Christmas 2020

[silver]

Chatting about Christmas - customs and traditions, what you're doing this year - anything really.  

 

Feel free to post pics of your Christmas trees and decorations.

[silver]

2 hours ago, krysady said:

Oh boy, I just saw how's "Santa Claus" in German  ... and you tell me that English helps?  

 

1 hour ago, silver said:

 

Saint Nicholas - Sint Nikolaas (Dutch) - Sinter Klaas - Santa Claus (English)

 

The German "Weihnachtsmann" is derived from Weihnachts, Holy nights, the Christmas season (I think)

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Prisca said:

In Swiss German it is "Samichlaus", maybe that helps.

 

And I've a easy German word for you to learn that fits perfectly the time of the year we are right now:

The German word for winter is "Winter".

 

(not my fault that all nouns have to be capitalize in German )

 

1 hour ago, Prisca said:

It's a combined word.

Weihnachten = Christmas

Mann = men

So the result = Weihnachtsmann

 

[silver]

37 minutes ago, krysady said:

We have also Saint Nicholas but it's different from Santa Claus, we celebrate it on December 6 and he'll leave presents into our boots tonight, the same it's in France I think. 

 

Yes, that sounds much better!  Merci ! ( that's also in Swiss German, I think  )

 

Blame it on Mika, he's the one juggling with so many languages 

 

15 minutes ago, Prisca said:

The "Samichlaus" comes also on December 6 and it's actually the Saint Nicholas and not the Santa Claus but they are often mixed up as they look similar.

 

In German speaking countries/regions it's actually the Christ Child and not Santa Claus that brings the gifts at Christmas.

 

I know I am off topic, sorry for that.

 

[silver]

I think in the Netherlands Sinter Klaas comes on December 6 too.

[krysady]

Thanks for opening this thread 

I am curios, do you prefer a real or artificial Christmas tree? 

[silver]

10 minutes ago, krysady said:

Thanks for opening this thread 

I am curios, do you prefer a real or artificial Christmas tree? 

 

Funny, I was just discussing this with my brother.  We had an artificial tree for years but need to get something else   I'd rather have a real tree, but one growing in a pot, not one that had been cut down..

[holdingyourdrink]

56 minutes ago, silver said:

I think in the Netherlands Sinter Klaas comes on December 6 too.

Actually Sinterklaas comes December 5th in the Netherlands. Then there is Nikolaus in Germany on the 6th. For my children it’s pure logic, because he can’t be in two countries at the same time 🤣

[Prisca]

57 minutes ago, krysady said:

I am curios, do you prefer a real or artificial Christmas tree? 

A real one as long as I don't have to wipe away the fir needles after the holiday season is over.

How about you?

[Prisca]

Thanks for opening the thread silver.

 

I found an interesting article about Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus. (I just copied and pasted some parts of it as the article is quite long. )

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/12/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-st-nicholas/

Jolly Old St. Nicholas?

Every December 6, the faithful celebrate St. Nicholas Day in cities all over the world, with the largest ones taking place in Europe. Images of St. Nicholas vary considerably, but none of them look much like the red-cheeked, white-bearded old man seen everywhere today. One of the most compelling views of the real St. Nick, who lived in the third and fourth centuries, was created not by ancient artists but by using modern forensic facial reconstruction.

From bishop to gift giver

How did this St. Nicholas turn into the North Pole-dwelling bringer of Christmas gifts? The original saint was a Greek born in the late third century, around 280 A.D. He became bishop of Myra, a small Roman town in modern Turkey. Nicholas was neither fat nor jolly but developed a reputation as a fiery, wiry, and defiant defender of church doctrine during the Great Persecution in 303, when Bibles were burned and priests made to renounce Christianity or face execution.

Nicholas defied these edicts and spent years in prison before the Roman emperor Constantine ended Christian persecution in 313 with the Edict of Milan. Nicholas's fame lived long after his death (on December 6 in the mid-fourth century, around 343) because he was associated with many miracles, and reverence for him continues to this day independent of his Christmas connection. He is the protector of many types of people, from orphans to sailors to prisoners.

Coming to America

In the Netherlands, kids and families simply refused to give up St. Nicholas as a gift bringer. They brought Sinterklaas with them to New World colonies, where the legends of the shaggy and scary Germanic gift bringers also endured.

