Tag Archives: Christmas

Boxing Day Sales

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Boxing Day Sales, Bag, Clothes, belt, Jacket, Valleygirl, Ten Random Facts

Do line up for the Boxing Day sale facts.

  • Boxing Day sales typically are shopping extravaganzas that occur on the day after Christmas, Boxing Day, but sometimes run for a week.
  • Boxing Day sales generally occur in Australia, Canada and parts of the United Kingdom.
  • The 2009 Boxing Day sales in the United Kingdom, saw approximately 12 million people visit the shops.
  • Popular shops that support the Boxing Day sales generally open as early as 5 am.
  • Boxing Day sales include great bargain priced items and the shops often strategically lower there prices to bring in customers.

Boxing Day Sales, Bag, Clothes, belt, Jacket, Valleygirl, Ten Random Facts

  • Retailers that support Boxing Day sales generally have a limited stock of items, particularly those with the greatest discounts, and they often try to sell those items that did not sell by Christmas.
  • Shops that support Boxing Day sales are often full of people, shoulder-to-shoulder, due to heavily discounted items, and they sometimes limit the customers in the shop at any one time.
  • Boxing Day sales are generally reviewed in news reports, focusing on the crowds, queues, and times of arriving.
  • Boxing Day sales became popular in the 1980s, and were most likely established to encourage consumers to return to the shops after Christmas.
  • In Australia, it was expected that $1.9 billion (AUD) were to be spent in the 2013 Boxing Day sales, with a 1/3 spent in the state of Victoria.
Bibliography:
Boxing Day – Shopping, 2013, Wikipedia,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day#Shopping
Hutchens G, Boxing Day sales: It’s picnic time for shopaholics – you’re sure of a big discount, 2013, The Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/boxing-day-sales-its-picnic-time-for-shopaholics–youre-sure-of-a-big-discount-20131225-2zwq9.html

Turkey Meat

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Turkey meat, roasted, brown, white, whole, Ten Random Facts, Bird, Australia, Christmas

No Thanksgiving or Christmas is complete without turkey meat!

  • Turkey meat is the cooked meat of turkey, particularly those that are bred on a farm.
  • Turkey meat is commonly eaten at popular celebrations, such as Thanksgiving (USA and Canada) or Christmas, with nearly 8 million turkeys eaten at Christmas time in the UK, in 2009.
  • Most parts of turkey meat are eaten, except the bones, head, feathers and feet, and they can generally be bought whole or ground, with other cuts being available sometimes, as well as already cooked sliced meat.
  • Once cooked, turkey meat from wild turkeys is typically dark-coloured, while domestic meat is usually light-coloured, and the wild turkeys often have a great flavour than the domestic ones.
  • Turkey meat started to be used in celebrations from as early as the 1500s, originally in England.

Turkey meat, roasted, brown, white, whole, Ten Random Facts, Bird, Australia, Christmas

  • Frozen, whole turkey meat generally takes a considerably long time to defrost, and it can take 3 days or more, depending on the size of the bird.
  • Turkey meat is generally cooked by a baking or oven roasting process, although sometimes it is deep-fried, and whole birds are usually stuffed, while the meat is often served with the addition of cranberry sauce or gravy.
  • Turkey meat has a high protein content, more than most commonly eaten meats, and is also high in vitamin B6, niacin, zinc, selenium and phosphorus.
  • Turkey meat contains an amino acid named tryptophan, which causes sleepiness, but the quantity eaten in one meal is not as likely to make you drowsy, than the rest of the carbohydrates and fats on one’s plate.
  • The English author, Charles Dickens, helped to make turkey meat popular, due to turkey featuring in his novel ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Bibliography:
History and Lore, 2013, Turkey for the Holidays, http://urbanext.illinois.edu/turkey/history.cfm
Turkey Meat, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_meat

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Angel

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Christmas Angel, wood, Crossed hands, White, Free Digital Photos, Ten Random Facts

These facts are like angels… they are shining.

  • Angels are said to be God’s messengers, and are often portrayed during the Christmas season.
  • Angels are typically depicted as humans with wings, and shine brightly.
  • Angels became popular starting from between 12th and 13th century, when Thomas Aquinas started teaching about them.
  • Angels are popular known as the bringers of the knowledge of the birth of Jesus Christ, particularly to Mary, Joseph and the shepherds.
  • Angels are popularly used as Christmas decorations, particularly as Christmas tree toppers.

