Boxing Day / St Stephen's Day

The 26^th of December, the day after Christmas, is known as “Boxing Day” in Australia and a number of other Commonwealth countries, including the United Kingdom , New Zealand and Canada.  The term “Boxing Day” originated in England centuries ago, and represented the day when servants were allowed to take the day off to spend with their families.  It was also the day when gifts were given to tradesmen and staff for their service throughout the year. 

Nowadays in Australia, Boxing Day is predominantly a secular (i.e. non-church) public holiday and marks the start of the post-Christmas shopping sales, which generally run until New Years Eve.  Of course, everyone knows, though, that if you want to get the best bargains you have to be there when the shop doors open on Boxing Day morning, before the greatly reduced-in-price stock sells out.

Boxing Day also has religious connections though.  The 26^th December is recognised in Western Christianity as St Stephen’s Day – St Stephen being the first Christian martyr – and as St Stephens Day , it is a public holiday in many nations that are historically Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran (including Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Germany, and Finland). 

St Stephen, if you're interested, was stoned to death around CE 34-35 by Saul of Tarsus, a zealous Jew who persecuted the early followers of Christ, but who later converted to Christianity and becomes (eventually) St Paul.  Paul preached to the Gentiles (non-Jews) about Christ and is credited with writing a large number of the epistles in the New Testament.  He was also one of the early Christian leaders and takes some credit in bringing Christianity to Rome (which is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church).

Interestingly, though, in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, Saint Stephen's feast day is celebrated on December 27.   However, to add more confusion to the issue, the Eastern Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar for its religious rites and calculating the dates of moveable feasts,  which leads “27^th December” to be the 7^th January in the Gregorian calendar (the one used prominently around the world in modern day times).

Others might recognise reference to this day in the carol Good King Wencelas  “….last looked out, on the Feast of Stephen……” 

Something else Boxing Day in modern times may be remembered for are the disasters that have occurred on or around this day and Christmas.  In 2004, there was the Boxing Day Tsunami which was triggered by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake underwater near Indonesia and killed thousands of people.

Currently, in 2010, around the world there are many examples of extreme weather and recent natural disasters including snow storms and freezing conditions in England, Europe and the United States of America; an earthquake in Iran on 21^st December; torrential rains and mudslides in South America; and aftershocks are still being felt in New Zealand after their September earthquake.

In Australia there is flooding in New South Wales and Queensland as the result of a category 1 cyclone Tara which has now dissipated.  In 1974, Cyclone Tracy devastated our northern most Capital City, Darwin, on Christmas Eve.

One of Australia’s best known poems, by Dorothea Mackellar, has a stanza that begins with:

            “I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains,

            Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains….”

In Australia, it seems to be either one extreme or the other.  In fact, Australians have been warned to expect six cyclones this summer season which will bring lots of rain and consequently more flooding.   Quite a contradiction as not so long ago, the country was in drought and local governments had introduced water restrictions.  And drought has other repercussions, namely bushfires due to the extremely dry conditions. 

Christmas Eve 2001 is regarded as the official beginning  of an outbreak of major bushfires in New South Wales, which later became known as “Black Christmas”.  Fortunately no lives were lost on this occasion, though hundreds of houses and buildings and huge tracts of land were destroyed.

Although the main fire activity ended on 7 January 2002 following heavy overnight rain around Sydney, the NSW Fire Brigades continued its operations in the South Coast region until 11 January 2002.

That fire outbreak in particular puts a whole new spin on the “Twelve Days of Christmas”, but that’s another story.

All About Rudolph and Santa's Other Reindeers

Maybe it's the undeniable alliterative appeal of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that makes him the most known or popular of all Santa's nine flying reindeers.  It certainly doesn't seem as easy to come up with a similar catchy description for the others - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner andBlitzen - as named in the song.

The story of Rudolph whose glowing red nose made him a standout, first appeared in 1939 when Montgomery Ward department stores distributed about 2.4 million booklets with the poem in the form of a story about "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." It was written by Robert L. May, who worked in the store's advertisement or marketing department, to be used to attract more people into the store. When the booklet was reissued in 1939, sales soared to more than 3.5 million copies. But it wasn't until a decade later, in 1949, that the story really gained immense popularity when Gene Autry sang a musical version of the fable.As a Christmas song, it is second only in popularity to 'White Christmas.' 

Rudolph, the ninth reindeer whose lighted nose guides Santa's sleigh through the night, is now known worldwide, as the song has been translated into more than 20 different languages and an animated television movie has also been based on the story. Rudolph and his noticeable nose have also become the subject of jokes and sparked more interest in reindeers which has led to much research into Santa and the flying reindeers who pull his sleigh through the sky.

