"Honey Do Handyman" Coupons

A "Honey Do Handyman" coupon for indoor repairs or chores in black and white.

       These printable "Honey Do Handyman" coupons make the perfect gift for your special someone. Give them at Christmas or any other time of the year for that matter.

A "Honey Do Handyman" coupon for outside repairs or chores in black and white.

Christmas Coupon for Mending And Sewing

      Do you have a special talent with a needle and a thread? You could give that skill as a gift for the upcoming holiday season. Gifts don't need to be a product; you can share the gift of your time or talents with those in need of a little extra attention. Many times members of my extended family ask me for sewing favors. They need a button sewn on or a zipper repaired etc... So I set aside a little time within the season to make these kinds of simple repairs to their clothing while they relax and watch a ball game or talk over coffee. You can slip this little coupon inside a card or stocking to serve as a reminder that you are willing to help someone with your sewing talents as well.

Christmas Coupons for Coffee and Donuts

Coupon for coffee and commiseration, black and white.

Give the gift of good coffee and candid conversation this Christmas. It is both affordable and will build solid relationships.

Coupon for coffee and donuts, black and white.

Christmas Coupons for A New Set of Tires

Full of Life tire coupon, vertical in black and white.

      Clip and print one of these coupons to stuff into a special gift for your adult child for Christmas. The gift of safety on the open road is by far superior to make-up or DVDs! In our home, several of the retired adults prefer to give more practical gifts for Christmas. For many years I have both received this gift personally and have also seen other very needy folks awarded the same kindness by those family members who have more lucrative incomes.

Survive the Open Road tire coupon, horizontal in black and white.

A Christmas Gift Tag Just for Dad!

Here's a little gift tag just for Dad; print it out and decorate his gifts for Christmas this year!

Dressing The Tree in 1902

This old illustration from 1870,
Harper's Bazaar depicts real candles
attached to a living Christmas tree.

How it May Be Done to Secure The Best Effects

      The Woman's Home Companion gives some hints on decorating a Christmas tree safely. It is well known that when tapers are fixed to the laden branches, after the gifts are taken off the lightened boughs spring up and often set each other on fire. The mode indicated here avoids all that. 

      "First," says the Companion, "thin cut the branches sufficiently to allow the gifts to show to good advantage. Then with an auger bore holes in a spiral row about four or five inches apart the whole length of the trunk. Have some flat sticks prepared, an inch wide and half an inch thick, and of varing lengths. Sharpen one end, and insert them according to their graduated lengths, giving each a blow or two with a hammer to insure its being firmly fixed. Paint them green. At the outer end the candle holder is firmly fixed."

      To the topmost branch before the tree is put up, affix the "Christ-child" --the winged doll, secured by slight rubber bands under the wings. Gilt paper stars and crescents are pretty, affixed here and there to the boughs. Gay silk and tarleton bags full of nuts and candy, oranges and apples, bundles of stick candy tied with ribbons, little baskets and cornucopias of figs and raisins, gilded walnuts, popcorn balls, strings of popcorn and cranberries, candy canes, paper chains--all these and other things they will suggest will decorate a tree so prettily that the children for whose pleasure it is constructed will forget, in their delight, that it is not weighted down with costly gifts. The Banner-Democrat. (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.), 25 Dec. 1902.

Decorating Early Christmas Trees:

• Christmas Tree Decoration and It's History
• Christmas Tree Traditions
• The Chronological History of The Christmas Tree

Assemble Victorian Scrap Ornaments for Christmas Fairs

Above is a photo of a Victorian child all bundled up
for Winter in her lovely white wool. I layered these
 images with tinsel rosettes and purchased glittery
snowflakes to create my version of this classic
 Victorian scrap ornament.     

