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# Surprising Facts About Christmas

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Christmas, celebrated on December 25th, is a festival that transcends religious and cultural boundaries, uniting people in a celebration of love, giving, and joy.

While the holiday is widely recognized for Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and festive feasts, several fascinating facts about Christmas remain lesser-known.

Let’s explore the enchanting origins and traditions that make this festival so special.

1. The Origin of Christmas Trees

The tradition of decorating Christmas trees dates back to Germany in the 16th century.

Legend has it that Protestant reformer Martin Luther was the first to add candles to an evergreen tree after being inspired by the twinkling stars through its branches.

Over time, this tradition evolved into the sparkling Christmas trees we see today, adorned with lights, ornaments, and tinsel.

2. The Real Saint Nicholas

Santa Claus, the jolly man in red, is inspired by Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop from Myra (modern-day Turkey). Known for his generosity,

Saint Nicholas secretly gifted dowries to poor girls and helped those in need. His legacy of kindness laid the foundation for the modern-day Santa Claus, symbolizing the spirit of giving.

3. Why December 25th?

Contrary to popular belief, the exact birthdate of Jesus Christ remains unknown. December 25th was chosen by early Christians to coincide with Roman celebrations of Saturnalia, a festival honoring the god Saturn.

This timing allowed Christianity to integrate existing traditions, making the celebration more widely accepted.

4. The First Christmas Card

The concept of sending Christmas cards began in 1843 in England when Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first printed cards.

These featured festive illustrations and heartfelt messages, setting a trend that continues today. The exchange of cards symbolizes warmth and connection, bringing people closer despite physical distances.

5. Santa Claus’s Evolution

Santa Claus has undergone several transformations. The modern image of Santa with his red suit and white beard was popularized by Coca-Cola advertisements in the 1930s.

However, earlier depictions showed him as a tall, slender figure wearing green or blue robes. Today’s cheerful Santa represents the joy and generosity of the season.

6. The History of Stockings

The tradition of hanging stockings stems from the legend of Saint Nicholas, who reportedly dropped gold coins into stockings drying by the fireplace.

This act of kindness turned into a cherished tradition, with children eagerly awaiting surprises in their stockings each Christmas morning.

7. Candy Canes and Their Symbolism

Candy canes, with their red and white stripes, are not just sweet treats. The white symbolizes purity, while the red represents the blood of Christ.

The curved shape resembles a shepherd’s staff, reflecting Jesus as the ‘Good Shepherd.’ Originally, these candies were given to children during nativity plays to keep them quiet.

8. Christmas Crackers: A British Tradition

In the mid-19th century, Tom Smith, a British confectioner, invented Christmas crackers.

These festive table decorations make a popping sound when pulled apart and contain small gifts, jokes, and paper crowns. They have become a staple of Christmas feasts in many countries.

9. Midnight Mass and Its Significance

For many Christians, attending midnight mass is a sacred tradition, marking the birth of Jesus Christ.

It is a time for reflection, prayer, and gratitude, reminding believers of the spiritual essence of Christmas amidst the celebrations.

10. World’s Largest Christmas Gift

Did you know the Statue of Liberty is considered the world’s largest Christmas gift?

France gifted it to the United States on Christmas in 1886 as a symbol of freedom and friendship. It remains an enduring testament to generosity and goodwill.

Embrace the Spirit of Christmas

Christmas is more than just decorations and gifts; it’s a celebration of love, unity, and hope. As we gather with loved ones, let’s remember the rich history and meaningful traditions behind this magical festival.

May this Christmas bring joy, peace, and countless blessings to your heart and home. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

BE HAPPY….BE ACTIVE….BE FOCUSED….BE ALIVE…

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19 replies

  3. Sheila “Spiral Sister” Murrey's avatar
    Sheila “Spiral Sister” Murrey
    December 26, 2024 • 3:03 am

    Very good! I like concise lists. Merry Christmas!

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. mosckerr's avatar
    mosckerr
    April 18, 2025 • 4:32 pm

    The Xtian preachers who preach their ‘Good News: I am saved through the blood of Jesus’, they compare to prostitutes selling their wares while standing on street corners.

