Merry Christmas to all!

Disney - Santa Claus is coming to town

White Christmas

Some Christmas carols and songs

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen,
but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows.
All the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names;
they never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say:
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then how the reindeer loved him,
as they shouted out with glee:
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, you'll go down in history."

Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose, and two eyes made of coal.

Frosty the Snowman, is a fairytale, they say.
He was made of snow, but the children know he came to life one day.
There must have been some magic in that old silk they found,
For when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around!

Oh, Frosty, the Snowman, was a live as he could be;
and the children say he could laugh and play,
just the same as you and me.

Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,
look at Frosty go.
Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,
over the hills of snow.

Frosty the Snowman, knew the sun was hot that day,
so he said, "Let's run, and we'll have some fun now, before I melt away."

Down to the village, with a broomstick in his hand,
Running here and there, all around the square,
saying', "Catch me if you can."

He led them down the streets of town, right to the traffic cop; and only paused a moment, when he heard him holler, "Stop!"

For Frosty, the Snowman, had to hurry on his way,
But he waved goodbye, saying' "Don't cry, I'll be back again some day."

WHITE CHRISTMAS
Irving Berlin 1942

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

Make a Paper Christmas Tree

Supplies needed:
Green construction paper
Crayons, markers, glitter glue, or tempera paint
Scissors
Clear tape
Optional: Other colors of construction paper, glue, hole punch, stickers    


    Fold a piece of green construction paper in half, then cut it in half.

    Put the two pieces together, and fold them in half again.

    Draw half a Christmas tree opposite the fold.

    Cut along the line - you should get two identical trees.

Fold the trees in half, just barely creasing the center line (this is to mark the center of the tree).   

    Cut a slit along the bottom half of the center of one tree and along the top half of the center of the other tree.

    Slip the two trees together along the slits.

Using clear tape, tape the bottoms and tops together (pieces of tape on the bottom and at the top make the tree stand up well and stop the slit ends from flopping over).   

    Decorate your tree with crayons, markers, glitter glue, or tempera paint. Or you can glue on tiny construction paper decorations or use star stickers. You can cut out tiny paper balls using a hole punch.

Now you have a really nice 3-dimensional Christmas decoration.

    Optional: cut out a small construction paper star and cut a tiny slit in it. Put the star on the top of the tree (and secure it with some tape).   

  For a bigger tree: Start with two pieces of green construction paper, and fold them so they make a long, thin rectangle. Draw a tree opposite the fold. The rest of the instructions are the same.

 Source: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/papertree/

About Christmas

Origin of Christmas - The Biblical Account
The origin of Christmas is presented beautifully in the well-known biblical account of Luke: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:1-11).

Origin of Christmas - The Traditions and Controversies
For today's Christian, the origin of Christmas is, and should be, the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible. Nothing more and nothing less. However, most of what we witness on December 25th each year has absolutely nothing to do with that blessed day, which probably occurred in late summer or early fall about 2,000 years ago. In fact, most of the customs and traditions of Christmas actually pre-date the birth of Jesus, and many of them are downright deceptive in their meaning and origin. Here are a few examples:
The date of December 25th probably originated with the ancient "birthday" of the son-god, Mithra, a pagan deity whose religious influence became widespread in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries A.D. Mithra was related to the Semitic sun-god, Shamash, and his worship spread throughout Asia to Europe where he was called Deus Sol Invictus Mithras. Rome was well-known for absorbing the pagan religions and rituals of its widespread empire. As such, Rome converted this pagan legacy to a celebration of the god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god during the winter solstice period. The winter holiday became known as Saturnalia and began the week prior to December 25th. The festival was characterized by gift-giving, feasting, singing and downright debauchery, as the priests of Saturn carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession throughout the Roman temples.

Variations of this pagan holiday flourished throughout the first few centuries after Jesus Christ, but it probably wasn't until 336 AD that Emperor Constantine officially converted this pagan tradition into the "Christian" holiday of Christmas.