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Christmas Traditions

Santa Claus

The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with saint nicolas, Bishop of Myra, an area in Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children.  After his death around 340 AD he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors purportedly stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas’ popularity throughout Europe. His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cape, flowing white beard, and bishop’s mitre.  After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas dwindled, but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of his name Sint Nikolaas was eventually transformed to Sinterklaas.  Dutch colonists brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century and here the Anglican name of Santa Claus emerged.

Other countries feature different gift bearers for the Christmas or Advent season: La Befana in Italy, The Three Kings in Spain, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, Christkind or the christ child in Switzerland and Austria; Father Christmas in England; and Pere Noël, Father Christmas, or the Christ Child in France.

In 16th-century Germany fir trees were decorated, both indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper.  In the Middle Ages, a popular religious play depicted the story of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Christmas Trees

It is thought that protestant reformer Martin Luther first adorned trees with light.  While coming home one December evening, the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir inspired him to recreate the effect by placing candles on the branches of a small fir tree inside his home.

The Christmas Tree was brought to England by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert from his native Germany.  The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the Royal Family of Victoria, Albert and their children gathered around a Christmas Tree in Windsor Castle, popularized the tree throughout Victorian England.

Christmas Stockings

According to legend, a kindly nobleman grew despondent over the death of his beloved wife and foolishly squandered his fortune.  This left his three young daughters without dowries and thus facing a life of spinsterhood.

The generous St. Nicholas, hearing of the girls’ plight, set forth to help.  Wishing to remain anonymous, he rode his white horse by the nobleman’s house and threw three small pouches of gold coins down the chimney where they were fortuitously captured by the stockings the young women had hung by the fireplace to dry.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe was used by Druid priests 200 years before the birth of Christ in their winter celebrations.  They revered the plant since it had not roots yet remained green during the cold months of winter.

The ancient Celtics believed mistletoe to have magical healing powers and used it as an antidote for poison, infertility, and to ward off evil spirits.  The plant was also seen as a symbol of peace, and it is said that among Romans, enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace, hence the origin of the kiss under the mistletoe.

Holly and Ivy

In Northern Europe Christmas occurred during the middle of harsh winter weather, when it was thought that ghosts and demons could be heard howling in the winter winds.  Boughs of holly, believed to have magical powers since they remained green through the harsh winter, were often placed over the doors of homes to drive evil away. Greenery was also brought indoors to freshen the air and brighten the mood during the long, dreary winter.

Legend also has it that holly sprang from the footsteps of Christ as he walked the earth.  The pointed leaves were said to represent the crown of thorns Christ wore while on the cross and the red berries symbolized the blood he shed.

Poinsettias

A native Mexican plant, poinsettias were named after Joel R. Poinsett, U.S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to America in 1828.  Poinsettias were likely used by Mexican Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations.  One legend has it that a young Mexican boy, on his way to visit the village Nativity scene, realized he had no gift for the Christ Child.  He gathered pretty green branches from along the road and brought them to the church.  Though the other children mocked him, when the leaves were laid at the manger, a beautiful star-shaped flower appeared on each branch.  The bright red petals, often mistaken for flowers, are actually the upper leaves of the plant.

Christmas Cards

A form of Christmas card began in England first when young boys practiced their writing skills by creating Christmas greetings for their parents, but it is Sir Henry Cole who is credited with creating the first real Christmas card.  The first director of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Sir Henry found himself too busy in the Christmas Season of 1843 to compose individual Christmas greetings for his friends.

He commissioned artist John Calcott Horsley for the illustration.  The card featured three panels, with the center panel depicting a family enjoying Christmas festivities and the card was inscribed with the message:  ”A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You”.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

The Chicago-based Montgomery Ward department store, had been purchasing and distributing children’s coloring books as Christmas gifts for their customers for several years.  In 1939, the owners asked one of their own employees to create a book for them, thus saving money.  A copywriter, 34-year old Robert L May wrote the story of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and 2.4 million copies were handed out that year.  When May’s brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, wrote the lyrics and melody for the song “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” in 1947, the Rudolph phenomenon was born.  The song sold two million copies that year, going on to become one of the best selling songs of all time, second only to Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”.

Christmas Carols

Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but there were not Christmas carols.  They were pagan songs, sung at the winter solstice celebrations as the people danced round stone circles.  The word carol actually means dance or a song of praise and joy.