Christmas Angel, wood, Crossed hands, White, Free Digital Photos, Ten Random Facts

 

Angel Figurine
Image courtesy of Daniel St.Pierre/ Free Digital Photos

  • The New Testament of the Bible states that angels rejoice when one is remorseful for one’s own sin, and asks for God’s forgiveness.
  • The word ‘angel’, is from the Greek word ‘angelos’, meaning ‘messenger’.
  • It is believed that every single person has there own protective angel, who cares for the person.
  • Some people have worshipped angels, and throughout history there have been various opinions about this practice.
  • Christmas angels often symbolise goodness or joyfulness.
Bibliography:
Christmas Angels, 2012, Christmas World, http://www.worldofchristmas.net/christmas-angels.html
History of Angels, n.d, Angels: An Online Resource, http://www.cyodine.com/angels/History.htm

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Star of Bethlehem

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Matthew 2:2b NIV

“We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

  • The ‘Star of Bethlehem’ is also known as the ‘Christmas Star’.
  • The Star of Bethlehem was the star that showed the place of Jesus Christ’s birth, particularly guiding the magi.
  • The Star of Bethlehem has puzzled many astronomers, and many have tried to make a connection to unusual, historical, star-like events in space.
  • Of the four gospels in the Bible, only the gospel of Matthew mentions the Star of Bethlehem.
  • During the estimated time of Jesus’ birth, a comet or nova was seen in China, which seemed to be stationary for 70 days, and many link a connection to the Star of Bethlehem.
Star of Bethlehem
A Star
Image courtesy of Lehigh Valley, PA/Flickr
  • Some religious groups believe the Star of Bethlehem was a comet or shining angels.
  • The Star of Bethlehem is often depicted in art as a comet, angel holding a star or a large, bright star with many different designs.
  • The Star of Bethlehem is often mentioned in Christmas carols, such as the ‘Three Kings’ or ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’.
  • Some astronomers suggest that the Star of Bethlehem could have been an alignment of planets, which occurred during the time of Jesus’ birth.
  • Some theories regarding the Star of Bethlehem suggest that a single planet was the star, specifically ‘Uranus’, although it would have been difficult to see without technology.
Bibliography:
Gill V, Star of Bethlehem: Astronomical Explanations, 2012, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20730828
Star of Bethlehem, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem

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Christmas Tree Topper

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Christmas Tree Topper

These Christmas tree topper facts will top off your brain.

  • Christmas tree toppers are Christmas decorations that are typically positioned at the very top of a Christmas tree.
  • Christmas tree toppers are varied in appearance, but are generally shaped as an angel or a star.
  • Christmas tree toppers are often made of glass, plastic, or metal, but they can also be made of fabric, paper or the like.
  • Christmas tree toppers are sometimes fitted with Christmas lights, typically those made of plastic.
  • Christmas tree topper stars are symbolic for the Star of Bethlehem, while the angel represents Gabriel the Angel, as well as the Heavenly Host, all of which are part of the story of the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Tree topper

Star Tree Topper
Image courtesy of Flickr
  • During the later 1800s, the Union Jack was a popular Christmas tree topper, although more recently finials, Santa, ribbons, rosettes, crosses, owls, and even pineapple shaped ornaments can be seen on the top of Christmas trees.
  • In England, in the mid 1800s, Queen Victoria popularised the German tradition of Christmas tree toppers, and the first known topper of the Queen’s was an angel.
  • ‘Christmas tree toppers’ are also known as ‘tree-toppers’ and ‘treetoppers’.
  • Besides decorating trees, Christmas tree toppers can be used as centrepieces, as well as house decorations.
  • Christmas tree toppers can be easily bought from stores during the Christmas season, or they can be handmade, and sometimes they are family heirlooms.
Bibliography:
Tree-topper, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree-topper
Tree Topper Information, 2009, Christmas Tree Topper.com, http://www.christmastreetopper.com/category/info/

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Bauble

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Bauble

Hang these facts in your brain like baubles on a Christmas tree.

  • Baubles are, typically, Christmas tree decorations that are common and cheap, although collectible ones are available and some stores do have expensive options.
  • Baubles are generally shaped as a sphere, often plain or frosted, shiny or one-coloured, but any design can be manufactured.
  • Baubles were first invented in Germany, in Lauscha, notably by Hans Greiner, who first manufactured them in the late 1840s.
  • Baubles have their history in fruit and nut shaped glass, the shape eventually changing to become a spherical shape.
  • Queen Victoria brought the bauble tradition from Germany to Europe in the mid to late 19 century, while American F.W. Woolworth became rich by being the main importer of the decoration in the USA, in 1880.

Bauble, Gold, Shiny, Flash, One, Spherical, Christmas Tree, Hanging, Plastic, Ten Random Facts, Val Laird

Bauble
Image courtesy of Val Laird
  • Modern baubles are typically made of plastic, which allows cheaper manufacturing and makes them affordable for everyone, although glass baubles are still commonly available.
  • The first baubles, are said to have originated from the idea of blown egg shells, that could be hung on Christmas trees.
  • Baubles were originally quite expensive as they were hand-crafted and made of glass, and were therefore only for the rich.
  • Although Germany was the top producer of baubles before the World Wars, America became the top manufacturer after World War II.
  • Antique baubles from countries such as the Czech Republic have high values, as they are typically made from quality glass and are rarer than industrial decorations.
Bibliography:
Christmas Ornament, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_ornament
Coope L, Christmas Baubles through History, 2010, http://ezinearticles.com/?Christmas-Baubles-Through-History&id=4837006

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