It's Christmas Time

Photo: The Origins of Christmas

Although Christmas time is supposed to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, it has a tendency of losing its Christian meaning and, therefore, tend to more secular festivities. Though, Christmas time is still a religious celebration.

Christmas time was introduced by the pope at the end of the Barbarian era in order for Christian festivals to take over pagan feasts. In the fourth century, Christmas Day was decided upon as 25th of December as it is, by no means, the actual birth date of Jesus. Since its first celebration, Christmas time has always been an occasion for religious ceremonies, observances and gift exchange.

Over the centuries, the celebrations of Christmas evolved and more secular celebrations; which, still included family gatherings, replaced the traditional religious festivals.

At Christmas gift exchanges of the past, wealthy people used to give each other luxurious and expensive gifts such as jewelry and kings even used to give territories as Christmas gifts. The middle class used to give useful gifts, such as clothes, while the poor didn't receive much more than an orange or an apple.

With the advent of the industrial era in Occidental countries, modern marketing techniques influenced people to decorate their houses, prepare specific meals and, therefore, spend a lot of money at Christmas time.

Photo: Through the Shopping Glass: A Century of New York Christmas Windows

Christmas time is more often than not, an opportunity to do some very special activities with the children or the whole family we wouldn't do on any other occasion. For example, how many times a year do we join the entire family on a 100% shopping day activity? As a matter of fact, Christmas time is one of the best times of the year to entertain the kids while we hunt for the last best toy manufactured by a well known brand.

Among all the Christmas time activities, my favorite one is a journey into the magic world of toys; which is planned especially for us by shopping centers and famous stores. How many times have you been mesmerized by store windows beautifully arranged like Toy Paradise on Earth just for Christmas time? I'd even admit it's really hard to get me out of looking at all the beauties displayed in these windows!

Photo: Joy to the World:
A Victorian Christmas

We all are aware of the six most important Christmas time symbols:

• The Advent consists in burning a candle on each of the four Sundays before Christmas time and represents the passage of the four weeks of Advent. The Advent also stands for rebirth of light after the winter solstice
• The Christmas Mass; which is held on the 24th of December, is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
• The Christmas Crib represents the birth of Jesus in the homes of those of the Christian faith.
• The Christmas Tree represents life, and was inspired by the early pagan celebrations of the winter solstice.
• The Yule log is the log that we place on the fire to warm up the room on Christmas Eve.
• Santa Claus was inspired by the well known Saint Nicholas, patron of schoolboys, and has been adopted by the Coca Cola company to serve the commercial intentions of Christmas time.

Nowadays, although society has tended to become more secular, we can find at least one - if not all - of these symbols in any Christian house at Christmas time.

Photo: Department 56 Snow Village Christmas Crafts Cottage

The very next thing I'm crazy about at Christmas time are those toy mazes and Christmas village displays set up in stores in which you discover the fairy world of toys. Often arranged in "real life" scenes with lights and sounds, these Christmas displays bring you everything from recreated scenes from Christmas movies to train sets featuring the most famous train station of our city hundred years ago to toys featuring real situations.

How about a virtual tour in King's Cross Station or a journey in the Hogwarts Express you'd embark on from railway station platform 9-3/4?

Next door, you'll enter Father Christmas' workshop where you're about to meet Rudolph the reindeer and friends. Next to Rudolph, elves are creating those wonderful toys little boys and girls will soon find beneath the Christmas tree. A little farther, you enter the Victorian era where hundreds of Teddy Bears are arranged in many different Christmas time scenes, while old fashioned porcelain dolls are taking their 5 o'clock tea break.

Our journey in Christmas time wonderland is almost finished but before leaving, we admire those amazingly beautiful Christmas villages made out of hundreds of lighted small houses placed around a train station. The village features children building snowmen, teens iceskating and carolers wassailing from one house to another.

Santa is generally sitting on a golden chair at the end of this fairy pathway; and is waiting for your children to let him know the kind of toys they expect to get this Christmas. The journey ends with a picture of Santa and the kids that will become one of our fondest memories of this Christmas time.

Photo: GKI/Bethlehem Lighting 9-Foot PE/PVC Christmas Tree with Clear Mini Lights, Full Green River Spruce

As soon as the Christmas time countdown begins, everyone is rushing to the stores to get their hands on the newest Christmas tree ornaments and home decorations or plan family activities such as creating their own homemade Christmas decorations. Christmas tree trimming and home decorating are the most popular pastimes on Christmas time.

The most imporant element of families Christmas decor is the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is more often than not, decorated with ornaments that families gathered year after year and that they cherish like treasures. They always put the finishing touches to their Christmas tree decorating with a nicely crafted tree topper, such as an angel, a star or Santa Claus.

