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The History of the Christmas Pud
The "Christmas Pud" - in our opinion the most delicious of all the scrumptious winter fayre that helps make up the traditional British Christmas. However what we think of as Christmas Pudding, is not what it was originally like! In this article we look at "The History of the Christmas Pud"
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Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?
Since the early days of Christianity, Biblical scholars and theologians have offered varying interpretations of the meaning and significance of the gold, frankincense and myrrh that the magi presented to Jesus. The latest one is that the magi “from the East” may have presented Frankincense to the baby Jesus for its’ healing properties.
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Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” – more than just a good story
Scrooge’s transformation from miser to generous spirit is an uplifting tale. In fact, it’s so cheery that it’s one of the few books that has actually changed
society.
Christmas Carols – The Oldest ones are the best – Some Origins
Christmas carols are mostly a Victorian tradition along with trees, crackers and cards. In this article we look at why the popularity of Silent Night has never faded, why there’s always a place for Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, and why the British fondness of Good King Wenceslas has yet to subside.
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Twas the Night Before Christmas – A Poem that Shaped Modern Santa
Much of our modern idea of Santa Claus comes from a very famous poem, the 1823 work ‘A Visit from St Nicholas’. More commonly known by its first line, ‘’Twas the night before Christmas’
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5 Classic Christmas Carols and their Origins
They say the old songs are the best and when it comes to Christmas Carols they may well be right. In this article we look at the origins of several popular carols both sacred and secular.
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Interesting Factoids about Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”
A Chrismas Carol’ is a story firmly embedded into the British psyche and traditions surrounding Christmas. In this article we’ve gathered together some of the more curious, and rather interesting factoids about Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”
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Christmas Traditions – The First Ever Nativity Play
Even in modern, secular Britain there is one tradition that still holds sway at Christmas – The Christmas Nativity Play. In this article we look at the 800 year old origin of this Christmas institution.
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Have Yourself a Merry Patois Christmas – Silent Night in Guernsey French
Ever wondered how to sing your favourite carols in Guernsey French ? Well now you can. In this article we’ve listed the Guernesiais version of Silent Night along with the phonetic pronunciation
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Christmas is Cancelled – The Puritan assault on Christmas during the 1640s and 1650s
As the year 1645 came to a close Englishmen had little cause for celebration. The country was 3 years into a vicious civil war and if that wasn’t bad enough any of the traditional festivities that they might have looked forward to had been abolished by order of the two Houses of Parliament sitting at Westminster – this was Puritan England’s assault on Christmas.
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Christmas Factoid : ‘Jingle Bells’ wasn’t originally written as a Christmas song
Ever wonder why ‘Jingle Bells’ is the only Christmas song that doesn’t mention Christmas, Jesus or the Nativity ? That’s because it was written to celebrate Thanksgiving.
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Think You’ve got a Handle on Christmas? – A Yuletide Quiz to Test Your Knowledge
How well do yo think that you know Christmas? In this article are some Christmas factoids listed with possible answers. See how many you get right.
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Wassail Punch – A Medieval Winter Warmer
Add some history to your festivities with a glass of wassail punch.
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How did people in the Middle Ages Celebrate Christmas?
Today we celebrate Christmas with a spirit of merriment, gift giving and (over) indulgence. But that begs the question … How was Christmas celebrated in the past? Or more specifically for our aricle here – the Middle Ages?
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Christmas Factlet : Jesus’ Mum didn’t call him Jesus
This is one of those things we all think we know until some bright spark pops up to say .. “that’s not true”. So here is the low-down on why Jesus’ Mum didn’t call him Jesus.
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So Why do the British Traditionally Eat Turkey at Christmas ?
Christmas is probably the time of year when there is an overwhelming plethora of traditions and practices that we all enthusiastically embrace. In this article we look at one of the most enduring of British traditions … the Christmas Turkey.
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The Meaning of 12 Days of Christmas Carol
There’s one particular Christmas Carol that continues to baffle people – “The Twleve days of Christmas”. What in the world do ‘leaping lords’, ‘French hens’,’swimming-swans’ and especially the partridge who won’t come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
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