Why Christmas is Celebrated on 25th December

Now ever wondered why Christmas is celebrated on December 25 ? Is it the day when Jesus Christ was born ? Well, nobody knows for sure exactly when Christ was born. There had been a lot of dispute over fixing December 25 as Christmas. In the 2nd century A.D, Hippolytus claimed this day as Christ's birthday. Then January 6 was declared by the Eastern Church as the day of His birth. Finally, in 350 A.D, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Julius I, fixed December 25 as the official day for Christmas. This date, the day of the winter solstice, was wisely chosen with the intention to outweigh the popular pagan Roman holiday of Saturnalia.
Jesus Christ's coming to this world was predicted by the prophets years before His birth. The Old Testament has in it, over 300 such prophecies. And, you'll be truly surprised to know that all of these proved true—from Christ's miraculous birth, His sinless life, His atrocious death to his astounding resurrection.

Origin of Christmas

Do you know where the word ‘Christmas’ sprang from ? Christmas is derived from the words ‘Cristes Maesse’, meaning Christ's Mass. It is also sometimes referred to as Xmas. This ‘X’ in the word stands for ‘Xristos’, and means Christ in Greek. Xristos Mass is shortened to Xmas. However, this shouldn't be looked upon as a move to bump off Christ's name from Christmas. It’s simply another way of referring to Christmas. So wish a 'Merry Christmas' to your loved ones and dive into celebrating the holidays !

Christmas Trivia

The holiday of Christmas is incomplete if you miss out on the following interesting tidbits and Christmas trivia. Like all trivia, the Christmas trivia here are equally gripping.Heres a few of them

The Twelve Days of Christmas: The Twelve Days of Christmas refers to the twelve days between the Christmas Day (December 25) and the Feast of Epiphany (January 6). Tradition has it that this is the time taken by the Three Wise Men (the Magi) to reach Bethlehem to see the babe in the manger, Jesus.
Mistletoe: Mistletoe is a plant hung on the doorway of every American household during Christmas. The mistletoe symbolizes love, having been closely associated with Frigga, the Scandinavian’s goddess of love. It’s from this that the convention of kissing under the mistletoe originated.

Hanging Stockings: The practice of hanging stockings over the fireplace on Christmas Eve comes from England. The legend of St. Nicholas has it that the latter was a kind saint who was believed to have left gifts of gold coins in the stockings of three poor maidens, who badly needed the money for their wedding dowries. They hung their stockings to dry over the fireplace, and to their great surprise, they found bags of gold in them the next morning. Following this, children kept hanging Christmas stockings over the fireplace on Christmas Eve in the hope that Santa would drop gifts and toys in them !

Christmas Carols: The first carols are said to have been sung by angelic choirs at Christ's birth. St.Francis of Assissi is also accredited as the 'Father of Caroling'. The word 'carol' comes from the Greek 'charaulein', a Greek dance, later replaced by song. By the 17th century, caroling was restricted to Christmas time, and now, it’s customary for kids to go caroling in groups from door to door, singing favorites such as "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing", "O Come All Ye Faithful", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and many more ! Holly Boughs: The boughs of holly are another very important symbol of Christmas. These are red berries with thorny leaves. To the Christians, the holly berries symbolize Christ's blood and the sharply pointed leaves stand for the thorns in His crown. Henceforth, the holly became part of the Nativity tradition.

The Nativity Scene: The Nativity Scene includes the scene at Bethlehem, when Jesus was born. The manger, the swaddling clothes, the bright star in the sky, the shepherds surrounding baby Jesus and the Three Wise Men (the Magi) form part of the scene. The Poinsettia: Poinsettias are beautiful winter blooms, native to Mexico. They've been named after the first US ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who brought the plant from its land of origin to America. Since the beginning of the 19th century, poinsettias have come to be associated with Christmas.