Early Christians took over the pagan solstice celebrations for Christmas and gave people Christian songs to sing instead of pagan ones.  Soon after this many composers all over Europe started to write carols.  However, not many people liked them as they were all written and sung in Latin.  This was changed by St. Francis of Assisi when, in 1223, he started his nativity plays in Italy.  the people in the plays sang songs or “canticles” that told the story during the plays.  The new carols spread to France, Spain, Germany and other European countries.  Most of the best known carols such as Once in Royal David’s City and Away in a Manger are relatively recent having been written in America during the 19th century.

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How The Grinch Stole Christmas (DVD) Review

One of a handful of essential, "must-see" animated Christmas classics, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a Dr. Seuss holiday masterpiece. Created in 1966 on the heels of the phenomenal success surrounding such TV specials as A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), the Grinch has morphed into a sacred annual Christmas rite perfect for any child from one to ninety-two. The narration and singing voice of Boris Karloff breathes life into the 1955 Dr. Seuss tale of a dark and miserly heart's redemption, thus revealing the true meaning of Christmas. Based on Charles Dickens' literary classic A Christmas Carol, it creates a uniquely memorable caricature of the Scrooge personality we've come to know so well...

How The Grinch Stole Christmas follows the life of a lumbering green cave monster with a heart seven-sizes-too-small. Living with his dog in a mountaintop retreat high above the town of Whoville, the Grinch (voiced by Karloff) hates all the Whos, but what he hates worst of all is their incessant happiness and celebration come Christmas. So the Grinch, smiling his evil Grinch grin, hatches a plan to steal Christmas. Fashioning crude reindeer horns for his dog and a Santa suit for himself, the Grinch drives a makeshift sleigh down into Whoville while the Whos lie sleeping on Christmas Eve. He steals their lights, their ribbons, and their bows. He steals their boxes, packages, and bags. He steals wreathes and Christmas trees and even their Roast Beast - why that evil Grinch even stole the Who hash! And the only thing he left behind was a crumb far too small for even a mouse... But when the Grinch is caught by the most innocent of Whos, his master plan begins to unravel. He discovers that Christmas isn't quite what he thought it was. In fact, Christmas might be a whole lot more. But with the trimmings of Christmas hanging in the lurch, what the Grinch finds out about himself just might be the key to saving all of Christmas for the Whos...

Created under the direction of Chuck Jones, the famed creator of such Warner Brothers characters as the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Pepe Le Pew, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a masterful production with stellar voice-overs, imaginatively drawn characters, and Boris Karloff's impressive narration. In fact, the facial expressions and movements of the Grinch mimic Wile E. Coyote in numerous ways. Several songs interspersed throughout the story, such as the song "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," have become holiday classics in-and-of themselves. In a nutshell, no celebration of the Christmas holiday is truly complete without at least one viewing of this brilliant cartoon...

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the How The Grinch Stole Christmas (DVD).

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The word gospel is a translation into Old English of the Greek words meaning “good news.” It seems, however, that our modern society treats the Gospels more like the bad news. The bad news is that you can’t do whatever you have a mind to do. Among other things, you can’t lie, cheat, steal, covet, murder, or commit adultery. The bad news is that God is always watching you, like a surveillance camera that follows you from place to place and never lets you out of its sight. The bad news is that your life is not entirely your own, and you have been purchased at a great price.

Modern society does not want to hear the bad news. It would rather hear the good news. Recently, there has been much commentary on the fact that books defending atheism have become bestsellers. These books attempt to show that belief in the spiritual is merely a delusion for the weak-minded. These books are meant to be the new good news. “Don’t worry,” they tell us, “the surveillance cameras you were worried about never really existed.”

We have to wonder, though. If modern society sees the Gospels as bad news, why were they seen as good news in previous times? Did not people in the past want to do as they pleased without worrying about God’s wrath? Perhaps we need to look at those earlier times, and understand the world into which the Gospels fell like a bolt of lightning on a clear and moonless night.

If we look through the stories about the gods in Greek and Roman myth, what kind of gods do we find? Largely, the gods are portrayed as rather self-centered and unpleasant people. The gods are generally interested in their own comforts and intrigues. Occasionally, they will do good deeds for human beings. However, there is no sense in which the gods love humans. There is no sense in which the gods would lay down their own lives for humans.