       Sometimes I assemble Victorian scrap ornaments for Christmas fairs. These particular versions are both simple and inexpensive to assemble. I do not sell them for much, only a few dollars each. Whenever you are preparing for a craft fair, it is best to create a wide variety of Christmas ornaments that are priced from $2.00 and up. Some of my ornaments sell for $25.00 dollars and others for pocket change. This is because all kinds of people visit craft fairs. Some of them are looking for truely unique, one-of-a-kind pieces, but there are always patrons that spend more impulsively or that are looking for inexpensive trims for packages. The latter are the folks that I supply Victorian scrap to because these ornaments costs me very little time, energy, and supply to craft. Most folks who attend craft fairs rarely consider profit margins for artisans. Americans are so familiar with purchasing items from manufactures that they have unrealistic expectations when it comes to buying handmade product. They do not take into account the labor or the initial costs in the acquisition of materials. However, if you wish to profit from such ventures, these are important considerations to make on your own. You need to develop product that satisfies the impulsive nature of some folks in order to compete with what they are most familiar with. Don't waste time producing too much inexpensive product though, just have a bit of it for those who expect it. Spend more time producing collectable pieces, for this is the reason to attend excellent craft fairs after all.

       Above you can see that I printed Victorian scrap ladies and then cut them to layer on top of purchased glittery feathers. I cleaned images myself in Photoshop. These were in the public domain and are easy to find all over the internet.

       The finale Christmas ornaments were crafted and assembled for the Christmas fair that I attended last year. I displayed the ornaments in a giant, shallow cardboard box. The box was wrapped in a subtle brown paper so that the full attention of the customers would be focused on the product. I also filled the bottom of the box with wood shavings supplied by my husband's woodworking interests. The shavings added a subtle, pleasant odor and also gave a kind of a folksy ambiance to my displays that year.

• How to Successfully Price Your Crafts
• Save Time and Money, Choose Profitable Crafts
• How to Sell at Craft Fairs and Shows

Christmas Doesn't Come from A Store!

Children's book cover.

      The Grinch first appeared in the 1957 story How the Grinch Stole Christmas, written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, published as both a Random House book and in an issue of Redbook magazine. Almost a decade later in 1966, the story was adapted into a popular animated television special of the same name, which was directed by Chuck Jones. Boris Karloff serves as both the story's narrator and the voice of the Grinch. 

      In 1977, Seuss responded to the fan request for more Grinch tales by writing Halloween Is Grinch Night, a Halloween special that aired on ABC. This was followed in 1982, when Marvel green-lit The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat, which was also produced by Dr. Seuss (though under his real name, Ted Geisel). Although not as successful as the original, the two spin-offs both received Emmy Awards. Several episodes of the 1996 Nick Jr. television show The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss featured the Grinch, this time in puppet form, a rare screen appearance for the character without being animated or illustrated. 

      A 2000 live-action feature film based on the story, directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey in the title role, was a major financial success, though it received many mixed reviews and holds a 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A video game based on the film, simply entitled The Grinch was released on several consoles and PC in the same year. It was followed in 2007 with the release of a Nintendo DS version that went under the full title of the movie. 

     The Grinch was portrayed on the stage when the story was turned into a musical by the Children's Theater Company out of Minneapolis. The show made it to Broadway by way of a limited run in 2006, with Patrick Page playing the Grinch. 

      In mediums of television and cinema, the Grinch has been played or voiced by five actors. For the three animated adaptations, three actors were used: Boris Karloff in the original 1966 short, Hans Conried in Halloween is Grinch Night, and Bob Holt in The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (all three of them would die shortly after the production of their respective specials and would be unable to reprise the role). Anthony Asbury portrayed The Grinch in The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, and Jim Carrey did so in the 2000 film adaptation. 

“Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more....”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

• Grinch at the Internet Movie Database
• Grinch Costumes website

What Makes A Christmas Ornament Collectible?

      A collectable or collectible (aka collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector and there are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. In this article I will explain the most common variety of ornaments available for ornament enthusiasts to collect today.

Post-War NOMA plastic, electrified
angel tree topper, circa middle
twentieth century

      Antique ornaments are collectable because they are old. Early versions of these products were manufactured in smaller quantities before their popularity as a collectables developed and sometimes they command exorbitant premiums on the secondary market. These secondary markets include auctions, fairs, flee markets and antique dealers who keep shops with either a physical location or online, usually both.
      Ornaments made during an adult collector's childhood can command such premiums because of the demand and nostalgic appeal of the object demonstrated during private and public auctions. In cases such as these, rare ornaments have been sold for literally thousands of dollars. Examples such as those molded cardboard paper ornaments originating from Dresden and Leipzig, Germany during the late 1800s through World War I are highly prized among collectors at auction. This is because the factories that produced such detailed and original copies were bombed during the war and the molds were consequently lost. Thus making these ornaments more valuable over time as they began to perish from use and display. 

