All Christmas

We usually associate Christmas food with meat-based recipes. It's hard to imagine a vegetarian alternative to the traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings; turkey, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes and stuffing. However, there are many tasty recipes to choose from for non-meat eaters, leaving them with more than just the sprouts.

Even if you are not a strict vegetarian you may want to try some new recipes as healthier, more cost-effective alternative to the meat dishes. You could even incorporate them into your traditional Christmas dinner as a substitute for one or more dishes. Perhaps one or more of your family members is vegetarian and you need to ensure there is something for everyone around the table. Either way there are vast numbers of recipes you can take inspiration from.

It is quite easy to create a traditional Christmas dinner without any need for meat. The obvious dish that springs to mind is a nut roast. This dish makes a really tasty option if made well. A nut roast should never be rushed; preparation usually takes about 40 minutes and you should allow around 3-4 hours cooking time. There are various recipes online and you could also incorporate leeks and mushrooms for a lighter dish. To complement a nut roast you can cook all the traditional roast vegetables, bread sauce, stuffing and gravy.

Some other ideas for main dishes are a vegetarian wellington, parsnip and potato bake, winter vegetable pie and goat's cheese or blue cheese tart. Generally a hearty dish that combines seasonal vegetables, pastry or traditional cheeses will be well received and appreciated by your vegetarian guest. For a starter there are some really great recipes you could use including soups, goats cheese and cranberry croustades and stuffed mushrooms.

If you are throwing a Christmas party this year you will find lots of exciting festive vegetarian party food to choose from. Some more unusual dishes I have come across include a mushroom and port brioche, stilton and tomato puffs and Thai mar hor ('galloping horses') made with chilli and pineapple. You could even get the party going with a dish of topped toasts served with a shot of spicy Bloody Mary! For quick and easy nibbles make some fig and blue cheese skewers, halloumi with dips and chunky parsnip chips.

Hopefully these mouth-watering ideas have already begun to inspire and help you realise the wide range of festive vegetarian dishes that are available.

Christmas With Sainsbury's celebrity chef guest blogger demonstrates how you can enjoy some affordable culinary luxury this Christmas with delicious ideas to take the stress out of entertaining at home.

The countdown to Christmas has begun, and Christmas With Sainsbury's on Yahoo! Lifestyle is here to make your festivities relaxed, straightforward and scrumptious with an online weekly selection of easy-to-prepare Christmas dishes, inexpensive present ideas and creative use of those inevitable left-overs from Masterchef winner and co-founder of the Wahaca group of restaurants Thomasina Miers.

Each week during advent, guest blogger Thomasina will cover all Christmas catering eventualities - stumped as to what to cook for the descending hordes? Need to keep the kids entertained in the kitchen? Looking for inspiration for an impressive New Year's Eve Feast? Thomasina's got it covered. Each original and unique recipe has been created to ensure you won't spend hours slaving over a hot stove when there are presents to be opened and Christmas films to be viewed.

The series kicks off with a devilishly good and very simple boozy 'not quite Christmas' cake which doesn't require weeks of feeding with brandy and painstaking icing, followed by a dish bearing Thomasina's trademark Mexican stamp - a celebration chilli con carne to make ahead of Christmas and freeze to be enjoyed on Boxing Day.

Follow Thomasina's blog at /by-you-by-sainsburys/ in the weeks leading up to New Year's Eve and you'll find mince pies with a twist, a mouthwatering pilau to rustle up for hungry visitors and the perfect way to use up those leftover scraps of cheese from the cheese board.

Thomasina said: "At Christmas, the most important thing is that we spend time together as a family enjoying ourselves so I try to plan in advance easy, fun recipes that are a little bit different but that are going to taste incredible. With a little preparation, a few cheats and clever planning you can avoid spending the whole time chained to the stove and relax instead. I don't believe Christmas is about spending a fortune either; good food doesn't have to cost a lot, it is easy to feed lots of people without spending too much, and as a lovely and inexpensive alternative to buying presents I love to make delicious, home-made treats that friends and family are really going to enjoy."

Thomasina's seven weeks of Christmas culinary treatsWeek one: Stir Up Sunday - an easy 'not quite' Christmas cakeWeek two: Chilli con carne for Boxing Day to stick in the freezerWeek three: Edible Christmas decorations to make with the kids - shortbread surprisesWeek four: Making the perfect mince piesWeek five: Feeding the hordes with ease - chicken liver and spiced winter vegetable pilauWeek six: New Year's Eve Feast - whole sea bream on a bed of baked potatoesWeek seven: What to do with the leftovers - a delicious Christmas rarebit

OK, so you've decided on your favourite Christmas turkey recipe but what about those all-important side dishes? Here's some simple and easy to follow tips that will make sure your Christmas meal is one to remember.

Perfect turkey gravy

For most people this is the highlight of any Christmas dinner, so anything watery or full of unappetising lumps is sure to be a disappointment. Don't worry though; this method turns out a gravy that's rich, smooth and full of flavour every time.

Once you've taken your turkey out of the oven to rest, skim the fat from the surface of the roasting tray, and add 400ml of turkey giblet stock. Leave out the liver as it can become bitter when cooked too long (it's a great snack quickly fried on a piece of toast rubbed with garlic though).

Put the tray on the hob on a medium heat, and deglaze by mixing all the caramelised juices and pieces of meat into the liquid. Sprinkle in two tablespoons of flour and stir thoroughly as the gravy thickens. After a few minutes, check the consistency, season and strain into a gravy boat.

Creamy bread sauce

This couldn't be easier, but it tastes fantastic and always seems to be the first trimming to disappear. Peel one small onion, cut it in half and stud with around a dozen cloves. Put in a pan with 500ml whole milk, a couple of bay leaves and perhaps a pinch of nutmeg. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and add 150g of good quality fresh white bread.

Leave off the heat for an hour and half, before removing the onion and bay leaves, and heat gently. Add a good size piece of butter, stir, season and serve.

Crispy roast potatoes

The trick here is to use plenty of oil, and get it it really hot before it even touches the potatoes. First, peel your spuds aim for around 250g per person to make sure there's more than enough to go around and drop them in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Once they're drained, give them a good shake in the colander to fluff up the edges these will turn into the delicious crispy skins that you're aiming for. Heat your oven to 200C, and add a generous amount of vegetable or groundnut oil (olive oil tends to burn at high temperatures) to your tray - around 2-3 centimetres deep should be enough. Now, heat the tray on the hob or in the oven until it sizzles, before carefully adding the potatoes and coating them in the hot oil. Season with plenty of salt and roast for an hour, turning once or twice.

Cookies are as much a part of Christmas as lights on the tree. But for anyone watching their fat and calorie intake, that platter of beautifully decorated treats can be a diet disaster.

The solution? Try lower calorie cookies that won't wreak havoc on your eating plan. Here are three healthy and delicious no-sugar cookie recipes that will be welcome at any holiday gathering.

Spicy Sugar Free Applesauce Cookies1 cup flour1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon cloves1 teaspoon allspice1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1 cup quick cooking rolled oats1 cup unsweetened applesauce1 cup raisins1/2 cup vegetable oil2 eggs1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla1/2 cup walnuts or almonds, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir flour, baking soda, spices and oats together in large bowl, then add remaining ingredients and beat until well mixed (but don't overbeat!). Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets (batter will be on the thin side). Bake for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cookies With Chocolate Glaze1/4 cup butter1/4 cup creamy peanut butter6 tablespoons brown sugar substitute or artificial sweetener for baking1 teaspoon vanilla1-1/2 cups flour1 egg1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 cup applesauceFor Chocolate Glaze:1/3 cup milk3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped9 - 12 packets sugar substitute (equal to 1 cup sugar)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put butter, peanut butter, sugar substitute, egg, applesauce and vanilla into a large bowl and beat together with mixer (start at low speed, then change to high speed and cream until fluffy). In a separate bowl, whisk together baking powder, baking soda, flour, and salt.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir well to thoroughly combine, but don't overbeat. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. NOTE: watch baking cookies carefully to prevent overbaking and remove from oven when they are just set.

While cookies are cooling, heat milk in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling. Remove saucepan from heat and add chocolate, stirring until chocolate has melted. Add the sugar substitute and return saucepan to low heat, stirring constantly until all ingredients are blended.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the glaze about 15 minutes, or until thick enough to spread on the cooled cookies.

Sugar Free Ginger Snaps1-1/2 cups butter18 packets of sugar substitute2 tablespoons water1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 egg, beaten1-1/3 cups all purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease cookie sheet (or use a silicone liner). In a large bowl cream butter together with sugar, water, and vanilla, then add egg and mix to combine. In a separate bowl sift all dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture. Add nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.