When we look at the pyramids in Egypt, we see an amazing feat of ancient engineering. These huge and impressive structures were built as
memorials to the Pharaohs of Egypt. We may look at them differently, however, when we think that they were built with the labor of slaves. It
was for the Pharaohs to live in palaces of gold and dream of a beautiful afterlife. The role of the common people was merely to live or die at the
whim of their rulers.

In 1956, C. S. Lewis wrote a book called Till We Have Faces, which is a retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche. In the book, one of the
characters says, “How can the gods meet us face to face until we have faces.” In ancient ideas about the relationship of god and man, human
beings did not have faces, meaning that they simply did not matter. People were unimportant, interchangeable, worth nothing. They were not
individuals with faces and personalities, known and beloved by God.

The good news of the Gospels is that we have faces and names. Each of us is called by name by God to be his beloved. In the stories of the past,
people went to the gods and knocked upon the doors of their temples, hoping to receive some favor. Now, the love of God has turned the tables around and made God Himself the one who seeks. Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts and asks only to be let in, only to allow Him to give us the eternal life that he wishes to share with us. Whereas supplicants in the past asked hardhearted gods for some small favor, now Jesus begs us to let Him give us everything we could ever want.

And what does modern society set against this? If we accept the arguments of the atheists that the material world is all there is, then we must believe that we have no souls, and that we are just a collection of neurons firing in patterns. Any understanding we have of ourselves, such as that we have free will and true knowledge and a real ability to reason, is merely an illusion. But it is our intellect and will that make us what we are. If those are illusions, then we ourselves are illusions. The atheists tell us, “Not only is there no God, there is also no you.” There is a certain kind of freedom that comes from this, but it is only the freedom of those who have lost all hope.

The ancient world told the lowly of the earth that they did not matter. It was only for the great ones who ruled over them to strive to be like gods, or even to be remembered after death. The modern world is just as bad, telling people that they are less than nothing, and that no one can strive toward God. The ancient world could not lift itself to God, so it waited for God to lift the world to Himself. The modern world rejects what God has accomplished, and seeks to cast itself down from God, and then pretends that this fall from grace is a victory for humanity. And so, we can see that what was good news in ancient times is still good news today. What society considers good news is in fact merely the promise of nothingness. But the good news of the Gospels offers us “every good and perfect gift.”(James 1:17)

Home schooling parents have taken upon themselves the spiritual teaching of their children in order to pass to the next generation the true Good News. The Good God, who makes Himself a supplicant of the love of mankind, will surely not refuse our prayers and entreaties for help.

Source: Kevin Clark. Seton Home Study School Newsletter, October 2007.

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How to Decorate easter eggs?

Easter is a celebration of fun, laughter and togetherness. It reminds the world of a new beginning. The day when jesus christ erupted from the dome. Easter egg decoration is an age-old practice followed in many countries of Christianity. An egg is a symbol of resurrection. It marks the beginning of a new life. It also is a symbol of fertility. It emphasizes on the emerging of new entity giving space for love, joy and happiness. Easter is a celebration of happiness since it is the day that Christ came back to us. To add splendor to the occasion, many traditional fun games are carried out to amuse the kids.

Setting the table on Easter holiday doesn't differ so much from setting it for Christmas. The tablecloth and napkins should be of course clean and elegant. Both would probably look better if they had the same pattern - flowers, eggs or bunnies on it. Sometimes putting the tablecloth in one spring solid color (green, yellow) will also make a nice look. For example a green napkins with brown bunnies and a yellow tablecloth will make a great match!

Easter would not be Easter without Easter eggs. This symbol has been a part of this spring time holiday for generations. Easter Egg decorating is something that we all love to do and various countries and cultures each have, over the years, developed their own unique ways of making Easter eggs and special and memorable part of this holiday. Traditionally given as gifts, lets take a look to see how different countries have developed different styles of Easter egg decorating based on their own unique culture.

Wash all eggs well and dry off with a paper towel. Carefully, poke a small hole in each end of the raw egg. Over a bowl, hold the egg and blow into one of the holes you just made. The raw yolk should slowly come out from the other hole. Sometimes this can be easy and sometimes it can be hard.