      Another example of a popular antique ornaments that were at one time a big part of cottage industry are those ornaments made from spun cotton. Not all antique ornaments were produced in big factories. Cottage industries were small-scale, family run businesses that used their own equipment and formulas to produce ornaments that looked handcrafted but also produced product of excellent quality.

     A curio is a small, usually fascinating or unusual item sought after by collectors. It may be either antique or it may have been manufactured last year. "Manufactured" collectables are items made specifically for people to collect. Manufacturers and retailers have used these kinds of collectables in a number of ways to increase sales. One use is in the form of licensed collectables based on intellectual properties, such as images, characters and logos from literature, music, movies, radio, television, and video games. A large subsection of licensing includes advertising, brandname, and character collectibles. Ornaments inspired by this memorabilia, which includes collectables related to a person, organization, event or media are saved by fans and accumulated by collectors for future profits are often designed by companies like: Hallmark, Disney, Christoper Radko, Waterford,  Mary Engelbreit and Department 56.

Large hand painted free-blown glass
 permanent bauble on stand

      Collectable ornaments have also played an important role in tourism as form of souvenirs. People  purchase these items as tokens to remember a particular event or place that they have experienced. This creates opportunities for small business owners to market ornaments year round and is apparently profitable enough for Christmas ornaments to be purchased "out of season."

      Contemporary handmade ornaments may be divided into two categories: those objects that are made by everyday enthusiasts who are crafting ornaments for either profit or enjoyment and those objects that are crafted by artisans who are known for their consistent production, quality and design of their own unique ornament designs. 

      Although the web provides great opportunity for those who wish to create their own Christmas ornament collections to read and view a seemingly endless supply of possibilities, it is also affords unique opportunities for collectors to purchase directly from artists/designers in a market place that has never been nearly so accessible before. Before the internet, one had to depend entirely on being in the right place at the right time, so to speak. But now, collectors only need to click a button to inquire about the availability of a particular ornament.

Getting Christmas Dinner On a Ranch by Theodore Roosevelt

      One December, while I was out on my ranch, so much work had to be done that it was within a week of Christmas before we were able to take any thought for the Christmas dinner. The winter set in late that year, and there had been comparatively little cold weather, but one day the ice on the river had been sufficiently strong to enable us to haul up a wagon load of flour, with enough salt pork to last through the winter, and a very few tins of canned goods, to be used at special feasts. We had some bushels of potatoes, the heroic victors of a struggle for existence in which the rest of our garden vegetables has succumbed to drought, frost and grasshoppers; and we also had some wild plums and dried elk venison. But we had no fresh meat, and so one day my foreman and I agreed to make a hunt on the morrow.

We dismounted to examine them.

      Accordingly one the cowboys rode out in the frosty afternoon to fetch in the saddleband from the plateau three miles off, where they were grasing. It was after sunset when he returned. 

      It was necessary to get to the hunting grounds by sunrise, and it still lacked a couple of hours of dawn when the foreman wakened me as I lay asleep beneath the buffalo robes. Dressed hurriedly and breakfasting on a cup of coffee and some mouthfuls of bread and jerked elk meat, we slipped out to the barn, threw the saddles on the horses, and were off.

      The air was bitterly chill: the cold had been severe for two days, so that the river ice would again bear horses. Beneath the light covering of powdery snow we could feel the rough ground like wrinkled iron under the horses' hoofs. There was no moon. but the stars shone beautifully down through the cold, clear air and our willing horses galloped swiftly across the long bottom on which the ranch house stood, threading their way deftly among the clumps of sagebrush.

