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Everyone knows that the standard Christmas colors are green and red, and if pressed, some of us might come up with a few others, especially white and maybe blue. Thank Elvis for that last one, but why the rest?
You might think that the reasons are obvious, and you'd basically be right. But let's explore some more complex reasons.
Continue reading "What Are Your Favorite Christmas Colors?" »
Like many Americans, I'm pretty much a mutt when it comes to national heritage, but I've always been fascinated with French Christmas traditions. After all, my folks decided to name me "Noel", which is French for Christmas! And somewhere in there, I surely have a French ancestor or two.
Continue reading "Joyeux Noel! Fun French Christmas Traditions" »
While the American visitor to Mexico during the holidays won't find much to be surprised by, charming and unique Mexican Christmas decorations still dazzle your eyes. In addition to the basic Christmas tree balls and Hallmark ornaments, our friends down south add some interesting variations.
Curious about Mexican Christmas décor? Then by all means, let's take a look!
Continue reading "Traditional Mexican Christmas Decorations" »
One of the most wonderful things about Christmas is that it's amazingly inconsistent. Christmas traditions celebrated from family to family (much less from culture to culture) varies widely. That might bother some people, but I find it alluring.
Imagine: a new way to celebrate my favorite holiday. And even better, we legitimately get to celebrate Christmas three times a year!
Christmas legends make up a comfortable part of any Christmas. For example, the story of the Magi, Santa's origins, the Night Before Christmas, and, if you're from certain parts of the world, the purpose of the mysterious Black Peter provide excellent examples of Christmas legend.
But there are some things about Christmas that most of us just take for granted, unaware that they have any legendary significance at all. Take that Christmas tree, for example. Do you know the Christmas tree legend?
Continue reading "Christmas Legends to Warm the Heart: The Christmas Tree" »
To understand Australian Christmas traditions, you have to understand that Aussies are upside-down, seasonally, in comparison to us Americans. If that's difficult to process, just imagine going to the beach on Christmas Day.
So, yeah. Maybe things are a little different from what most of us would suspect. They definitely don't sing "White Christmas" down there, mate!
Continue reading "All About Australian Christmas Traditions" »