The office Christmas party (or holiday party) is a great chance to catch up with your colleagues in a social setting before the holidays and to look towards the upcoming New Year.
Having said that, it can also be an opportunity for you to make career-limiting mistakes in front or your peers that in some cases you probably should already know about but in other cases, may not be aware of.
Here are some considerations to help you get through the office Christmas party in one piece.
Should You Even Attend Your Office Christmas Party?
The holiday season can be a busy period as it is and you might have to prioritize which functions you attend and which ones you skip. I have a friend whose office party never gets attended by his manager or his manager’s manager. My friend’s manager actually told him that he doesn’t attend the office party because he “sees enough of his staff during the day without having to see them at night” (he wasn’t kidding).
Talk about being anti-social. And this guy is a manager.
I haven’t yet heard of a company that makes their office party mandatory but before you choose to skip it, think about how it could look in the eyes of your co-workers, subordinates and superiors especially if everyone else is attending. Besides, no one says you have to stay for the whole evening.
Know What To Discuss
If you attend the office Christmas party but do nothing but discuss work related topics all evening, expect to be left standing by yourself for a significant period of time during the evening. People are there to
have some fun, not to discuss work. Now if your manager wants to do nothing but discuss work-related topics while at the party….
Know When To Say When
How many urban legends of the office Christmas party gone bad have you heard? The one where the guy drinks too much and then walks up to [insert name of manager here] and embarrasses himself by [insert bad behavior here] and gets fired/demoted on the following Monday? Don’t be that person. Now is not the time to take advantage of the open bar unless you wish to look stupid in front of people you work with.
Remember The Popularity of Cellphone Cameras
If you decide to do something at the office party that would make you look pretty stupid on the following Monday morning – especially if someone took a picture of it with their cellphone camera – you probably shouldn’t do it. [insert sarcasm here]
Surviving the office Christmas party is actually pretty simple. Don’t drink too much, don’t eat too much, don’t say or do the wrong thing.
Use common sense.
And have fun.
Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter who wants to help you find your dream career.
Visit Carl’s website to separate yourself from other job searchers: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com
Ezine editors/Webmasters: Please feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your website. Please don’t change any of the content and please ensure that you include the above bio that shows my website URL. If you would like me to address any specific career topics in future articles, please let me know.
Decorating for the holidays can be both expensive and emotionally draining. But you can decorate your home beautifully–on a budget–by following just a few simple suggestions.
First, you can create a happy holiday impression on your guests by simply concentrating your decorating efforts on your front door. Surrounding the entrance to your home with colorful lights, interwoven with garlands of greenery, offers a cheery “Welcome Home” atmosphere, without the need for ladders and endless strings of lights.
If putting up all of your decorations has become more of a chore than a delight during the holiday season, consider dividing your collection in half and alternating them every other year. That will require only half the amount of work, and the decorations will have more meaning, since you’ll be putting up different ones every year.
If you spend extra money on costly additives for keeping your Christmas tree from turning brown, you can take heart from the National Christmas Tree Association, which says that plain tap water is the best source of moisture for your tree. In fact, some commercial additives and home concoctions can actually
be detrimental to a tree’s moisture retention and increase needle loss, according to the NCTA.
You can save a considerable amount of money, and make your holidays more meaningful, by creating your own decorations, using your family’s heritage as a guideline. You can incorporate family pictures or treasured mementos to create totally unique decorations, and it’s a great way to honor your ancestors while helping your children feel more connected with their family’s history.
And finally, you won’t have to take down the old decorations and put up new ones for your New Year’s Eve celebration, if you recycle your holiday wreaths and garlands after Christmas simply by spray painting them silver or gold.
The holidays can be a stressful period, but you can avoid the financial stress and the emotional burden by using these simple suggestions. Happy holidays!
(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.
Jeanette Fisher, Design Psychology Professor, is the author of “Joy to the Home” eNewsletter, interior design and real estate books. For Design Psychology information, visit http://www.designpsych.com/. Ask your holiday decorating questions here: http://holidaydecorating.blogspot.com/
Regardless of age, almost everyone can remember at least a few magic moments of their past at Christmas time. Even in our fifties and sixties, we can still very precisely recall how our parents celebrated Christmas. Those moments will never be forgotten because to all of us, Christmas is a very special time for our immediate families to be together. It is also human nature for us to pass along our family traditions to the next generation. It is without question, the most popular time of the year to show our appreciation for one another.
