Does anyone else go to...

See the SantaClaus.com forums for Christmas and Santa chat.
http://www.SantaClaus.com/forums/
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MauEvig
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Does anyone else go to...

Post by MauEvig » Thu Oct 30, 2014 12:01 pm

The Santa Claus forums, which is our sister site?

http://www.santaclaus.com/forums/

I haven't seen much activity on there. I love Christmas almost as much as Halloween, and I guess making those little Christmas crafts I can't help but have Christmas on the back of my mind.

I know I get a feeling of let down after Halloween is over (I can't believe it's going to be tomorrow already! Woo hoo!) so I feel an urge to jump into the Christmas stuff that's bright and cheerful. I already found a Christmas table cloth I'm going to get out left over as another thing from the house's previous owner and it's never even been opened. My Halloween themed dining room table actually inspired some ideas for my Christmas one.

I'll have to keep myself from jumping the ship though and focus on Thanksgiving next. I found a few Thanksgiving Nick Nacks I'll probably get out, and post on the Thanksgiving Section when it comes time to decorate for that. I don't usually do a whole lot for Thanksgiving though, other than the turkey meal and stuff.

I've also decided I think I'm going to make all my Christmas presents this year. :3
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Re: Does anyone else go to...

Post by Murfreesboro » Fri Oct 31, 2014 10:09 am

I think I have browsed them, but I have never joined them. I just don't have time to join too many, and there is so much info about Christmas everywhere. I do enjoy Christmas, though. I call it my favorite holiday, with Halloween my second favorite (though my husband corrects me-he says Halloween is really my favorite!).

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Re: Does anyone else go to...

Post by MauEvig » Fri Oct 31, 2014 6:44 pm

I really do love Halloween, but I also love Christmas. Halloween's my favorite but Christmas is a pretty close second. In fact, I'd say it's about equal really. They're just so different in so many ways. Christmas is cheerful, Halloween is more spooky and fun. But each holiday has it's own unique charm. Sometimes I think Christmas tries to invade Halloween by using Halloween trees and stuff, to make sort of a darker version of Christmas. I don't mind seeing the Christmas-fied Halloween stuff, but it kind of makes me wonder if we shouldn't just stick with pumpkins instead of Halloween trees.

Although I did have a little Halloween tree from AVON, but I don't know what I did with it. It was cool because it lit up and came with little Halloween ornaments.

If you ever do decide to go there Murf, I'm "SnowMau" on there. They might become more active as Christmas gets closer. Although I've noticed that there seems to be more dedicated to Halloween than Christmas, since this forum is more active.

It's fun to think of the similarities though. When you think about it, there's a spirit of "giving" in both holidays. With Christmas it's presents, with Halloween it's candy. :D Both holidays have pagan roots and traditions. Both have ghost lore.
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Re: Does anyone else go to...

Post by Murfreesboro » Sat Nov 01, 2014 10:38 am

Interesting comments about the similarities, Mau. I had thought about the ghostly connection, but not so much about the others. Both holidays are sort of atavistic, I think. They both have to do with celebrating at the end of the year, when people can't go outside and farm. Halloween is probably the end of the outdoor stuff until the following spring. Christmas is more of an indoors celebration.

IDK, maybe I will go visit over there, but not this morning.

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Re: Does anyone else go to...

Post by MauEvig » Sat Nov 01, 2014 12:31 pm

lol it's ok either way, I might pop in there more now that Halloween's over.

Halloween's over! I'm a little bummed out now! But I still have a few more holidays to look forward to, so it's not so bad. I like to think of Halloween as the "kick off" for the holiday season. I don't get a huge let down until after New Years, although a bit of let down after Christmas.

Glad you liked the comments murf. I like to observe these things I guess and make comparisons. Then again, my favorite kind of essay was always "compare and contrast" which we did a lot in 8th grade English, and maybe that's another reason why I want to teach that grade level. I think compare and contrast is fun actually, compared to other kinds of essays. Not that I particularly enjoy essay writing, but out of all the types of essays out there that's my favorite.

I also remember we did a little thing about the different Santa Claus traditions in different countries.

You're right in that they are both rooted in ancient celebrations. Of course, many holidays are including Easter (and I think even Valentine's day started in the middle ages. ) I'm not sure about St Patty's. I think Thanksgiving and Fourth of July are both relatively new in comparison. Thanksgiving is almost like a transition from Halloween into Christmas. I love Thanksgiving though with all the delicious goodies and food. But I love food lol. Christmas has "Krampus nacht" in Germany too, which is rather dark and "Halloween like".

I also learned that the Puerto ricans have a tradition called the Three wise men, where in addition to Santa making a visit, I think in early January the There Wise Men also bring gifts. In Italy, they get a visit from La Befana who I call the "Christmas witch."
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Re: Does anyone else go to...

Post by Murfreesboro » Sun Nov 02, 2014 8:04 am

Oh, Halloween is for sure the kick-off to the holidays in my book.

Those countries that celebrate the tradition of the Wise Men bearing gifts usually exchange on January 6, which is the Feast of Epiphany,when the light of Jesus was shown to the outer world (via the Wise Men). That's the date traditionally associated with them.

I love to research holidays. I remember I learned a great deal about Ground Hog Day one year, lots of interesting stuff associated with that one, both from pagan Europe and the Catholic tradition.

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Re: Does anyone else go to...

Post by MauEvig » Sun Nov 02, 2014 6:58 pm

I think Epiphany Eve is also when La Befana shows up in Italy.

I have to wonder why we don't do these sort of things in America? They sound like fun. It also shows a bit of continuation of the holidays into January.

Not that it would break up the resulting winter doldrums after wards. I don't usually feel a huge break in the doldrums until at least Easter. I would say Valentine's, but I got sick two years in a row during the same time of year.
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Re: Does anyone else go to...

Post by Murfreesboro » Mon Nov 03, 2014 8:56 am

I think we don't do the Twelve Days of Christmas (ending at Epiphany) because this country was basically founded by Protestants, and they perceived the liturgical calendar as too Catholic. Of course, some Protestant denominations do observe it (Episcopalians and Lutherans for sure, maybe Methodists a little). But most do not.

Back in Europe, being Protestant or Catholic had political connotations, and many Protestants distrusted Catholics because of their allegiance to the Pope (an international figure, rather than a national one, whose authority might have been in conflict with national self-interest, you know). That's what Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot were all about in England. The English went crazy hating on the Catholics because they thought there was this Catholic plot to blow up Parliament.

Actually, when the Anglican (Episcopal) church broke with Rome during Henry VIII's time, it was over the king's desire for a divorce, so the English church didn't really move too far away from Catholicism in practice. They gave up allegiance to the Pope and belief in Purgatory, but otherwise they were pretty close to Catholicism in practice. That's why there were so many Dissenters from the English church, because there were lots of Protestants who didn't feel the Anglicans had moved far enough away from Catholicism.

And of course there was that interlude of Cromwell in the 1640s & 1650s, when the Puritans overthrew the English government. They didn't celebrate much of anything, not even Christmas. (Christmas was regarded by the Puritans as too pagan.) So when Cromwell died and they got kicked out, the "restored" monarchy was sort of starting over with new/old traditions. Above all, they weren't terribly religious, because they thought that religious zealotry had brought on civil war. So they became more about rationalism and science, and the church wasn't too influential. (That's why the Methodists gained ground in the 18th century, originally a branch of the Episcopal church. The Methodists felt there wasn't enough passion in the Anglican church.)

In the early 19th century, there was a revival of interest in the old customs, including Christmas. Dickens caught a wave when he wrote Christmas Carol in 1843. That's why, when we think of old-timey Christmases, we usually envision carolers in Victorian dress.

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Re: Does anyone else go to...

Post by Murfreesboro » Tue Nov 04, 2014 3:11 pm

Mau, if you like Christmas, you might check out something called the Rudolph Club. It is an organizational tool, on line. It suggests activities for the 25th of each month to help you get organized for the next Christmas season, so you don't stress out trying to do everything at once. It is not a forum, but it could be helpful if a person were to check in with it each month on the 25th.

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