      A mile off we crossed the river, the ice cracking with noises like pistol shots as our horses picked their way gingerly over it. On the opposite side was a dense jungle of bull-berry bushes, and on breaking through this we found ourselves galloping up a long winding valley, which led back many miles into the hills. The crannies and little ravines were filled with brushwood and groves of stunted ash. By this time there was a faint flush of gray in the east, and as we rode silently along we could make out dimly the tracks made by wild animals as they had passed and repassed in the snow. Several times we dismounted to examine them. A couple of coyotes, possibly frightened by our approach, had trotted and loped up the valley ahead of us, leaving a trail like that of two dogs; the sharper, more delicate footprints of a fox crossed out path; and outside one long patch of brushwood a series of round imprints in the snow betrayed where a bob-cat--as plainsmen term the small lynx-had been lurking around to try to pick up a rabbit or a prairie fowl.

      As the dawn reddened, and it became light enough to see objects some little way off, we began to sit erect in our saddles and to scan the hillsides sharply for sight of feeding deer. Hitherto we had seen no deer tracks save inside the bullberry bushes by the river, and we knew that the deer that lived in that impenetrable jungle were cunning whitetails which in such a place could be hunted only by aid of a hound. But just before sunrise we came on three lines of heart shaped footmarks in the snow, which showed where as many deer had just crossed a little plain ahead of us. They were walking leisurely, and from the lay of the land we believed that we should find them over the ridge, where there was a brush coulee.

      Riding to one side of the trail, we topped the little ridge just as the sun flamed up, a burning ball of crimson, beyond the snowy waste at our backs. Almost immediately afterwards my companion leaped from his horse and raised his rifle, and as he pulled the trigger I saw through the twigs of a brush patch on our left the erect, startled head of a young black-tailed doe as she turned to look at us, here great mule-like ears thrown forward. The ball broke her neck, and she turned a complete somersault downhill, while a sudden smashing of underbrush told of the flight of her terrified companions.

      We both laughed and called out "dinner" as we sprang down toward her, and in a few minutes she was dressed and hung up by the hind legs on a small ash tree. The entrails and viscera we threw off to one side, after carefully poisoning them from a little bottle of strychnine which I had in my pocket. Almost every cattleman carries poison and neglects no chance of leaving out wolf bait, for the wolves are sources of serious loss the the unfenced and unhoused flocks and herds. In this instance we felt particularly revengeful because it was but a few days since we had lost a fine yearling heifer. The tracks on the hillside where the carcass lay when we found it told the story plainly. The wolves, two in number, had crept up close before being discovered, and had then raced down on the astounded heifer almost before she could get fairly started. One brute had hamstrung her with a snap of his vise-like jaws, and once down she was torn open in a twinkling.

Turning to go into the log house.

      No sooner was the sun up than a warm west wind began to blow in our faces. The weather had suddenly changed, and within an hour the snow was beginning to thaw and to leave patches of bare ground on the hillsides. We left our coats with our horses and struck off on foot for a group of high buttes cut up by the cedar canyons and gorges, in which we knew the old bucks loved to lie. It was noon before we saw anything more. We lunched at a clear spring --not needing much time, for all we had to do was to drink a draught of icy water and munch a strip of dried venison. Shortly afterward, as we were moving along a hillside with silent caution, we came to a sheer canyon of which the opposite face was broken by little ledges grown up with wind-beaten cedars. As we peeped over the edge, my companion touched my arm and pointed silently to one of the ledges, and instantly I caught a glint of a buck's horns as he lay half behind an old tree trunk. A slight shift of position gave me a fair shot slanting down between his shoulders, and though he struggled to his feet he did not go 50 yards after receiving the bullet.

      This was all we could carry. Leading the horses around we packed the buck behind my companion's saddle, and then rode back for the doe, which I put behind mine. But we were not destined to reach home without a slight adventure. When we got to the river we rode boldly on the ice, heedless of the thaw; and about midway there was a sudden, tremendous crash, and men, horses and deer were scrambling together in the water amid slabs of floating ice. However, it was shallow and no worse results followed than some hard work and a chilly bath. But what cared we? We were returning triumphant with our Christmas dinner. Theodore Roosevelt, 1909 Tazewell Republican

More Sites About Theodore Roosevelt:

