Everything about Holidays and Special Occasions

Christmas Carols: All time Favorite songs this Holiday

Ritchell Thibodeaux — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:58:52 +0000

When you turn on the radio in the morning, what do you hear? Christmas carols, right? Oh, how joyful your heart becomes when you hear one. Your spirit will be uplifted with the wonderful music. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I turn on the radio to a station that plays Christmas songs. It makes me energetic while preparing breakfast for my daughter and husband. I really make it loud to feel the Christmas spirit.

In the Philippines, they raise funds out of Christmas Carols. How? Groups like teenagers, senior citizens, or town associations go from house to house to sing Christmas songs to solicit money for their programs or projects. It is fun because you will help them and they thank you through their songs. It’s like a live band in front of your house in the night.

There are a lot of Christmas Carols. They started a thousand years ago in Europe and we still love to hear Christmas songs during the holiday seasons. I made a list of the all time favorite songs that we usually sing and hear during Christmas. Come sing along with me.

What’s your favorite Christmas song? Sing with your heart this Christmas and be happy. It will truly add to the joy of the occasion. If you have other Favorite Christmas songs out there that are not listed let me know. Happy sing a long!

Christmas tree: It’s Chronological History

Ritchell Thibodeaux — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:07:42 +0000

It’s December 1^st and I can feel Christmas in the air. Have you decorated your home yet? Hang stockings and candy canes; wrap the stairs with garlands, Christmas balls, colorful lights, stars, and red ribbons; display Frosty the snowman, Santa Claus, Rudolph, and the elves; and of course don’t forget to decorate your Christmas tree. You cannot feel the holidays without a Christmas tree in your home.

Do you know why we are putting up a Christmas tree for Christmas and how did it all started?

St. Boniface, a monk from Crediton, Devonshire went to Germany during the 7^th century to spread the word of God. He spent most of his time doing good deeds in Thuringia. This is a place that became the cradle of the Christmas decoration industry. In his teachings to the pagans, he used the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit because of its triangular shape. And he had converted the pagans to believe in God. These converted people previously revered the oak but later on they began to believe that the Fir Tree is God’s tree.

During the 12^th century in Central Europe, the Fir Trees were hung upside down on Christmas seasons as a symbol of Christianity.

It was believed that in 1510, the Fir tree was first decorated at Riga, Latvia but was burnt during the New Year celebration.

In the early 16^th century, a small Christmas tree was decorated with candles by Martin Luther. This is to show his kids that the stars can twinkle through the dark night. Christmas markets were set up in German towns in the mid 16^th century. They provided food, Christmas presents, and a lot of special things like knife grinder to make the knife sharp enough to cut the Christmas goose. In the fair, the bakers made fun shaped ginger breads and wax ornaments for the people as their souvenir. When they got home they hung these on their Christmas trees. They were made in different colors: Green, to symbolize the Garden of Eden; Red, to symbolize knowledge; White, to symbolize innocence or peace; and the foods, to symbolize abundance.

It was in the 17^th century when the first Christmas tree was introduced to England by the Georgian Kings who came from Germany. The German merchants decorated their homes with Christmas trees with tinsels, candles, silver wire ornaments, and small beads. Their tradition was to set up many small trees on tables representing each member of the family. Under each tree is the person’s presents.

Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert were popular Royals during 1846. There family illustration was published in the illustrated London News wherein they were standing around a Christmas tree together with their kids. Its decorations were home made by young ladies. They made Christmas crafts, sewing little pouches for secret gifts and paper baskets with sugared almond, quilting snowflakes and stars, small beads, tinsels, and beautiful angels.

Innovative trees became to flourish in 1860’s. They hung small toys on the branches but they still put gifts on the table under the tree. During this time, Christmas tree was spreading all over Europe.

In 1747, the Christmas tree was introduced to America by the Hessian Soldiers. Since America has different immigrants, it adopted several customs and applied it on their Christmas trees.

It was mid 19^th century when America began to spread about Christmas decorations. Themed Christmas trees became popular like Oriental tree or Egyptian tree. Different settlers all over Europe took their customs and decorated the West. From that, people made their own decoration and decorated their own Christmas trees.

