The Christmas Story

The idea of celebrating Jesus' birth was done to counteract pagan holidays  celebrated in Rome during the Winter Solstice. Church leaders thought Christmas  celebrations were more likely to be popular if they coincided with the  traditional festivals and merrymaking during the Winter Solstice. 

Top Christmas Product - Money Origami Christmas Videos

Although some Christmas celebrations are secular, the religious aspect of  Christmas remains central to celebrations. This is evident in church services  such as Midnight Mass and primarily in the many forms of the Nativity, or  Christmas Story, presented wherever people celebrate Christmas. 

That story started in Nazareth in Galilee about two thousand years ago.  Mary, a young woman, was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph. An angel appeared  to her one day and told her she was with child. She couldn't understand how that  could happen because due to her circumspect nature, she had not laid in bed with Joseph. The angel explained however, that the child would be special as he would be the Son of God and his name was to be Jesus. Mary and Joseph then got married 

soon after the angel's appearance.. But about the time when Mary was to have the baby, the couple had to travel far away to Bethlehem, Joseph's birthplace, to 

pay a special tax.

It was difficult for them to find a place to stay because many other people were in Bethlehem to pay their taxes. After many rejections, one innkeeper offered a room in his stable where they could spend the night. That's where Jesus, the Holy Child and Son of God was born and then wrapped in bundles of cloth and placed in a manger for a cradle.

In the same hours that Mary was giving birth, shepherds who were in a field that overlooked Bethlehem saw an extremely bright star over the sky in Bethlehem. They had never seen anything like it and had feelings of curiosity and scariness. An angel appeared and told them the 'good news' that the Son of God had been born in Bethlehem.

The shepherds left their flocks to go to Bethlehem to find the baby. When they reached the stable, they were filled with immense joy at seeing Jesus. They fell to their knees and worshipped Him. They also told Mary and Joseph about the bright star and the angel appearing to say Jesus would be the Savior of the world.

The bright star was also seen by Wise Men in the east. The Wise Men, who studied the stars, learned that a new and great ruler would appear whenever an extraordinarily bright star appeared in the sky. Three of them therefore set out to find the new ruler. They first visited King Herod in Jerusalem because they thought the child would be born in the palace. But when they asked to see the child who would be the new ruler, King Herod was very worried as he thought he would be removed from the throne. King Herod told the Wise Men that when they found the baby, they should return and tell him so that he could also worship the baby. 

The Wise Men used the star as a guide to go to Bethlehem where they found Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus who they worshipped and offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Wise Men are celebrated in some Christmas celebrations on Jan. 6, known as the Epiphany to mark the date when they found Jesus. Later in the night the three Wise Men had a dream in which an angel told 

them that King Herod wanted to kill Baby Jesus. They left Bethlehem to return to the East but didn't return to Jerusalem to tell King Herod where they had found the child. Joseph also had a dream soon after the Wise Men left in which an angel appeared and told him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because Herod had ordered that Jesus be killed. In an effort to kill Jesus after the Wise Men did 

not return to inform him of the baby's whereabouts, Herod later ordered that all baby boys in Bethlehem should be killed. But by then Mary and Joseph had left with Baby Jesus.

Stay Sane This Holiday Season: 7 Tips To Make Your Life Easier

The stress of the impending holiday season is enough to take an experienced host out of their Thanksgiving turkey, tryptophan-induced coma and turn them into a Christmas-crazed, Black Friday maniac.  With these seven helpful hints, avoid the fervor of the masses and retain your sanity.

Kids Christmas Activities And Games

1. Delegate!
Although hosting the perfect holiday celebration may feed your ego, it may also provide you with sleepless nights before the big event.  Don't be afraid to delegate tasks.  Send your spouse to the store with a list of last-minute items; have your kids vacuum and clean up around the house.  When a guest asks what they can help with or bring, don't look a gift-horse in their courtesy offer.

2. Watch the clock.
If you know the post office or the grocery store becomes chaotic at 4:30 pm every afternoon, plan your trips accordingly.  Avoiding long lines, impossible parking and crazed consumers will help you keep your cool.  If you cannot fit these tasks into your schedule at any other time, see tip number one!

3. Check vacation balances at work.
Don't be afraid to ask a member of management or Human Resources to check your vacation and floating holiday balances.  Many companies do not roll vacation balances to the next year; if this time is not taken, it is lost.  Use this forgotten vacation time to finish last-minute details and errands.

4. Give your hand a break!
When contemplating all the Christmas cards, holiday invitations and thank-you notes to be written, you may already have a hand cramp.  Buy an <A HREF="http://www.rubberstamps.net">address stamp</A> for those envelopes or a “Season’s Greetings” stamp for your correspondences.

5. Stay healthy.
Get eight hours of sleep each night, drink enough fluids and take your vitamins.  While you're busy taking care of guests, family and friends, don't forget to take care of yourself.

6. Shop online.
Although there's something immediately gratifying about leaving the store with a fistful of shopping bags, shopping online can eliminate the insanity of the in-store experience.  Many online stores offer free shipping, "receive by Christmas" guarantee dates or a huge variety of gift ideas.  Shop online and avoid the mob flocking to the local mall.

