It is never too early to think about Christmas

The month of October is rapidly slipping past and November will soon be here. Already the leaves on the trees have turned to russet and gold and are falling to the ground. Soon, all the trees will be bare and the skies gray and cold. The winter days are becoming shorter and the dark nights are drawing near. Will there be snow this Christmas? Will Jack Frost paint his magical pictures on our window panes at night while we are all safely wrapped up in our beds? Only time will tell and we will all just have to wait and see.

Now then, over here in Britain we are still looking forward to Halloween and then to Guy Fawkes Night on November the 5th. On the night of November 4th to 5th in the year 1605, Guy Fawkes, Thomas Winter and others intended to blow up our Houses of Parliament, the place where our Government sits, as a protest at new anti-Catholic laws that were being introduced. Guy Fawkes was discovered in a cellar under the building and after being tortured he disclosed the names of his fellow conspirators and they were all hanged together.

This conspiracy was known as 'The Gunpowder Plot' and it is celebrated to this day on November 5th. Bonfires are lit all over the country and effigies of Guy Fawkes are placed on them and burned. Fireworks are set off and a great time is had by all. Although, to be honest November is often very wet and cold and the events do not always go particularly well.

Father Christmas or Santa Claus

And then this jolly old chap gets ready to make his annual appearance. Going back to early Christian legends, and based on the figure of Saint Nicholas, Sinter Klaas in Holland, Sankt Nikolaus in Germany, Père Noël in France and Father Christmas in England has become a much loved and welcome figure of the Spirit of Christmas. The feast day of Saint Nicholas was a day when gifts were given to the poor and to children. German Protestants venerated the Christ Child (Christkindl) on his own day of December 25th and this word was corrupted over time into Kris Kringle, another word for Father Christmas. Soon the two feast days and the two figures became merged into one and now we all celebrate the events on December 25th each year and call it Christmas.

Christmas is also regarded by most of the world as a religious festival and celebrates the birth of Christ, the son of God. It is always a time of happiness and rejoicing. A time for love and the exchange of gifts. A time to thank God for the pleasures and rewards of this life and to show our love for Him and all His works. It is a time when we should show how much we love our fellow creatures and all anger and bad thoughts are put to one side.

But for the children, shortly before this wondrous event takes place, there is the more important ceremony of sending a letter to Santa! As every child knows, the good children get presents from Santa which he delivers on the night before Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is a magical time when no matter how hard a child tries, he can never stay awake long enough to see Santa arrive with his sack of toys. To make sure of getting toys, every little girl and boy has to be good all year round. If they are naughty then they get no toys but instead get whipped by Black Peter, another figure from history who was supposed to always accompany Father Christmas and who wore a Bishop's robes.

Santa has a magical sleigh, adorned with bells and pulled through the sky by flying reindeer. The leader of these is Rudolph who has a very shiny nose to light the way ahead. The other eight reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, Prancer and Dancer, Cupid and Comet, Thunder and Lightning (I made up the last two because I cannot remember their names), all follow on behind. Sometimes accompanied by Uncle Holly, Santa lands his sleigh on the roof of each house and comes down the chimney to get into the childrens bedrooms.

But how does Santa know what to bring? Well, if a child wants to get a present he or she has to write a nice letter to Santa and then send it to him at the North Pole where he lives with Mrs Claus and all the elves who make the toys. Posting is easy, just pop the letter up the chimney.

And here is Santa (and some Elves) reading a letter

Christmas is also a time when enormous quantities of Turkey, Pork, Beef, Roast Potatoes, Vegetables, Mince Pies, Christmas Cake, Plum Pudding and all manner of Sweets and Candy are eaten. Wine, Beer, Liqueurs and soft drinks are also disposed of with great glee. Party games are played and party hats are worn. Christmas crackers are pulled and a generally great time is had by all.

Well, I wanted to use this page to say a very special hello to all my 'net friends and to wish them all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you all have as wonderful a time as I normally do. Over here I have many nieces and nephews and even two grand-daughters now. I love seeing children at Christmas and I have a great time with them all. My youngest daughter who will be 5 and three-quarters at Christmas has already started making her wish list for Santa. I hope he can read long letters! I hope you all get the presents that you want as well. Please enjoy yourselves and remember that this is a time for giving and for loving. And please remember those that are not as well of as the rest of us. God Bless you all.

Merry Christmas to all my friends

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