It is also a time to celebrate with our extended families – our relatives and close friends. It is also the perfect time to recognize the people and customers we work with, to show our appreciation for their support. We also must remember that our associates at work also have the same appreciation for Christmas, making it the ideal opportunity to show them we are thankful for their efforts.
Our customers are often the lifeline of existence. They are precisely the reason for your company’s health and its ability to prosper. Christmas is a great time to show your thanks with a simple corporate gift. The more personal the better, because your close working relationship with that individual is why your companies continue to prosper together.
Determining what to buy for each person at Christmas is a challenge much bigger than the shopping process itself. Despite having your Christmas list complete, negotiating through the crowds during the Christmas rush is not something we relish as a pastime.
However, when it comes to shopping at hurried times of the year like Christmas, your best friend might be the Internet. Although still unexplored by many, shopping on the Internet has been popular with many for years and it has proven to be a safe, convenient way to shop for virtually anything. Buying gifts on the Internet
is finally taking full advantage of the flexibility of your credit card. If you have an upgraded gold or platinum card, review the conditions of your card benefits. If you are a relatively light card user you may not realize the added benefits of buying with your card. Extra air miles, extended warranties, front of the line seating etc, are just some of the benefits we gain when buying with our upgraded cards.
You will also be pleasantly surprised with the enormous number of specialized Websites for gift giving, for virtually any special occasion. Open your Internet browser (Yahoo, Google, Netscape, etc.) and punch in key words like Gifts, Gift Shopping, Gift Baskets, etc. You will be pleasantly surprised with the number of Websites that are listed and tantalize your every need.
These Websites are very user friendly and most offer easy navigation, usually based on the gift occasion. Although most sites offer an enormous range of gift ideas, many also have a toll free number and on-line staff to answer any questions and even help put together a specialized gift for your particular situation. So avoid the crowds this Christmas, and for a relaxing change of pace, shop on the Internet.
It will make gift shopping more fun because Internet sites will add a creative side to your gift giving that most department store simply can’t offer. Surprisingly, Internet shopping is like walking through an exclusive shopping district, full of unique little shopping boutiques. You will likely see more gift ideas than you could ever imagine. So hop on the Internet and enjoy shopping this year.
About The Author
Adriana Copaceanu provides people with creative gift ideas that don’t blow the bank. Gift Baskets for Baby, Birthday and Beyond, are just some gift ideas you’ll find at her site: http://www.abcgiftsandbaskets.com. Want regular reminders on gift-giving? Sign up for her free monthly newsletter at http://www.abcgiftsandbaskets.com/gift-news-signup.htm.
KNOW THYSELF
The first key to creating a peaceful holiday season is identifying those holiday traditions that you ENJOY and those that you don’t. When you spend your precious time and energy on activities that you don’t find rewarding, you are destined to become FRUSTRATED and cranky. So go ahead and be honest with yourself before the season even starts. Make a list of every possible holiday “obligation” that you can think of. Your list might contain (but not be limited to) the following:
- send greeting cards
- bake holiday goodies
- decorate the house
- shop for gifts
- wrap gifts
- make the holiday meal
- attend church services
- go caroling
- volunteer
- visit extended family
- visit friends
- spend time with spouse
- plan family get-together
- spend time with kids
- decorate the tree
- clean house
- shop for food
- attend a concert/play
- watch holiday TV
- visit Santa
- look at lights
- host a party
- attend a party
- take a walk in nature
Now, here’s the real trick — circle those items that you absolutely enjoy doing and don’t want to miss out on this holiday season. And cross out those that you hate, despise, and dread. Be HONEST here! If you loathe baking, don’t try to convince yourself that this year you will turn into Donna Reed with a batch of homemade gingerbread. And you can get very specific if you need to. You might love visiting with your parents, but can’t stand seeing your critical Aunt Louise. That’s fine — make visiting your parents one activity and seeing Aunt Louise another. It might be a good idea to have everyone in your family make their own lists — everyone has different ideas about what activities are joyous and which ones are miserable.
FITTING IN THE JOY
Take a look at your list — which items did you circle? Did you feel so strongly about some activities that you double-circled them or put a star by the side? Those are your true priorities — and no matter what you do this season, you need to MAKE time to fit them in. Notice I didn’t say “find” time — the best way to assure that you will never get around to doing something is to say, “I’ll do it when I find a few free minutes.” If you want to do it, SCHEDULE it into your calendar. If walking around your neighborhood with your family singing carols and looking at holiday lights is a priority, sit down together and pick an evening and have everyone block it off. It’s as simple as that.
