Tag Archives: Christmas traditions

Xmas Traditions Explained (For Fibbing Friday Dec 22, 2023)

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                                                          Leave Santa alone, Kids. He’s exhausted!!

1. Ever wondered why they call them Christmas Carols? Because Bob was already associated with bobbing for apples on Halloween, Ted was busy spreading hay for the manger and Alice was busy looking at herself in the looking glass. ( Confused? See “Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice”)

2. Why do we put a fairy on top of the Christmas Tree? We didn’t. It just kept flying up there.

3. Are St Nicholas and Old Nick the Jekyll and Hyde of Christmas? No. Old Nick is just the natural result of St. Nick’s exposure to so much carbon chimney buildup and air travel over the centuries.

4. Why do we traditionally kiss under the mistletoe? The practice started because approximately 1/2 of the world’s population is actually allergic to mistletoe and the other 1/2 needs to give them artificial respiration therapy.

5. Why is it Christmas lights work when we put them away but don’t when we take them out the following year? Because you have to remember to unplug them before putting them away!!!!

6. Why are pigs in blankets so called? Because they are cold and this is a natural response to chillbains..

7. Should we have cream or custard on mince pies? Yes.

8. How did a Christmas Stocking originate? When Santa heard there was much mischief afoot during the year and decided he needed a method of bribery to put an end to it.

9. Do you like the idea of a white Christmas?  Well, yes. Much more than its actuality.

10. Have you been naughty or nice? Yes. You can guess which.

Red-faced.The Devil made me do it.

For Fibbing Friday

I’m Not Dreaming of a White Christmas

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jdbimage

I’m Not Dreaming of a White Christmas

I’m not dreaming
of a white Christmas
bedecked with tinsel
and mistletoe.

That bougainvillea spilling down the wall
is festive enough.
Who said a Christmas had to be 
composed of personal memories decades old?

I like a little sand in my Christmas,
good friends and not a holly sprig in sight—
our memories being made,
not dwelled upon.

Where was the snow in Bethlehem?
On what day did Santa finally arrive,
bag laden with gifts more frivolous
than gold, frankincense and myrrh?*

What we celebrate at Christmas
is more than anything
Bing Crosby
might have devised.

The warmth of friendship.
Finding those things,
in spite of our many differences,
that are the same.

That first Christmas
celebrated in the desert,
there was a star.
The animals were its first celebrants.

Only afterwards
came those wise men
who in their gifts
predicted its ending.

*The three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death. This dates back to Origen in Contra Celsum: “gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one who was mortal; and incense, as to a God.”

The word prompts today were white, compose, bedeck and festive.
https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/rdp-saturday-white/
https://fivedotoh.com/2018/12/22/fowc-with-fandango-compose/
https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/bedeck/
https://onedailyprompt.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/your-daily-word-prompt-festive-December-22-2018/
https://lindaghill.com/2018/12/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-22-18/

New Traditions

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New Traditions

This year, I don’t feel jolly, can’t use Christmas as a balm.
I’ll settle for well-organized, painless, mobile, calm.
Ordinary’s fine with me—time to work with plants,
to lie with cats, throw balls for dogs, extinguish cutter ants,
file foot-high stacks of papers and clean my junk drawer out—
a shocking way to celebrate. Mundane, without a doubt.

I never thought that I’d grow up where Christmas was concerned.
I’m sure my metal Christmas tree is going to feel spurned.
The fact that I’m not using it this year is rather strange,
for I wrapped it, fully decorated, last year for a change.
It wouldn’t take an hour to bring it from above
and fall back into Christmas trappings that I truly love.

But the kittens would destroy it. Albeit, they’d have fun,
but that tree would be in tatters by the time that they were done.
The wisemen and the Christ child and dozens of nacimientos*,
the wreaths and lights and figurines–all holiday mementos,
I’ll leave packed up in boxes in the closets up on shelves—
Santas stacked on reindeer, nestled against elves.

This year instead of hanging decorations on the tree, 
I’ll lie down on the sofa and let cats decorate me.

If I am the tree, Ollie is the star at the top of the tree!

*A nacimiento is a nativity scene, but in Mexico, they consist of hundreds of different figures in addition to the traditional shepherds, wisemen, angels and holy family. Go HERE to see some of the surprising figures included in a Mexican nacimiento display.

 

The prompt today was jolly.

Chameleon Poinsettia: Flower of the Day Challenge Jan. 7, 2016

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Chameleon Poinsettia

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This pot of poinsettias is right on my deck so I can witness the changes in color from green to yellow to white. I also love that the centers are starting to pop out their little pom poms.  I know Christmas is over, but my poinsettias don’t know it.  Actually, at the market today everyone was buying King’s Cake (Rosca de Reyes) to honor the 12th day of Christmas–January 6–the supposed day the wise men arrived with gifts. Shaped round like a king’s crown, the cake contains a surprise inside–a porcelain or hard plastic effigy of Jesus.

The one who finds it in his cake is the one expected to host the party and make the tamales for Candelaria, on February 2nd.  On this date everyone takes the baby Jesus from his creche, redresses him in new clothing and takes him to the priest to be blessed.  On buses, in the streets and in the subways, people can be seen with babies in arms, taking them for their yearly anointing. If you think Christmas is strung out in the States, you should witness Christmas in Mexico!

http://ceenphotography.com/2016/01/06/flower-of-the-day-january-6-2016-and-color-your-world-challenge/