Along with the catchy rhythm of the lyrics, Rudolph's story is also appealing because of the moral lessons it contains. As the story goes, Rudolph was ostracized by the other reindeers, who laughed and teased him about his shiny red nose. But on a foggy night, when Santa must have been concerned that he may not be able to deliver his Christmas gifts around the world, Santa spotted him and kindly asked if he would step to the front as the leader to 'guide my sleigh tonight.' His shiny red nose would, after all, be very useful in lighting the way, Santa thought. From then on 'all of the other reindeers loved him,' and rightly predicted that he 'would go down in history.'

Among the moral lessons the story can impart is that an attribute that is perceived as negative or as a liability can be used for a positive purpose, or become an asset. It also makes the point that an individual should not let the negative behavior of others define him or her and limit expectations of what can be achieved. And it also illustrates how quickly opinions and attitudes about a person can change.

The question still lingers, however ,of where Rudolph came from. He is commonly regarded as the son of Donner (or Donder), one of the original eight reindeers. But the Snopes.com site rejects this however, saying that he dwelled in a reindeer village elsewhere and it was there that he was seen by Santa who had already started on his Christmas Eve journey to deliver gifts. And in a more modern evolution of the story according to Wikipedia.com, an animation by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) introduced a son, named Robbie, of Rudolph. That son has now become the tenth reindeer.

It's also interesting to note that the idea of Santa's sleigh being pulled by reindeers was originated in the poem, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas.' That poem tells the story of St. Nicholas, who is Santa, calling his eight tiny reindeers by their names, as previously mentioned, just before he came down the chimney of a house to start filling the stockings from a sack full of toys he carried on his back.

Entertaining Kids With Christmas Crafts

Everyone remembers how difficult it was as a kid to be patient during the weeks before Christmas. There was just too much excitement about presents and candy and having fun with friends; well what was a kid to do? Here are some quick and easy craft ideas to help you entertain your kids during the pre-Christmas season this year.

Christmas Cards

Instead of spending a lot of money buying commercial Christmas cards in the store, how about having your kids make Christmas cards to send out to family and friends? Cards are easy to make and can be done using craft material you can find around your home or purchase inexpensively in a local craft store. Here are some card ideas to get you started:

Photo Christmas Cards

Use photos you already have or take some specifically for the cards. These are great for grandparents, aunts and uncles because they love seeing updated pictures of the kids. Use card stock or construction paper for the card and cut out a rectangle, square, or circle in the middle of the front of the card. Lay a favorite photo of the kids on the inside over the cutout so that the photo shows through on the front of the card. Decorate the card with holiday stickers and crayon drawings from the kids and you have a winning card that anyone would treasure. Make sure you remember to place a poem or short holiday greeting on the inside of the card.

Treat Cards

Use cardstock or construction paper to make the card and then find some winter scenes from an old magazine. Paste or glue the scenes on the front of the card. On the inside of the card tape an envelope of hot chocolate drink mix, dry soup mix envelope or a tea bag to the inside of the card. Write a warm greeting and place some XXX000 (Kisses and Hugs :-) and the child's name.

Wreaths

Wreaths are special at Christmas time because they celebrate the circle of friendship. Make this season special around your home by decorating the doors with special holiday wreaths.

Cereal Wreath
Take a white paper plate and have the kids paint with green non-toxic paint all around the outer edge of the plate (if no edge have them paint like an inch or two in). Once the plate is dry have them cut out the inner circle of the plate.

Have on hand colored cereal in different shapes. Glue the cereal pieces to the green part of the plate. Now attach a big red bow to the bottom of the plate and you have a beautiful handmade cereal wreath to display on one of your doors.

Card Wreath
Take a large piece of cardboard and draw a circle. Now cut out the circle and draw another circle in the middle so that you leave at least 6" all around the outside of the circle. This is your wreath.

Now go get all those old Christmas cards you have stashed away in the attic from last year, and the year before, and the year before that. Have the kids go through this pile of old Christmas cards and pick out their favorites. Line them up so they encircle the wreath side by side. You can overlap the cards for a great affect. Now glue the card backs to the wreath where you want them until the entire wreath is covered with Christmas cards. Attach a holiday bow and you have a fantastic wreath for your home.

What better way to remember what your child wants for Christmas then to make a Christmas Wish List Tablecloth? They are fun for the kids to make and very useful for Santa when it comes to making those special gifts appear.

