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Christmas Traditions

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Traditions: A Few Things You Might Not Know

Looking for something to talk about over Christmas dinner? Here are a few things most people don't know about our yuletide traditions.

There are so many holiday traditions that we do without thinking much about how or why they started. Allow us to shed some light on a few: 1. Candy Canes. They're believed to have made their debut in the mid-1600s, when a German choirmaster made white sugar sticks shaped like shepherd’s staffs in the mid-1600s to keep fidgety kids occupied during live Nativity scenes, according to www.christianitytoday.com. The idea caught on, and became common at Nativity scenes all over Europe. The idea of using them as tree decorations began in about 1847, and red stripes and peppermint flavor were added around the turn of the century, the Web site says. Christian sources say the candy has many symbolic qualities – the white representing the virgin …

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Another Christmas Holiday Is Upon Us!

Glen Ellyn Christmas Eve traditions.

What is your family doing tonight?  Some of us will be wrapping presents, cooking all kinds of food, or maybe just cleaning up for a big group of family coming over on Christmas Day.  There are many families who have their big celebrations on Christmas Eve. We have a yearly tradition of getting together with my mother-in-law and a few family members who are not busy with events for one side of the family or another.  We have an amazing dinner and then usually a fun game of poker.  It is a small group of family and usually the same few members year after year.  When it started it was called the Losers Club because it was the people with no plans.  It quickly evolved into the coolest night of the year that everyone wants to be a part of, …

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