• Theodore Roosevelt at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• "East of the Sun and West of the Moon – by Theodore and Kermit Roosevelt".
• "Biography from WhiteHouse.gov".
• "Theodore Roosevelt entry at NobelPrize.org".
• "Theodore Roosevelt – Congressional Medal of Honor entry; including citation and pictures".
• "Theodore Roosevelt: A Resource Guide from the Library of Congress".
• "Theodore Roosevelt Dies Suddenly at Oyster Bay Home; Nation Shocked, Pays Tribute to Former President; Our Flag on All Seas and in All Lands at Half Mast". The New York Times January 6, 1919
• Detailed biography from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911)
• "Theodore Roosevelt Association – Founded in 1920 by Roosevelt's friends and admirers to preserve his legacy. Online resources and bibliography".
• Julian L. Street Papers on Theodore Roosevelt at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University
• Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt
• Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Houghton Library, Harvard University
• Hunting in Many Lands: The Book of the Boone and Crockett Club (1895), Roosevelt, Theodore (Editor). Project Gutenberg. (Also contains a chapter written by Theodore Roosevelt.)
• Theodore Roosevelt at C-SPAN's American Presidents: Life Portraits
• Theodore Roosevelt at C-SPAN's American Writers: A Journey Through History
• Booknotes interview with Nathan Miller on Theodore Roosevelt: A Life, February 14, 1993.
• View works on Natural History by Theodore Roosevelt online at the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
• Roosevelt, Theodore (1911). "Revealing and concealing coloration in birds and mammals". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 30 (Article 8): 119–231.
• An American Lion Documentary from YouTube

     

Questions About Christmas History:

What happened during the World War I, Christmas Truce?

      Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday generally observed on December 25 (with alternative days of January 6, 7 and 19) to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The exact birthday of Jesus is not known, and historians place his year of birth some time between 7 BC and 2 BC. Narratives of his birth are included in two of the Canonical gospels in the New Testament of the Bible. Prophesy of Jesus birth exists throughout the entire Old Testament.

      The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after Christians believe Jesus to have been conceived, the date of the Roman winter solstice, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

      Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians worldwide, and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Santa Claus, among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.

Questions About Christmas History:

1. History of Christmas Links: How did the American Pioneer's celebrate Christmas? Pioneer Christmas in the Old West  * A Pioneer Christmas * gifts about pioneer Christmas from Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home * A Frontier Christmas at Fort Sisseton ** 
2. How did Americans celebrate Christmas during the great depression? Memories of Christmas during the depression*** 
3. Keeping Christmas During WWI & WWII. Christmas Truce of 1914 * Christmas At War * photos of Christmas during WWII * Marine Corps still kept Christmas * bad news at Christmas * Christmas as a German prisoner of war * 
4. What was Christmas like during the Civil War? Peace on Earth? *** 
5. How Early American Colonists Celebrated Christmas? The pineapple in Colonial Williamsburg *** 
6. What was Christmas like in England during the 1800s? Christmas yule log traditions of England * Boars head for Christmas dinner? * Argus for the Christmas table. * The history of Christmas mince-pies or 'mutton-pies.' * Christmas Plum-Pottage * The Climbing Boys ** 
7. What was Christmas like in England during the 1900s? Songs of Praise, Christmas 1910 * BBC-Coventry and Warwickshire Features - Christmas in the 1950s * Magpie, 1970s * The Festive Tree in 1906 **
8. Christmas speeches and memories of American Presidents? On December 24, 1949, President Harry Truman sent Christmas greetings to the nation by radio from * Christmas With The American Presidents * The Clevelands in the White House * 1941-1953 National Christmas Trees * Christmas with the presidents * The National Christmas Trees * Christmas with Thomas Jefferson *** 
9. The history of the Christmas tree in America? Professor Follen brought the first Christmas tree to New England * History of the Christmas Tree * Lighting of the National Christmas Tree History * 
10. What was Christmas like during the Protestant Reformation? Christmas During the Reformation *** 
11. What was Christmas like in English Speaking Countries during the 1940's and 60's? Christmas in Cawston * My Dad's Best Christmas: 1945 ** 
12. Christmas in America late 1800s through 1920? Currier and Ives Lithographs ***
13. What is the history behind some of our traditional Christmas objects? The History of Candles ********

A Song for Christmas

Illustrated print from newspaper.