It's on the shelf gathering mud. Wash it up and make use of. Crock pot cooking food has dinner ready after you walk in the entranceway. There is simply no after work prepare time. You can cook nearly every meat, soup, or vegetable (or perhaps any combination thereof) inside of a crock pot. The words crock cooking pot and easy barbecuing should be alongside each other in the dictionary. The only thing you may have left to do after dark is set a table. Cleanup turns into easy. 1-2-3 and uncomplicated dinner recipes come to be culinary delights for your family. 3) Cook dinner at lunchtime.Yes, this is not really what most people look into as normal. Sure, this will save you time. You know in case you have to leave to get work. You have essentially the most control over your schedule before you close the car door each morning. Leverage the morning period to gain the day time. Schedule time for it to get supper ready and use convenient dinner recipes. By utilizing some easy coo king recipes, you prevent your ingredients to a minimum and take in the least amount associated with prep time. All that is left if you get home is usually to heat it upwards. 4) Prepare many meals on one occasion. If you cook the whole month of easy dinner recipes with two days, lessons left on the every day basis is concerning 20 minutes for you to heat the dinner. Open the freezer every day. Choose what feels good. Put it together within 30 minutes of which afternoon. The hard part was already done. Some people get overwhelmed at the concept of cooking 30 meals at one time, but it truly isn't that hard for everybody who is organized about the application. We do that about six times a year. Start with a week at a time if you want to take a slow start, but this is a great time saver each day and budget conscious monthly. Cooking is normally as hard once we make it. Easy cooking is often a choice for your lifestyle if you believe the process through. We just have to get the hang of what works best. It's often these easy cooking recipes that any of us can put together in little time but with an important taste. .For all that busy cooks out there who want to serve their household good meals that do not require a long time or expense, the recipes in this article are for people. All of these recipes 're ready in minutes and are sure to be family-pleasers! Add a salad or steamed plant, bread if most people so desire and your family will contain a meal you will feel good about. And these tasty recipes cover chicken, tuna, and beef to please a variety of tastes. The Fowl Stroganoff served around noodles is an issue to please all generations. If you prefer Tuna, there is a recipe for some sort of Creamy Tuna Almond. For those whom prefer beef, there is a recipe for some Beef and Vegetable Stir-Fry. EASY HEN STROGANOFF1 cup cubed fowl1 can solution of mushroom soup, undiluted1 might cream of hen soup, undiluted1 soups can of water

Around Christmas quick dinner recipes are a must.

Things get out of hand very quickly with Christmas parties for school and work, parties with friends, nights out singing carols or going to church, volunteering with local charities...it's a bit crazy!

Of course at the same time you're probably trying to buy and wrap Christmas gifts, cook Christmas cookies and cake, as well as plan and prepare for your family Christmas dinner.

So when do all the normal things like housework and cooking dinner happen?

Well, often the simple answer is that they don't!

It's bad enough eating all those lovely festive goodies on Christmas day and feeling the weight settle on your hips so don't make it worse for yourself by living on fatty take-out in the days before.

Here's what I do to keep the family fed and healthy (and extra money to pay off the overloaded credit cards).

1. Use the freezer: If I think of it, every time I cook a casserole, soup or pasta sauce in early December I stick half of it in the freezer for emergencies. Even if I just remember to do this 2 or 3 times then that's got the days immediately before Christmas covered.

2. Mince: Where would we be without minced meat? It's just so quick and easy to prepare. I always seem to serve up our entire yearly allowance of Savory Mince around Christmas. Likewise with rissoles. They make such easy dinner recipes; I always make use of them.

3. Pasta: What could be easier than making up a simple sauce while some pasta boils? Too easy. Stick to simple, fresh ingredients like basil leaves tossed with olive oil, or lemon juice and cracked black pepper. Add a simple side of lettuce and red pepper and you have some healthy dinner recipes. If you're really in trouble, see the next point.

4. Go pre-made: Normally I'd rather eat cardboard than have to eat some salt laden, over processed gunk from the supermarket, but I make an exception at Christmas. Just add as much health as you can to it at home. Add extra chopped mushrooms or peppers and good grated cheese to frozen pizza; serve bottled pasta sauce sparingly with good pasta and a large, fresh salad; chop extra veggies into tinned soup; use brown rice instead of white with a frozen Asian stir-fry mix, and so on.

5. Keep it simple: If you've been eating up big at parties in the days before, then there is nothing wrong with just having melted cheese on toast one night. Or use up some left over dips with heaps of vegetable crudites. Avoid the crackers and chips.

6. Top up with water: Most parties and gatherings you'll probably find yourself drinking alcohol (Christmas spirit!) or soft drink. The kids are probably filling up on cordial and soft drink too. On the nights when you are actually at home, ban anything that comes out of a container and just drink plain water. Give your body a break.

7. Don't forget the fruit: If someone says they are hungry and you tell them to have an apple, they'll probably turn up their nose at the idea. However, I've found that if you have fruit chopped up and on a plate or in a container in the fridge, it miraculously disappears. Likewise, if I slip a plate of fruit or veggies slices onto the table while we're talking or watching TV, the same thing happens. Give it a try.

8. Leftovers: Lastly I've got to mention leftovers. Some people just throw away any food left after a meal. I guess I come from a frugal household, and I can't bear to see good food go to waste. As long as food is put away and stored properly, it can nearly always be served up the next day. Sometimes leftovers can be redressed as something new, like roast lamb being turned into Shepherd's Pie, or a heap of roast veggies added to whisked eggs and cooked up as a frittata, both are quick and easy dinners.

Often I'll just reheat everything and serve it out. We call this 'bits 'n' bobs' for some reason. It might be last nights roast and veggies with a bit of the previous night's pasta on the side, something like that.

Yes, I know there will be nights in the weeks leading up to Christmas and probably after, where I just can't face cooking a full meal, but MOST of the time we eat well and healthy using these quick dinner recipes.

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and healthy and prosperous New Year!

I've got a heap of easy dinner recipes for mince and pasta on my website. They're free so help yourself!

Many people say that at one time Santa Claus did indeed exist. There is no obvious way of knowing for sure, but if history is accurate, then they are right. Many of the things we know about Santa are supposedly based on truths including his eight reindeer and his elves. Read on to find out what the real Santa was like and how some of the myths relating to him began.

The original Santa Claus was thought to be St. Nicholas of Myra, a wealthy bishop who was born in the year 280 in an ancient town called Lycia located in the country that is now known as Turkey. Besides being wealthy, he was also very generous. He would travel the country helping people, especially children, by giving them monetary gifts and other presents. He was very secretive about his gift giving therefore he would deliver them late at night when he was less likely to be seen. For this reason, parents would send their children to bed early telling them that St. Nicholas would not come if they were not asleep.

Legend has it that there was a poor man whose wife had died leaving him with three daughters. He had no money to give as a dowry so that his daughters could be married. One night his daughters had washed their stockings and left them by the fire to dry. When they woke the next morning, they each found a bag of gold in their stockings. St. Nicholas had left enough money for each of them to get married thus keeping them from becoming prostitutes. From that point forward, children would hang their stockings by the fire in hopes that St. Nicholas would visit them too. It has become a well-known Christmas tradition in many countries.

St. Nicholas was a kind hearted, generous person who was beloved by all. Eventually, he became the patron saint of children, sailors, Russia and Greece. Many churches were named after him and by the year 800 the Catholic Church officially dubbed him a saint. He even had a day named after him. France actually declared December 6 as Bishop Nicholas Day.

Over the years, the name and appearance of St. Nicholas has changed many times. He is known by many different names such Sinter Klass (Dutch), Father Christmas (British), or Santa Claus (American). In different cultures, he has also been seen wearing different outfits. In European countries, he was said to have worn a bishop's cloak with the traditional mitre (the hat worn by bishops on special occasions). Father Christmas was said to have worn a long, green, fur lined robe. The Santa Claus that we know and love in America wears a red suite lined with white fur and a matching hat.

The story of how Santa acquired his the elves is rather interesting. Originally, Santa only had one helper, and it was not an elf. It is told that he freed a young Ethiopian slave boy from a market in Myra and because the boy was so grateful to him, he chose to stay with Santa as his helper. It was not until 1945 that Santa had more than one helper. It was decided that while one helper was fun, several helpers would be more fun. Eventually, the story somehow changed to portray these helpers as the elves that we associate with Santa today.

Santa Claus's eight tiny reindeer are more fiction than fact, although we do know how that myth was started. A company called The Lomen Company in the late 1800's started it. The company was hosting a commercial campaign to promote reindeer herding in Alaska. The campaign showed several Sami, reindeer herders from Norway, each leading a sled with a Santa Claus on it being pulled by a single reindeer. The Alaska coldness combined with the Reindeer campaign made way for the traditional eight flying reindeer that we now associate with Santa.

While we would all like to believe that a character such as Santa still exists today, it is extremely unlikely. The closest things we have to the original Santa (St. Nicholas) in this day and age are the different charities that make sure that children who are poor have presents under their trees on Christmas morning. Regardless of whether it is fact or fiction, the story of Santa Claus always evokes the Christmas spirit in most of us during the holiday season.