If the bunny leaves the eggs, why are we coloring our own? As kids grow up it is hard not to want to share the dyeing experience with them. But how do you explain that the easter bunny is no longer responsible for bringing the colored eggs with him? Well, it’s always nice to help out, and the Bunny does have a lot of work to do on the night before Easter. If we make our own there will be more eggs for him to share with the kids who don’t make their own.

One of the most well known pastimes of Easter is the painting of Easter eggs. To color eggs you can hard boil them, or blow out the eggs using a needle to poke a small hole in the narrow end of the egg, and then add a slightly larger hole in the other end. Then, holding the egg over a bowl, blow through the small hole, and the egg will be forced out the larger hole and into the bowl. Just rinse with cold water and dye. In bowls, combine food coloring and water with a teaspoon of vinegar, or buy an easter egg decorating kit that comes complete with everything you need to decorate Easter eggs.

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Noted Lutheran minister, poet, lyricist Herb Brokering passed away, an Obituary, by Peter Menkin

The Reverend Doctor Herbert F. Brokering, pastor, author, lyricist, speaker and hymn writer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), died Nov. 7 of congestive heart failure at his apartment in Bloomington, Minn., according to his son, Mark.

 The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America news service says in its report, “Brokering, 83, was a member of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Bloomington. "Herb Brokering's legacy includes carefully crafted words on the lips of believers gathered around the means of grace. He has helped us bring our faith to rich expression," said the Rev. Michael L. Burk, bishop, ELCA Southeastern Iowa Synod, Iowa City.