A Song for Christmas

by James Whitcomb Riley.

Chant me a rhyme of Christmas--

Sing me a jovial song,--

And though it is filled with laughter,

Let it be pure and strong

Sing of the hearts brimmed over

With the story of the day--

Of the echo of childish voices

That will not die away.--

Of the blare of the tasseled bugle,

Ans the timeless clatter and beat

Of the drum that throbs to muster

Squadrons of scampering feet.

But, O, let your voice fall fainter,

Till, blent with a minor tone,

You temper your song with the beauty

Of the pity Christ hath shown,

And sing one verse for the voiceless;

And yet, ere the song be done,

A verse for the ears that hear not,

And a verse for the sightless one.

For though it be time for singing

A merry Christmas glee,

Let a low sweet voice of pathos

Run through the melody.

What is a Belznickel?

I crafted this Belsnickel from clay, sheep's wool
and old quilt scraps. See more . . .

  Belsnickel (also Belschnickel, Belznickle, Belznickel, Pelznikel, Pelznickel, from pelzen (or belzen, German for to wallop or to drub) and Nickel being a hypocorism of the given name Nikolaus) is a fur-clad Christmas gift-bringer figure in the folklore of Palatinate region of southwestern Germany along the Rhine, the Saarland, and the Odenwald region of Baden-Württemberg. The figure is also preserved in Pennsylvania Dutch communities. According to the German (Deutsch) Americans, the Belsnickel is a mythical being who visits children at Christmas time. If they have not been good, they will find coal and/or switches in their stockings. The Belsnickel was a scary old crone, not well loved except by parents wanting to keep their children in line.

      Sometimes English speaking peoples get confused about the origins of the Belsnickle and mistake his character for Krampus. However, Krampus and Belsnickle are two separate Christmas characters. Krampus is a wild, horned demon akin to the devil. His name translates to “claw”. Belsnickle never had a tongue that hangs out, only Krampus. Belsnickle, on the other hand, dressed in furs and was very human, save for his short stature. He may have been a fur trapper, a hermit, or a very tall elf or tomten as the little people were called in the Scandinavian countries. His folk tale was passed down to generations of Germans who immigrated to America, primarily to Pennsylvania (the Pennsylvania Dutch/Deutsche). “In Germany, there is a strange old gnome called Belsnickle or Pelsnickle meaning ‘Nicholas dressed in fur,’” from "Christmas Around the House," by Florence H. Pettit (she connects the Pelz with fur in stead of the German verb "pelzen" or "belzen").

      Old European "Santa" characters dressed and acted more like Belsnickles than the current American prototype of Santa Claus of today. Santa Claus in America is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man - sometimes with spectacles - wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no moustache). This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast. This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books and films.

Lovely old antique photograph 
of a Belsnickle

      Images of Santa Claus were further popularized through Haddon Sundblom’s depiction of him for The Coca-Cola Company’s Christmas advertising in the 1930s. The popularity of the image spawned urban legends that Santa Claus was invented by The Coca-Cola Company or that Santa wears red and white because they are the colors used to promote the Coca-Cola brand. The Coca-Cola image of Santa Claus is still the popular favored image of the vast majority of North Americans.

       Saint Nicholas of Myra is the primary inspiration for the Christian figure of Sinterklaas. He was a 4th century Greek Christian bishop of Myra (now Demre) in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. In continental Europe (more precisely the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany) he is usually portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes. In 1087, the Italian city of Bari, wanting to enter the profitable pilgrimage industry of the times, mounted an expedition to locate the tomb of the Christian Saint and procure his remains. The reliquary of St. Nicholas was desecrated by Italian sailors and the spoils, including his relics, taken to Bari where they are kept to this day. A basilica was constructed the same year to store the loot and the area became a pilgrimage site for the devout, thus justifying the economic cost of the expedition. Saint Nicholas was later claimed as a patron saint of many diverse groups, from archers, sailors, and children to pawnbrokers. He is also the patron saint of both Amsterdam and Moscow.