We all know and love Santa Claus and come December, lots of excited children prepare for the arrival of Santa Claus as busy parents shop and join in with the excitement. The history of Santa Claus is quite interesting, the American version of Santa Claus got its inspiration from the Dutch version (Sinter Klaas) which originated around the 17th Century. It was however the Author Washington Irving who first provided detailed information about the Dutch version of St Nickolas. He described how Saint Nickolas arrived on horseback, this was better known as (The night before Christmas) written by writer Clemant Clarke Moore. Clemant added magical details such as the names of the Reindeer. Illustrator Thomas Nast added further to the image of Santa Claus with his illustrations showing Santa's big round belly. He also added detail such as the North Pole, Santa's naughty and nice list and Santa's workshop. These days Santa is depicted as a legend accompanied by his Elves but origin ally when Santa was first discovered, he was described as an Elf. There are over time, many stories and legends and Santa has taken on quite a transformation over the many years. As time went by Children continues to be fascinated and wanted to know everything there was to know about Santa, where he lived, who he lived with. The story evolved into Santa the legend who lived at the North pole and made all the Christmas presents in his special workshop. The North Pole became every Childs dream and visions of Santa and his Elves along with the Reindeer became what we know as Santa Claus today. Santa Claus was transformed from many different stories and now in the present day is a world figure, throughout all of the countries Santa is a big man, with a white beard who makes lots of children very happy indeed on Christmas day.

A wonderful Santa Claus impersonation is a useful ability to have: you can thrill your young youngsters on Christmas Eve, make added gift-purchasing funds by operating as a mall Santa, volunteer your providers as a Salvation Army bell ringer, or be the lifestyle of your following workplace holiday break get together. Enjoying a single of the most well-known white colored-bearded males in background can be a daunting prospect, but with the appropriate equipment and preparation, you can act out the portion of a convincing Santa Claus this vacation year or so.Here's what you require to play Santa Claus realistically:A Great Costume No a single is going to imagine you're the genuine deal if you don't dress the component. Quite a few of us can even now image that 1 intoxicated uncle staggering all-around in the snow sporting a red turtleneck, a straggly, elasticized beard, and a can of beer, hollering "Ho, ho, ho!" at the prime of his lungs. Not a convincing Santa.As an alterna tive, stock up with the subsequent:- A skilled Santa go well with, ideally a single with shiny buttons, furry white trim, and a matching hat.- Common Santa equipment, this kind of as the requisite wide black belt and buckled boots. White gloves and modest, sq. glasses are also a great contact.- Jingle bells and a toy sack stuffed with presents are also appreciated by tiny ones.Now that you're dressed the part, what else do you require?The Correct Chuckle Yelling "Ho, ho, ho," isn't truly a prerequisites for individuals who want to participate in Santa Claus. Really, it's significantly far more convincing if you master the artwork of the stomach laugh. A great, infectious chuckle goes a lot further than a pressured, barking hoot.Also, keep in mind that Santa Claus is a great-natured person and in all probability doesn't run all-around with a scowl on his encounter as well usually. So while you're in that Santa costume, maintain smiling, Kris Kringle. This requires us to our l ast, but most crucial matter:The Santa Perspective In order to maintain your audience from eyeing you in suspicion, it is important to get into the proper character. As an alternative of feeling irritation at the enormity of the role you're getting prepared to participate in, take a few minutes to capture the Christmas spirit. Think about why you're enjoying Santa in the initial spot: the substantial-octane excitement of the little ones you'll be performing for, or the added money you'll be supplying for needy charities. Once you keep in mind the point of your efficiency, it turns into a whole lot simpler to get into character.Up coming, you will need to create an air of mystery-specifically if you're making an look at a family members get-collectively. You're enjoying the part of a man that inexplicably will get into properties as soon as a yr, without having setting of the burglar alarm, alerting the loved ones canine, or even becoming slowed down by the truth that the chi mney of the residence leads to a pressured-air furnace and not a hearth. The trick to mastering this important characteristic is stealth. Scope out a most likely area for a costume switch, and have a cover story prepared for your absence in the meantime. If it's secure, and you won't slip off a snowy roof, contemplate sneaking out a window and reappearing in an additional place. Once more, cover your bases by creating certain there are no locked windows or other hindrances to your strategy.You can also basically slip into a space when no 1 is seeking, and just observe for a second. Let everybody observe you and wonder when you showed up, and then depart in the identical subtle method.Actively playing Santa Claus can be a single of the most satisfying hobbies you ever choose up. Plus, if you do it proper, portraying the legendary Kris Kringle in a heartfelt and credible way, you'll discover your expertise in extremely substantial demand more than the holiday break year or so. More info of Santa costumes

If Santa Clause is returning to town, Mrs. Santa Clause isn't far behind. Right after all the time of year is upon us. Quickly we'll hear the logs crackling, style the eggnog, hear to the caroling, taking part in guessing video games with the presents, and decorating the Holiday tree.Tis the period to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la...okay that's just a single great Yuletide song. There's Jingle Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, Silent Evening, and so several other excellent Xmas carols. Won't it be fantastic? You'll be dressed up as Mrs. Santa Clause, possibly Santa will be there very and you can sing along to your favorite carols.Or possibly it's a Holiday party where each one's heading to occur in costume to a Christmas theme. You could arrive as the Grinch or an elf. You may possibly sooner be an angel or a reindeer, or you may just make a decision that Mrs. Clause is the ideal costume outfit for you. There are a lot of various Mrs. Clause outfit types from the classic sea rch to the at any time so alluring seem.Costume outfit parties are starting to be very common not just for Xmas but during the 12 months. You can use your Yuletide fancy dress costumes a multitude of times. Just keep them away in your fancy dress box.There are a lot of Yuletide costumes to decide on from. Attempting to make a determination about which one you'll be can be hard. Right after all how do you pick when there are so numerous wonderful outfits? If it's a loved ones Yuletide celebration let the youngsters dress up very. There are plenty of fancy dress outfits from toddler sizing to teen sizing. Heck there are even fancy dress costumes for your pets. Will Fido be a reindeer complete with horns or will he be an elf? Of program there is also Santa Clause and Mrs. Clause even for the dogs.Mrs. Santa Clause has extended been a well-liked option for all ages. Youthful women really like the classic outfit total with horn rimmed glasses. Adults can pick from the several dis tinct ones from conventional to attractive and anything in in between. There are numerous various attractive fancy dress outfits to choose from depending on how much cleavage you want to show and how considerably of your bum you want coated. You can make a decision what degree of alluring you are at ease carrying.Have some fun with your costume tips. You can order a fantastic assortment of fancy dress costumes on-line for all ages and all sizes. That implies you will have far more choice than ever before before, but don't depart it as well prolonged because fancy dress outfits do grow to be picked over. Bear in mind you can add your Yuletide costumes to your other fancy dress costumes so that you can wear it once again and not just at Holiday. Mrs. Santa Clause is a hit no make any difference what time of year she arrives at the social gathering, particularly if you have opted for 1 of the sexier Mrs. Clause fancy dress costumes.Christmas fancy dress costumes - select in bet ween standard and non classic. 1 issue is for certain no subject what you choose you'll be a strike at the get together. So what are you waiting for?More info of Santa Suits

Christmas is quickly approaching with plenty of new surprises and fantastic fun. It is a special time most of us wait for throughout the complete year. The festive period brings along excellent enjoyable, pleasure, opportunity to shop, presents and much more. This Christmas is not going to be various. Most of us appear forward to this occasion to purchase some fantastic costumes. The Christmas event is usually graced with some of the particular costume functions that need for some great costumes for all ages. The Santa Clause Suit is the best feasible alternative for all ages. The Santa Clause Suit can make the occasion really special.The Christmas is really an excellent occasion and a time for celebration, cookies, events, decorating the residence, Christmas tree etc. People of all ages and teams appreciate this unique time of the year. The most favored costumes throughout this time of the year are the Santa Clause Suit. There are incredibly broad varieties of Santa Claus e Go well with to choose from in the market. Usually the suits will get offered out really early, so it turns into extremely necessary to make the booking or the shopping proper absent with out paying a lot time on pondering. The choice process can be very challenging simply because of the varied selections available to most one of us. This article will supply you some inputs that could be useful in picking the greatest Santa Clause Suit for you and your household members this Christmas season. It is incredibly essential to adhere to these pointers for creating the proper and an affordable obtain decision.

1. It is necessary to make record of the Santa accessories that would be required together with the Santa Clause Suit. The accessories necessary would be the black belt, red stocking cap, glasses, pink sweat suits and shirts, white glove, white beard, wig, glue, jingle bells, laundry bag and so on. It is extremely essential to make this record in order to make sure that absolutely nothing is left over whilst buying the same. One can make these purchases online with ease. It is extremely straightforward to get presents that offer excellent mixture of all these equipment at one go.

2. It is extremely vital to determine the will need for the Santa Clause Suit. This is carried out in order to pick the top quality of the materials necessary. If on the Eve of Christmas, only a loved ones get together is done, then typical material would be fantastic. But if it is for some unique costume parties, then one requirements to choose some of the fantastic looking materials like the velvet and so forth. Select a wig and the beard that seems realistic and which gives an outlook to turn out to be more convincing.

3. It is extremely essential to comprehend the spending budget that can be allocated to buy a Santa Clause Fit for yourself or the household customers. The costs of the suit vary based mostly on the high quality of material that is used. It is extremely vital to browse by means of various websites to find out the different kinds of alternatives obtainable that can be inexpensive by every single one of us as per our spending budget. 1 can get excellent Santa Clause Fit at rates staring from the variety of $ 50 too. The joyful season always presents fantastic prices in terms of low cost.

4. The very last but not the least to make positive that the Santa Clause Suit suits on to you in an superb method is to make certain you understand about the character of Santa Clause to yourself appear real. It is extremely essential to discover the proper place to get the very best Santa Clause Suit for oneself and your loved ones members this joyful season.