7. Remember the "reason for the season."
Instead of allowing the stress and circumstances to overwhelm you, take a moment to reflect on why your family and friends are gathering.

Follow these seven tips this holiday season and watch your tension levels melt away.  Don’t traumatize yourself by obsessing over unfinished tasks.  That’s what family is for.

Spread Some Christmas Cheer Without Breaking the Bank

If asked most people will say that the best part of the Christmas season is all the beautiful decorations and yummy food! Everyone loves all the sweets, cookies, cakes, pies and candy, but they also like all the cheery and warm decorations that abound everywhere!

Kids Christmas Activities And Games

If you're on a tight budget you may feel like you can't offer much for the holidays, but as they saying goes, 'it's not the cost of the gift that counts, it's the thought'. Just take a look around at what you have to work with, and of course you can always give some kind of baked goods or other homemade goodies.

When my children were small we didn't have much money, but I would make big batches of different kind of cookies and then put them in cookie tins or on sturdy paper plates wrapped in cellophane! They were always one gift I knew would always be loved regardless if the recipient were young or old!

Decorating is another thing that can be done without having a big budget to work with. Maybe you have some decorations from previous years or you can pick up some simple red, green and gold streamers to decorate around the house.

If you have some old Christmas baby clothes or stuffed teddy bears around perhaps you could put them in a small child's chair by draping the sweater over the chair and have the bear sitting snuggled in the corner of the chair. Find a nice corner of the room to place the chair,or near the tree if possible.

Candles are another thing that always add a nice touch and they can provide the atmosphere with some wonderful scents as well. The small votive candles are inexpensive and can be used in a number of ways for decorations. For instance you could put some votive candles floating on some water in a festive bowl of some kind or place them in groups of 3 on a small plate and scatter them around on the end tables or coffee tables.

Candy canes are always popular and don't cost much. You can hang them around at various places or make some candy cane bouquets and place them in some green or red glasses or other festive glasses you may have. It's not about much you spend it's about spreading a little Christmas cheer in the best way you can.

Other beneficial foods for diabetic patients

1. Almond: The use of almond, after its oil has been extracted, is considered beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. It does not contain any starch.

Top Christmas Product - Money Origami Christmas Videos

2. Banana: Bananas are believed to the useful in controlling diabetes. According to the Journal of American Medical Association, “Banana and Skimmed milk furnish a simple and effective method for weight reduction in treating diabetic patients”. Unripe bananas, cooked as a vegetable, are considered especially valuable in this disease.

3. Buttermilk: The use of the buttermilk has been found beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. Lactic Acid contained in it stimulates the secretion of the pancreas and thereby helps control blood sugar levels.

4. Flour: Certain whole grain cereals also help to lower blood sugar in diabetes. A mixture of certain flours made from cereals, grains, legumes, and pulses are especially beneficial. One such mixture can be prepared by combining the flour of soyabean, black gram, jowar, bajra, Bengal gram, wheat bran and barley. This mixed flour can be used for preparing chapattis.

5. Legumes: Lentils and other legumes are considered valuable in diabetes. According to American journal of Clinical Nutrition, they are specially effective in the diet of diabetes patients because of their slow release of energy.

6. Sour Fruits: Certain tart or sour fruits have proved to be valuable in stimulating the pancreas and increase the production of insulin. These fruits include sour apple and sour citrus fruits, which can invigorate pancreas.

7. Teas: Certain types of teas are considered beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. Tea prepared from parsley has been found to lower blood sugar. Certain communities use tea made from tender leaves of walnut for controlling diabetes.

8. Tomato: Tomato with its low carbohydrates contents is very good food for diabetic patients and for those who want to reduce their body weight. It is said to be very effective in controlling the percentage of sugar in the urine of diabetic patients.

For <a href="http://www.diabetesmellitus-information.com/diabetes.htm">diabetes information</a>, diabetes diet, diabetes treatment, diabetes causes visit <a href="http://www.diabetesmellitus-information.com">www.diabetesmellitus-information.com</a>

Don't Tell Me I Can't Say Merry Christmas

I am a Christian. I believe in Christ, not because I have any proof that Christ is the son of God, but because I want to believe. I believe that the teachings that are ascribed to Christ would, if everyone followed them to the best of their ability, make this a far better world. I further believe that this country, The United States Of America, is the greatest country in the world and it is so in part because it has tried to base it's morals and ethics on and has tried to follow Christian ethics. I am not, however, a bible thumping Christian, an evangelistic Christian or even a regular church going Christian. I am not trying to convert the world or even my neighbors to Christianity. I don't care if a person is a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, an Atheist, etc. as long as the person is a good person and cares about other people.