  Two of his best known hymns are: "Earth and All Stars"; and, "Thine the Amen.”    “Reverend Doctor Herbert Brokering has been called the “Leonardo DaVinci of the Prairies.” Gifted with extraordinary creativity, the Lutheran pastor, author, lyricist, hymn writer and peace activist has spent his life finding new ways to minister to the holistic health of all God’s people.” So says ELCA radio ministry Grace Matters.   The radio interview notes, “He is the father of four adult children with his late, beloved wife Lois. In their 54 years together Herb and Lois created many joint educational writings, projects and songs.” The December 31, 2006 radio interview reports he is the author of 30 books, ELCA news service reports, memorial service is planned for Nov. 21 at Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis. Brokering, 83, was a member of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Bloomington.   "Herb Brokering's legacy includes carefully crafted words on the lips of believers gathered around the means of grace. He has helped us bring our faith to rich expression," said the Reverend Michael L. Burk, bishop, ELCA Southeastern Iowa Synod, Iowa City.   He authored more than 30 books for Augsburg Fortress, the publishing ministry of the ELCA, and more than 100 lyrics for almost 60 composers.   "Herb was a gifted poet, author, speaker and composer. He was also a delight -- a man who cared deeply about his God, his family, his many friends and this publishing ministry," said Beth A. Lewis, Augsburg Fortress president and chief executive officer.   "Herb Brokering was a gifted creative partner with Augsburg Fortress!  He was also a delight!  He had a ready wit, but was serious about his faith and loved to share it in person and through his marvelous writing of books, poems, and music.  And, he was the youngest octogenarian I've ever known!  Even as his body aged, his mind was young!  His curiosity and joy in living each day fully was reflected in his sparkling eyes as well as in the words he shared with his readers! He will be missed by all of us at Augsburg Fortress who were privileged to work with him.  And, I will personally miss him because I was honored to have him as a friend" Lewis added in an email to this writer.   The written work, "Prophets and Angels" is described by its publisher Augsburg Fortress in this manner:   "This wonderful musical service is based on the message of prophets and angels heralding the Good News of Christ. A lovely setting of Advent-Christmas lessons and carols for SATB choir, organ, congregation, optional oboe, and optional brass. The work includes carols/hymns for choir (including one for children), scripture readings, reflective texts and responses by Herbert Brokering, and a prelude and postlude. The length of the work is approximately 50 minutes. Organ only parts, congregational and oboe parts are available for free download."       As a writer of Hymns, one of his well known Hymns reads in part:   Thine the kingdom thine the prize
thine the wonderful surprise
thine the banquet thine the praise
then the justice of thy ways
thine the glory thine the story
then the welcome to the least
then the wonder all increasing at the feast at thy feast. “Thine the Amen”, ELW 826, Stanza 4, Text: Herb Brokering, (c) 1983 Augsburg Publishing House   Jonathan Rundman, on his blog says of his passing, “I only met Herb once, at a book signing he did in the Augsburg Fortress Bookstore at the ELCA Youth Gathering in St. Louis in 2000. Sometimes I tell that story when I'm playing a concert, and I always say "I felt like I was meeting Paul McCartney."   One Christmas album in which his lyric work appears is described by the publisher this way:   This is the third Christmas album arranged, orchestrated and produced by Robert Way.  There is one new carol on the CD, “Angel Questions.”  The arrangement is instrumental; however, the words are those of poet Herbert Brokering.   Songs on the album include:    Christmas Brings Joy;  Angel Questions;  Long Ago And Far Away;  God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen; Give Heed My Heart;  Ice Crystals;  Willie Take Your Little Drum;  In That Poor Stable;  Good Christian Men Rejoice;  O My Dear Heart;  Masters In This Hall;The Happy Christmas Comes Once More;  I Saw Three Ships;  Sweet Lil’ jesus boy; O Come, O Come Emmanuel and O Christmas Tree.  
In another Christmas album, the publisher says:   Hear some of your favorite Christmas Carols and songs in a different way.  This CD was arranged and orchestrated for concert orchestra and choral voices used as instruments.  There are traditional Carols seldom heard and five new works with music by Robert Way and lyrics by Archie Rasmussen, Herbert Brokering,   Songs on the album include:    Sweet Was The Song The Virgin Sang; Lullay, Thou Little Tiny Child; Love Came Down At Christmas;  The First Good Joy That Mary Had; A Virgin Most Pure; A Little Child On Earth Was Born; Silent Night; The Holly And The Ivy; The Babe In Bethlem’s Manger Laid; Christ Was Born In Bethlehem; Away In A Manger; Beside Thy Cradle Here I Stand; We Three Kings Of Orient Are; Here We Come A-Wassailing. Also included are five original works: Christmas With You; Christmas Is Glowing; God Touched The Earth; Little Woman; Everything Says Christmas Is Here and one of the children’s favorites, Up On The Housetop.   The “ Church Times” wrote in 2008 of his meditations “In the Bleak Midwinter,” for Advent and Christmas:   In his book In the Bleak Midwinter: 40 meditations and prayers for Advent and Christmas, Herbert Brokering has put together a meditation and a poetic prayer on each line of Christina Rossetti’s Christmas carol. This book is designed to be read at home, either alone or in the context of the family. Indeed, Brokering’s own family is never far from the surface in his meditations.   The winters of his upbringing in rural Nebraska, his own experiences as a parent, and the stillbirth of his grandson all contribute to his insights on the “stable place” and the holy family that lodged there. The charm and the frustration of many of the reflections is the way in which the author sacrifices structure in order to let his stream of consciousness flow.   A good number of the meditations assume a rather imaginative take on the Christmas story. According to Brokering, “Dr Luke must have wished to be personally present” at the nativity; and “Anna, Mary’s mother, must have made sure that what Mary would need was in a special bag.”   If a wistful and schmaltzy reading of this most wistful and schmaltzy of carols is really what you want to find in your stocking this Christmas, put this on your wish list. But we don’t think you’ll find it on ours. Other works by the same author include More Cat Psalms and More Dog Psalms.   The publisher describes the work this way:   This beautiful and gentle book of Advent and Christmas devotions takes its inspiration from the much beloved poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti, In the Bleak Midwinter. The poem is gentle, wise, full of faith, drawing us into mystery, touching the deep longings of the human heart with images that evoke wonder ...[It] focuses on incarnation, an act of full grace when "heaven cannot hold him." This grace comes to a humble place of human birth, to the humanity of Mary and to our own humanity, in the midst of divine angelic presence. So these meditations focus on the paradox, tension, pull, and contradiction experienced in the coming of Christ from heaven to earth.     Brokering was director for confirmation education with the former American Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, 1960 to 1970. He became a freelance educator, writer and consultant working in the United States,Europe and Japan. Brokering co-directed the film, "Where Luther Walked" in 1981. He also taught at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., for several years.   Brokering was a promoter of healing, justice and peace, leading morethan 100 pilgrimages in his lifetime to places in Europe, the Middle East, China and India. The East German Ministry of Culture presented him with a peacemaking award.   Herb was devoted to his alma mater, Wartburg College. Wartburg was his first real experience of the world beyond southeast Nebraska.