So at the start of the season, decide ahead of time which activities on everyone’s lists are the most important. Of course, you’ll have to be realistic about what you have time for — you may only have enough room in your schedule for each person to pick three priorities instead of eight. And you may need to do a little TRADING with your loved ones — “I’ll go to Christmas Eve services with you, and in return I’d like for you to go for a nature walk on Saturday with me.” Creating harmony in any situation is about COMPROMISING — just don’t allow yourself to bend so far that you give up all of your priorities for someone else’s. Everyone should feel that his or her needs are being met.
LET GO OF THE “HAVE TO’S”
So the big question now is “how do I fit in all of these priorities when I’ve got other chores to do?” It can seem hard to make time for caroling and roasting chestnuts and all of the good stuff when you have so many OBLIGATIONS. Those “I have to’s” will absolutely kill you! Well let me start by asking WHY you “have to”? Are you being graded on how much you accomplish during the holidays? Are you going to be judged harshly by your family, friends, and co-workers if you skip out on the cards or parties or baking this year? If they do judge you harshly, I guess you need to ask yourself why you would want to have that kind of people in your life in the first place! If you don’t want to do it, a simple NO should be sufficient – especially if you find an activity that everyone in your household has crossed off of their lists. Remember, the only things that you “have to” do in this life are pay taxes and die — putting up a Christmas tree isn’t required!
Let me share a story to illustrate. A few years ago, my husband and I had a really rough year and decided to SKIP OUT on the traditional family Christmas get-together for the first time in our lives. We chose to go on a trip by ourselves — cross-country skiing in the middle of nowhere in Colorado — instead of spending the holidays with our family. And since we were going out of town so early in December, we only put up minimal decorations and didn’t send any holiday cards. We worried and worried that we were going to OFFEND someone with our crass insensitivity — but do you know what happened? Everyone we talked to (family included) said, “Boy, I wish I had the courage to do that!” It turned out that 90% of the people we knew had considered doing the same thing at one point in time, but had never been able to walk away from the pressure of the “have to’s.” Well, we had a marvelous time (one of our best Christmases ever), everyone loved hearing about our trip, and we now take a holiday vacation every other year.
FIND SOMEONE ELSE
TO DO IT
But just because you don’t want to do it, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have to get done at all. And, just because it needs to be done, doesn’t mean that you have to do it (that’s the reverse corollary!) Start by sitting down with your family and compare everyone’s “wants” and “don’t wants” for the season. This is the time for a little BARGAINING. If you love baking and shopping for presents but really don’t enjoy decorating the house, see if your spouse or kids have decorating marked as a priority on their lists. At the very least, you might find someone else who feels neutral about a chore that you completely despise! The holidays are an excellent time to learn the fine art of NEGOTIATING!
And if you decide as a group that you really do want something done but no one wants to do it, consider HIRING someone else to do it for you. If you like having the house decorated but hate putting up lights and garland, find a florist or interior designer that can take on that particular chore. The same is true of many holiday “obligations.” If you don’t like cooking, have your holiday meal catered or buy a pre-cooked meal from the local deli or eat out. If you love giving goodies to friends but don’t have time to bake, buy “homemade” cookies from the local bakery. Have a housekeeper give your home a good cleaning before your out-of-town guests arrive. In this age of convenience and SERVICE-ORIENTED businesses, I guarantee that you can find someone who is willing to do almost anything for a fee!
DON’T MAKE IT A CHORE
Unfortunately, many of us have turned the holiday season into just one more chore to be tackled. It’s as though the holidays have been transformed into an intensified “to-do list” — baking, shopping, wrapping, visiting – no wonder the holidays stress people out so badly! But it doesn’t have to be that way — it’s all about PERSPECTIVE. Do you remember when you were a kid and one of your parents introduced you to the “clean up your room” game? Maybe you rushed around trying to see how quickly you could get everything put away — or perhaps you sang and danced while you straightened up. Cleaning up was fun, until you learned to look at it as a CHORE — something to be tolerated, something that “had” to be done but wasn’t in any way enjoyable.
Holiday tasks are the same way. At our house, we turn every holiday “chore” into a PARTY. We have a house decorating party, where we invite our friends to help out, put on some Christmas music, and give everyone spiked eggnog. We take our holiday cards to the local Starbucks and spend a very pleasant afternoon listening to carols, drinking hot cocoa, and chatting as we write out our holiday greetings. We even make gift-wrapping fun (my husband and I compete to see who can get their gifts wrapped the fastest — just like when we were 6 years old!) The point is, you can make anything FUN, if you create the right mood and the right frame of mind. So think about how you can put a cheery spin on at least one “chore” this year — you might be surprised what a good time you have!