Here are some ways to dress up the "traditional" favorites at your Christmas dinner.PIE CRUST 1. Make your usual pie crust, 2-crust version. Line the pie tin, put in the filling, and now it's time to play. Roll out the second crust and start cutting shapes - using cooky cutters or free form with a knife. At Thanksgiving, for instance, up at my son's house I was stuck without the"necessary' equipment so I improvised, just carving out a leaf using one nearby as a model. First one doesn't work? Pie dough is very forgiving. Roll it up and start again. Your "second chances" are infinite. You could also use something from a child's coloring book for a pattern.One idea - cut out 3 rounds for holly berries (use bottle cap or such if you don't have small round cutter). Then use knife to cut out spiky holly leaves. Or use a Santa Claus cooky cutter. Place these on top of the pie filling and bake away.If you have the time and the inclination, when the pie is baked and cooled, then us e frosting to decorate your crust decoration. To save time, use those little tubes from the grocery; no one cares how it tastes. Licorice for Santa's belt, etc.2. Using whatever you have for the top crust - shapes, lattice or solid, apply egg yolk and then sprinkle w/ colored sugar.3. Do the usual only very different, i.e., make a pumpkin chiffon pie. At serving time, crumble candy canes andsprinkle on top.CANDY CANESCandy canes go so well with chocolate. You can make a chocolate dessert, like that instant pudding concoction, andthen sprinkle crushed candy canes atop.SWEET POTATOESMake your usual sweet potato recipe and put it in the Pyrex. Then whip up meringue nice and stiff, with lots ofsugar. Circle the bowl with the meringue, and then make dollops on top with peaks. Then you can (1) sprinkle it with colored sprinkles, or (2) in the center put 3 maraschino cherries and some pineapple leaves, like holly. Or put marshmallows around the rim and decoration in the middle. You can shape the pineapple leaves with scissors.BOULE DE NIEGEVery simple, cheap, elegant looking. Buy ice cream - for Christmas it could be peppermint, coconut or pistachio. Let the ice cream soften just enough to work with, and then scoop it into a round Pyrex that you've greased lightlywith Pam. Put it in the freezer until well frozen again. Then take it out, soak the dish briefly in larger bowl ofwarm water til you see the ice cream melting on the edges, turn it over on a pretty serving platter, and out it comesin a dome. Tear strips of waxed paper and place them all around the plate, under the ice cream. Now whip cream tilstiff, put in pastry bag, use a tip such as Wilton 2D and pipe, pipe, pipe, little shaped blobs, each one next to the other till the mound is completely covered. Gently remove the waxed paper, wipe the serving platter with a wet rag, and place the ball back in the freezer till frozen. Once it's frozen, cover it - I put a stainless steel bowl over it - an d let it stay there til ready to serve. At serving time you can add some decorations piping colored whipped cream, or using cherries and leaves again, but my favorite is to leave it elegantly white. "Boule de niege" is French for snowball!BEEF WELLINGTONMake a mixture of Dijon mustard and those colored peppercorns that are red, green and white - a "four-color mlange" is available here: /wc.dll/products/divulge/3-1918.html. Coat the beef with this before you encrust it. You can also use this on turkey, Prime Rib, or Crown Roast. For a photo, go here: /cool/zinos/author_area/preview_article?;AR008410.P.S. Be sure and put dough cut outs atop the Beef Wellington, too!INDIVIDUAL TRIFLESHere are some really cute star-shaped Christmas bowls( /wc.dll/products/divulge/1-21856.html ). Make trifle and put them in these dishes. Then smooth over the top with whipped cream.MASHED POTATOESMash them and put them in a serving bowl. Then sprinkle just enough cayenne and parsley flakes for col or.PARFAITSHere's a super easy, cheap, and very eye-appealing dessert. Version 1: Fill fluted glasses with vanilla ice cream, or peppermint. Drizzle green crme de menthe and chocolate over it. Add maraschino cherry - red or green. If you use red cherry, add green mint leaf. Version 2: Use vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce, and sprinkle crumbled candy cane over it.TRIFLETrifle is, as I'm sure you know, a cold dessert made with liqueur-soaked sponge cake, layers of fruit, jelly, custardand whipped cream. It makes a great Christmas dessert because it can be made well ahead of time, it's got cheapingredients, it's not familiar to a lot of people and they think it looks intricate to make, and... the presentation! For instance since the ingredients are so cheap, why not buy the Spode Christmas tree soup tureen - "just" $348.95 (instead of $535.00) at amazon.com kitchenware. j.k. However, put the trifle in a tureen and then put a layer of whipped cream on the top smoothing it c ompletely (use a warm wet flat spatula). What makes it special is people will keep trying to "pick up the lid" which is the whipped cream, and there are fingerprints all over it and lots of laughs and "oohs" and "aahs."VEGIESPut chopped red peppers in among the peas, Brussels sprouts or broccoli; chopped green pepper in with the tomatoes. Cut stars out of cheese and place atop casserole.Don't do all of these things; that's too much. Choose one or two.AND DON'T FORGET TO DRESS THE HOSTESSA Christmas apron is always fun. Here's a Santa one with matching hat: /christmas/aprons.htm, a sexy Santa girl apron ( /sagichap.html ), and my personal favorites - affordable white cotton with ruffles, Christmas tree, gingerbread men, spoon and candy cane ( /apronbib.html ). For more sources, go here:http:/ opten.org/public/BI/BI324.html.

With the growing popularity of video games in the past 10 years, electronic games are sure to be a hit for even the pickiest person on your Christmas list. The NPD group found 91% of kids from age two to seventeen play video games as of 2011. With the average gamer being 37 years old, video games make a good Christmas gift for the whole family.

Video games are an entertaining past time for many reasons. It allows you to escape responsibilities for a few hours, to vent stress and frustrations as a character in the game, and feel the rush as you encounter new environments and challenges. Immersing you in another world, the games lets players control and succeed in environments we could never encounter in real life.

You can give the people on your list an out of this world experience. Sports fans can relive the NBA's legendary rivalries as an all-star great with NBA 2k12. Playing Battlefield 3 thrill seekers can kill enemies in the combat zone. Or, jump in a go-kart and race through the skies as a cartoon character in Mario Kart 7.

There is a video game type for every interest and age group. Role playing, action, adventure, sports, arcade, strategy and crime are only a small sample of what is available. There are titles for the casual gamer who just wants to pass time, as well as more involved games with online interaction and gameplay. Educational and brain teasers are also popular genres for children and adults. Specialty games, like fitness and dance titles, encourage players to get off the couch and use their bodies as the control.

Everyone wants to give their friends the perfect Christmas gift. But, finding something they will use and not unwrap and throw on a shelf can be a challenge. With the hottest games, you can be certain your gift will not collect dust and will provide hours of enjoyment. With so many choices you can gift one to an individual or pick an appropriate title for the whole family.

The great thing about giving a video game as a Christmas gift is not worrying about sizes and style choices. Just find out what game console they have and the game is sure to fit. And you don't even have to leave the house to complete your Christmas list. Simply go online and order the perfect video game stocking stuffer.

ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS- (compiled from the booklet "Holidays or Holy Days: Does it Matter which Days we observe?" by United Church of God, 2008)

Christmas initially started as the festival of Bacchanalia by the Greeks in the 2nd century B.C. and spread to Rome. The Roman Senate suppressed its observance in 186 B.C. The Romans, however, along with Bacchanalia, celebrated "Saturnalia" in honor of Saturn [the god of Time], which began on December 17th and continued for seven days. Saturn was another agricultural god-king parallel to the Carthaginian god Baal (A Book of Christmas, William Sansom, 1968, p. 44). Interestingly, people exchanged gifts called 'strenae' from the vegetation goddess Strenia, whom it was important to honor at midwinter. These holidays were observed at the Winter Solstice, the day of the year with the shortest period of daylight. When the Julian calendar was proclaimed in 46 C.E. [A.D.] it established as law that the Winter Solstice commenced on December 25 (The Trouble with Christmas, Tom Flynn, 1993, p. 42). The Sun, as the 'giver' of life on this planet Earth was at its lowest ebb, and so in th e mythology of ancient people, it was a time when the forces of darkness and chaos stood against and was triumphing over the forces [or gods] of light and life.

According to Gerard and Patricia Del Re, Saturnalia and Kalends [New Moon in January] were celebrations most familiar to the early Christians [Jewish or Gentile??] during December 17-24 and January 1-3. The tradition of December 25 as the birthday of the Son of God [Yeshua/Jesus] comes from Persia [Iran] and the god 'Mithras' who was born on this day, and was thought of as the "embodiment" of the sun. And since the Sun was thought of as a god, then Mithras would be considered as the son of the Sun [son of God]. The emperor Constantine who made Christianity the religion of the Empire was involved in Mithraism until his conversion into the new "faith" and he most likely facilitated the incorporation of the festival into the Christian celebratory elements (The Christmas Almanac, 1979, p. 17). There are no records of Christmas, at least in its primitive state, to have been observed in Rome until about three centuries after Christ's death and resurrection.

