Holly Jolly

This is my "Merry Christmas" post...so Merry Christmas.

If you could get one thing in your stocking this year, what would it be? And concepts like "peace on earth"--while nice--are not going to fit in your stocking.

Also, a Presidential Quote

Sort of.

WWTDD posted pics of Obama on vacation and commented that he will be...

the only sitting President who could dance for tips if he had to

And, you know, I'm going to have to agree with that.

*Other People's Stuff: Tinsel and Balls and Stockings

I don't know if it's even worth going to the trouble of writing anything this week...surely y'all have better things to do than show up here?

I will post Lyrical Pursuit, anyway.

In the meantime, here is a link about the history/origins of tinsel and glass ball ornaments. And here is a link about Christmas stockings.

*Candy Canes: Why?

There are some who believe the candy cane is chock full of religious symbolism. As the legend goes, a candymaker wanted to produce a special Christmas candy. He made a "J" shape for Jesus's first initial...chose the color white to symbolize His purity...and entwined the white with red to symbolize the blood He shed for humanity's salvation.

All of this is pretty much bunk.

The original candy canes were all white and stick-straight. Red coloring is a fairly new addition, and the origin of the bend in the stick is up for debate. One tale says that a priest had them bent into the shape of a shepherd's staff and then handed them out to children in his church.

The more likely explanation is that the hook makes candy canes easy to hang from Christmas tree branches. Marketing probably came up with the change in shape to take advantage of seasonal sale possibilities. But that's not as much fun to tell people, is it?

*Christmas Trees: Why?

Supposedly, Saint Boniface started the tradition of the Christmas tree.

While converting Germanic tribes to Christianity, he chopped down the Oak of Thor in order to prove that the old gods were powerless in the face of the Christian God. The Oak of Thor had a fir tree growing in its roots, and Boniface seized upon this new tree growing in the old tree as a symbol for Christianity.

"This humble tree's wood is used to build your homes: let Christ be at the center of your households. Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light. Its boughs reach out to embrace and its top points to heaven: let Christ be your Comfort and Guide".