The True Meaning of Christmas

         I have to admit, Christmas is my favorite holiday. I just love all the decorated houses and yards, and all of the Christmas Jingles on the radio. But most of all, I love it because it represents the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't teach my kids to believe in Santa, but they know that it's OK to use their imaginations and pretend. I have decided that my boys will each be getting 3 presents at Christmas, because that is what Jesus got. I'm sure they will be getting more from other family members, but they'll be getting 3 from mom. Anyway, I decided to do a little research about other things that we associate Christmas time with....like the Candy Cane and the Christmas Tree..where did they come from? hmm, let's see shall we? :)

according to Christian lore, the Christmas tree is associated with St Boniface and the German town of Geismar. Sometime in St Boniface's lifetime (c. 672-754) he cut down the tree of Thor in order to disprove the legitimacy of the Norse gods to the local German tribe. St. Boniface saw a fir tree growing in the roots of the old oak. Taking this as a sign of the Christian faith, he said "...let Christ be at the center of your households..." using the fir tree as a symbol of Christianity.^[1]

The tradition of the Christmas tree as it is today known is fairly young. It was established by Martin Luther as a Protestant counterpart to the Catholic Nativity scene. Luther established the Christmas tree as a symbol of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.^{[2].........Wikipedia}

^{I also found out that the star that is placed on top of the tree symbolizes the North Star, that lead the wisemen to baby Jesus...now when I put up my Christmas tree it will remind me that Christ is at the center of my household.}

^{Next....the Candy Cane!}

About two hundred-thirty years ago at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, the children that went to church there were really loud and noisy. They often moved around and would not pay attention to the choirmaster.

This was especially difficult for the choirmaster when they were supposed to be sitting still for the long living Nativity ceremony. So to keep the children quiet, he gave them a long, white, sugar candy stick. He couldn’t give them chocolate or anything like that because the people at that church would think it was sacrilegious. So he gave them the stick and he bent it on the end to look like a cane. It was meant to look like a shepherd’s cane, and so it reminded the children of the shepherds at Jesus’ birth.

In 1847, a German-Swedish immigrant in Wooster, Ohio put candy canes on his Christmas tree and soon others were doing the same. Sometime around 1900 candy canes came to look more like what we know them as today with the red stripes and peppermint flavoring.

Some people say the white color represents the purity of Jesus Christ and the red stripes are for the wounds he suffered. They also sometimes say that the peppermint flavoring represents the hyssop herb used for purifying and spoken of in the Bible. The shape also looks like the letter “J” for Jesus, not just a shepherd’s cane.

I will always think of Jesus when I eat a candy cane now! I can't wait to share this with my kids!

How about the Christmas Bell?

Christmas Bell
People gathered to seek the blessings of the newborn Jesus. A little blind boy wanted to meet the baby Jesus but couldn’t find his way; he later heard the tinkling of a cow’s bell. And he followed the tinkling bell to meet the holy Jesus.

Now just for kicks....Here's where Santa Claus really comes from

Santa Claus is a jolly man with red robes having long white beard. The real name of Santa Claus is Nicholas, born 2000 years ago to wealthy parents in a small village in the country Myra, today called as Turkey. Nicholas' parents died while he was yet a boy. Nicholas went to his village priest, confessed his sins and expressed his desire to help the poor. He wished to become a priest. But the priest knew Nicholas lacked the education necessary to become a priest. During this time Bishop of the church passed away and the authorities were guided by heavenly messenger to select the first person named Nicholas to walk through the doors of church and Nicholas had his miracle and was named the youngest bishop of the church ever on record. St. Nicholas became the champion of children and the needy; he was legendary for his kindness and generosity. And his legend only grew as the centuries passed.

 Well, that's all the research I'm doing tonight....I can't wait to put up all of my Christmas decorations! I think I'm going to start tonight. Here's a Christmas recipe to get you in the mood for Christmas!


Pumpkin Gingerbread

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing, combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice cinnamon, and clove.
3. In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour.