrated by non-believers - though most of those are celebrating the Pagan relics and modern day factors far more than they are celebrating the birth of Christ: in many ways Christmas is being reclaimed as a celebration of the winter solstice that happens to coincide with the Church’s arbitrary decision to nominate 25th December as Jesus Christ’s birthday. Most people take part in the exchanging of gifts, the decorating of their homes, the sending of cards, the singing of carols, and the thrill of being visited by Father Christmas as a homage to their love of life: the religious element is increasingly regarded as non-focal in such a secular society.

Many people are unhappy that Christmas has become so commercial and crass; angry that shops start selling Christmas goods in late August or early September. But with carols, trees, office parties, television programmes, pop songs, visits to Santa in retail outlets, and much, much more, Christmas is fundamentally just a time to forget about the worries of life and to party for hours with families and friends.

I wish you all, a very Merry Christmas - however you might care to celebrate it.

Your faithful fiend

Mr Christopher Christmas, Lord of Misrule

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0753808668/gouktheezinefo07

Nativity

The sketchy account of the birth of Jesus (no one actually gives or knows a precise date!) is contained in two Gospels as part of the Bible’s New Testament: one written by Matthew and the other written by Luke. No two people see or report things in exactly the same way, and this is true of Matthew and Luke who give different accounts of Jesus’ birth, but from these accounts we’re able to piece together the story of the ‘nativity’: a word which simply means birth and which can apply to any birth, though which is most specifically associated with the birth of Jesus these days.

So, what do Matthew and Luke have to say? Well, they both agree that Jesus was born to a woman called Mary who was engaged at the time to a carpenter by the name of Joseph, and, that at the time of the birth, Mary was still a virgin. Big question, how does a woman who is a virgin (not had sexual intercourse) actually become pregnant? Luke knows: he says that Mary was visited by an angel of the Lord who told her that she was to carry God’s son in her womb. Matthew in part corroborates this with the assertion that Joseph too was visited by an angel and persuaded to marry Mary in the hope of protecting her during her pregnancy.

Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth, but travelled to Bethlehem near Jerusalem in Judea in order to register for the Census that had been ordered by the Roman Emperor, Augustus. That little sleepy town of Bethlehem was heaving with registrants when Joseph and Mary arrived and in spite of Mary’s heavily pregnant condition, they could not find a place to stay. Travelling from inn to inn searching for a bed, they eventually met an innkeeper who, because his inn was full, offered his stable as a place for Mary and Joseph to sleep for the night.

And whilst they were there, Mary went into labour and the baby Jesus was born.

Now this event, heralded by angels, was startling and wonderful. Out in the fields, an angel visited some shepherds and told them:

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth, lying in a manger."

And so the shepherds hurried off to find the baby Jesus and to honour his historic birth.

There were also Three Wise Men who followed a bright star in the east that hung over Bethlehem and they too came to pay homage to Jesus and marked his birth with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

And so, Jesus Christ was born, but many years passed before the first Christmas was celebrated.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS

As I mentioned before, the Gospels did not set out the date of Jesus’ birth (most likely to have been between 20 and 29 September) and it was not until the year 366 A.D. that the then Pope, Julius the First, hit upon the idea of decreeing that the 25th December was to be the date on which Jesus’ birth would be celebrated. This was quite a cunning plan: a ruse to Christianise the existing Pagan solstice celebrations by giving them a Christian focus. By the year 529, the 25th December had become a formal holiday, and by 567 the 12 days from Christmas Day to Epiphany (6th January) were all public holidays . . . a tradition sadly lost to us poor hard-working souls today! Epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning 'to show' and, depending on the church, marks the day when Jesus was baptised or alternatively the day on which the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem to bestow gifts upon the infant child. Right up until the 1800s, Epiphany was as much a celebration in its own right as Christmas Day - hence the long holiday!

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Medieval Traditions

During the Medieval period (approximately 400 to 1400), Christmas was a real out and out party time with only very limited religious observance. The old Pagan attitudes to the winter solstice long outlived Julius’ initial decree, as the Britons - having picked up many Pagan ideas form the Romans - set about having bawdy parties and decking their houses in greenery, much in the same way as the ancient Greeks had done in celebrating the festival of Saturnalia.

Again, the Church made moves to bring these Pagan attitudes within their area of influence: mistletoe was banned and holly, as a representation of the crown of thorns said to have been worn by Jesus when he was crucified, was offered as a replacement evergreen instead. Even carols, traditionally songs sung by Pagans celebrating the summer solstice and the importance of the early autumn harvest, were taken up by the church and re-written to praise the birth of Jesus Christ.

It was during this period that the tradition of the Nativity and the displaying a crib started, when, in 1223, St Francis set up a representation of the Nativity of Jesus outside a church in the small town of Greccio in Italy. Crib making flourished in Europe long before it became popular in the UK, suggesting that the British observance of Christmas was less Christian and more Pagan in nature than it was on the European mainland.