Christmas Wish List Tablecloth
Purchase a white plastic tablecloth at the store and make sure you have plenty of non-toxic markers on hand. Place the cloth on the table or floor and give the kids the markers. Tell them to draw pictures of what they want for Christmas or if they are older have them actually write out their list (in great detail), this should keep them busy for a while and you will end up with a Christmas craft you will treasure for years.

Interesting Facts About Christmas

It is an accepted fact that the Christmas tree tradition is one that was brought to the shores of America by German immigrants who continued a practice that was popular in their former homeland. Today, a Christmas tree, even a miniature one, is present in just about every home at Christmas. It is therefore interesting to note some little-known facts about the Christmas Tree and other traditions related to Christmas.

The first interesting fact is the source of real Christmas Trees for some Americans. These can be bought at a Christmas Tree Farm or at many local stores and other places of business in just about every town and city across the country around Christmas time. But according to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans buy about 330,000 Christmas trees that are real through e-commerce or from a catalogue and have them shipped by mail-order.

The scent of real Christmas trees is the reason they are so popular. But as they stand silently in their decorative wonder, they also are providing another benefit. The Christmas Tree Association says the amount of oxygen produced on a daily basis by one acre of Christmas trees is enough to provide enough oxygen for18 people. And during the first week, a Christmas Tree at home will use up to one quart of water each day to help retain its longevity for the many days of Christmas.

Since Christmas celebrations gained popularity in America, the Christmas Tree has always been a big tradition. During the 1950s however, artificial Christmas trees were not always green. It was very popular during those times to have artificial trees with other colors such as silver, pink and aqua. The appeal in having these colored Christmas trees may have been due to the fact that they looked shiny and bright and appeared like tinsel instead of green foliage. 

An important ceremony related to the Christmas tree that gains national attention in the U.S.A. during the Christmas season is the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House. This tradition can be credited to President Calvin Coolidge who lit the first decorated Christmas tree outside at the White House in 1923.

The lighting of the National Christmas Tree has also been used to convey some symbolic meanings not related to Christmas. It was not lighted until Dec. 22 in 1963 because of a national mourning period of 30 days for the assassination of President Kennedy.

And while Teddy Roosevelt was President he gave an order that banned the Christmas tree from the White House, not for the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, which caused him to become president, but for reasons related to the environment. 

Also of note is that when the National Christmas Tree was lit on Dec. 13 in 1984, temperatures were in the 70s (fahrenheit) during an unusually warm December.

Christmas has been celebrated in the United States since the 1600s although it wasn't always very popular. It took more than two centuries into the mid-late 1860s for Christmas to become a popular holiday season all across America.

So maybe the rest of the country owes the holiday of Christmas Day to the state of Alabama, which in 1836 became the first state to declare Dec. 25 a legal holiday.  To show how far ahead of the game Alabama was, it wasn't until June 26, 1870 that the federal government declared Christmas as a federal holiday.

Although Christmas is based on the Christian religion, not all Christian groups celebrate the season. Among the Christian groups who do not celebrate Christmas and related traditions such as sending greeting cards are Jehovah Witnesses. Jehovah Witnesses and other non-participating Christian groups say Christmas isn't specifically mentioned in the Bible as a time or reason to celebrate and since they strictly adhere to the word of the Bible, they refuse to celebrate Christmas.

Make Your Own Christmas Cards

If you are on a real tight budget this Christmas or just love to be crafty during the holidays here are some wonderful homemade Christmas card ideas for you to try this holiday season.

Potato Stamp Cards

Supplies you will need for your homemade Christmas Cards:

• Paper Bags or Craft Paper
• Potatoes or Sponges
• Paint or colored ink
• Ribbons
• Hole Punch
• Ink Pen
• Paring Knife (adult supervision)
• Plastic Plate
• Scissors

Step #1 - Check to see if you can find any left over envelopes. You can look in old Christmas card boxes or the drawer where mom or dad pays the bills (ask first). If you find any unused envelopes you can use them and you will need to be sure that the cards you make will fit inside these cards.

Step #2 - Measure the envelope (if you didn't find any have mom or dad buy some for you).

Step #3 - Cut out the brown paper bag to be the same height as the card but twice as wide as the card.

Step #4 - Cut the potatoe in half with an adult helping.  Cut out a Christmas tree shape on the exposed side of the potato (white not the skin).  Cut away potato from the outer edge of the tree that surrounds the tree. You can use three potatoes to cut out different sizes of trees.

Step #5 - Put the paint or ink onto the plastic plate.  Dip the Potato Tree into the paint or ink, now place it on what will be the front of your card (one tree or you can make a group of trees).