Another pagan celebration which greatly influenced Christianity as it is practiced today was the Teutonic feast of "Yule." It was known as "The Twelve Nights" and was celebrated from December 25 to January 6. This represented the mythological warfare between the 'forces of nature' in the form of winter [ice giant representing Death] vs. the sun god [representing Life] wherein the Winter Solstice signifies the turning point. The ice giant was at the zenith of his power but the sun god will slowly began to gain strength and prevail with the approaching spring time to come afterwards. As Christianity spread to Eastern Europe it met with another pagan festival held in December, the Yule-feast of the Norsemen which also lasted for twelve days. The familiar log-fires were lit to assist in the revival of the sun and shrines and other sacred places were decorated with greenery such as holly, ivy, and bay. The Druids among the priestly caste of the Celts of Ancient France, Britain, a nd Ireland used to decorate their temples with mistletoe, the sacred fruit of the oak tree. Among the Germans, the oak tree was sacred to Odin, their god of war, and of which they continued to offer sacrifice until the reign of Boniface in the eighth century who persuaded them to exchange the oak tree for a young fir tree [The Christmas tree] adorned in honor of the Christ child. It was these German immigrants who brought this custom to America (The Christian Calendar, L.W. Cowie and John Selwyn Gummer, 1974, p. 22).

Many of the modern trappings of Christmas are carryovers from ancient celebrations. "Santa Claus" is a corruption of the Dutch form of 'San Nicholaas' (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, Vol. 19. p.649). St. Nicholas was a real person and Bishop of Myra in southern Asia Minor [Turkey], who was honored by both Greeks and the Latin people on December 6. Santa Claus with fur-trimmed clothing, sleigh and reindeer reveal an origin from the cold far regions of the Northern Hemisphere and their [Scandinavian] gods Wotan [Odin] and Thor. Some people literally believe that Santa and the North Pole are located in Finland or Greenland; depending on who you ask about it. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these observances were added the German and Celtic Yule rites of food, drinking, good fellowship, Yule logs (fires), Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees [decorated?], gifts, and greetin gs. In the snows of winter, the "evergreen" was a symbol of the life that would return in the spring and in midwinter, the idea of rebirth and fertility was very important and fires and lights, symbols of warmth and lasting life have always been associated with the winter festivals, among pagans and Christians alike (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol. 2. p. 903, "Christmas").

Tertullian, a Catholic writer in the late second or third century, lamented: "By us [Christians] . . . the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia are now frequented; the gifts are carried to and fro, new year's day presents are made with din (??), and the banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians." (Tertullian in De Idolatria, quoted by Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, 1959. p. 91). As early as A.D. 245 the Church father Origen was proclaiming that it was 'heathenish' to celebrate Christ's birthday as if He were merely a temporal ruler when His spiritual nature should be the main concern. The Encyclopedia Britannica adds: "The [Church] Fathers of the second and third centuries, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Epiphanius, contended that 'Christmas' was a copy of a pagan celebration." (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edit ion, Micropaedia, Vol. 4. p. 499, "Christianity") The Christians of Armenia and Syria accused the Christians in Rome of sun worship for celebrating Christmas on December 25. . .Pope Leo the Great in the fifth century tried to remove certain practices at Christmas which he considered in no way different from sun worship (Robert Myers, Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays, 1972, p. 310).

According to 'Wikipedia': In Colonial America, the Puritans of New England shared radical disapproval of Christmas and its celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. Although the ban was lifted by the English Governor Sir Edmund Andros in 1681, it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in Boston. At the same time, Christian residents of VA and NY observed the holiday freely. PA German settlers, preeminently the Moravian settlers of Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Lititz in PA and the Wachovia Moravian settlements in NC, enthusiastically celebrated Christmas. The Moravians from Bethlehem had the first Christmas trees in America as well as the first Nativity scenes. The Pilgrims of MA made it a point of working on Christmas as on any other day. On June 3, 1647, Parliament established punishments [making it illegal] to observe Christmas and certain other holidays [Easter, too??]. The policy was reaffirmed in 1652 (Del Re, p. 2 0). Even Colonial America considered Christmas more of a raucous revelry than a religious occasion. "So tarnished, in fact, was its reputation in Colonial America that celebrating Christmas was banned in Puritan NE, where noted minister Cotton Mather described yuletide merrymaking as 'an affront to the grace of God' " (Jeffrey Sheler, "In Search of Christmas," U.S. News and World Report, Dec. 23, 1996, p. 56)

Christmas fell out of Favor in the United States after the American Revolution and by the 1820's sectarian tension had eased in Britain and writers, including William Winstanly began to worry that Christmas was dying out. These writers imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration, and efforts were made to revive the holiday; most notably by Charles Dickens classic novel, "A Christmas Carol" in 1843. Dickens sought to reconstruct Christmas as a family-centered festival goodwill and generosity, in contrast to the community-based and church-centered observations, which had dwindled during the late 18th and early 19th century. Dickens influenced many aspects of the holiday by superimposing his secular vision as celebrated in the Western/Eastern European culture and American society, especially, to embrace family gatherings, seasonal or holiday food and drink, dancing, games, and a festive and giving generosity of spirit.

Out of the Dickens tale, the greeting, "Merry Christmas" has become commonplace. The revival of the Christmas carol began with William B. Sandys "Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern" in 1833, with the first appearance in print of: The First Noel; I saw Three Ships; Hark the Herald Angels Sing; and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; also popularized in Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." In Britain the Christmas was introduced in the early 19th century and in 1832 a young Queen Victoria wrote about her delight at having a Christmas tree, hung with lights, ornaments, and presents placed around it. By 1841 the custom became more widespread throughout Britain and an image of the royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle created a worldwide sensation when it was published in the Illustrated London News in 1848. A modified version of this image was published in the United States in 1850 and by the 1870's putting up a Christmas tree had become common in America.

In America, Christmas had been revived in the 1820's by several short stories by Washington Irving and he used the tract Vindication of Christmas (1652) of Old English Christmas traditions that he used in his stories. In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (popularly known by its first line, "T'was the Night Before Christmas") which helped popularize the tradition of exchanging gifts, and seasonal Christmas shopping began to assume economic importance. "The First Christmas in New England" by Harriet Beecher Stowe includes a character who complains that the true meaning of Christmas was lost in a shopping spree. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow detected a "transition state about Christmas here in New England" in 1856. By 1860, fourteen states including several from New England had adopted Christmas as a legal holiday. In 1870, Christmas was formally declared a United States Federal holiday, signed into Law by President Ulysses S. Grant.

It must be noted that Christmas as a secular observance as opposed to a religious one that contributes to its popularity in America, especially in an economic sense when retailers account for up to fifty percent of their 'yuletide' sales and annual profits. The shopping and spending spree during the holiday season pumps an estimated $37B into the national economy-larger than the GDP of Ireland (Jeffery Sheler, "In Search of Christmas," U.S. News and World Report, Dec. 23, 1996, p. 64). The commercialization of Christmas and other holidays is what contributes to their continued survival, and to rescue Christmas from its secular trappings into a more religious observance would in all probability not have the cultural support to maintain its observance the way it currently is being done. Originally, perhaps Christmas was envisioned as a way to ease the transition of the heathen into the new "faith" through some festival practices with which they were somewhat familiar.

In modern times Christmas has been driven more by economic forces. The Encyclopedia Britannica observes that the traditional Christmas holidays have "undergone a process of striking desacralization and especially Christmas- the commercialization of it." The Christological foundation of Christianity [Jesus of Nazareth] has been replaced [or incorporated side-by-side] by the myth of "Santa Claus" (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol. 4. p. 499, "Christianity").

Now, one needs to search the Scripture to know what the word of God instructs in a matter such as this either explicitly or implicitly, as in below:

John 17: 14, 16 I have given them [the disciples] Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of this world, just as I am not of this world. "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."

Luke 22: 17, 19-20 The He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide this among yourselves. "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant [Brit Hadashah] in My blood, which is shed for you."

1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 For I received from the LORD that which I also delivered unto you: that the LORD Jesus [Yeshua] on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks [the blessing], He brake it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant [Brit Hadashah] in My blood. This do, as often as [when] you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as [when] you eat this bread and drink this cup you do proclaim [celebrate/observe] the LORD'S death until He comes.

Jesus told His disciples before He ascended back to heaven to observe all things that he commanded them (Cp. Matthew 28: 20a) and it is curious that Christian Churches today have special Christmas programs and Nativity plays depicting the Holy Babe, Mary and Joseph when there is no Biblical sanction for such an event; no matter how sincere, passionate, and presumably spiritually enriching the experience might seem to be. Now, it is prudent not to be a demagogue or dogmatic about such things and certain no one wants to condemn anyone for wanting to do good works but to imbue this winter season with a sacredness or holiness in honor of Jesus Christ the Son of God is not sanctioned in the Bible. If one wants to perpetuate the celebration as secular and commercial, of jolly Old Saint Nick, reindeer, elves, the sled filled with gifts for good boys and girls leaving the North Pole and tracked by NORAD, and all the trappings of such a festival with the traditions that comes with it , then that's one thing; but, to promote two entirely 'different' personages at the same time [one the Son of God and the other a false and imaginary character], such is untenable and not worthy of one who has been washed from the pollutions that are in [of] the world.

Romans 12: 2 And be not conformed [again] to the world, but be transformed by the [continued] renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the (1) good and (2) acceptable, and (3) perfect will of God.