Eggnog: Eggnog, a very popular Christmas drink, is prepared by mixing cream, milk, sugar and beaten eggs with some kind of liquor. This has a close connection to the Christmas holiday, and on Christmas Eve, it's fairly common to spot groups of people eggnogging at their neighbors' and friends' places. People also gather round the Christmas tree, drinking eggnog and then move from house to house caroling. The Yule Log: The yule log is a huge log used to light up big fires during festive celebrations. It originated in Europe, where it used to be placed in the hearth and continued to burn throughout the year, till it turned into ashes. Bringing in the yule log was as much a custom during the Christmas holidays as was decorating the Christmas tree. The yule log is generally placed in the fireplace. It’s from this yule log that Christmas also came to be known as 'Yuletide'.

Christmas Recollections Last year

My eyes behaved lazily, taking twists and turns, as the clock struck twelve...there was light all over. It had become my usual time of getting up due to my late night shifts. Mom had opened the windows of my room allowing my sweet dream bid me goodbye and those dreamy eyes could not tolerate the belle dance of the flushing curtains .I had no plans to get to my toes at least for the next half an hour. There was breeze outside and I could feel the chill of it on my bare arms. Summer has just ended and Autumn was on its way...and if Autumn is here can Winter be fat behind...this very thought was making me enjoy my Christmas, way before hand. A day when life seems to be so very different,a complete roller-coaster. A day when there is no work but only fun and party. I was already on my way to make it the most happening one,as I usually do.
Still in my sleepish sense of mind I reeled back my thoughts to the hullabaloo of the Christmas celebrations of the previous year. Preparations had started two weeks ago and there was lots of excitement in the air. Lots of shopping and planning for the big day. Ordering for cakes, new clothes,curtains,gifts,cards,Christmas tree...the list was endless. With a perfect two weeks planning the day had finally arrived. It was midnight and I was getting dressed up for the Christmas eve mass.It was supposed to start at 12 and Benny had promised to pick me up on his way to the church. Punctuality was an unknown word to him so we got to see the church at about 11.50, trying to forcefully sneak into a row where I caught the, not so acceptable glances of some elderly members . I had no other option, than to ignore those looks and somehow fit myself among those healthy odd looking people. However Benny was not spared of my usual curses for being the architect of all the suffering I was wittnessing.We usually have high masses on days of occasions which are quite different from the normal ones.The church was beautifully decorated with streamers all over.Stars were at the paramount of glory and there was the beautifully decorated crib with life size statues of Jesus,Mary,Joseph...the Camels,Shepherds...gosh the beauty of it was amazing. The altar was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers, the fragrance of which was falling heavy on the long standing piece of art. The church echoed to the melodious tune of the carols. After the mass, it was time to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and the joy of it could be seen on all faces. When the wishings kissings, and conversation was at its zenith, somebody announced the Christmas eve dance. All attentions were rolled in that direction as that was one of the most awaited events. Every one made their ways to the hall room.In there the atmosphere was awesome with no lights but just the one from the mirror ball high up in the ceiling.
I was rolling around on my bed in excitement, with the least realization that my thoughts of the previous Christmas had slipped into my dreams from reality but I enjoyed every bit of it.I was still in no mood to rise from my bed so I decided to plan out my forthcoming Christmas lying there itself.
Christmas means a lot of things to different people . But for me Christmas means catching up with Friends and Family ...talking about things we like and enjoy and of course having a good time together and savoring the Holiday spirit.
So with Christmas on its way, I hope that you guys are going great guns with your Christmas plans. Do share your experiences with me too.