Just before he passed away, he established a fund for activities to promote the healing arts at Wartburg. He hoped that any memorial gifts would be given to this tax-deductable fund:
The Herbert and Lois Brokering Healing Arts Endowment Fund
Wartburg College Office of Development?
100 Wartburg Blvd
Waverly?, IA 50677-0903

So report his children, Mark, Beth, Jon, and Chris Brokering.

(Photo: Herb with Darrel Colson, the new president of Wartburg College, on October 2, 2009) 
 

--Obituary and Addendum by Peter Menkin, Mill Valley, CA USA    Addendum:   Words to a hymn by Herb Brokering:   THINE THE AMEN Arranged by Karen Wuertz {Verse 1} G2 G2/F# Thine the amen, Thine the praise Em7 C2 Alleluia's, angels raise G2 G2/F# Thine the everlasting head Em7 C2 Thine the breaking of the bread G2 G2/F# Thine the glory, Thine the story Em7 C2 Thine the harvest, then the cup G2 Thine the vineyard G2/F# Em7 C2 Then the cup is lifted up, is lifted up {Verse 2} G2 G2/F# Thine the life eternally Em7 C2 Thine the promise let their be G2 G2/F# Thine the vision, Thine the tree Em7 C2 D All the earth on bended knee C2 D Gone the nailing, gone the railing C2/E D/F# Gone the pleading, gone the cry G2 G2/F# Em7 Gone the sighing, gone the dying C2 D (G2 G2/F# Em7 Dsus C2 Dsus) What was lost, lifted high {Verse 3} G2 G2/F# Thine the truly, Thine the yes Em7 C2 Thine the table, we the guest G2 G2/F# Thine the mercy all from Thee Em7 C D Thine the glory yet to be C D Then the ringing and the singing C/E D/F# Then the end of all the war G2 G2/F# Em7 Thine the living, Thine the loving C D Esus E Evermore, evermore {Verse 4} A A/G# Thine the glory in the night F#m7 D No more dying, only light A A/G# Thine the river, Thine the tree F#m D E Then the lamb eternally D E Then the holy, holy, holy D/F# E/G# Celebration jubilee A A/G# F#m Thine the splendor, Thine the brightness D E (A2 A2/G# F#m7 Esus D2 Esus) Only Thee, only Thee {Bridge} D E Then the holy, holy, holy D/F# E/G# Celebration jubilee D E Then the holy, holy, holy D/F# E/G# Celebration jubilee D E Then the holy, holy, holy D/F# E/G# Celebration jubilee {Ending} A A/G# F#m Thine the splendor, Thine the brightness D E (A2 A2/G# F#m7 Esus D2 Esus)x2 A Only Thee, only Thee  

About the Author

Peter Menkin, an aspiring poet, lives in Mill Valley, CA USA (north of San Francisco).

My blog:
http://www.petermenkin.blogspot.com

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How to Make Candy Corn

Halloween is coming and candy corn has become a staple in the memories of any trick-or-treater. The colorful, triangle shaped candy is certain to show up in candy bags all over. The tradition of candy corn has made it the most popular candy treat in the United States especially during Halloween.

 

Although candy corn colors are widely known to be yellow at the bottom, orange in the middle, and white on the top, manufacturers have morphed the candy into designed corn shaped pieces for different holidays. Red and greens are added for Christmas, pink and red for Valentine's Day, and light pastel colors are used for Easter Holiday.

 

Throughout the years, the unique recipe has remained the same. Although candy corn is normally made from corn syrup and sugar, the added ingredient of carnauba wax is usually added. The softness of candy corn is mainly from the tiny bit of marshmallow that is later included.

 

Today, manufacturing companies use large machines to process the grand amount of candy corn consumers purchase every year. The molded candy ingredients are poured into large sheets of cutout corn shapes where the candy is left to harden. The millions of candy corn are then dumped into buckets where they are later separated and packaged to be delivered to your local grocery store's shelves.

 

Unfortunately for us, we don't have the large mechanics and heavy machinery to create candy corn. What we can do for our Halloween treats is make the candy through a more traditional style. Before beginning, you will need a saucepan, a large and small mixing bowl, stirring utensils, and some wax paper to keep the final product from sticking together.