      In our home, the figure of Santa embodies both the legend of Christmas generosity  and the ideals of the revered abolitionist, Saint Nicholas of Myra. He is dressed in the robes of an elderly gentleman who wanders the planet bringing gifts to all children, whether they are naughty or nice. He does not need to be portrayed as belonging to a particular race or time period, but, he is portrayed as a redeemer of slaves, a lover of Jesus, and kind friend to all little children everywhere. (Wikipedia)

Links to The Real Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus: 

• St. Nicholas Center   
• The Real Saint Nicholas 

Santa Prototypes: 

• View the Coca-Cola Santa Prototype 

My Gift

My Gift

When Santa Claus is hitching up

The reindeers to his sleigh,

I'm going to bring a great big bag

Of love to him and say-

"Dear Santa Claus, please take this bag

And on each Christmas tree

Tie just a little bunch of love

Fast with a memory.

To you dear friend I wish the best

Of all good gifts that are.

Good health, and wealth, and fame, and love,

The last more precious far.

So search ye closely every branch

When candles bright and the tree,

And you will find my bit of love

Tied with a memory."

 

 

        You can make a special gift for the Christmas dinner guests and help your parents make the feast look cheery and bright! Print the place cards below, color them, write each guest's name neatly on their own cards. (check the spelling)  Next, glue the cards lengthwise to clean paper tubes. Now you can roll up a colorful napkin to feed through the tube. Place the card and napkin on top of each guest's plate so that they know where to sit and each person will have a napkin provided to them in that place.

 

Six little soldier place cards to save a seat for special guests. You may need to print more!

The City by The Bay Celebrates Dickens At Christmas

      It is likely that A Christmas Carol stands as Charles Dicken's best-known story, with frequent new adaptations. It is also the most-filmed of his stories, with many versions dating from the early years of cinema. According to the historian Ronald Hutton, the current state of the observance of Christmas is largely the result of a mid-Victorian revival of the holiday spearheaded by A Christmas Carol. Dickens catalyzed the emerging Christmas as a family centred festival of generosity. Its archetypal figures (Scrooge, Tiny Tim, the Christmas ghosts) entered into Western cultural consciousness. A prominent phrase from the tale, 'Merry Christmas', was popularized following the appearance of the story. The term Scrooge became a synonym for miser, and his dismissive put-down exclamation 'Bah! Humbug!' likewise gained currency as an idiom. Novelist William Makepeace Thackeray called the book "a national benefit, and to every man and woman who reads it a personal kindness".

 

Visit the official web pages belonging to the annual Dickens Fair.

Craft Or Print A Victorian Gift Tag

       The Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative applications and design created during the Victorian era, roughly from 1837 to about 1910. Victorian design is widely viewed as having indulged in a grand excess of ornament. The Victorian era is known for its interpretation and eclectic revival of historic styles mixed with the introduction of middle east and Asian influences in furniture, fittings, and interior decoration. The Arts and Crafts movement, the aesthetic movement, Anglo-Japanese style, and Art Nouveau style have their beginnings in the later half of the Victorian era. 

       Many Americans still prefer to decorate their Christmas trees in the fashion of the former Victorians. So, it would follow that there would still be great interest in designing gift wrap, trims, stockings etc... to compliment the Victorian Christmas Theme in the homes of those people who love the Era.

More Victorian Wrapping and Tags: Check out the pinboards by Susan Warner for hundreds of ideas * A sample of a Victorian Christmas Box * Visit TallyHoOxford * Regency Victorian Gift Wrap * Napkin and Nosegay Furoshiki - yes, this is VERY Victorian! * Victorian Christmas Ideas * Victorian Christmas BBC * More color Victorian gift tags from me! *

       "I used a Digital collage sheet I designed to make these tags for a challenge my friend Sandi is having on her blog called "Christmas in the Bank 2013" You can read more about it, and find links to the embellishments I used on my blog post.  You can purchase the collage sheet here."

Print this Victorian gift tag for your packages this Christmas for free. 

I cleaned and redrew this graphic in Photoshop for my visitors; 

Merry Christmas!