LOWER THE BAR
In a world where we seem to think that perfection can be attained if we just work hard enough, we often feel a tremendous pressure to outdo ourselves during the holidays. Each year, we want to buy more gifts (or more expensive gifts) than last year, to host the most elaborate party of the season, to make the house look more festive than any other on the block. And in the process of trying to OUTDO everyone else in the world, we end up missing out on the real meaning of the holidays. We no longer have time to spend with our loved ones, because we are on an insane quest to create the PERFECT holiday.
This year, why not be a little bit REALISTIC about your holiday? Accept right from the start that things may not go perfectly — and the harder you try to mold your holidays exactly as you had planned, the less likely they are to cooperate. And quite frankly, sometimes less is more. Instead of attending a different party full of strangers every night, why not pick two or three gatherings where you will be surrounded by people you love? Rather than planning a seven-course meal serving 75 people, wouldn’t a small potluck dinner with your 10 best friends mean more to you? Do you really need to buy dozens of gifts for your kids, or would they be happy with just a few things they really wanted? Maybe this year, it’s time to focus on the QUALITY of your experiences instead of the QUANTITY.
Ramona Creel is a Professional Organizer and the founder of http://www.OnlineOrganizing.com — a web-based one-stop shop offering everything that you need to get organized at home or at work. At OnlineOrganizing.com, you may get a referral to an organizer near you, shop for the latest organizing products, get tons of free tips, and even learn how to become a professional organizer or build your existing organizing business. And if you would like to read more articles about organizing your life or building your business, get a free subscription to the “Get Organized” and “Organized For A Living” newsletters. Please visit her website or contact Ramona directly at ramona@onlineorganizing.com for more information.
Christmas is always the time of year we consider to be the best opportunity to give something special to someone and show how much we appreciate him or her. The mall is full of wonderful, shiny and delicious gifts and the Internet offers countless items that we can send to someone without ever seeing the product in person. But sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be the perfect idea for one or two individuals. That’s probably when you need to become creative with your Christmas gift ideas.
Purchase a small pine tree. It can be living (usually costs around $6.00 for a small potted one it a nursery) or an artificial one. Consider who the gift is intended for when deciding which type of pine to purchase. Decorate the tree appropriately for the intended recipient. If there is an individual who loves a certain type of dog, decorate the tree with that type of dog as the focus. If they don’t have a particular interest that you feel you can decorate around, hand make your own ornaments and use them to hang on the tree. Present this very personal gift to make a special memory for someone.
If you know someone who loves to cook, is starting out on his or her own or is a newlywed, consider creating a cookbook from your own personal recipe
collection. Over the years, we’ve all had favorite dishes and desserts that were requested over and over again. Share your ‘secrets’ with someone special. You might even want to make a small sampler of appropriate items to give as a part of this gift. It is truly a personal and touching gift.
Create a scrapbook including photos that will mean something to your intended recipient. Scrapbooking is quickly becoming a popular way to arrange one’s photos. A visit to your local craft store will give you some very simple yet decorative ideas on how to put even the smallest scrapbook together. Imaging the fun of sitting down and reliving the memories with a loved one!
Personal Christmas gifts are becoming more and more popular each year. The reaction and way these gifts are treasured is a testament to how much yours will be appreciated.
This article appears in the Christmas 2004 issue of ‘Celebrating Christmas PDF Magazine’. To read the complete article and to download a FREE copy of the entire magazine, go to http://www.celebrating-christmas.com/magazine.shtml
Packed with illustrated articles on holiday recipes, crafts, home decor, party planning tips, gift ideas and family fun activities for Christmas, ‘Celebrating Christmas’ magazine is the ultimate combination of a ‘Home and Lifestyle’ and ‘Holiday’ magazine and is aimed to help you celebrate a better, merrier and stress-free Christmas.
Sure, you can call it a Hallmark holiday. But don’t be fooled: Mother’s Day is serious business. A big deal. Especially for new moms.
How do I know? Because I make my living surveying moms for my books. I ask them everything from which diaper bag they like best to how they handle meddling in-laws. And let me tell you, every new mom lives for Mother’s Day.
Why? Because it’s her one chance to feel cherished and appreciated for all she’s done for her family.
Now, I’m about to reveal a secret so simple and so basic, you may not recognize how powerful it is. Don’t be fooled. If you follow this advice, you are guaranteed to make any new mom happy on Mother’s Day. All you have to do is give her something that makes her life easier or makes her feel cherished.