The most popular Christmas tree ornaments are tree or snowflake shaped crystal ornaments, star shaped ornaments, tree candles, angels, anime series characters, themed icicle ornaments as well as the ever classic glass ball ornaments. But we also find many Christmas tree themed ornaments such as anniversary or commemorative ornaments, Barbie or Teddy Bear tree decorations, sport team ornaments, music instruments such as tiny drums and violins... Another trendy type of Christmas tree ornaments are Vintage and Victorian ornaments; which one can find in many different forms.

Photo: Melrose Mix Pine Wreath with Berry and Pod, 23-Inch

When it comes to other Christmas decorations, most Christians, or people who celebrate Christmas time, tend to entirely decorate just one room of the house; however, nothing should keep someone away from decorating the entire house for Christmas time, although just a meaningful touch would be enough to bring a cheerful atmosphere in the home.

The bathroom can be nicely decorated for Christmas time using Christmas themed towels and soaps or a themed bathroom set including a carpet, a shower curtain, and other accessories. In the kitchen, gingerbread figurines, Christmas themed potholders, kitchen ustensils would work wonders. The hostess may even wear a cute Christmas apron. The dining room can host a brand new Christmas themed dinnerware set and the dining table will look gorgeous with an angel tabletop nicely included in a table centerpiece made at home.

Decorating the bedrooms for Christmas time doesn't require a lot of items. For example, you can just hang a beautiful Christmas light string all around the room and place a miniature Christmas tree on the drawer chest. Although small changes, they will improve the holiday season cosy atmosphere.

The outside of the house can also be decorated. Indeed, Christmas lawn decorations are trendy nowadays and people decorate their yard with ornaments or signs such as pathway trees, lighted Christmas train, lighted Christmas carriage, religious flags, lit Nativity scenes, lighted Santa Claus on a sleigh, snowmen, etc. Some people have a thing to create stunning outdoor Christmas decorations that impress their neighborhood!

Photo: Syma S107/S107G R/C Helicopter - Red

When it comes to the top Christmas gifts for boys, we find out that things changed a lot from one generation to another. As a matter of fact, when I was a little girl, all boys would want a cow-boy or Indian costume set or soldiers or a car and garage set.

Nowadays, Christmas gift wishes have changed entirely and boys want electronics, advanced toys looking like real weapons, electric cars, etc.

Here are the top Christmas toys wished by boys in 2011.

Photo: Kanani American Girl Doll of the Year 2011 & Paperback Book

What do little girls want as Christmas toys this year? That is the question! Well, at first, I thought little girls would want the same kind of Christmas toys than boys or, at least more electronic and high technology stuff. However, it seems that little girls still love and enjoy dolls.

Naturally, dolls evolved and most of the dolls we cherished in our childhood have been revamped and new versions have been launched. For example, there's a more modern version of the ever popular Strawberry Shortcake scented doll and her friends; they even have been reduced and are available as pocket dolls.

The same thing happened to the notion of the rag doll itself. Nowadays, we find very modern rag dolls on the market; such as the Lalaloopsy Silly Hair dolls.

Let's take a look at the type of Christmas toys little girls want this end of year 2011.

Photo: Margaritaville DM3000 Tahiti Frozen Concoction Maker

Although the range of Christmas time gifts for adults is very large, it's not always easy to find the right present to give to the right recipient. Indeed, we all have our own tastes and the Christmas gift that pleases one doesn't necessarily please another.

Among the people I asked the kind of Christmas gift they'd like to get this year, I noticed a tendency for asking for personal gifts instead of previous years when people used to ask for party stuff such as cocktail machine or electric chocolate fondue, and so on.

This year, people wish for personal Christmas gifts such as handbag, scarf, for women and shaver or watch for men. Here are a few of the most wished Christmas gifts 2011 for men and women.

Photo: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

High technologies are attractive and Christmas time seems to encourage everyone to wish for the latest production, whether a new laptop, a new personal computer, a game console, and even the newest Apple iPad 2 or mobile phone.

This year, among the top electronic Christmas gifts wished by people, we find cameras, plasma TVs, cell phones, and so on.

Here are a few of the top 25 Christmas gifts for 2011:

Photo: Duck & Goose Cookery

Eating goose on Christmas evening or day might not be as traditional as eating stuffed turkey but it's a great alternative if you are bored with the turkey. Here's a tasteful goose recipe to make for Christmas Time.

Ingredients to make a Christmas goose:

• 8 to 10 lb. whole goose
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped apple
• 1 tablespoon dried grapes
• Oil
• 3 oz. red wine
• 5.5 oz. chicken broth
• Thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions to prepare Christmas goose:

• Preheat the oven to 365° F
• Spread oil on the goose and place it in a roasting pan
• Tuck the wings and tie the legs together with kitchen string
• Arrange apples, onions and dried grapes around the goose
• Put the pan in the oven and cook for 3 hours - make sure to spray the goose with cooking juice from time to time
• Remove the goose from the oven
• Strain cooking juice
• In a saucepan, combine strained cooking juice with red wine and chicken broth
• Boil this mixture and add floor, stir until smooth
• Serve with steamed potatoes.