 

Ingredients

 

• 2-1/2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup nonfat powdered milk
• 1 cup regular sugar
• 2/3 cup corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 5 tablespoons of salted butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• Yellow and red food coloring

 

In the saucepan, bring the sugar, butter, and corn syrup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let it continue to boil for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.

 

In a large bowl, mix the powdered sugar, powdered milk, vanilla and salt. Pour the contents into the saucepan and allow it to sit until it turns warm.

 

Divide the dough into 3 parts (these are the layers for your candy) and put each part in a small bowl. Add the appropriate food colors to each small bowl. If you need, grab some plastic gloves since the food coloring may stain your fingers and knead the dough until color is fully absorbed.

 

Roll each dough part into long, thin rope-like strings. Connect these three pieces together so that they make one, long multipart rope.

 

Cut the dough rope into triangles creating a three-layer color candy corn. Let the candy sit until hardened. Use the wax paper to separate the different cut outs to keep them from sticking to each other.

 

For more information, visit http://www.oncandy.tv.

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jesus dynasty tabor

why is the Christian Bible so innacurate re: the execution of Yessua Bar Yusef?

Yessua Bar Yusef, whom Christians erroneously call jesus christ was executed by crucifixion. The Romans reserved this form of execution for traitors, insurgents, and pirates as it was regarded as deterrent. The victims invariably suffered scourging with hot irons. After death the corpses were left to rot away and fall from the cross in pieces for up to a year or more.
crucifixion was performed close and in full view of a roman garrison so that the bodies could not be taken down and buried. There are descriptions of crucifixions after a revolt in Galilee about 1CE in The Jesus Dynasty by James Tabor. They are also common in Roman Histories. Crassus executed thousands of rebels after the Spatacus revolt and Cicero viewed the still standing crosses and remains more than a year later all along the Appian way. The Biblical story of 'Jesus' being taken down from the cross as soon as he was dead is clearly erroneous.

Aw yeah, well I...I..I read that um um um...on the Intynetweb that Jebus was killed by...um um um...drowning in blancmange, and um um um it must be true cos i read it so there.

Can't you guys relax in the knowledge that there's a peace to be had here, and the peace resides in the near certainty that you're all wrong.

kids easter toys

Hansa Toys: a Perfect Gift for Your Kid!

Birthdays and other special occasions present to us the same questions. What is the perfect gift? It seems that there is a holiday just about every month of the year. From Valentines Day, Easter, Christmas and birthdays, we are all searching for the perfect gift. Hansa Toys makes it easy with their handcrafted collections of realistic plush stuffed animals.

Hansa Toys offers ten distinctive collections. These stuffed animals can be posed together to create imaginative scenes to bring out the wonder in all of us. The nice thing about Hansa Toys stuffed animals is that there are a number of different animals in each collection, so you can collect all of one type of animal, or create a collection of all the animals in a particular region. The collections vary from Arctic, Aviary (birds), Bears, Cat & Dogs, Down Under (Australia!), Farm, Monkeys, Safari, Woodland & Prairie, and Endangered & Extinct.

The Hansa Toys stuffed animals also come in a variety of sizes. From the snuggly stuffed bears that you can carry with you to the life size Grizzly Bear that stands taller than most people, you are certain to find one that is right for you.

Select Hansa Toys stuffed animals feature an internal structural metal frame. These life-size stuffed animals have exceptionally strong, yet lightweight frames that provide ride-on experiences for children of all ages (up to 250 lbs.) In most cases, these Hansa Toys stuffed animals with the metal frames can be posed - their heads can be turned and arms, wings, and legs can be raised to simulate movement.

Each Hansa Toys stuffed animal comes with an information tag that speaks to the habitat of the animal, what types of foods they eat, how large the animal grows, and many more fascinating facts. Because the Hansa Toys stuffed animals incredibly life-like in their design, they are sought after by collectors and animal lovers of all ages.

Whether you are looking for an easter bunny, or designing a bedroom around the Safari collection with a ride-on size elephant or giraffe stuffed animal, Hansa Toys stuffed animals are the perfect gift for kids of all ages.

About the Author

This article was written by Windy Roundtree. She has been in the industry of selling fine home wares and quality products for the past five years. For more information about top of the line and quality products like Hansa Toys, Hansa stuffed animals please visit online at http://www.cornerone.com