Robert Randle 776 Commerce St. #B-11 Tacoma, WA 98402 December 20,

One of the Biggest Christmas Toys of the Year

Every year there is always a toy that will make the news as one of the hottest toys of the year and one that will have the biggest buys during the Christmas season, this year welcomes Zhu Zhu Pets. I will explain what Zhu Zhu Pets are and bring to light the scams to avoid in the consumer market during the Christmas shopping season.

Zhu Zhu Pets were first brought to my attention by my wife when we were deciding what to purchase my youngest daughter for Christmas. As we did our research and looked around we couldn't find Zhu Zhu Pets anywhere. We went to Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, and even looked online. We discovered that Zhu Zhu Pets are going to be the hottest toys this year and also discovered that there are a lot of people purchasing Zhu Zhu Pets in mass quantity to resell them before the Christmas season for extremely high dollar amounts. This almost reminded me of the TY Beanie Baby and Tickle-Me-Elmo pandemonium in the past.

What are Zhu Zhu Pets?

Zhu Zhu Pets are cuddly plush hamsters that are loaded with astounding artificial intelligence that actually have cute personalities of their own. There are currently four Zhu Zhu Pets on the market, each with their own symbol on their back. These exciting little hamsters come in four different colors (e.g. white (Chunk), grey (Numnums), brown (Squiggles), and yellow (Pipsqueak)) and even chatter, scatter, scoot, and scamper.

Chunk has the personality of an easy going cute little hamster that loves to surf. He loves to hang out and lay low until he sees the perfect opportunity to surf. When Chunk is ready to go on that surf watch out because he will be off and running to get his surf on. In addition, he is a surfing hamster that loves his hugs and love.

Numnums has an amazing nose for finding munchies at a far distance. Watch out when she smells a carrot or munchies she is off to the race. She will provide plenty of laughs and love for the whole family to enjoy.

Squiggles is a hamster that loves a good mission. His fussy hamster personality is one in which he acts as if he has been there and done it all. He loves to explore everything he can and loves to be petted and watched while he discovers, just don't call him cute.

Pipsqueak is the daredevil of them all. She is adorable and loves her hugs. She also loves to play, have fun, slide, and explore her habitat. She has her own curious little personality.

Don't worry the Zhu Zhu Pets themselves are very affordable. At Wal-Mart each Zhu Zhu Pet is going for $8.00 and at Toys-R-Us they are going for $9.99. Furthermore, they only take 2 AAA batteries to make them go. Good luck finding them though, because they are the hottest toy on the market.

Zhu Zhu Pet Accessories

What is a hamster without hamster toys? Yes, Zhu Zhu Pets have an assortment of accessories that can all be bought separately to provide more of a realistic habitat for a hamster. The accessories that can be bought for the Zhu Zhu Pets include: multiple extension fun house, hamster car and garage, hamster wheel and tunnel, hamster running ramp, hamster adventure ball, sleep dome with surf board, skate park u-turn with skateboard, snuggly bed, and hamster carriers. The best part is that most of these fun hamster activity accessories attach to create one awesome hamster fun house.

Almost all of these accessories look like the real thing. The hamster ball and the fun house accessories are identical to the real deal hamster hotel and hamster ball. You won't be able to tell the difference.

The best part all are the prices. The most expensive accessory is $21.99 at Toys-R-Us and the average cost of the accessories are between $10.99 and $15.99. If you were to purchase every accessory and all four Zhu Zhu pets you would be at a price range around $164.87. Yes, this is a little bit of money, but I want to remind you that this is all the accessories and all four Zhu Zhu Pets. This is important to know because my wife and I went out on e-bay and found that there are people selling sets for well over $300.00. In other words watch out for scams from those individuals that are out clearing the shelves of the hottest toy of the year to make money.

Zhu Zhu Pet Scams

As I have previously stated there are people clearing the shelves at Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us in anticipation of making a lot of money on the hottest toy of the year by reselling them on sites like e-bay. My wife and I have been to these stores several times to buy Zhu Zhu Pets and each time there are none to be bought. So we looked online and were shocked with what we saw.

On e-bay my wife and I found several people selling Zhu Zhu Pets and accessories at incredibly high prices. For example, we found a six piece set of Zhu Zhu Pet accessories going for $140.00. The actual price if purchased in the store would cost you $91.94. In addition, there was an individual selling all four of the Zhu Zhu Pets for $81.00, which is $41.00 more than the store price. Worst yet, someone was selling all four Zhu Zhu Pets and all the accessories for $695.00 on e-bay. Remember what I said earlier, if bought in the store you would pay around $164.87.

Don't find yourself caught in these Christmas season scams, because there are people that have already been scammed. Every one of the examples I have shown you had bids on e-bay.

Anyone who has a kid loves their kid and wants the best for him or her. A big part of that is giving the child what they like, and that, in most cases, is toys. But buying toys can easily get very expensive, especially if you do it often, so many parents think they spend far too much on toys. But there are a few easy ways to save money on toys:

1.Dont buy at the last minute.

We all know that the prices of toys are extremely high right before Christmas, for instance, so whatever you do, dont buy toys right before Christmas, at the peak of the sales for toys. Try to plan your purchases so you can buy toys off-season instead, like during the Summer Sales. This will make it easier to get cheap toys, and your child wont know the difference anyway. Just make sure you stay away from the trendiest toys of the moment, since kids do tend to keep track of those trends!

2.Buy at garage sales

Garage sales are great places for bargains on toys. Some toys you see at garage sales can look or even be brand new, so there is really no down side to shopping for toys at garage sales, as long as you inspect each toy carefully to get an idea of its condition.

More and more people also go shopping for toys at garage sales these days, so it is really nothing to feel embarrassed about, it is way more common than you think!

3.Buy at secondhand and thrift stores

Secondhand and thrift stores are great, for the same reasons as garage sales, you can find things for a very small amount of money, but in great condition there, so why not give it a try?

4.Look for toy coupons

There are tons of coupon services online, that get you great discounts on specific toys, and in certain toy stores. Try it, you would be surprised by how much you can save, and these coupons are very easy to find simply by using a regular search engine, such as Google or Yahoo.

Prime Rib is a perfect dish to make for Christmas, besides a ham or turkey. The most important part of making a prime rib is, to make sure the inside of the prime rib is throughly cooked evenly all over.

Having a chef in my family, I always find out the tricks of cooking certain meats. Prime rib is one of those certain meats that requires little tricks like, keeping the prime rib out at room temperature for 2 1/2 to 3 hours before roasting, and placing butter slightly all over the prime rib to make the rib juicer and add more flavor.

Prime Rib is a easy meat to cook, but does require some attention. You can not just add spices on top, place it in the oven thinking thats all it takes. With so many different Prime Rib recipes, the timing cooking a prime rib dinner will vary.

Many families will be making a prime rib this Christmas, but will be asking many questions such as baking time for a prime rib, how to cook prime rib in the oven, temperature for cooking prime rib, how to make a french dip using leftover prime rib, how to store prime rib, how long to cook prime rib,and even what to serve with the prime rib Christmas dinner.

Regardless of all of these questions, you need to be prepared ahead of time. This way your prime rib will be perfect for Christmas dinner. After searching all over online, I have found the only resource you will need to make your prime rib perfect.

If you go to Associatedcontent.com, we have a writer named GK, who has written almost everything you need to know about cooking a prime rib. From his articles, you will learn what temperature should a prime rib be, best way to reheat a prime rib, what to serve with prime rib, baking time for a 20 pound prime rib, how to use leftover prime rib, how to cook prime rib on the grill, and even how to store prime rib.

If you need more help on preparing and cooking your prime rib this Christmas, you can also go directly to Google and place Prime Rib Cooking Questions into the Google search box.

This will bring up some of your most famous websites discussing prime rib questions. Also at the bottom of the page, you can click on one of the search related keywords such as prime rib roast cooking, prime rib beef cooking, prime rib thermometer, or even prime rib roasting pan.

/article/2472534/how_to_cook_prime_rib_prime_rib_cooking.html?cat=22

Whether you are a novice or expert, setting a festive Christmas table can be easy and fun. When I look at my Christmas table all set and decorated, it truly brings in the holiday spirit and warms the cockles of my heart. The thoughts of family and friends permeate throughout my mind and remind me of how truly blessed I am. What a wonderful life I have and the many blessings that have come my way.

As with any type of decorating, you want to have each room compliment each other. For instance, if your Christmas decorating is modern, you want to keep your Christmas Table Setting modern. As you walk into your Dining Room the character of the table should mimic your decorating taste. There are so many different products out there today that it can be difficult to choose but I know that you will find what you need to accomplish this.

Before you being, let's take a minute to go over the basics of table setting.

Keep in mind the following when planning to set your Christmas Table

How many guests are you having, what type of table - round, square or oblong, formal or casual? What type of mood are you looking to create? What do you need to accomplish your "look"?

Table Padding helps with the setting of your festive Christmas Table. Not only does the table padding protect your table finish from liquid spills, hot spots, scratches, dents and nicks it helps to absorb sound and gives the tablecloth a gentle flowing drape and prevents the tablecloth from sliding or pulling.

