Christmas gives all the people a lot of chances to unwind, relax with family and rejoice with friends. Christmas holidays should be wonderful but they make many people stressed and tense. With a few changes, you will be able to enjoy the Christmas and holiday season, if 1) you plan ahead, 2) save money during the year for presents, decorations, and holiday meals, 3) stay within your budget, and 4) don’t spend more money than you have, you then find that the Christmas holidays can be very enjoyable and happy. There are many activities to do with your children, family, relatives and friends that will help you truly enjoy all of the Christmas festivities.

The birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for the season and it is important to think of that as you plan your celebrations. Remember that there are many activities in churches, community centers, universities and schools that are planned specifically for Christmas. You could take your family to hear Christmas carols at church, listen to choirs or bands at school or visit a “live” Nativity scene and see people dressed as Mary, Joseph and the three Wise Men. You could even sing Christmas songs in your home, neighborhood, or join established groups who sing in nursing homes, elder homes or malls. It is fun to take a small plastic cup, with a hole in the middle, and put in a candle to carry with you when you sing. Bringing happiness to others is the best way to find happiness.

One of the most enjoyable tasks at Christmas time is decorating the yard and the inside and outside of the house. Even more fun than decorating is driving around your neighborhood and looking at all the decorated houses. Many towns and cities have competitions for the best decorated home.

Another good way to enjoy Christmas is inviting people over for hot cocoa. There are many classic Christmas movies that should be traditions of watching. Making some simple finger foods along with drinks and cookies is a wonderful way to visit with family, friends, or neighbors. It’s even fun to exchange tree ornaments, but make sure there is a spending limit on the ornaments as some can cost a small fortune.

Making cookies with your family is an enjoyable and tasty activity. If the children are small, bake and cool the cookies first. Children enjoy using icing and sprinkles to decorate cookies. Children can even use markers to decorate boxes or bags for cookies to give teachers or friends. Homemade treats are always a delight to give and receive.

Another way to enjoy the holidays is to have shopping finished and gifts wrapped early enough to enjoy all the excitement before Christmas. It is important to mail your Christmas cards early so you can spend your time enjoying all the seasonal activities that happen during Christmas. Remember the true meaning of Christmas is Christ’s birth and enjoy the holidays without stress. Help spread cheer, goodwill and happiness and you’ll have an enjoyable holiday that can’t be beat

Before you select the perfect Christmas tree, consider a little planning to make room for your special guest. Choose the best area in your room for the tree, which would include a spot that is close to an electrical outlet. When you plug in your lights, you won’t want a cord running along your floor, which could cause someone to trip and fall. There are so many things to think about when choosing a tree to celebrate your holidays. Do I want real or artificial? Should I buy pre-lit or plain? A few knowledgeable tips will guide you in the right direction.

Christmas Tree Tip #1: Artificial or Real

The first step is to decide whether you want a real or artificial tree. An artificial tree is beneficial to anyone who has allergies, but also if you just want to know that your tree will last for years. Artificial trees are nice because they do not have to be thrown out every year and they are always the same size and a perfect fit. On the other hand, there’s nothing like the smell of a real Christmas tree. With real trees, there is a greater risk of fire and also the need to keep them hydrated regularly. A real Christmas tree requires a lot of maintenance and, if you’re not up to it, an artificial may be the way to go.

Christmas Tree Tip #2: Will It Fit?

When selecting the perfect Christmas tree, choose one that will fit best in your home. Measure the spot for your tree before you go out shopping and keep those numbers close at hand. After you select an area in your home, measure the distance from your floor to the roof, along with the width of the space. Take a tape measure when you go to pick out your tree and make sure it will fit in the spot you chose.

Christmas Tree Tip #3: Is It Healthy?

If you’re looking for a live tree, check the limbs to make sure they are nice and green. Also, look for any brown needles, which may be a sign of a tree that has not been freshly cut. A tree that is too dry could be a fire hazard, so watch out for any signs of needle loss or other symptoms of a damaged tree. You will want to choose one that looks healthy and full with beautiful branches, which will look festive when decorated. If you’re planning to load the tree onto your car, place a protective sheet down on the top before adding the tree. This will protect your car from scratches, or sap, on the way home. Make sure that you choose a strong rope to secure the tree to your car.

Christmas Tree Tip #4: Picking the Right Color

If you are buying a real tree, they only come in one color. But, if you are buying an artificial tree, you have the alternate option of white. While white Christmas trees are not as traditional as the green, there is something to be said for their beauty. Consider a white tree with blue lights, blue ornaments and white garland. A white Christmas tree is classic and stunning, especially with the right combination of decorations.

Christmas Tree Tip #5: Prelit or Plain?