But in early America Christmas wasn't much like the modern holiday. The holiday was shunned in New England, and elsewhere it had become a bit like the pagan Saturnalia that once occupied its place on the calendar. "'It was celebrated as a kind of outdoor, alcohol-fueled, rowdy community blowout," Bowler said. "That's what it had become in England as well. And there was no particular, magical gift bringer."

Then, during the early decades of the 19th century, all that changed thanks to a series of poets and writers who strove to make Christmas a family celebration—by reviving and remaking St. Nicholas.

 

It wasn't until the late 19th century, he added, that the image of Santa became standardized as a full-size adult, dressed in red with white fur trim, venturing out from the North Pole in a reindeer-driven sleigh and keeping an eye on children's behavior.

The jolly, chubby, grandfatherly face of this Santa was largely created by Thomas Nast, the great political cartoonist in an era that featured many. "However, Nast did leave him half-sized," Bowler added, "and in what I think are rather indecent long johns."

 

Once firmly established, North America's Santa then underwent a kind of reverse migration to Europe, replacing the scary gift bringers and adopting local names like Père Noël (France) or Father Christmas (Great Britain). "What he's done is pretty much tame these Grimm's Fairy Tales-type characters from the late medieval days," Bowler said.

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Prisca

[TinyLove_CJ]

My Christmas tree only arrived yesterday, it's artificial with gold sparkly branches! It's also only 2ft tall 😅, I simply don't have room for anything bigger. As long as I look after it I'm sure it will last as long as the last one I had which made it to 15 years before falling apart!

 

It's still in the box because I haven't started decorating yet, to me it still feels a little early, anyone else started? 

[giraffeandy]

Here Saint Nicholas comes with an angel and a devil to the kids in the evening of 5th December even though the Saint Nicholas Day is on 6th December. They bring sweets to the good kids and potatoes to the bad ones. The Christmas presents on 24th December in the evening brings the Baby Jesus. 

[carafon]

 

3 hours ago, giraffeandy said:

Here Saint Nicholas comes with an angel and a devil to the kids in the evening of 5th December even though the Saint Nicholas Day is on 6th December. They bring sweets to the good kids and potatoes to the bad ones. The Christmas presents on 24th December in the evening brings the Baby Jesus. 

In the eastern place of France it's kindda the same 

"St Nicolas" comes to give sweets to good children when "Le père fouettard"  is the one who gives punishment to the undisciplined  ones

 

Along with the historical part there is a legend saying that St Nicolas resurrected children who where killed by a bad butcher

14 hours ago, krysady said:

Thanks for opening this thread 

I am curios, do you prefer a real or artificial Christmas tree? 

I'd prefer a real one with few decoration if only I hadn't cats at home.....

I made an alternative déco tho

The cradle is self made with a fruit cage and the santons come part from Patagonia , part from the Christmas market in Strasbourg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by carafon

[holdingyourdrink]

3 hours ago, TinyLove_CJ said:

My Christmas tree only arrived yesterday, it's artificial with gold sparkly branches! It's also only 2ft tall 😅, I simply don't have room for anything bigger. As long as I look after it I'm sure it will last as long as the last one I had which made it to 15 years before falling apart!

 

It's still in the box because I haven't started decorating yet, to me it still feels a little early, anyone else started? 

Corona gives us not a lot of things to do, so we got a Christmas tree last weekend and decorated it this weekend 🙈 this is the earliest EVER that we have decorated a tree. Usually it’s a few days before Christmas and we’re like “something is missing... oh SH**!!!”

[We-Are-Golden]

15 hours ago, silver said:

I think in the Netherlands Sinter Klaas comes on December 6 too.

 

Here we call him Sinterklaas and he comes on the 5th!  

Edited December 6, 2020 by We-Are-Golden

[We-Are-Golden]

I have put up and decorated our Christmas tree today! It's a fake one, I think that's easier. Although I must say I do miss the smell of a real one sometimes.  

 

I've also put up a smaller tree in my bedroom, because why not.  

[Edwin Rose]

I finally out my tree up this weekend! Seem to have spent most of the last week putting up everyone else's! Which is awesome because I love Christmas. Our one in the art room at my school has Freddie Mercury on top, and one of the ones in our reception area is decorated with wooden stars that have the younger students Christmas/New year wishes on them! Its so cute!   I do a different theme for mine each year, this time I decorated with handmade decorations only. 