    Jeremiah 42:5–6, a prime example of contextual abuse by Xtian fraud theologist. The very next verses show that the people were lying to Jeremiah. They never intended to obey remember and keep the oaths sworn by the Avot—they simply wanted Jeremiah to bless their plan to flee to Egypt. Jer. 42:20 exposes the duplicity of this assimilated and intermarried ערב רב. This passage condemns their hypocrisy, both then and Xtians attempting to sell their wares today. It does not affirm blind obedience, as Xtain prostitute propaganda rhetoric proclaims ethical guidance in Jewish tradition. The mussar of Jeremiah 42 instructs this unique mussar instruction, and not ‘Good News’ Xtian propaganda rhetoric. Prophetic mussar applies equally to all generations of the chosen Cohen people, not just limited to a single historic people a long long time past – as Greek static deductive logic declares. Therefore the T’NaCH specifically instructs prophetic mussar, NOT history of events converted into a fossilized dead religion.

    Religious manipulation, as expressed through the Xtian super-sessionist use of Torah, fundamentally denies the Divine T’shuva made by HaShem on Yom Kippur, wherein HaShem rejects replacement theologies of avoda zarah. The Golden Calf simply not limited to a mere golden physical idol; nor to translating the Divine Presence Spirit Name first revealed during the first commandment Sinai revelation! No. The sin of the Golden Calf exposes the Av tuma Yatzir Ha’Rah spirit to replace Moshe Rabbeinu with some other God – in short this Av tuma “sin” defines replacement theology, which the t’shuva every Yom Kippur Jews remember. HaShem annulled his vow to establish the seed of Moshe as the chosen Cohen oath brit people! Both the framers of the new testament and koran worship the sin of the Golden Calf through their Av tuma avoda zarah replacement theologies, despite not actually bowing down to a physical Golden Calf as did the טיפש ערב רב.

    Just like the Judeans pretended to seek God’s will, while concealing their evil intend to go back to Egypt, so too and how much more so Xtian evangelicals who call all others to obey their distorted message of submission to the Greek idea of divine Logos or “crucified salvation.” Their ‘good news’ propaganda aims to convert Jews to worship their Golden Calf, Son of God theology.

    Jeremiah 42:5–6 as a case study of Xtian theological fraud, puts the spotlight right where it belongs: on hypocritical performative piety masquerading as covenantal obedience. Jeremiah 42:5–6 serves as a textbook example of contextual abuse by Xtian theologians; comparable to drunk drivers killing innocent folk on the highways. They extract these verses—“Whether it be good or evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God…”—to promote blind obedience to their rebranded deity, Jesus son of God. Evangelists wield this verse as rhetorical ammunition from the pulpits, demanding unthinking submission to a metaphysical abstraction they call “the Lord,” now fused with Hellenistic Logos theology.

    Thus, far from demonstrating their proclaimed “from the roof tops” covenantal obedience, such preaching unmasks religious manipulation. The very same kind employed by Xtian super-sessionists and Shoah revisionist historians, who claim to speak for “the God of Israel” or physical science, while violently uprooting the Torah oath-brit, together with its demands for national t’shuva and righteous judicial courtroom governance of damages inflicted by Jews upon one another. Shalom stands upon trust. Hence judicial justice which dedicates to restore fair compensation of damages inflicted strives to build shalom among the chosen Cohen people who live within the borders of the Torah Constitutional Republic of 12 Tribes.

    The very next verse of prophetic mussar expose the true context: a false vow. Hence rabbi Yishmael advices to learn T’NaCH through a כלל פרט sh’itta of disciplined learning. The ערב רב, had already decided to flee to Egypt and simply wanted Jeremiah’s rubber stamp. Jeremiah 42:20 explicitly reveals their duplicity.

    The mussar of Jeremiah 42, not about blind faith or passive submission—it instructs a mussar of k’vanna integrity within the Yatzir Ha’Tov of the heart before HaShem. The Navi calls Jews to remember the oaths which the Avot swore to cut a brit alliance concerning the chosen Cohen people and their eternal inheritance to the Promised land.

    If we the living generations commit to maintain from generation to generation (Meaning we commit to educate our children as the key condition of marriage.), and remember the oaths sworn by the Avot, that we in our own turn swear these same oaths from generation to generation. Hence the k’vanna of tefillah דאורייתא/from the Torah – kre’a shma. Both the Avot and the ensuing generations had to put their pants on one leg at a time and sit to take a crap on the toilet. Prophetic mussar does not differentiate the merits of one generation over other generations. All generations of the chosen Cohen people must struggle with the tuma Yatzir Ha’Rah within our hearts.

    Xtian gospel rhetoric, by contrast, perverts this prophetic mussar for introspective teshuva, unto the theatrics of Greek and Roman performative faith. Their theologies misappropriates Torah passages to serve the Av tuma static Greek deductive logic which they employ to promote their ‘good news’ myth of “universal salvation through crucifixion.”