Here are my top five picks:
1. A good night’s sleep.
To a new mom, eight uninterrupted hours of sleep are worth more than anything that could come in a box from Tiffany. Give her coupons for ten good nights of sleep (they don’t have to be used consecutively), and she’ll be forever grateful.
If she’s nursing, make sure she pumps breast milk in advance, so you can handle the nighttime feedings. And do whatever you can to ensure she has quiet surroundings. You may even suggest she move toanother room if she finds it hard to sleep throughnighttime crying.
2. New mom jewelry.
New moms love jewelry that features baby charms, baby
shoes, moms holding babies, etc. I recommend Lucy Ann products (http://www.lucyann.com) because they’re adorable, they can be personalized, and they’re reasonably priced.
3. Maid service for a month.
For the neat freak who is just too exhausted to do it all herself, this is the perfect gift. It may not seem romantic, but she’ll love the fact that you’re thinking of her needs.
4. A personal chef or a post-baby casserole shower.
The last thing a new mom has time for is cooking, but you still have to eat something for dinner every night. If you can afford it, hire a personal chef to cook and store two weeks’ worth of meals in your freezer. Go to (http://www.personalchef.com) for referrals.
If finances won’t permit that luxury, ask friends or relatives to throw her a post-baby casserole shower.
Each friend or relatives makes a casserole that can be frozen and re-heat as needed.
5. A memory.
Memory-savers like scrapbooks, baby pictures and photo gifts are always a hit with new moms. If she likes scrapbooking, get her a gift certificate to her favorite craft or scrapbooking store.
If she’s a digital photography fan, Shutterfly (http://www.shutterfly.com) offers prepaid print plans and portrait packages from $24. Or have a photo quilt made at Personal Creations (http://www.personalcreations.com) or a hand-drawn pencil sketch or watercolor done from one of your baby photos at My DaVinci (http://www.mydavinci.com).
Stephanie Gallagher is the editor of “The Shopping Mom’s Weekly Tip,” an ezine that’s jam-packed with insider shopping secrets and money-saving tips. Subscribe by sending a blank email to theshoppingmom@aweber.com.
Putting up and decorating your Christmas tree is a holiday tradition which has been in effect for hundreds of years and will probably be in effect until the end of time. Choosing whether you want a real Christmas tree or an artificial Christmas tree is a dilemma which many of us face every year. There are many benefits to both forms of trees but there are many disadvantages as well.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding which form of Christmas tree would be best suited for you and your family:
Artificial Christmas Trees
- Artificial trees eliminate the hassle of having to find time to go and specially choose a Christmas tree from the lot.
- Another great thing about artificial trees is they do not need to be watered and the needles will not fall off and create a mess in your house.
- The money you will save by purchasing an artificial Christmas tree can be spent on more presents for your children or possibly other forms of decorations.
- Artificial Christmas trees can be put up earlier and stay up longer than real Christmas trees.
- This type of tree is less of a fire hazard because the needles are not real.
Real Christmas Trees
- Real Christmas trees look more attractive and have a
fragrance like pine needles. Some families live for the smell of their tree at Christmas time.
- It is tradition for a number of families to go cut the tree. It’s a family outing where you go and specifically choose the one you want every year.
- Real Christmas trees pose a fire hazard when the branches become dry and hot from the Christmas lights.
- Real Christmas trees have to be maintained and well-kept. This includes watering and removing the dead needles which have fallen under the tree.
Ultimately the decision is yours and you will choose the kind of tree that best suits your family and your preferences. If you want a tree which requires very little maintenance then maybe an artificial one would be better suited for you.
Your Christmas will be wonderful regardless of the type of tree you choose because this holiday is about loving, giving and being thankful for what you have.
Catherine Spelling is a retired interior designer who now uses her decorating talents to make holidays an eye catching event. She is a freelance writer for http://www.christmaslightsanddecorations.com – a site that offers tips for choosing Christmas ornaments, picking out Christmas lights and decorations, tips for choosing holiday wreaths, and more.
Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year (January/February)
It is usually in the winter of a year. The exact date would follow the one in Lunar Calendar. Entering the New Year month, every family would clean and tidy both the inside and the outside of their houses. New Year food would also be prepared. ‘Lin Gao’, the Chinese cake symbolizing the rise of family every year, would be a must. New Year couplets would be displayed around house. All families would be busy until the New Year’s Eve and a big New Year eve’s dinner would be served for the gathering to welcome the beginning of a New Year. Children and unmarried adults would love the occasion because red packets would be given to them from all married couples and older generations. As a tradition, on the first few days of the first lunar month, people would spend their time visiting relatives and friends.