Table padding is made of felt and vinyl and the soft backing is safer for many modern finishes. Table padding comes in many sizes or can be cut to the size of your table or cut longer to include the drop or overhang. And there is always the option of having a custom made pad for your table.

Tablecloths come in standard sizes for square, round, oblong (rectangle) and oval. Need help figuring out what size and shape of tablecloth you need?

Do you know the difference between and oblong and oval tablecloth? Many time people confuse oblong with oval. An oblong tablecloth is designed to fit a rectangle table with square corners and an oval tablecloth fits an egg-shaped table.

Do you know how to figure out your tablecloth size?Measure the width and length of your table. Add the overhang or drop, which is how long the tablecloth will hang over the side, typically the desired overhang is 10-12 to lap level on dining tables and 15 inches for banquet tables.

When you have these measurements, add the overhang times 2 to each measurement of your table. You don't want the tablecloth to be too long. Your guests should be able to be able to sit and not have the tablecloth touch their legs, you don't want anyone pulling that tablecloth!!

Example: If your table size is 30x72 inches and the desired drop is 10 inches you would figure it this way:10 inch (drop size) X 2 would be 20 inchesAdd the 30" (from your table measurement) to the 20" (doubled desired drop) = 50 inchesAdd the 72" (from your table measurement) to the 20" (doubled desired drop) = 92 inches

The perfect cloth size for your table would be 50 X 92 inches. Since tablecloths come in standard sizes you would then select the size closest to those figures.

I have a rectangle table and start with a biege tablecloth, then I use a square green colored tablecloth laid down with the points showing at the mid point of the table, add a table runner and use a small corresponding table square. Layering Looks stunning!!!

I am a big fan of Table Runners, they just add a little something extra to your table setting and can be used to compliment your linens, china and decor. Table runners can also be used to hide a leaf in the table. Table runners are sometimes called "scarves" and are pieces of material that run lengthwise or across your table. Table runners can run within the dimensions of a table or extend into the overhang.

You can really go all out and decorate your chairs. There are many varieties of chair coverings or slipcovers that give your table an even more elegant look.

I use taffeta scarves or runners and tie them around the back of the chair with a big bow and place a flower in the middle of the bow. This creates a stunning and polished look at your festive Christmas table.

There are so many things that you can do with a napkin.

Napkins are a piece of material (made of cloth or paper) used to clean the lips or fingers and for protection of clothing. Napkins can be made of a variety of fabrics including cotton, linen, silk, and cotton/polyester blends. Cotton, Linen, and Silk napkins are typically used for more formal settings while cotton/polyester blends are used for casual everyday dining.

Turning a plain piece of cloth into an exotic swan for instance, brings back my many days in the catering business. Napkin folding can turn your table into an elegant work of art and it is an easy and fun task. Not into napkin folding, then napkin rings are the best thing. There are napkin rings for anyone budget and taste.

The Charger is making a big come back on tables. The charger makes a table look more elegant, whether serving dinner to your family or entertaining the guests.

Chargers are simply under plates that are used at each place setting of a formal table. The charger will be larger than the actual dinner and salad plates used to hold the food. The dinner plate is never placed on the charger. When you are shopping for chargers, place the salad plate or soup bowl, not the dinner plate, on the charger to see how it sizes and coordinates.

The charger should compliment the choices of china, silverware, and dcor of the table setting. A charger may be used with or without placemats, depending on your table setting.

The use of the right charger can add a touch of elegance to the table. By coordinating the design of the table setting, the color choices, and the pattern used for the china, the charger will beautify other pieces and create a sense of an elegant and festive table setting.

I could go on forever about the different types, shapes, sizes and colors of Christmas Dishes, there are so many that are available to you. What it really boils down to is your taste and what you like. For me, I like clean lines and borders and have a set of Mikasa China that I use for all holiday's, ivory dishes with a gold inlaid border. Plain and simple and I use chargers, tablecloths, napkins and decorations to bring in the color of the holiday.

Now on the other hand, many people have a set of Christmas Dishes and Tableware such as Spode, Lennox, Mikasa and the list goes on from the most expensive to the least expensive. It's up to you, your budget and your taste.

Most sets of china come with some basic serving dishes and if you are like me over the years I have accumulated additional serving pieces for my china. Then there are the holiday serving pieces that we save over the years.

But for ease of serving and cleaning, I like to use Stoneware/CorningWare serving dishes, that can easily go from the oven to your table. Stoneware is attractive, microwave proof and even oven proof. Right from your oven to your table, eliminating extra dishes, pots and pans. Another reason you need table padding, to save your table from the heat of serving dishes.

Just as versatile as stoneware is Corning ware, both help eliminate extra chores on a busy Christmas Day and add beauty to your Christmas Table.

Most of us know how to set a table, but for those that need a little refresher here is an overview...

* Forks should go on the left and spoons and knives to the right of the plate* An easy way to remember the correct order to place utensils is that they go in the order in which you use them; so the salad fork goes on the outside left while the larger fork used to eat the main course goes on the inside left. Turn the blade of all knifes so they face toward the plate, why well in midevil times the blade pointing out meant harm to the person next to you.* If you are using chargers, place the salad plate and/or soup bowl on the charger.* Place the side plate or bread and butter plate to the left of your place setting;* Place the wineglass at the tip of the main-course knife. The water glass and any other glasses should be arranged in the order they will be used with the first one on the outside.* The napkins can go under the knife and spoon or on the side plate. If you choose to use napkin holders or fancy folds, the napkin can go on top of the charger plate set up or even in the water glass for a more decorative and elegant place setting.

Truth be told...I leave the place cards to the kids, who have a great time trying figuring out who sits next to who. It's a great touch to create and decorate place cards.

Place the cards either on the charger plate setup or better yet in attractive place card holders which are placed on the charger plate setup or directly on top of the charger plate setup.

Using place or name cards adds a finishing touch on your festive Christmas Table Setting.

What do you say about Glassware? There are so many styles and shapes that just can boggle the mind.

If you are using a Christmas pattern such as Spode, you most likely have the coordinating glassware. Most importantly, set a water glass, wine glass if you serve wine or alcohol and for the more adventurous, a stylish shot glass for the tradition after dinner sambuca with coffee beans.

Finally, for an extra special touch, you could leave a small gift at each place setting. If you shop around in dollar discount stores you can find all kinds of small gift items. Wrap them and use ribbon to give them a holiday look. You could even place the name cards in a frame for your guests to bring home. Opening the gifts will make a great conversation starter when everyone sits down at the table.

Decorating your table with a festive Centerpiece will give your table a festive Christmas feeling. Candlesticks are another great way to decorate your table and add a flair of elegance. You can also use candles and music to create the perfect festive Christmas setting.

The final and finishing touches create a festive Christmas Table Setting!

Ann Cohen is a mom, wife, friend and caterer who love babies, "green", decorating and holiday's. Being able to entertain and decorate on a budget is important today and loves finding that "great deal." To get some more tips on how to's, green and saving money check out How To Set A Festive Christmas Table and browse her selection of how to's.

ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS- (compiled from the booklet "Holidays or Holy Days: Does it Matter which Days we observe?" by United Church of God, 2008)

Christmas initially started as the festival of Bacchanalia by the Greeks in the 2nd century B.C. and spread to Rome. The Roman Senate suppressed its observance in 186 B.C. The Romans, however, along with Bacchanalia, celebrated "Saturnalia" in honor of Saturn [the god of Time], which began on December 17th and continued for seven days. Saturn was another agricultural god-king parallel to the Carthaginian god Baal (A Book of Christmas, William Sansom, 1968, p. 44). Interestingly, people exchanged gifts called 'strenae' from the vegetation goddess Strenia, whom it was important to honor at midwinter. These holidays were observed at the Winter Solstice, the day of the year with the shortest period of daylight. When the Julian calendar was proclaimed in 46 C.E. [A.D.] it established as law that the Winter Solstice commenced on December 25 (The Trouble with Christmas, Tom Flynn, 1993, p. 42). The Sun, as the 'giver' of life on this planet Earth was at its lowest ebb, and so in th e mythology of ancient people, it was a time when the forces of darkness and chaos stood against and was triumphing over the forces [or gods] of light and life.

According to Gerard and Patricia Del Re, Saturnalia and Kalends [New Moon in January] were celebrations most familiar to the early Christians [Jewish or Gentile??] during December 17-24 and January 1-3. The tradition of December 25 as the birthday of the Son of God [Yeshua/Jesus] comes from Persia [Iran] and the god 'Mithras' who was born on this day, and was thought of as the "embodiment" of the sun. And since the Sun was thought of as a god, then Mithras would be considered as the son of the Sun [son of God]. The emperor Constantine who made Christianity the religion of the Empire was involved in Mithraism until his conversion into the new "faith" and he most likely facilitated the incorporation of the festival into the Christian celebratory elements (The Christmas Almanac, 1979, p. 17). There are no records of Christmas, at least in its primitive state, to have been observed in Rome until about three centuries after Christ's death and resurrection.

