Design Crafters

Many times each holiday season, we ponder the question: is Christmas too commercial? You may have noticed there are fewer religious messages (or any acknowledgement of the Savior’s birth at all) on Christmas greeting cards these days. I’ve even noticed the ones that do acknowledge the true reason for the season, are often hideous or are not quite the message I’m looking for. I have to look really hard to find nice ones. Am I just looking in the wrong places?

Despite the occasional trouble finding the card of my dreams, this brings up one of the many beauties of photo Christmas cards. You can add any picture and any phrase you’d like. Religious or not. It also means a lot more to have a personalized card like that. Think about it…When you receive Christmas cards in the mail, which ones do you notice? Which ones mean more? A certain family member of mine saw me writing this blog post and answered “the ones with the money in them.” That’s not quite what I meant, but had to laugh anyhow. Somebody’s getting a lump of coal in their stocking!

I’m sure I’m not alone in that when I receive Christmas cards with pictures and/or a personal note, those mean so much more to me than a pre-printed impersonal message.  I can also put the photo greeting cards in a photo album.  The recipients of your Christmas cards are likely to enjoy such cards from you, too.

The 12 days of Christmas are the 12 days that separate Christmas day on
December 25 from Epiphany, which is celebrated January 6. Depending on
the church, January 6 may mark Christ’s baptism (the Catholic
tradition), or more traditionally, it may mark the day that the wise men visited the baby
Jesus with their gifts.

In the past, there was a tradition of giving gifts throughout the 12 days, rather than stacking them all up on
the morning of December 25. That tradition, as you might imagine, has never really caught on in America! We just
aren’t that patient. The song, however, demonstrates that some people once stretched out their gifts (and
gave some fairly elaborate gifts…) over the full 12 days.

Drennon’s Twelve Days of Christmas offers some interesting perspectives on the 12 days of Christmas and the song of that same title. You may have received Christmas cards in tne past and probaby will again in the future that feature a Christmas tree with partridges in them. That idea was stimulated by that song.

If you had an alien visiting you or even just as odd, someone
from the "Bush" who had never heard about Christmas would you be able
to answer all their questions about it? If they showed up any time after
Thanksgiving, decorations would be up everywhere and I’m sure he/she would have
many questions.

First of all what is Christmas and why is it such a big deal? What’s with all
the decorations? Why do we "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly? Why do we
exchange Christmas presents? Why do we have an evergreen or a "fake"
evergreen tree in our living room and why is it decorated with ornaments and tinsel?
Why do we have garland hanging over our mantel and/or staircase and a wreath on
our front door?

What is a nativity scene and why are there oversized stockings hanging from
your mantle? Why is mistletoe hanging from the doorway? Why are there
poinsettias on the hearth and a big log in the fireplace? Why is every radio
station playing Christmas songs over and over again all day long and why are
there people walking around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols in the
evening?

Who is this Santa person and this reindeer named Rudolph? What exactly are the
12 days of Christmas and why is Christmas Eve celebrated? Why so many fruitcakes
and why does everyone dream of a white Christmas? Why is Christmas sometimes
spelled Xmas, and why are the malls so crowded with people carrying heavy
shopping bags? Why are there Christmas cards lying all over the coffee table?

We will attempt to answer some of these questions for you in case you may need
some help duing the next few days.