What happened to all of the winter warlocks?

        God starts the custom of giving Grace. Grace is an undeserved gift. He gives mankind the forgiveness of sin through the love and sacrifices of Jesus. Then all of the ''warlocks'' have the right to accept our, oh excuse me, their election. But first they, you and me must start walkin' fast...

• Romans 8:33-36 and Matthew 24:22 (More about real elections here.)

"Put One Foot In Front of The Other' Song" from

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (1970)

Chorus first sung by Kris Kringle (also known as Santa Claus) sings to begin with... 

Put one foot in front of the other 

And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor 

You put one foot in front of the other 

And soon you'll be walking out the door 

 Verse 1: Kris Kringle 

You never will get where you're going 

If ya never get up on your feet 

Come on, there's a good tail wind blowin' 

A fast walking man is hard to beat 

 Chorus: Choir & Kris

Put one foot in front of the other 

And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor 

You put one foot in front of the other 

And soon you'll be walking out the door 

 Verse 2: Kris Kringle

If you want to change your direction 

If your time of life is at hand 

Well, don't be the rule; Be the exception 

A good way to start is to stand 

 The Winter Warlock then sings... 

If I want to change the reflection 

I see in the mirror each morn... ("Oh, you do?" says Kris) 

You mean that it's just my election? 

("Just that." says Kris) To vote for a chance to be reborn? 

Woo-hoo! 

 Chorus: Slowly, at first with "You" on the first line, then goes into tempo on the last two lines

Put one foot in front of the other 

And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor 

You put one foot in front of the other 

And soon you'll be walking out the door 

 Chorus, Kris and Winter: Pause after "soon" & "walking"; "You'll" is replaced with "You are" in the ending 

Put one foot in front of the other 

And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor 

You put one foot in front of the other 

And soon you'll be walking out the door

Is There A Santa Claus?

The following, reprinted from the editorial page of the New York Sun, was written by the late Mr. Frank P. Church: 

       We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun: 

DEAR EDITOR: 

       I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. 
       Papa says "If you see it in The Sun it's so."
       Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

 VIRGINIA O'HANLON. 

       Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. 
       Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. 
       Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus com- ing down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. 
       You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
       No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

• "Yes, Virginia . . .  There is a Santa Claus. sung by Lisa Horner with help from the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.

Why are there so many family reunions on Christmas Day?

       Many of our social and domestic customs are a natural recognition of the new order which the Babe of Bethlehem introduced into the world. There can surely be nothing worthy the name of a Christian celebration of the feast if it be not associated with the clearing off of old scores, the payment-as far as possible of our just debts, the forgiving of debtors who through honest poverty are unable to pay, and the laying aside of old grudges and quarrels. Yet it is to be feared that some of us have not quite outgrown the need of that lesson which Dickens taught in the immortal Christmas Carol of 1843. 

• The "change of heart" from A Christmas Carol Live...

       Then our family reunions tell very eloquently of the revelation of human brotherhood by Him who

"showed us the Father", and contracted a fraternal relationship with the whole human race. 

• John 14:8-21 and video demonstrating teachings of Christ that illustrate the family of God.

       And we feel, too, that Christmas is peculiarly the Christmas Lore Children's Day. One of our most genial humorists from the Victorian era has touched a true chord when, personifying the day as usual, he says: 

"Christmas comes, he comes, he comes, 

Ushered in with a rain of plums; 

Hollies in the windows greet him, 

Schools come driving post to meet him, 

Gifts precede him, bells proclaim him, 

Every voice delights to name him. 

"Curtains, those snug room-enfolders 

Hang upon his million shoulders; 

And he has a million eyes 

Of fire, and eats a million pies, 

And is very merry and wise- 

Very wise and very merry, 

And loves a kiss beneath the berry.

 "And he would have us, one and all, 

Awake at his benignant call, 

And all be wise, and all lay down 

Strife, and jealousy, and frown, 

And, like the sons of one great mother, 

Share and be blest with one another." 

What are the customs of The Christmas Sheaf?

       In Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Hungary there is a regular custom of setting a small sheaf of corn on a pole in the gable of the house or barn; and he would be thought a very curmudgeon who would refuse the birds their Christmas feast. The boys in Denmark say "It is for Santa Claus's white horse "; and this is suggestive of what probably originated the custom. There can be little doubt that it is a pre-Christian survival, and that the sheaf was at first intended for the mythical god, Odin and his horse Sleipnor. 