Step #6 - Make two holes with the hole punch about a centimeter apart below the Christmas tree.

Step #7 - Insert one end of the ribbon through the left hole, and then put it through the other hole. Loop each end around back and through the opposite hole. Now, pull the ribbon out the front of the card. Tie the ribbon into a pretty Christmas bow.

Step #8 - Use the scissors to trim the ribbon. You can stamp more trees on the inside or write a holiday greeting.  You can also place Christmas stickers on the card or place crayon ornaments on the trees.
You can also decorate the envelopes too. Use the sponge instead of the potato or buy stamps in the store.

Easy Construction Paper Cards

Every child knows how to make Christmas cards out of construction paper. You just fold a piece of construction paper in half. Decorate the one outside half like the front of a Christmas greeting card and write a greeting on the inside of the card. Use Christmas colors (green, red, purple). Use Christmas stickers to decorate the cards if you wish.

Left Over Christmas Cards

If your family saves old Christmas cards ask if you can use them to make new cards.

You will need the old Christmas cards, construction paper, glue, pen, crayons or markers, and scissors to make these homemade cards. 

Sort through the pile of old Christmas cards to find the front of your homemade card. Once you find one you like, cut the front off the old card. You can use parts and not the entire front if you like. You can also use more than one old card to make a different picture.

Fold the construction paper in half.  Glue the old card picture onto the front of your construction paper card.

Using the pen, crayons or marker add to the picture, or draw new pictures to go with the old card picture.
Write a holiday greeting on the inside of the card with your pen. You can copy greetings from the old cards.

 

Twelve Things You May Not Have Known About Christmas

1. Christmas trees were first lighted with actual candles, which presented a fire hazard. As a result containers filled with water had to be kept near the Christmas tree.
2. Workers in the construction industry are responsible for the tradition of having a Christmas tree on display at Rockefeller Center in New York City. They are credited with placing an undecorated tree at the site in the early 1930s.
3. Since the mid-1960s, The National Christmas Tree Association has maintained a presence in the White House at Christmas by donating a Christmas tree to the First Family.
4. The first Christmas tree ornaments were sold in Woolworth's department store in 1880.
5. Plastic became the primary material used to make tinsel after their use for decorative purposes was at one time prohibited because lead was used in the manufacturing process.
6. The idea of Christmas greeting cards started in Britain in the late 1830s when John Calcott Horsley started to produce small cards that had festive scenes and a holiday greeting written inside. Similar cards were also being made in the United States at about the same time by R.H. Pease, in Albany, New York, and Louis Prang, who was a German immigrant. The idea of sending the greeting cards during Christmas gained popularity in both countries about 10 years later when new postal delivery services started. 
7. The shortened form Xmas for Christmas has been popular in Europe since the 1500s. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word 'Xristos' which means Christ.
8. According to the National Confectioners Association, for 200 years candy canes were only made in the color of white and it wasn't until the 1950s that a machine was invented that could automate the production of candy canes.
9. The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day in England and it is a national holiday. Several stories exist for the origination of the name. It is believed to have originated from the practice of boys who would be about collecting money in clay boxes. Another thought is that the term is derived from a custom in the Middle Ages, about 800 years ago, when churches would open their 'alms boxes' and distribute the contents to poor people on the day after Christmas. Alms boxes are boxes in which donations of gifts and money would be placed. Yet another belief is that it comes from a custom of masters giving their servants Christmas presents in boxes on the day after Christmas.
10. Evergreen trees had special meaning in winter to people, particularly in Europe, before Christianity started. Ancient peoples would hang evergreen branches over their doors and windows because evergreens were believed to ward off witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. For worshipers of the sun god, evergreen plants were a reminder of all the green plants that would grow with the return of summer and the sun god being strong again.
11. In ancient times, many people worshiped the sun as a god in December because they thought winter occurred yearly because the sun god had fallen into ill health. They therefore celebrated the winter solstice because it was a sign that the son god would begin to regain strength and return to good health.
12. Legislators in Congress did business on Christmas Day in 1789, which was the first one to be observed under the country's new constitution. The reason for the Congressional session was because it had become unpopular then to observe and take part in English customs following the American Revolution. And when Christmas celebrations were banned in Boston earlier in 1659 to 1681, it became a costly thing to be seen participating in any event or activity related to Christmas. Anyone caught doing so had to pay a fine.

What Makes Christmas Magical

Christmas is a special time of the year for the joy and intangible magic that fills the season. But where does that magic come from?

Does it come from the glittering decorations shimmering in the shops and the dazzling Christmas lights displays on many houses in the neighbourhood; or is it the Christmas music floating melodiously through the shopping centres; the carolers on the streets and in the malls; or the amazing site of a huge Christmas tree, storeys high, covered in twinkling lights and sparkling tinsel in the town square?

Is it the delight on a child's face when he or she sees a jolly Santa Caus in the shopping malls with lines of children eagerly waiting to sit on his lap and whisper secrets of what they'd like for Christmas, and receiving a candy cane in return?

Perhaps it's the hues of all the seasonal food that abounds this time of year, the multi-coloured candy and jellies, rum balls (and their variations such as apricot balls or raspberry balls), or the sight of delectable fruit mince pies dusted lightly with white icing sugar, that looks like a smattering of snow.

For children, it's often the time parents spend with them that is special, whether it's doing craft together, creating cards or decorations to hang around the house, or whether it's in the kitchen, baking Christmas cookies and puddings and cakes and pies for Christmas Day, and the mouth-watering aromas wafting through their home.

Children of all ages enjoy helping mix cookie dough and using special holiday-shaped cookie cutters to create gingerbread men or Christmas trees, which they love to decorate in many colours, making their own unique contribution to Christmas festivities.

Maybe it's going out as a family on a cool night to the local Christmas concert, singing carols as a community under the starlight, or going to church and hearing the congregation's voices raised high, echoing through the place of worship, singing hymns of joy for this time of year. 
 
And what about when everyone in the family helps to decorate the Christmas tree?  A special Christmas memory can be created when each family member makes a special ornament for the Christmas tree, or contributes one or more keepsake items to decorate the tree. It could then become a ritual each year for those particular items to be placed on the Christmas tree adding to the family's history of Christmases.

Many activities contribute to the magic of Christmas and create happy childhood memories.   But quite probably the most anticipated and magical activity of Christmas is the excitement of wondering what Christmas gift Santa will bring this year.

While many adults also look forward with some anticipation (or trepidation) to see what Christmas gifts they will get, it's really the children who get the most delight from receiving presents at Christmas. The joy on their faces when they see the pile of brightly coloured gifts under the Christmas tree, and the excitement with which they rip off the paper to reveal their present, can often be a gift in itself to their parents and other family members who've given them the gifts.  Many people get almost as much joy out of seeing how their carefully thought about and chosen gifts are received from the recipients, and their surprise and gratitude when they get it right.

All these events, activities, happenings, sights, sounds and scents of Christmas and the holidays create special and unforgettable memories. And who can deny that a pleasant memory is always something that is truly magical.

Christmas Gifts On A Budget

Christmas is an expensive time of year, what with gifts, and buying festive foods, and travelling to visit relatives.

If you're finding it difficult to make ends meet this year, considering doing something different this Christmas in relation to your gift giving.

If you're normally expected to buy gifts for cousins and aunts and uncles you haven't seen for months and aren't in regular contact with, simply because you're going to a huge family Christmas gathering, then one suggestion is to opt out of the big family thing, and this year, do something small with your immediate family only. 

Alternately, you can suggest to the rest of your family that, rather than buying a gift for everyone, limit the gift-giving to children or better still, do a Secret Santa draw where everybody who's attending the family gathering has their name put on a piece of paper which is then placed in a hat or bowl.  Each person attending then gets given one name to buy for that year, and that is the only present they have to take along.  Make sure you all agree on a price range for gifts as well, something reasonable per person.  The difficulty with Secret Santa, of course, is that if someone who's been allocated to buy a gift for someone else doesn't turn up, or forgets, then the person who was supposed to receive the gift gets the one that was bought for the guest who didn't arrive.

An even better option is to have a lucky dip or grab bag.  Adults buy one adult present each, and children are also responsible for bringing along a present for another child, again within the agreed upon price range, according to their own gender (unless of course, you're the only one of that gender going to the party!)  Then the gifts get put into four lucky dips - one for adult males, one for adult females, one for boys, and one for girls, or if there are a lot of teenagers, expand the number of lucky dips accordingly.  Everyone then draws a piece of paper which has a number on it and gets to pick from the lucky dip according to their number.  You probably won't get what you really wanted for Christmas, but the spirit of gift giving is still practiced.

This works well if you have a small immediate family, eg. two parents and one or two children because then your family is only expected to buy as many presents as there are people in the family, however, if you have a large family of seven or more kids, it becomes more expensive.  At the same time, however, it's much fairer, and everyone who arrives with a gift, leaves with one.

If you simply can't afford to buy any expensive gifts, then you might choose to turn your hand to creating something you're good at.

People who are good cooks can bake goodies for Christmas presents, or if you know someone else who's a good cook, you could do up a small recipe gift basket that contains the dry ingredients and a nicely presented copy of the recipe, all wrapped festively so they can cook it themselves later.  This works well if you have a favourite cake or cookie that everyone always asks the recipe for.

Similarly, if you're good at craft and can whip something festive up from bits and pieces found around the house or from your own craft collection, do that, for example a candle in a frosted glass bottle prettily decorated and tied with a ribbon. 

Or perhaps one of your relatives has been saying for ages they'd like to get into knitting - give them some wool, knitting needles and a book on how to start, or better still, if you're a knitter yourself, arrange that day for a time the two of you can sit down and you'll teach them how to get started.

Likewise, if you're good at carpentry or woodwork, use some of your offcuts to make something unique that can't be found in regular stores.  Or if you're a keen gardener and have healthy, thriving plants, then pot some cuttings or give away some of your lush plants.

In all these cases, all you need to do is put the gifts into some Christmas trimming (wrapping paper from last year would do) and voila, you have a gift for someone else. 

You could even make your own gift wrap with the help of your children.  This gives the present a far more personal touch, particularly for doting grandparents or loving aunts.

And don't forget your computer (if you have one).  You could buy some plain white t-shirts and some t-shirt transfers, create your own design or use a favourite photo and transfer it onto the t-shirt for a one-of-a-kind gift for that special someone who's always wearing t-shirts with catchy sayings for example.

Or scan some pre-digital-camera photos and create a slideshow, or screen saver, or a simple photo album featuring old photos, and burn it to a cd.  Add a festive label and you've created something that has only cost a few dollars but which is unique to the person.  Another photo-related option is to print out a favourite photo (or if you can afford it, have it blown up to a reasonable size at your local photo shop) and frame it.

Children can do something similar for their grandparents or favourite aunts by buying a cheap frame from a discount shop, decorating it themselves, and putting in a special photo that means something to their relative.

Other options using your computer can be to print off calendars or coupons or gift certificates where you promise to mow the lawn, clean up your bedroom, take your partner out to dinner, babysit for a couple with a newborn etc. etc.  You're only limited here by your imagination and what you're willing to do as a service to the recipient.  Check out templates for these from Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/)

By not having to stress about how you're going to afford all those Christmas gifts this year, you have enjoy a more magical Christmas.  And what if someone doesn't appreciate the efforts you went to in relation to their gift?  That's more a reflection of their personality, than yours, and they obviously don't understand the true spirit of the season.

Who is Santa Claus?

Today's Santa Claus is a jolly, plump old fellow with a white beard and red suit trimmed with white fur.  He lives with his wife, Mrs Claus, at the North Pole with elves who help make toys in Santa's Workshop.  On Christmas Eve, Santa loads sacks of toys onto his sleigh which is pulled by flying reindeers and he travels around the world in one night delivering presents to good children.

The popularity first in America (and now the World) of this image of Santa Claus can be traced to the poem, "A Visit from St Nicholas" now more commonly known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas" attributed to Clement Clark Moore and first published in 1823.  In that poem, Moore described St. Nicholas as a jolly fellow who flew from house to house in a sleigh pulled by reindeers and waited for children to go to bed on Christmas Eve before he came down the chimney to deliver Christmas presents for them.

Following the distribution of that poem, the popular magazine Harper's Weekly published cartoons by Thomas Nast between 1863 and 1886 that depicted Santa as a cheerful fellow with a large round belly and long white beard who wore a bright red suit that was trimmed with white fur. In those cartoons, Santa also held a sack, which was filled with toys for boys and girls, over his shoulder. The cartoons also showed Santa reading letters from good boys and girls, working in his workshop with his elves, checking his list to make sure he had all the required toys and even showed his wife, Mrs. Claus.

But what are the origins of today's Santa?

The tradition of Santa Claus, or rather, Sinterklaas, was brought to the New World (America) by Dutch settlers in 1624.   "Sinterklaas" itself appears to have been a variation of the more formal "Sint Nikolaas" which in turn derived from Saint Nicholas.

The real St. Nicholas (c. 270  - 6 December 343) was the Greek bishop of Myra (a place in modern-day Turkey) and was also known as "Nikolaos of Myra" or "Nikolaos the Wonderworker".  He is recognised as a miracle worker, the Patron Saint for children and sailors (amongst other things) though it is his reputation for generosity and kindness and his secret gift-giving that is remembered the most.

The legend of St. Nicholas led to thousands of people being devoted to him and consequently hundreds of European churches were dedicated to him. After the Reformation period however, widespread practice and worship of St. Nicholas disappeared in European countries that were Protestant, except in Holland where
the legend of St. Nicholas continued.

Arriving in New Amsterdam, the Dutch families continued to observe 6th December, Saint Nicholas Day and a ship from the Mother Country would arrive in the city port around December 5 each year, bearing gifts for the children. The red and white-trimmed suit of Santa Claus is believed to be the colors that the original St. Nicholas wore because red and white were the colors of the robes traditionally worn by bishops.

After Britain gained control of New Amsterdam in 1644, renaming it New York, English settlers joined the Dutch. They brought their own Christmas gift bearer, Father Christmas.

So where did Father Christmas originate?

The earliest evidence for a personified ‘Christmas’ is a carol attributed to Richard Smart, Rector of Plymtree (Devon) from 1435 to 1477 (Dearmer and Williams, Oxford Book of Carols (1928), no. 21, 41-3); it is a sung dialogue between someone representing ‘Sir Christmas’ and a group who welcome him, in a way suggestive of a visiting custom:

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell!
‘Who is there that singeth so?’
‘I am here, Sir Christmas.’
‘Welcome, my lord Sir Christmas,
Welcome to us all, both more and less,
Come near, Nowell!’

Sir Christmas then gives news of Christ's birth, and urges his hearers to drink: ‘Buvez bien par toute la compagnie, Make good cheer and be right merry.’

In Tudor and Stuart times, ‘Lords of Misrule’ called ‘Captain Christmas’, ‘The Christmas Lord’, or ‘Prince Christmas’ organized and presided over the season's feasting and entertainments in aristocratic houses, colleges, and Inns of Court.

A personified ‘Christmas’ appears in Ben Jonson's court entertainment Christmas,  his Masque (1616), together with his sons: Misrule, Carol, Mince Pie, Gambol, Post-and-Pan, New Year's Gift, Mumming, Wassail, and Baby Cake. He protests against an attempt to exclude him:

Why, gentlemen, do you know what you do? Ha! Would you have kept me out? Christmas, Old Christmas, Christmas of London, and Captain Christmas? … Why, I am no dangerous person … I am Old Gregory Christmas still, and though I am come from Pope's Head Alley, as good a Protestant as any in my parish.

The need to defend seasonal revelry against Puritan accusations of Popery became more urgent some decades later. When the celebration of Christmas was banned by the English Parliament, pamphleteers continued the device of personifying Christmas, as in The Examination and Tryall of Old Father Christmas (1658) and An Hue and Cry after Christmas (1645). Echoing this tradition, Father Christmas acts as presenter in many versions of the mumming play, with such opening lines as:

In comes I, old Father Christmas,
Be I welcome or be I not?
I hope old Father Christmas
Will never be forgot.

The Victorian revival of Christmas involved Father Christmas too, as the emblem of ‘good cheer’, but at first his physical appearance was variable. He had always been imagined as old and bearded (in a masque by Thomas Nabbes (1638) he is ‘an old reverend gentleman in furred gown and cap’), but pictures in the Illustrated London News in the 1840s show him variously as a reveller in Elizabethan costume grasping a tankard, a wild, holly-crowned giant pouring wine, or a lean figure striding along carrying a wassail bowl and a log.

One famous image was John Leech's illustration for Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843), where the gigantic Ghost of Christmas Present, sitting among piled-up food and drink, wears exactly the kind of fur-trimmed loose gown of the modern Father Christmas—except that it is green, matching his holly wreath. 

Towards the end of the 1870s, he developed a new role as present-bringer for children, in imitation either of European St Nicholas customs, or of the American Santa Claus, or both. By 1883, a French visitor to England mentions, as a matter of common knowledge, that he comes down chimneys and puts toys and sweets in stockings.

In view of the German influence on the British Christmas, it may be significant that in Southern Germany the saint was accompanied by a gnome-like servant, usually dressed in a red, brown, or green hooded garment, carrying a small fir tree and a bag of toys.

Father Christmas's costume became more standardized: it was almost always predominantly red, though Victorian Christmas cards do occasionally show him in blue, green, or brown; in outdoor scenes he often wore a heavy, hooded kneelength coat and fur boots; he carried holly, but the holly crown became rarer.

Nowadays Father Christmas is almost always associated with children's presents rather than adult feasting. His authentic dress is a loose, hooded red gown edged with white; however, he now often wears a red belted jacket and tasselled floppy cap imitated from Santa Claus, and has acquired Santa's reindeer sledge and nocturnal habits.

Which leads us to another of Santa's popular pseudonyms - Kris Kringle.

In the 1680's German settlers in Pennsylvania brought with them their own Christmas gift bearer, the Christkindl. Martin Luther, one of the instigators of the Protestant Reformation, introduced the Christkindl in the 16th Century as a way to combat the growing celebrations of Saint Nicholas, a Catholic Priest, which he thought to be inappropriate. A pretty girl garbed in white robes and a gold halo portrayed the Christkindle, or Christ Child. She doled out gifts to children on Christmas Eve. Over time, the pronunciation of Christkindle was Americanized into Kris Kringle (and changed genders!) and became another name for Saint Nicholas, which in turn morphed into Santa Claus. 

Regardless of who Santa Claus really is or where he came from, he represents the spirit of Christmas through his act of giving to others at the time of year that is now celebrated as the birth of Jesus Christ - the greatest gift of all.

Christmas Literature

Everybody's heard of Charles Dickens' story  "A Christmas Carol."  There have been countless renditions of it from Disney's cartoon version with Mickey Mouse and the gang, to a one-man stage performance  by Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek: The Next Generation tv series) which has been a feature throughout the Christmas season for many years.  Interestingly, Patrick Stewart has also appeared as Ebenezer Scrooge in a more mainstream film version of the story as well (as have many other well-known actors throughout the history of cinema).

It's said that Dickens wrote this story in a matter of weeks because his previous work, Martin Chuzzlewit didn't sell very well, and he needed the money, and it has since become his most famous work. 

But did you know that Charles Dickens wrote several other Christmas stories, including "The Chimes" (1844), "Cricket on the Hearth" (1845) and a series of Christmas-themed short stories which he published in holiday editions of his two magazines, Household Words and All the Year Round?

Did you also know that Charles Dickens apparently accredited an American author's earlier book, sometimes known as "Old Christmas" as an influence on his own Christmas writings, including "A Christmas Carol"?

"Old Christmas" was written by an American author Washington Irving (1782-1859).   In his stories, Irving portrayed an idealized celebration of old-fashioned Christmas customs at a quaint English manor, that depicted harmonious warm-hearted English Christmas festivities he had experienced while staying in  Aston Hall, Birmingham, England, that had largely been abandoned. 

He in turn used text from "The Vindication of Christmas" (London 1652) of old English Christmas traditions, which he had transcribed into his journal as a format for his stories. "The Sketch Book" in turn contributed to the revival and reinterpretation of the Christmas holiday in the United States. (It might also surprise you to know that Irving is the person who popularized the nickname "Gotham" for New York City which was later used in the Batman comics, and he coined the phrase  "the almighty dollar"!)

However, there are many other famous (and not so famous) authors who have been inspired by Christmas so much they've written about it, including William Shakespeare, Robert Frost, Truman Capote, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hans Christian Anderson, Mark Twain and even the 20th century crime queen herself, Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot's Christmas) to name a few.

A well-known story, "The Gift of the Magi" by O.Henry is one such story which many find quite sad, but which truly epitomises the spirit of giving and sacrifice that is prevalent at Christmas.

And who can forget Dr Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" or the letter that appeared in the New York's "Sun" newspaper in 1867, known today as "Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus" (http://www.nysun.com/editorials/yes-virginia/68502/)

Another of my family's favourite Christmas stories is Selma Lagerlof's "The Holy Night"  which a few years ago I read to my son (his choice) as he went to bed every night leading up to Christmas. Selma Lagerlof was the first female author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

It's become somewhat of a tradition in our household to read a Christmas story each year to my son around bedtime during the Christmas period - initially these were short stories, but the last few years we've expanded to include novels as he's grown older.

Last year, I came across another book I think is just brilliant and certainly an interesting interpretation of another Christmas legend, Santa Claus.  The book is called "The Autobiography of Santa Claus" written by Jeff Guinn and published in 1994.

But of course, in addition to "A Christmas Carol", the most famous and popular piece of literature about Christmas, and particularly Santa Claus, would have to be a poem that has been attributed to Clement C Moore (another American author, who was born in 1779). 

This poem first appeared anonymously in New York's "Sentinel" newspaper in 1823, and was reprinted frequently thereafter.  Clement Moore acknowledged authorship of the poem and included it in an 1844 anthology of his works at the insistence of his children, for whom, it is said, he had written the poem, very quickly, one night.  Originally entitled "A visit from St Nicholas" it is more commonly known today as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas".

Christmas is truly a magical time that inspires many to creativity.