 More Links to Learning About Victorians:

• Great Victorian Lives – An Era in Obituaries from The Times
• Mostly-Victorian.com A collection of primary-source documents drawn from Victorian periodicals.
• The Victorian Dictionary
• The Victorian Web
• Victorians British Library history resources about the Victorian era, featuring collection material and text by Liza Picard.
• Timelines: Sources from history – British Library interactive
• Notable Victorian Scientists and Inventors

Craft Your Own Christmas Crackers

Above you can see two different styles of Christmas crackers. The top example is made from
 a recycled cardboard tube and the bottom example is cut from a free stencil that visitors
may download from the web for free.

      The Oxford English Dictionary records the use of cracker bonbons and the pulling of crackers from the early 1840s. Tradition tells of how Thomas J. Smith of London invented crackers in 1847. He created the crackers as a development of his bon-bon sweets, which he sold in a twist of paper (the origins of the traditional sweet-wrapper). As sales of bon-bons slumped, Smith began to come up with new promotional ideas. His first tactic was to insert mottos into the wrappers of the sweets (cf. fortune cookies), but this had only limited success.

      Smith added the "crackle" element when he heard the crackle of a log he had just put on a fire. The size of the paper wrapper had to be increased to incorporate the banger mechanism, and the sweet itself was eventually dropped, to be replaced by a small gift. The new product was initially marketed as the Cosaque (i.e., Cossack), but the onomatopoeic "cracker" soon became the commonly used name, as rival varieties came on the market. The other elements of the modern cracker, the gifts, paper hats and varied designs, were all introduced by Tom Smith's son, Walter Smith, to differentiate his product from the rival cracker manufacturers which had suddenly sprung up.

More Links To Christmas Crackers:

• Crackers from Mini-eco
• Make your own traditional English Christmas crackers
• Make Christmas Victorian Style

A "Silent" Christmas Carol

(The silent film is from 1910)

      A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens, first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim.

      The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain when it was experiencing a nostalgic interest in its forgotten Christmas traditions, and at the time when new customs such as the Christmas tree and greeting cards were being introduced. Dickens' sources for the tale appear to be many and varied but are principally the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.

      The tale has been viewed by critics as an indictment of 19th-century industrial capitalism. It has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and sombreness. A Christmas Carol remains popular, has never been out of print, and has been adapted to film, stage, opera, and other media multiple times.

• A Christmas Carol original manuscript facsimile at Morgan Library with transcription and audio
• A Christmas Carol at Internet Archive
• A Christmas Carol e-book with illustrations
• A Christmas Carol Project Gutenberg free online book
• A Christmas Carol Free solo audio version at Archive.org
• A Christmas Carol University of Glasgow Special Collections
• A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens Website
• Jonathan Winters' A Christmas Carol (from NPR)

''When Santa Claus Comes"

Dreaming of toys for Christmas.

When Santa Claus Comes

A good time is coming, I wish it were here;

The very best time in the whole of the year.

I'm counting each day on my fingers and thumbs

The hour that must pass before Santa Claus comes.

Good-bye for a while, then, to lessons and school;

We can talk, laugh, and sing, without breaking the 

rule;

No troublesome spellers, no writing, nor sums,

There's nothing but play time, when Santa Claus 

comes.

I suppose I shall have a new dolly, of course,

My last one was killed by a fall from her horse;

While for Harry and Jack, there'll be trumpets and

drums,

To deafen us with when Santa Claus comes.

I'll hang up my stocking to hold what he brings;

I hope he will fill it with lots of good things;

He must know how dearly I love supar plums,

I'd like a big box full, when Santa Claus comes.

And now that the snowflakes begin to come down,

And the wind whistles sharp, and the branches are

brown,

I don't mind the cold, though my fingers it numbs,

'Cause it brings the time nearer when Santa Claus

comes.

 

 

        Did you know that a Danish custom is the breaking of china and crockery on New Year's Day against the doors of friends' houses. The family who has the largest pile of smashed crockery before its door is the best-loved. For this custom, Danes hoard all their broken crockery throughout the year! To see what Christmas is like in a Danish city, Copenhagen visit via a video...

Parents, Colin and Meg take their adorable girls to 

Copenhagen to experience Christmas!