Spring Lantern Festival/ Yuen Siu Festival (January/February)
It is also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day and it marks the end of the Chinese New Year. Young couples would celebrate on this day. Lanterns of different designs would be hung in different places.
Ching Ming Festival (March/April)
It is a day when people pay their visits to the graves of your ancestors. Joss sticks, incense and paper offerings would be burnt for the dead people. Roasted while piglets, steamed chicken, fruit and wine would be offered to the dead too. Some people tend to bring chrysanthemum instead of those mentioned above, so remember not to give chrysanthemum to Chinese people. It is said the it is also a day when the dead wander about above ground and so sometimes people carry willow branches or hang them outside their doors on this day to scare away the ghosts.
Birthday of Tin Hau (April/May)
It is not a very big festival but a very important one for the people living on fishing islands. It is a festival to show respect to the Goddess of the Sea, Tin Hau for good catches in the sea and a safe year ahead.
Cheung Chau Bun Festival (April/May)
It is a festival which belongs to the Cheung Chau Island. In the past, people climbed bun towers built with bamboos which were covered with blessed buns outside. The higher people climbed on it meant the more luck they would receive in the year. Since the accident happened in 1978, this competition was no longer allowed. People on the island would keep vegetarian for three days during the festival.
Dragon Boat Festival (June)
It is a festival to show respect to a patriotic scholar – Chu Yuan, who drowned himself to protest against his emperor. Rice dumpling, which is popular during the festival, is made of glutinous rice, salted
meat with a salty egg yolk and wrapped with bamboo leaves. It is believed that these dumplings would scare away any fish which would harm the body of Chu Yuan after him jumping into the sea. However, some believe that dragon boat festival started before the death of Chu Yuan. The dragon boat has the head and a tail of a dragon. Since the dragon is the god of the water world, After the dragon boats sail in the water, the water will be blessed. It is also a tradition for people to wash their hair and body with the blessed water on the day so as to be blessed for the coming year.
Hungry Ghost Festival (August/September)
It is the time when the gate of Hell opens and all ghosts will come to the earth. People would offer roasted pork, steamed chicken, and fruits to the ghosts. They would also burn paper offerings to the dead in the streets. It is also said that people should not walk or respond to anybody calling them when walking in the street at night.
Mid-autumn Festival (September/October)
Mooncake is the gift you give to your friends and relatives at the festival. Apart from that, salted sausages and star fruit are other popular gifts. It is the happiest for the children because they would enjoy walking in the streets with their lanterns. ‘Wax-boiling’ has become very popular but the government in Hong Kong has made it forbidden after many accidents from burning wax. Of course people would make use of the chance to look at the full moon on the day on their balconies or just at home. Traditional mooncakes are made with sweet lotus seed paste with one or more egg yolks. Modern mooncakes come in various styles. Tastes like green tea, red beans, hams and nuts, or even mooncake ice-cream are all available. Just name it and you may find it.
Chung Yeung Festival (September/October)
There has been a legend from the East Han Dynasty. A man was told to leave home and go to a hill top of the date to avoid a disaster which would kill all lives there. So he left home with his family and drank chrysanthemum wine as he had been told. When he came back after the day, he found that all livestock were killed. Since then, after almost 2000 years, it is believed that it is a day when people should leave home and show their respect to their ancestors on the day.
About The Author
This article was produced by Asia Dragon. Visit us at www.asiadragon.co.uk where you will find authentic oriental fashion & accessories, stylish home furnishings & furniture, beautiful ornaments, Chinese calligraphy plus much, much more!
Christmas time is finally here, and most people during this holiday are happier than a fat kid eating a Krispy Kreme donut. Christmas brings so many great things to the table; the caroling, the NO SCHOOL, the snowmen and hour long snowball fights that ends with bloody noses, the eggnog and drunken relatives, the presents, holiday parties, and the drinking hot coco next to a roaring fire while cuddling up with your loved one. How could anybody not love this great holiday! It’s a hiatus from the dark sadness of reality and a time where you can be ridiculously happy! But maybe too happy…
In a recent poll, over 45 percent said that they dreaded the holiday altogether. Not everyone seems to see the light that Christmas brings, and if you look harder into the eyes of this joyous holiday, you may see why. More people kill themselves around Christmas time than any other time of year. “Well,” Khayeni Sanders, a fellow Christmas lover states, “I think you should make a club, or a house, for those people. It’s like an equivalent of a homeless shelter! Wait, what’s the question again?”