[silver]

28 minutes ago, Edwin Rose said:

I finally out my tree up this weekend! Seem to have spent most of the last week putting up everyone else's! Which is awesome because I love Christmas. Our one in the art room at my school has Freddie Mercury on top, and one of the ones in our reception area is decorated with wooden stars that have the younger students Christmas/New year wishes on them! Its so cute!   I do a different theme for mine each year, this time I decorated with handmade decorations only. 

 

Those look lovely - are you going to show us the whole tree?

[Edwin Rose]

[krysady]

23 hours ago, silver said:

 

Funny, I was just discussing this with my brother.  We had an artificial tree for years but need to get something else   I'd rather have a real tree, but one growing in a pot, not one that had been cut down..

I had an artificial tree for many years as well, simply because I find them more rich in branches and you won't get needles everywhere into the house. But I thought I'd like a real one in a pot this time, like you said. Until I've read the conditions you have to take care of : you need to keep it 2 days in a garage or balcony to adapt to a higher temperature, then maximum 10 days inside at 20°C ( otherwise it may die), then again 2 days in a garage, then find a place to plant it  

Too much trouble, I'll look after an artificial one and reuse it for a few years again.

[silver]

6 minutes ago, krysady said:

I had an artificial tree for many years as well, simply because I find them more rich in branches and you won't get needles everywhere into the house. But I thought I'd like a real one in a pot this time, like you said. Until I've read the conditions you have to take care of : you need to keep it 2 days in a garage or balcony to adapt to a higher temperature, then maximum 10 days inside at 20°C ( otherwise it may die), then again 2 days in a garage, then find a place to plant it  

Too much trouble, I'll look after an artificial one and reuse it for a few years again.

You don't have to plant out your tree, just move it into a bigger pot each year (though eventually it will get too big).  But they don't really like high temperatures for long.

[krysady]

23 hours ago, Prisca said:

A real one as long as I don't have to wipe away the fir needles after the holiday season is over.

How about you?

It seems it depends on the temperature in the house, if it's not very high, the needles won't fall too quick 

13 hours ago, giraffeandy said:

The Christmas presents on 24th December in the evening brings the Baby Jesus. 

So you don't have Santa Claus at all? 

 

10 hours ago, carafon said:

I'd prefer a real one with few decoration if only I hadn't cats at home.....

My cat stopped climbing the tree after 2-3 years, but I always tied the top of the tree to the curtain support with a cord, just to be sure 

The most beautiful Christmas decorations I've seen were in Riquewihr in Alsace, I loved that place 

[krysady]

17 minutes ago, silver said:

You don't have to plant out your tree, just move it into a bigger pot each year (though eventually it will get too big).  But they don't really like high temperatures for long.

Yes, I suppose it depends on how big you get the tree in the first place.

[Prisca]

43 minutes ago, krysady said:

On 12/6/2020 at 12:44 AM, Prisca said:

A real one as long as I don't have to wipe away the fir needles after the holiday season is over.

How about you?

It seems it depends on the temperature in the house, if it's not very high, the needles won't fall too quick 

Thanks.

What do you mean by "not too quick"? The tree stays there for at least until the 6th January and I haven't seen one year where there weren't a lot of needles at the ground.

Actually, we loose a lot of needles already when we carry it in the house.

I guess it depends also what kind of tree it is.

[TinyLove_CJ]

I've been wanting to research more into my Welsh heritage and also Welsh culture/folklore, so with it coming up to Christmas how can I not share the tradition of the Mari Lwyd? (pronounced lloyd)

 

The Mari Lwyd originates in South Wales but has become a tradition across all of the country too. Over the Christmas period, usually starting on the first day of the twelve days of Christmas, a horse skull is attached to a pole with a sack cloth. The skull is often decorated with new eyes, ribbons and traditionally horse skin ears are placed back into the skull. Nowadays it's usually hand made paper ears but some still use a real skull!

 

The Mari Lwyd will travel through towns and villages with a small entourage of 'carriers' dressed in costume, going door to door singing to people. The idea is to sing back to the Mari Lwyd to stop it coming into your home. If you can't keep up the singing then the Mari Lwyd will enter your home and drink all your wine and spirits, and eat all your food for Christmas! 

 

I used to find them really creepy but now I'm fascinated by them. Here's a few traditional Mari Lwyds! 🐴 

 

[giraffeandy]

9 hours ago, krysady said:

So you don't have Santa Claus at all? 

 

As I've mentioned before, Saint Nicholas comes on the eve of 6th December. (That's "Santa Claus", isn't it?)