Just don't tell me that I can't celebrate Christmas, don't tell me that I can't say merry Christmas, don't tell me that a Christmas tree is a "holiday" tree, don't tell me that December 25 is no longer Christmas Day but is instead now a no name holiday, dont tell me that if I say merry Christmas other people will be insulted, don't tell me that my children can't have a Christmas pagent in school because other children may feel insulted or left out (School is not and can not always be all inclusive for everyone, otherwise there would be no chess club because not every child plays chess, no sports teams because not every child plays or even likes sports, no drama club because not every child wants to act, no memorial day because not every child want's to honor our fallen soldiers, no labor day because not every child wants to honor unions, no Thanksgiving because not every child wants to give thanks, no pledge of allegiance because not every child wants to honor this country, etc.). This is not a country of worker bees or ants, we are a country of individuals with different backgrounds and different beliefs. The majority of the people in this country are, however, Christians and the majority of the people in this country weather you like it or not do celebrate Christmas.

According to the U.S Government under United States Code section 5-6103, December 25 is a legal holiday and that legal holiday is named Christmas. Most states also denote December 25 as "Christmas". We all know that Christ was not actually born on December 25 but that is the date that this government and the majority of Christian churches have chosen to use. Additionally, not all people who celebrate Christmas believe in Christ, many people celebrate it as just a holiday that happens to be called Christmas. I've been to numerous Christmas parties where many of the guests were not Christians. No one ever called them Holiday parties and as far as I know no one was ever upset that the party was called a Christmas party.

I'm not insulted if someone wishes me happy Chanukah or happy Kwanza so why should anyone be insulted if I say merry Christmas. It seems to me that the only people that complain about Christmas are certain Atheists and the people that have designated themselves as "political correctness police". Well. in this country you people have the right to state your thoughts but please stop trying to force your way of thinking on everyone else. Leave us alone. Get your own holiday, leave us ours.

Gluten Free Christmas Cookbook 

I celebrate Christmas and I would probably celebrate Christmas even if I didn't believe in Christ. After all it's a wonderful holiday, it wishes peace on earth and good will towards all mankind (What other holiday makes that wish.). If you are so insecure in your religion or lack of religion that you feel threatened by my celebration of Christmas then I feel sorry for you. I would also tell you to go jump off a very high bridge into very deep water (Sorry, but I told you that I was not a really good Christian. People that try to push their beliefs on me really irk me.). If you don't want to celebrate Christmas, don't. Just don't tell those of us that do want to that we can't.

Lastly, leave our schools alone. If you don't want your children to participate in a christmas pagent then tell them not to participate. Contrary to what you think the other kids will not tease or make fun of them. When I was in elementary school I was an atheist and no one ever made fun of me for not believing in Christ and I never felt left out by not joining in as a charecter in a Christmas play. Of course, even though I was an atheist I still believed, at least for a while, in Santa Clause, I still enjoyed recieving Christmas gifts, I still enjoyed listening to Christmas carolers and I still thought a lighted Christmas tree was beautiful. In fact I thought Christmas time was the best time of the year and I was happy to say merry Christmas. However, maybe I just wasn't as insecure or as intolarent as you are.

By the way, even though I was an atheist, my family was Protestant and even though they were Protestant we belonged to the local Jewish Community Center and none of us ever felt left out or put upon when most of them celebrated the Jewish holidays. In fact, it was during those years that I developed my high respect for the Jewish people and their religious laws.

Merry Christmas everyone -- and Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Time

As we ready ourselves to celebrate yet another Christmas to honor the birth of our Lord Jesus let us remember that this is a time to focus on the many blessings in our lives. Each day should be a day to focus on these things we hold dear that the Lord has brought to us but Christmas time is especially good for bringing these things that we should always notice to the forefront of our minds and our thoughts.

Christmas time is about giving and not only in the way of handing out material presents to one another that we purchase from the many stores we have to choose from but it's mainly a time of giving the most important things like an ear to someone who needs to be listened to or a coat for a small child who is need of one. Handing out and giving can be done best by giving someone a smile when they are feeling down or encouragement to get past the gloom they might feel in order to stand tall and move onward with joy.

Christmas time giving can mean giving a home to a small animal that otherwise would be alone and cold and miserable out in the elements with nobody to care for them. All these things make a difference in the world and they might not individually heal all that needs to be healed but each offering of kindness furthers the cause of bringing true love and peace to a world badly in need of these things.

A few material gifts are fine and are especially welcome from the children who wait for old Saint Nick to come and spread his joy to the children but among the joy of the material should also be a lesson that the best and most important gifts come from inside and are given from the heart and soul from one human being to another.

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection

I feel that even as we watch the nightly news that tells us of the many sad and evil things of this world that goodness overcomes and goodness makes up the majority of the people of this world.

As the three wisemen were guided by the star of Bethlehem to the manger to witness the miracle of the birth of Jesus let's also use that same light that shines in us from Jesus to guide our hearts to do good deeds and make another human being feel special and cared for in the most important ways by the power of love and mercy.

Let the lesson of Jesus being turned away from the Inn inspire us not to turn away from someone or something that may be in need of our help and our light to shine on them. The power of the human spirit and the human heart can work wonders and the pureness of a kind act can turn wrong into right.

This holiday season let that same pureness flow from within your heart and into anothers and let's make Jesus proud to be our Father and our Lord by our actions that are inspired by his love for us.

May you and your family have a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year and may the light of the lord always shine upon you and carry you in your time of need.