Another pagan celebration which greatly influenced Christianity as it is practiced today was the Teutonic feast of "Yule." It was known as "The Twelve Nights" and was celebrated from December 25 to January 6. This represented the mythological warfare between the 'forces of nature' in the form of winter [ice giant representing Death] vs. the sun god [representing Life] wherein the Winter Solstice signifies the turning point. The ice giant was at the zenith of his power but the sun god will slowly began to gain strength and prevail with the approaching spring time to come afterwards. As Christianity spread to Eastern Europe it met with another pagan festival held in December, the Yule-feast of the Norsemen which also lasted for twelve days. The familiar log-fires were lit to assist in the revival of the sun and shrines and other sacred places were decorated with greenery such as holly, ivy, and bay. The Druids among the priestly caste of the Celts of Ancient France, Britain, a nd Ireland used to decorate their temples with mistletoe, the sacred fruit of the oak tree. Among the Germans, the oak tree was sacred to Odin, their god of war, and of which they continued to offer sacrifice until the reign of Boniface in the eighth century who persuaded them to exchange the oak tree for a young fir tree [The Christmas tree] adorned in honor of the Christ child. It was these German immigrants who brought this custom to America (The Christian Calendar, L.W. Cowie and John Selwyn Gummer, 1974, p. 22).

Many of the modern trappings of Christmas are carryovers from ancient celebrations. "Santa Claus" is a corruption of the Dutch form of 'San Nicholaas' (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, Vol. 19. p.649). St. Nicholas was a real person and Bishop of Myra in southern Asia Minor [Turkey], who was honored by both Greeks and the Latin people on December 6. Santa Claus with fur-trimmed clothing, sleigh and reindeer reveal an origin from the cold far regions of the Northern Hemisphere and their [Scandinavian] gods Wotan [Odin] and Thor. Some people literally believe that Santa and the North Pole are located in Finland or Greenland; depending on who you ask about it. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these observances were added the German and Celtic Yule rites of food, drinking, good fellowship, Yule logs (fires), Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees [decorated?], gifts, and greetin gs. In the snows of winter, the "evergreen" was a symbol of the life that would return in the spring and in midwinter, the idea of rebirth and fertility was very important and fires and lights, symbols of warmth and lasting life have always been associated with the winter festivals, among pagans and Christians alike (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol. 2. p. 903, "Christmas").

Tertullian, a Catholic writer in the late second or third century, lamented: "By us [Christians] . . . the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia are now frequented; the gifts are carried to and fro, new year's day presents are made with din (??), and the banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians." (Tertullian in De Idolatria, quoted by Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, 1959. p. 91). As early as A.D. 245 the Church father Origen was proclaiming that it was 'heathenish' to celebrate Christ's birthday as if He were merely a temporal ruler when His spiritual nature should be the main concern. The Encyclopedia Britannica adds: "The [Church] Fathers of the second and third centuries, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Epiphanius, contended that 'Christmas' was a copy of a pagan celebration." (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edit ion, Micropaedia, Vol. 4. p. 499, "Christianity") The Christians of Armenia and Syria accused the Christians in Rome of sun worship for celebrating Christmas on December 25. . .Pope Leo the Great in the fifth century tried to remove certain practices at Christmas which he considered in no way different from sun worship (Robert Myers, Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays, 1972, p. 310).

According to 'Wikipedia': In Colonial America, the Puritans of New England shared radical disapproval of Christmas and its celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. Although the ban was lifted by the English Governor Sir Edmund Andros in 1681, it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in Boston. At the same time, Christian residents of VA and NY observed the holiday freely. PA German settlers, preeminently the Moravian settlers of Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Lititz in PA and the Wachovia Moravian settlements in NC, enthusiastically celebrated Christmas. The Moravians from Bethlehem had the first Christmas trees in America as well as the first Nativity scenes. The Pilgrims of MA made it a point of working on Christmas as on any other day. On June 3, 1647, Parliament established punishments [making it illegal] to observe Christmas and certain other holidays [Easter, too??]. The policy was reaffirmed in 1652 (Del Re, p. 2 0). Even Colonial America considered Christmas more of a raucous revelry than a religious occasion. "So tarnished, in fact, was its reputation in Colonial America that celebrating Christmas was banned in Puritan NE, where noted minister Cotton Mather described yuletide merrymaking as 'an affront to the grace of God' " (Jeffrey Sheler, "In Search of Christmas," U.S. News and World Report, Dec. 23, 1996, p. 56)

Christmas fell out of Favor in the United States after the American Revolution and by the 1820's sectarian tension had eased in Britain and writers, including William Winstanly began to worry that Christmas was dying out. These writers imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration, and efforts were made to revive the holiday; most notably by Charles Dickens classic novel, "A Christmas Carol" in 1843. Dickens sought to reconstruct Christmas as a family-centered festival goodwill and generosity, in contrast to the community-based and church-centered observations, which had dwindled during the late 18th and early 19th century. Dickens influenced many aspects of the holiday by superimposing his secular vision as celebrated in the Western/Eastern European culture and American society, especially, to embrace family gatherings, seasonal or holiday food and drink, dancing, games, and a festive and giving generosity of spirit.

Out of the Dickens tale, the greeting, "Merry Christmas" has become commonplace. The revival of the Christmas carol began with William B. Sandys "Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern" in 1833, with the first appearance in print of: The First Noel; I saw Three Ships; Hark the Herald Angels Sing; and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; also popularized in Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." In Britain the Christmas was introduced in the early 19th century and in 1832 a young Queen Victoria wrote about her delight at having a Christmas tree, hung with lights, ornaments, and presents placed around it. By 1841 the custom became more widespread throughout Britain and an image of the royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle created a worldwide sensation when it was published in the Illustrated London News in 1848. A modified version of this image was published in the United States in 1850 and by the 1870's putting up a Christmas tree had become common in America.

In America, Christmas had been revived in the 1820's by several short stories by Washington Irving and he used the tract Vindication of Christmas (1652) of Old English Christmas traditions that he used in his stories. In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (popularly known by its first line, "T'was the Night Before Christmas") which helped popularize the tradition of exchanging gifts, and seasonal Christmas shopping began to assume economic importance. "The First Christmas in New England" by Harriet Beecher Stowe includes a character who complains that the true meaning of Christmas was lost in a shopping spree. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow detected a "transition state about Christmas here in New England" in 1856. By 1860, fourteen states including several from New England had adopted Christmas as a legal holiday. In 1870, Christmas was formally declared a United States Federal holiday, signed into Law by President Ulysses S. Grant.

It must be noted that Christmas as a secular observance as opposed to a religious one that contributes to its popularity in America, especially in an economic sense when retailers account for up to fifty percent of their 'yuletide' sales and annual profits. The shopping and spending spree during the holiday season pumps an estimated $37B into the national economy-larger than the GDP of Ireland (Jeffery Sheler, "In Search of Christmas," U.S. News and World Report, Dec. 23, 1996, p. 64). The commercialization of Christmas and other holidays is what contributes to their continued survival, and to rescue Christmas from its secular trappings into a more religious observance would in all probability not have the cultural support to maintain its observance the way it currently is being done. Originally, perhaps Christmas was envisioned as a way to ease the transition of the heathen into the new "faith" through some festival practices with which they were somewhat familiar.

In modern times Christmas has been driven more by economic forces. The Encyclopedia Britannica observes that the traditional Christmas holidays have "undergone a process of striking desacralization and especially Christmas- the commercialization of it." The Christological foundation of Christianity [Jesus of Nazareth] has been replaced [or incorporated side-by-side] by the myth of "Santa Claus" (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol. 4. p. 499, "Christianity").

Now, one needs to search the Scripture to know what the word of God instructs in a matter such as this either explicitly or implicitly, as in below:

John 17: 14, 16 I have given them [the disciples] Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of this world, just as I am not of this world. "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."

Luke 22: 17, 19-20 The He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide this among yourselves. "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant [Brit Hadashah] in My blood, which is shed for you."

1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 For I received from the LORD that which I also delivered unto you: that the LORD Jesus [Yeshua] on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks [the blessing], He brake it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant [Brit Hadashah] in My blood. This do, as often as [when] you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as [when] you eat this bread and drink this cup you do proclaim [celebrate/observe] the LORD'S death until He comes.

Jesus told His disciples before He ascended back to heaven to observe all things that he commanded them (Cp. Matthew 28: 20a) and it is curious that Christian Churches today have special Christmas programs and Nativity plays depicting the Holy Babe, Mary and Joseph when there is no Biblical sanction for such an event; no matter how sincere, passionate, and presumably spiritually enriching the experience might seem to be. Now, it is prudent not to be a demagogue or dogmatic about such things and certain no one wants to condemn anyone for wanting to do good works but to imbue this winter season with a sacredness or holiness in honor of Jesus Christ the Son of God is not sanctioned in the Bible. If one wants to perpetuate the celebration as secular and commercial, of jolly Old Saint Nick, reindeer, elves, the sled filled with gifts for good boys and girls leaving the North Pole and tracked by NORAD, and all the trappings of such a festival with the traditions that comes with it , then that's one thing; but, to promote two entirely 'different' personages at the same time [one the Son of God and the other a false and imaginary character], such is untenable and not worthy of one who has been washed from the pollutions that are in [of] the world.

Romans 12: 2 And be not conformed [again] to the world, but be transformed by the [continued] renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the (1) good and (2) acceptable, and (3) perfect will of God.

Robert Randle 776 Commerce St. #B-11 Tacoma, WA 98402 December 20,