There are several reasons why people just don’t like Christmas, one is that spending Christmas alone is a very depressing situation for anyone. The couple theme that constantly exists with this holiday is not easy to hide from if you are single. For people who are already suffering from depression, the Christmas season only makes
it worse. Another reason is the belief that Christmas has become too commercial. In fact, over 50 percent of people polled said that they think Christmas should be toned down a bit. “It definitely has become too commercial with people putting out decorations two months in advance, but the spirit behind it has generally stayed the same for most people” declared Sarah Geiger. A third common reason why Christmas isn’t favored by some is that there is often a feeling that everyone else is having a better time than you. The constant belly-full-of-jelly laughs around the company water cooler may have you thinking, “Did I miss something? Am I being left out?!
What’s going on?!” Other more common dislikes are the constant money spending, the overeating, and the Christmas parties. Christmas time can also remind people of a lost one, which could make anyone, have a miserable Christmas time. All of these horrible things that tag along with Christmas could make even Satan cry a tear of sympathy for the people who just can’t see the joy Christmas can bring. It’s a shame not everyone can be happy during this time of year, but being depressed on Christmas is completely understandable. These poor saps seem to miss the Christmas bliss train every year, but who knows; this year maybe, just maybe, they’ll catch it.
About The Author
Daggi Pulz is co-webmaster at http://www.links2see.com an online family directory. She can be contacted at Daggi@links2see.com
The holidays are filled with joyful emotions and honored traditions, including the playing of songs about snowmen, St. Nick, evergreen trees, and presents wrapped up with big pretty bows. No matter how you celebrate the season, you’ll hear these songs on the radio, on TV, at the mall, in the office, and just about anywhere music is performed.
If you think the same songs are played over and over, you’re right, but if this bothers you, consider the alternative: Christmas carols were banned in England between 1649 and 1660. Oliver Cromwell, serving as Lord Protector of Britain, believed Christmas should be solemn and also banned parties, limiting celebrations to sermons and prayer services.
Lots of holiday songs are festive, many have spiritual overtones, and all are played so often that they are familiar no matter what your faith. But what do you know about how these songs were created and the people who wrote them?
There are some fascinating facts behind this memorable music. So, toss a log in the fireplace, pour yourself a hot toddy or some cold eggnog, and sit back as we reveal the secrets behind many of the tunes you are going to be hearing dozens of times during December.
“The Christmas Song,” Mel Torme and Bob Wells, 1944. On a sweltering July day in Los Angeles, 19-year-old jazz singer Torme worked with 23-year-old Wells to create this beautiful tune. Full of wintry images and a charming wistfulness for all the delights of the season, the song became an enormous hit by Nat “King” Cole the following year. In Torme’s autobiography, he says Wells wasn’t trying to write lyrics but was simply jotting down ideas that would help him forget about the heat wave.
“The First Noel,” Traditional, 16th or 17th century.Some say this is a song with a British background while others insist it has French origins. So far, no one has any definitive proof. Two thing are for certain: first, it’s very popular if two countries are claiming it; and second, counting the title, the word “Noel” appears in the song 30 times.
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley, and William Cummings, 1739-1855. Wesley’s opening line was “Hark how all the welkin rings” and he protested when a colleague changed it. Wesley wanted a slow and solemn anthem for his song, but William Cummings set the lyrics to rousing music by Felix Mendolssohn (from a cantata about movable type inventor Johann Gutenberg). For his part, Mendolssohn specified that his composition only appear in a secular context, not spiritual. So both original authors’ wishes were thwarted in the creation of this glorious song.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, 1943. The songwriting team of Martin (music) and Blane (lyrics) worked together for five decades, producing Oscar- and Tony-nominated songs. This hauntingly lovely tune was made famous by Judy Garland in the 1944 film, “Meet Me in St. Louis.” While the song is a bittersweet gem, the original lyrics were actually darker and not to Garland’s liking. Since she was a huge star at the time, and was dating the film’s director, Vincent Minnelli (she married him the following year), the changes were made.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” Kim Gannon and Walter Kent, 1942.Gannon (lyrics) and Kent (composer) worked often together, but even with her three Academy Award nominations, nothing was as successful as this wartime song. By getting it to Bing Crosby, they were assured of big sales even though it competed with Crosby’s recording of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” The song is a perennial favorite, and appears often in films, including “Catch Me If You Can” and “The Polar Express.”