Another advantage to artificial trees is that they are available in pre-lit designs. This saves decorating time and ensures that the lights are always perfectly spaced. Additionally, if you don’t feel up to wrapping the lights around the tree yourself, a pre-lit tree allows you to enjoy the beauty of Christmas without the work of decorating.

The origin of Christmas stemmed from pagan festivals like the popular Roman Saturnalia, which celebrated Winter Solstice.

In the early pre-Christian era, winter celebrations were very popular and followed pagan rituals. Paganism in Europe celebrated light and the darkest days of winter, the Winter Solstice.
What is Paganism?

Paganism describes the ancient and modern religions which identify Nature as the body of the Divine. Pagans often speak of many Gods and Goddesses. Paganism refers to the religions of ancient Greece and Rome and the surrounding areas.
Early Europeans marked the year’s longest night — Winter solstice – to celebrate the worst of the winter being behind them as they look ahead to longer days and extended hours of sunlight. During this celebration, they slaughtered livestock that could not be kept through the winter and feasted from late December through January. German pagans honored Oden, a frightening god who flew over settlements at night, blessing some people and cursing others. The Norse in Scandinavia celebrated Yule tide, with families burning a giant log and feasting on it until it turned to ash. Sound like today’s Christmas? You Bet!

Nowhere in the New Testament do we see Jesus’ disciples observing His birthday. Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th. The apostles did not honor pagan rituals, and accordingly, preached to other Christians to avoid the pagan rituals. As a result, the early Christians didn’t observe Jesus’ birthday.

No one knows the birth date of Jesus, or even what year. Jesus, according to many historians was born in the springtime. The origin of Christmas took place in 336 AD. Pope Julius I declared the birth and celebration of Jesus’ birthday as Christmas and chose December 25th because it coincided with the pagan traditions of Winter Solstice. The purpose was to replace the pagan celebrations with the Christian one.

Most Christmas customs, the decorating the evergreen “Christmas” tree, the hanging of mistletoe, gift exchanges, and Santa Claus, all came from pagan winter practices and secular traditions that were celebrated throughout Europe.

Christmas as we know it today, is not only a mix of ancient pagan practices and hundreds of years of adopting secular and religious traditions, it also has a Victorian period influence that affected the practice and acceptance of Christmas.

As early as the seventeenth century the celebration of Christmas was still regarded as a pagan festival that was not permitted in England and in many of the English colonies in America. It took almost 800 years for Christmas to become the important festival it is today. In the early seventeenth century, England’s colorful leader Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan who followed the Bible to the word, banned Christmas as a Pagan celebration. Christmas did not return as a Christian holiday in England until Charles II came to power.

During that period in history when the Puritans descended upon America, Christmas was not recognized as a Christian festivity.
Once the colonies became independent, English influence and practices declined and our forefathers restored Christmas.

Over time, as Christians adopted Christmas and attended Christmas Mass, it became a tradition at the end of Mass to enter into wild celebrations of drinking similar to the Mardi Gras festivals, and It wasn’t until the nineteenth century when the practice of Christmas and the festival like celebrations ceased and gave way to observing Christmas with family values and traditions.

Several events came into play in the Nineteenth century that changed the observance of Christmas to become a family focused tradition. New York City created the first full time, salaried Police Force in America and assigned it a riot control function to combat the increasing race and industrial riots, as well as Christmas celebrations that were getting out of control. The other was Washington Irving who authored a collection of short stories on The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, and the celebration of Christmas in an English country house. The Christmas stories portrayed an English noble man who invited the poor into his home to celebrate Christmas in a caring, friendly manner to bridge the gap between the haves and have-not. Irving’s writings were believed to have widespread influence in establishing the tradition and meaning of Christmas of being a caring, non- status oriented observance of Christmas.

Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday in the US until June 26, 1870. However, on December 6, 1999, federal judge U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott ruled that Christmas has become so secular that the government does not violate the Constitution by declaring it a federal legal holiday.

Today, Christmas has evolved to being a multicultural, multi-religious holiday celebrated throughout the world. In the US over 90% of the population celebrates Christmas. Depending on national and local customs, it integrates sun worship, polytheism, pagan nature religions, Christianity, and other later myths and traditions.

Christmas has now become for the most part. a secular holiday and a commercial enterprise with many mass-produced symbols and decorations, including Santa Claus’s red uniform, designed by Coca Cola.

The celebration of Christmas is enjoyed by nearly everyone! The non-religious celebrate the joyous traditions. The Christians believe that Christmas has something to do with Christ and celebrate religious rituals. The pagans celebrate nature and the tie-in with Winter Solstice. Commercial enterprises enjoy the profits from the sale of decorations, symbols, and gifts.