Christmas Candles

Hope you remember about the Christmas party I had mentioned in my last blog . So how are your plans going ? I am sure you are going to rock all of them, but while you do all this you better not forget about the candles, which is enough to make your party the most memorable one.
Whenever I look at a candle it has always made me wonder about its lifestyle. It burns and burns giving us all its light, keeping darkness to itself but still it has no regrets. But whatever it may be, we still enjoy every bit of its beauty.
With Christmas on its way the markets are sure to get flooded with a variety of candles in different shapes,sizes,colors...some with red ribbons,some with white,blue,green...the lovely flowers on some and those green leaves all around...there are many with the face of Jesus and some with the Christmas tree. On last Christmas I managed to get some beautifully designed ones, in the shape of alphabets.It was am amazing set of candles.
The very look of them are so mesmerizing that you just don't feel like burning it and even when burnt...the aroma takes you into a completely different world.
In all these preparations and merry making lets not forget the actual significance of the candle. A candle lit every week on the advent wreath reminds us of the coming of the Saviour Jesus Christ, the light actual of the world.
Hope I manage to get some good ones this time. Do inform me if you guys come across a good one.

Christmas Party Ideas

What’s a better time to sing, dance and party if not on Christmas ? So be it. Celebrate this Christmas as best as you can, in whatever ways you want to, with as much fun and friends and make it a celebration to remember forever ! Now, there aren’t any clear-cut ways for Christmas celebration. Everything’s appreciated as long as it’s in the spirit of the season. Christmas parties are, therefore, quite common.

But not everyone likes a blowout Christmas party or a boisterous Christmas celebration. Some even like to engage in a low-key Christmas celebrations. If you’re in this group, you can spend the day religiously—praying for your near and dears, spending a warm time in close quarters, flipping through family albums and cherishing fond memories of bygone years. You can also have a Christmas celebration with some noble acts of charity, giving donations or buying Christmas gifts to the unprivileged. This is sure to bring you closer to the true essence of Christmas—giving and sharing of what you have ! So enrich your holidays and that of others with warm smiles, hugs, gifts and wishes.

Just in case you want to go a little wild on Christmas and have a peach of Christmas celebrations, the idea of a Christmas party is always a winning idea ! Be it an open-house party or a corporate one or if it’s just a casual sit-down dinner—plan days ahead of Christmas. For, there are many things to keep in mind while planning your Christmas party. To start off, you can set the tone for your Christmas party with the invitations itself. Whatever your Christmas celebrations, the invitations got to be fetching enough to have your folks dropping in for a blast ! Make them as innovative as possible to get your guests in the Christmas groove. Then you got to choose a place for the Christmas blowout or the holiday party before deciding on your menu. Party areas are usually hired for company Christmas parties. And if it’s a more informal joint, you can fix up the Christmas party even at your own place. Now, you can either have your party catered and or you can plan it yourself with the help of close pals or family members. You can arrange for a DJ to sweep your guests off their feet at your Christmas party celebrations. Note this, your Christmas party mustn’t always include elaborate meals and extravagant affairs; you can even host a Christmas party with just drinks and hors d’oeuvres with soft Christmas music playing in the air. And this is no less entertaining and definitely not a absurd Christmas celebration ! So get set to bake your cookies, brownies, prepare the Jingle Bell Fudge and keep the wassail handy for your guests to pamper their taste buds on Christmas.

Now for the decorations of your Christmas party—make it as chic as possible. Give the party room a total face-lift with colorful candles brightly lit everywhere, adorn the Christmas tree Christmas party idea is to crown your guests with Christmas party Santa hats as soon as they arrive. This can sure pep up the Christmas celebrations a tad bit and bring your guests into the holiday spirits right away. And, of course, you must choose a theme for your Christmas party and decide the activities accordingly. You can perk up the party ambience with fun games, dance and sometimes people even give away Christmas awards during a Christmas party. So just get started and have an out-of-the-world Christmas celebration this year ! with bells and candy canes, fringe the walls with tinsel and little stockings, and scatter balloons around to make it look even more festive.

Merry Christmas Wishes for All

The merriest time of the year—Christmas—celebrates the birth of Christ & is a day rich in history, customs & traditions, upbeat celebration, fun, humor, party, games, decorations, songs and carols & more. Here you can know more on the various aspects of Christmas—Santa Claus, Christmas recipes, trivia, gift ideas, craft ideas, quotes, poems & also about Christmas around the world.