“Jingle Bells,” James Pierpont, 1850s.Starting out as a lively celebration of the Salem Street sleigh races, the song called “One-Horse Open Sleigh” made a fast transition to the more sober atmosphere of the church social and became known as “Jingle Bells.” While there are four verses, only the first is usually sung because of the lyrics in the remaining three verses. A woman named Fannie Bright appears in verse two, which also features a sleigh crash. The third verse displays an anti-Samaritan laughing at a fallen sleigh driver and leaving him sprawled in a snow bank, while the final verse offers such lines as “Go it while you’re young” and “Take the girls tonight.” Ah yes, just good clean mid-nineteenth century fun.
“Joy to the World,” Isaac Watts and
Lowell Mason, 1719 and 1822.The words, inspired by the 98th Psalm, were written by Watts, a British pastor, preacher, and poet. More than a century later, banker and choral teacher Mason composed music for the piece but attributed it to Handel, presumably to make the hymn more popular. It took another century for the hoax to be uncovered.
“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Johnny Marks, 1949. Beginning as a coloring book written by advertising copywriter Robert L. May in 1939, the story of an unloved caribou triumphing over adversity was a promotional item for Montgomery Ward department stores. May’s fairy-tale was enormously popular, and became even more so when May’s brother-in-law, songwriter Marks, composed music and lyrics and got the composition to singer Gene Autry. That version sold 2 million copies the first year alone. While most of the other reindeer names were invented by Clement Moore in his 1822 poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” the hero of the May story was called Rollo. Wait, that name was nixed by store executives, so he became Reginald. Oops, that was rejected, too. Finally, May’s daughter suggested Rudolf.
“Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” Haven Gillespie and J. Fred Coots, 1932.After countless versions by stars as varied as Bruce Springsteen and Perry Como, it’s hard to believe that Gillespie and Coots’ song was turned down all over town because it was “a kid’s song.” Even though Coots was a writer on the Eddie Cantor radio show, Cantor at first passed on the song, only agreeing to do it at the urging of his wife. Now it’s so successful there’s even a parody version by Bob Rivers (in the style of Springsteen) called “Santa Claus is Foolin’ Around.”
“Silent Night,” Joseph Mohr and Franz X. Gruber, 1816-1818. There are numerous stories and fanciful speculations about the origin of this beautiful song. Tossing aside the more lurid stories, we are left with this: the poem, “Stille Nacht,” was written by Mohr, who became assistant pastor of the St. Nicholas Church (really!) in Oberndorf, Austria. Mohr gave the poem to Gruber, the church organist, reportedly on Christmas Eve, 1818, and was performed that same midnight. Oddly, the first version did not involve an organ, but was arranged for two voices, guitar and choir. Both Mohr and Gruber created manuscripts with different instrumentation at various times from 1820 to 1855. The tune first made its way around the world as a “Tyrolean Folk Song” before gaining enough fame to be instantly recognized with its first two words or first four notes. The Silent Night Web page (www.silentnight.web.za) claims there are more than 300 translations of the song and features links to 180 versions in 121 languages.
“The Twelve Days of Christmas,” Traditional, 16th Century. Okay, let’s get the two most popular myths out of the way: the dozen days are December 26 through January 6, and there is no hidden religious meaning to the lyrics. It’s simply a song that’s also a memory game. Little brother sings a line, you sing two lines, Aunt Lucy sings three lines, and so on around the room. This passed for a good time in 1590. The “four calling birds” are another popular misconception. It’s actually “four colley birds” (or blackbirds). Besides the seven swans a-swimming and six geese a-laying, there are more birds in the lyrics than you might think, as “five golden rings” actually refers to ring-necked birds, such as pheasants.
“White Christmas,” Irving Berlin, 1942. Sometimes considered America’s most popular holiday song, Berlin composed it for a movie soundtrack (“Holiday Inn” starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire). With its quiet power and elegant longing for the simple pleasures of the past, it was the perfect song for the gloomy months during the middle of World War II. Composer Berlin was not positive about the song when he first presented it to Crosby, but Bing’s confidence was well-founded. Spawning a movie of its own (1954′s “White Christmas” with Crosby and Danny Kaye), the song hit the Top 30 nearly 20 times and has now sold more than 30 million copies. There are reportedly 500+ recorded versions of the tune in two dozen languages.
Scott G owns G-Man Music & Radical Radio (http://www.gmanmusic.com) where he makes radio commercials for Verizon Wireless, Goodrich, Micron, National Steel, the Auto Club, and many others. He also is recording artist The G-Man, with 4 albums on iTunes and Delvian Records.