And now we’re heading to the 21st century, we still decorate Christmas trees. It makes us know that God is with us. We feel good that we are going to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. So, you better set up your Christmas tree now! You can learn how to become an art teacher so you can discover how to make different kinds of decorations for Christmas. It would be nice to share them to kids for fun. I love Christmas!

Great Reasons to be Thankful this Thanksgiving Day

Ritchell Thibodeaux — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:00:48 +0000

Today is November 24, 2011 (Thursday). Happy Thanksgiving Day to everyone!

Where are you heading for dinner tonight?

Were you invited by your relatives, friends, or a special someone to spend Thanksgiving Day with them?

Are you and your family on vacation?

Are you ready for the turkey? Yummy!

Before the travel, food, and fun, have you ever thought of your reasons for celebrating this Thanksgiving Day? You may not have a farm where you can have an abundant harvest like the early pilgrims but you should have reasons to be grateful. This is your chance to give thanks to the Lord.

Here are My Great Reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving:

Being in the USA and having the freedom to live the way I like.
For having a loving and responsible husband.
For having smart and loving daughter.
My supportive siblings who are always helping each other.
Good friends who “likes” my crazy pictures in Facebook.
Other relatives who cares for my family.
Odesk who gave me a job even I’m at home.
The employers who trusted my skills and helped me discover more skills that I never thought that I have.
My team members who believed and stayed with me throughout the years.
For finishing an online course.
Good health to all my love ones.
Having nice people around me.
For surviving the pains of this recession period.
For having a decent house.
For seeing the beauty of nature.
For hearing the sound of music.
For smelling the good air in the surroundings.
For being sensitive enough to feel the good things in life.
For my life from God which shows that He loves me.
For all the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon me and overcome all the trials and hardships that came to my life.

I pray that God will continue to abundantly bless me so I can share my blessings to others. I am really thankful, He has led me to the life He wanted me to have according to His Will. Thank you.

How about you? What are the things you are thankful for? Did you say thank you yet ? I would be glad to hear what are you thankful for this year. Feel free to post them in the comment box. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Day: How did it all started

Ritchell Thibodeaux — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:46:21 +0000

Christmas Season is fast approaching but let’s enjoy Thanksgiving first. One week from now, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. There is no doubt that American people will have a celebration in every family and turkeys will be in demand in the grocery stores and restaurants. It is the time of the year where family members get together for a big family reunion. Some only get to see each other on Thanksgiving Day because kids are usually off on the week of this holiday. So, parents grab this opportunity to take some days off too to have a vacation somewhere maybe to the grandparent’s house.

But, do you really know how American Thanksgiving Day originated? In the year 1620, a boat with more than a hundred religious people sailed from Atlantic Ocean to settle in Massachusetts. They had a hard time dealing with the winter. The Pilgrims arrived in a season where they cannot grow many of their crops so, most of their people died. Spring came, and the Iroquois Indians introduced to them how to plant corn (maize). For the colonist, corn is something that is new to their knowledge. They also taught them how to fish and hunt.

It was the autumn of year 1621 when an abundant harvest was experienced for corn, beans, barley, and pumpkins. They were so grateful that they threw a feast to celebrate their good harvest. They celebrated with the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians roasted deers and turkeys, and brought popcorn. And the colonist offered wild games to enjoy with. The colonists learned to cook cranberries and various kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. They ate a lot. This was their first Thanksgiving Day. The original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest in the following years that came to give thanks.

In the year 1789, Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed to be a national holiday by President George Washington and will be celebrated on November 26, a Tuesday. This was suggested by the Congress after United States became an independent country.

However in 1863, Abraham Lincoln announced that the last day of November will be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day after the end of the long and bloody civil war.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt made it one week earlier. This is to help businesses by lengthening the shopping period before the Christmas holidays. So after 1941, it was proclaimed that the 4^th Thursday of November would be an official holiday and that is American Thanksgiving Day.

Now that you know the story about Thanksgiving Day, you can share it to your love ones like the kids during your Thanksgiving dinner. They will surely remember your story and pass it on to other kids and to their kids when they grow up. It is nice to know where things originated. It would be nice to learn how to be a chef to cook that turkey right for your dinner. I bet you’ll have a bunch of different foods on the table on Thanksgiving Day.

For those who don’t know yet when are we celebrating it this year, it’s on November 24, 2011. I hope you’ll enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving Day.