       But in the northern countries generally there is a prevailing notion that the lower animals ought to have a share in the Christmas bounty. St. Francis wished the oxen and asses to have extra hay and corn at Christmas, "for reverence of the Son of God, whom on such a night the blessed Virgin Mary did lay down in the stall between the ox and the ass". He thought that "All Creation"* should rejoice at Christmas, and the dumb* creatures had no other means of doing so. Accordingly in Silesia wheat is given to the beasts on Christmas Eve "to make them thrive ". 

       It was said that “If wheat be kept in one's pocket during Christmas service, and then given to the fowls, they will 150 Christmas Lore grow fat and lay many eggs ". This seems to belong to the large class of magical superstitions, according to which a blessing or a curse is conveyed by means of enchanted food or drink. In Norway there was usually a great brewing beforehand of Yule ale, of which a good portion was given to the cattle. This seemed quite in the spirit of Francis. 

       Even more so was a custom which lasted in longer in the west of England. On Christmas Day a double ration of provender is given to horses and other cattle "for luck"; and it is said that if this were neglected misfortune would certainly follow. Akin to this is a custom in some parts of Italy and Spain of scattering grain on Christmas Eve as a feast for the birds.

* All Creation in scripture is known as ktisis (Greek reference to entire universe including physical and spirit.) 

• All Creation groans . . .

* phrase "dumb animals" means - Innocent of the knowledge between good and evil. Scripture 2 Peter 2:12

What was the custom of "Yule-firth" or "Unthrifty Folk"?

       Before the Reformation (1517), there was in Scotland and the north of England a custom of great but uncertain antiquity called "Yule-firth", i.e."Christmas Truce". Where this prevailed no criminal prosecution could be initiated in the week immediately preceding Christmas; and during the week next following all legal proceedings were temporarily suspended in honor of the feast. 

       Of the extent to which Yule-firth was observed we have no information; but something may be said in this connection of a strange custom at York, of which the earliest definite mention is found about the time of Henry VIII. On St. Thomas's Day the Sheriff made proclamation at the pillory that, during the Twelve Days of Christmas, all manner of thieves, gamblers, loose women, "and all other unthrifty folk be welcome to the town, whether they come late or early, in reverence of the High Feast of Yule"; on condition, however, that they kept the king's peace and submitted to certain police regulations. How long this custom survived is uncertain; but a writer in the middle of the eighteenth century refers to it as not long discontinued. "

       It would be pleasant if we could accept as historic the very beautiful symbolism which a lady has lately read into the strange custom. Adopting the Neo-Druidic idea that the parasitical mistletoe represents man in his dependence on God, she associates the York invitation to all and sundry with the ceremonial placing of mistletoe on the altar in the cathedral; and sees in it an object lesson that only when man lays himself on the altar as ready for sacrifice, can pardon, freedom, and true life be fully enjoyed. But it is more likely, we think, that the authorities at York were of opinion that by giving these "unthrifty folk" temporary security against arrest, they might the better be kept under observation, and their depredations guarded against. Municipal regulation of vice, however, always has tended and always will tend to deterioration of public morals; and we can very well believe that the York proclamation, like the unseemly pranks of the Lord of Misrule, did much to prepare the way towards the austerity of Puritan reaction.

Who Are The 13 Yule Lads?

       The Yule Lads are the sons of Grýla and Leppalúði. They are a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who steal from or harass the population in old Icelandic tradition; they all have descriptive names that convey their favorite way of harassing. They come to town one by one during the last 13 nights before Yule. They leave small gifts in shoes that children have placed on windowsills, but if the children have been disobedient, they instead leave a rotten potato in the shoe.These Christmas-related folktales first appeared around the 17th century and displayed some variation based on region and age. In modern times, these characters have taken on slightly more benevolent roles. 

       The first mention of the Yule Lads can be found in the 17th-century "Poem of Grýla". Grýla had appeared in older tales as a troll, but had not been linked to Christmas before. She is described as a hideous being who is the mother of the gigantic Yule Lads, a menace to children. 

       Early on, the number and depiction of the Yule Lads varied greatly depending on location. They were used to frighten children into good behavior, similar to the bogeyman. The King of Denmark objected to their use as a disciplinary tool.

        In 1746, the use of the Yule Lads myths to overly instill fear in children was officially banned, leading to the myths being made more benign. In the late 18th century, a poem mentions 13 of them. In the mid-19th century, author Jón Árnason drew inspiration from the Brothers Grimm and began collecting folktales. His 1862 collection is the first mention of the names of the Yule Lads. 

       In 1932, the poem "Yule Lads" was published as a part of the popular poetry book Christmas is Coming (Jólin koma) by Icelandic poet Jóhannes úr Kötlum. The poem was popular and established what is now considered the canonical 13 Yule Lads, their names, and their personalities. Not all of them have folkloric roots, however, but those that do, I will include on later posts.

       The day each yule lad appears before Christmas, Each yule lad's proper Icelandic name, the interpretation into English:

1. December 12 – Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote-Clod) - torments the sheep
2. December 13 - Giljagaur (Gully Gawk) - steals milk from the cows
3. December 14 - Stúfur (Stubby) the shortest of all the lads, steals leftover pie crusts
4. December 15 - Þvörusleikir (Spoon-Licker) - the thinest of all, licks wooden spoons
5. December 16 - Pottaskefill (Pot-Scraper) - steals pots from kitchens to lick them clean
6. December 17 - Askasleikir (Bowl-Licker) - hides beneath beds to find bowls to lick clean
7. December 18 - Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer) - make noise
8. December 19 - Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler) - loves Icelandic yogurt called "Skyr" but also loves gingerbread, cakes, pies and candies
9. December 20 - Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage-Swiper) - swipes sausages
10. December 21 - Gluggagægir (Window-Peeper) - 
11. December 22 - Gáttaþefur (Doorway-Sniffer) steals a type of bread called "" has a very large nose
12. December 23 - Ketkrókur (Meat-Hook)
13. December 24 - Kertasníkir (Candle-Stealer)

       There were originally more Yule lads than the standard 13 listed above and some of them were Yule lasses. Below are just a few examples.

• Tallow Socks: She was a large old woman would steal the tallow (fat) and Christmas knitted socks.
• Tallow Nostril: Her nose was large enough to store large quantities of tallow and also small naughty children could be stored there as well...

Learn More About The Yule Lads:

• See modern depictions of Yule Lads at The Restless Viking here.
• YouTuber Karen Clement shares her experience crafting all of the Yule lads for her Christmas "rabbit hole!"
• Ask An Expert: Who Are the Yule Lads?

Were the gifts of the Magi Symbolic?

       The gifts of the Magi were symbolical of their three-fold faith; the gold that He was King; the incense that He was God; and myrrh, that He was man and doomed to death. The Virgin bestowed on the Magi gifts of the linen bands in which she had wrapped the Savior, for which they thanked her in great humility, and laid them among their treasures.

       According to the old legends, Caspar is king of Tarsus, the land of merchants; he makes the offering of gold. Melchior, the king of Arabia and Nubia, offers frankincense, and Balthasar, king of Saba, "the land of spices," offers myrrh. The gifts are described in scripture, the names of the kings are made up. The "kings" are called "wise men" from the East in scripture.

When was the very first Christmas tree erected in North America?

        It is said that the first Christmas tree in America was erected at Trenton, in New Jersey colony. In 1776, by Hessian soldiers hired by the British to help subdue the rebellious followers of General Washington.

• Washington's Christmas at War
• New Jersey's Revolutionary War Historic Sites

Who were the wise men and why were they called Magi?

        The term Magi was anciently used generally throughout the East, to distinguish philosophers, and especially astronomers. Pliny and Ptolemy mention Aribi as synonymous with Magi; and it was the opinion of many learned in the first ages of Christianity, that the Magi who presented offerings to the infant Savior in Matthew 2:1 came from Southern Arabia for it is certain that "gold, frankincense and myrrh,'' were productions of that country. They were philosophers among whom the best parts of the reformed Magian system, which was extensively diffused, were probably preserved. They were pious men, also, who had some acqaintance, it may be, with the Hebrew prophecies, and were favored themselves, with divine revelations. They are to be regarded as members of the old patriarchal church, never quite extinguished among the heathen; and they had the special honor to present the homage of the Gentile world to the infant Savior. - Hend. Buck; Watson

A Byzantine mosaic of the three Magi depicted in Persian clothing.