    The cheit ha’egel—the sin of the Golden Calf—not just idolatry in the physical sense. Rather this prophetic mussar warns against spiritual substitution, a betrayal of the Divine Name revealed at Sinai. The ערב רב didn’t say, we do not reject outright the revelation of the Divine Presence Spirit Name; but rather, “this is your אלהים, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt.” The ערב רב tried to repackage the Divine Presence Spirit Name by inserting some word translation as an intermediary in Moshe’s absence.

    Herein defines the exact model of replacement theology: rebranding the brit with some new god, whether a crucified Christ, or a final prophet Muhammad who preaches strict Monotheism in the name of Allah. The Yatzir Ha’Rah behind the Golden Calf, breathes the same spiritual Av tuma avoda zarah spirit within the hearts of the ערב רב\assimilated and inter-married Jews (who lack fear of heaven). This tuma Yatzir seeks to incite, manipulate or seduce others to worship these new Gods. This central motivation inspires the New Testament and the Koran—both of which claim to replace Moshe, the Oral Torah, and the oath brit — with metaphysical substitutes and narrative fabrications.

    Just as the Judeans in Jeremiah’s time pretended to seek HaShem’s will while plotting to return to Egypt—the symbolic archetype of slavery, judicial injustice, and spiritual corruption—so too the Xtian & Muslim evangelicals, who call others to obey their distorted message of the Greek Logos, the crucified “savior,” and metaphysical obedience over national justice.

    They do not call Israel to make t’shuva, much less so remember prophetic mussar instructions. They call Israel to abandon Sinai. They do not call for brit renewal. They call for the replacement of the brit by a universalized guilt doctrine rooted in Greek fatalism. They do not call for judicial righteousness in the Land—they promote through their ‘good news’ preaching that Jews abandon living in the Promised land and return and become once again slaves in Egypt.

    The Torah concept of “sin” does not institutionalize the Fall and expulsion of Adam from the Garden of Eden.  Rather the Torah concept of “sin” exposes the Av tuma Yatzir Ha’Rah spirit, which seeks – throughout the generations – to replace Moshe Rabbeinu with some replacement new god.  In short, the prototype of both New Testament and Koran replacement theologies. Both the framers of the New Testament and the Koran worship the sin of the Golden Calf through their Av tuma avoda zarah replacement theologies. 

    Replacement theologies always attempt to repackage the Divine Presence Spirit Name by inserting a word translation as an intermediary in Moshe’s absence. Herein defines the precise and exact Av tuma methodology of replacement theologies: rebranding the brit with a new god—whether crucified Christ or final prophet Muhammad. The Yatzir Ha’Rah behind the Golden Calf, the exact same Av tuma spirit within the hearts of the ערב רב—assimilated and inter-married Jews who have no fear of heaven—that inspires the framers of both the New Testament and the Koran counterfeit scriptures. Both texts claim to replace Moshe, the Oral Torah, and the oath brit, with metaphysical substitutes and narrative fabrications.

    Just as the Judeans in Jeremiah’s time pretended to seek HaShem’s will while plotting a return to Egypt—the archetype of slavery, judicial injustice, and spiritual corruption—so too the Xtian and Muslim evangelicals, who urge obedience to their distorted and perverted messages which stand on the foundations of assimilated the Greek Logos … their crucified “savior,” glorified in both New Testament and Koran – their metaphysical obedience which rejects national judicial justice which sanctifies the Will of the Courts to make fair restitution of damages inflicted by Jews on other Jews with the k’vanna to build shalom among the Jewish people within the borders of the Torah Constitutional Republic.

    It’s very important to define Xtian and Muslim rhetoric which declares their love and devotion for the Promised ‘Holy Lands’, that never during any time after the Romans expelled Jews from Judea and renamed the land “Palestine”, not any Xtian nor Arab or Muslim Power ever established a Country in the Middle East called “Palestine”. Neither Jordan nor Egypt – who ruled Samaria and Gaza between 1948 to 1967 made any attempt to establish a Palestinian state. The British and French UNSC 242 which promotes European interests which seek to divide and conquer the Jewish state and calls for Palestinian national independence, clearly 242 shares no common ground with the 1917 Balfour Declaration by which the League of Nations carved up Ottoman Greater Syria and divide that empire as the spoils of war to the British and French empires.

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