While millions and millions of glass ornaments have been produced since they were first created in Lauscha, Germany, in 1847 there probably aren’t all that many left. They’re shiny and all sorts of creatures big and small want to touch, smell or eat them as they hang on a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, touching can unhook [...]
Since 1955 NORAD has been tracking Santa’s Christmas Eve journey and keeping the spirit of Christmas alive in the hearts of millions. Why would a national defense system use manpower and equipment for such a whimsical purpose? It all began with a misprinted phone number in a Sears-Roebuck add. The department store had advertised for [...]
Many of us enjoy singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” during the holiday season. The song brings out the passionate singer in all of us, with its difficult melodies and its memory recall exercises. But in North America, many of us have forgotten what the twelve days of Christmas really are! The song is not, [...]
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, and Christians’ anticipation of his return. If Christmas is all about the nativity, then why do we give gifts? We have the Three Wise Men to thank for the tradition of gift giving at Christmastime. They traveled a great distance, like many of us do for the holidays today, [...]
This month, in honor of Oktoberfest, we’d like to share with you the legacy of German Christmas decorations and the effect they’ve had on what we often think of as our very American Christmas traditions. Exquisite lace tablecloths, doilies, and even Christmas ornaments can be found in many American homes around the holidays, but perhaps [...]