From the middle of the 17th century, Christian Puritans (people who wanted to rid the Church of unscriptural ideas and celebrations and to revert to a 'pure' Christian creed) worked hard to suppress the excesses of Christmas celebrations in both Europe and America. As Christ’s birth date was unknown from the Gospels and because Christmas had become too entwined with the old Pagan ways and the excesses of the Saturnalia celebrations, the Puritans decided to ban all Christmas activities including the decorating of houses, partying and even cooking or eating mince pies.

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Victorian Traditions

Th Victorians - named after the reigning Queen of the time, Victoria (1837 to 1901) - took Christmas to their hearts in a big way, mainly thanks to Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, being such an enthusiast for Christmas and for having such influence over people in the country. In 1840, Albert had the first Christmas tree in England erected at his home in Brighton. What Albert did, others aped and soon everyone wanted to have a Christmas tree of their own.

Not only did the Victorians have Albert, they also had Dickens, Charles Dickens - author extraordinaire. In 1843, Dickens sat down and wrote the apocryphal story of A Christmas Carol: capturing the imagination of people on both sides of the Atlantic with its moralistic tale of salvation, redemption and philanthropy. Suddenly, Christmas was all right again and something which could be celebrated after the Puritanical years without any sense of guilt or shame.

In many ways, it is the Victorians who moulded Christmas into the shape and form that we recognise it as today: the fir trees, the evergreens, the carol singing, the present giving, and the exchanging of Christmas cards - an idea borrowed from Valentines’ Day and reworked for the Christmas market when you could send someone love and festive wishes without having to sentimentalise them as a lover.

Whilst many of the traditions revived by the Victorians date back to Medieval Britain, the modern day Christmas is heavily influenced by the rest of Europe and by America. Having Christmas trees in the home is an idea borrowed from Germany. Rudolph comes from the pen of an adverting exec in the USA (see page: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer). Santa Claus is a mix of Nordic legend, Turkish Bishop, American poem, and Coca-Cola advert (see Santa Claus - His Story).

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Advent

Advent is the period of celebration marking the birth of Jesus Christ. It starts each year on the Sunday closest to 30th November and lasts until Christmas Eve. Many children have Advent Calendars and these usually run from 1st to 25th December. Traditionally, Advent Calendars are like posters with little doors cut into them. Each day, you open a numbered door and behind it you find a new picture. Originally, Advent Calendars depicted religious icons, but over the years the pictures have become more commercial and many companies now produce tacky Advent Calendars which offer a small gift (a chocolate, for example) behind each door.

The word Advent comes from Latin ‘adventus’ meaning ‘coming’ and was originally a period of penitence when followers were expected to fast. This tradition has long since died out.

Advent wreaths - their circular shape reminding us of the perfection and eternity of God - are popular, especially in churches, and usually are made from evergreen firs (Pagan influence again) and contain four candles. One candle is supposed to be lit each Sunday during Advent. The four candles represent hope, peace, joy and love.

To READ a modern day Advent calendar, click the link below.

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Christmas Today in the UK - A History

Christmas is the Christian Festival most celebrated by non-believers - though most of those are celebrating the Pagan relics and modern day factors far more than they are celebrating the birth of Christ: in many ways Christmas is being reclaimed as a celebration of the winter solstice that happens to coincide with the Church’s arbitrary decision to nominate 25th December as Jesus Christ’s birthday. Most people take part in the exchanging of gifts, the decorating of their homes, the sending of cards, the singing of carols, and the thrill of being visited by Father Christmas as a homage to their love of life: the religious element is increasingly regarded as non-focal in such a secular society.

Many people are unhappy that Christmas has become so commercial and crass; angry that shops start selling Christmas goods in late August or early September. But with carols, trees, office parties, television programmes, pop songs, visits to Santa in retail outlets, and much, much more, Christmas is fundamentally just a time to forget about the worries of life and to party for hours with families and friends.

I wish you all, a very Merry Christmas - however you might care to celebrate it.

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Lord of Misrule

The Lord of Misrule, known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason, was a person appointed at Christmas to preside over the Feast of Fools: revelries traditionally including drunkenness, feasting and partying.

Whilst largely seen as a British custom, the Lord of Misrule dates back to the Greek and Roman festival of Saturnalia during which the world would be set on its head: men dressing up as women, masters dressing up as servants, houses decked with evergreens, candles - always a sign of hope and life - warmly lit, brightly coloured processions filling the towns, and presents being willingly exchanged. The Lord of Misrule held court over all of this and had the power to command anyone to do anything he wished during the festive shenanigans.

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Mistletoe - de la Mare

- by Walter de la Mare

Sitting under the mistletoe

(Pale-green, fairy mistletoe),

One last candle burning low,

All the sleepy dancers gone,

Just one candle burning on,

Shadows lurking everywhere:

Some one came, and kissed me there.

Tired I was; my head would go

Nodding under the mistletoe

(Pale-green, fairy mistletoe),

No footsteps came, no voice, but only,

Just as I sat there, sleepy, lonely,

Stooped in the still and shadowy air

Lips unseen - and kissed me there.

For a book of Christmas poems, click the link below.

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A Christmas Tree

- by Charles Dickens

This is a 7000 word short story. To read it now, click the link below - it will take about 10 seconds to load in a new window.

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A Merry Xmas to All