**-**Tis The Season To Be Jolly!**-**

Page

Next Last

Sid

@Get-Lost

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 9 years ago

When S a n t a 's flying in his magic s l e i g h
Goes all around the world in just a d a y
From the N o r t h P o l e to the S o u t h e r n tip
He makes his trip with l o v e to give away
Here him say...

"It's C h r i s t m a s, all over the world t o n i g h t.

It's C h r i s t m a s, all over the w o r l d "

Frost-spikes hang off the window sill like a phantom's glassy fingers. The pine sweet smell of the tree ghosts through the room, mixing with the oaken oven scents. It's Christmas time again, the time of hope, joy, and forgiveness.Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere means a blanket of snow, beautiful lights and sleigh rides. It's the time when children wake up early in the hopes that the greatest illusionist of them all, Santa Claus had visited. This jolly, whiskey-nosed character has conjured up more delight from souls than the rest of humanity combined. His marmot-cheeked magic is indeed a joy to the world. Outside the window, the world is a moonscape of white. It's glittery, it's serene and brings out the kids in all the adults. A flash-silver Angel is perched on the top of a sparkling Christmas Tree; blessing children who are restless to open gifts. As the exotic waft of turkey and stuffing fill up nostrils; the jingling of the dinner bell is heard. The best sound of Christmas along with laughter and merriment.

"It's Christmas, all over the world tonight.

It's Christmas, all over the world."

Christmas time in India is no less than a celebration just like Diwali or Eid. Christians in India begin their day by attending church services, celebrating festive occasion with relatives, wearing new clothes and end the day with a festive dinner. Elders in families exchange presents and sweet delicacies with children. Display of small electric lights or clay oil-burning lamps is common in Christian households along with banana or mango leaf decorations. Some additionally set up a nativity scene with clay figures or a Christmas tree. Christmas trees in India are generally imitation pine trees or branches of local trees or bushes.

Symbols of Christmas in India include:

Small electric lights and oil burners.
Decorations made of banana or mango leaves.
Artificial pine trees or branches of native tree and bushes decorated with Christmas themed ornaments.
Nativity scenes with small clay figures.
Statues of or actors playing Santa Claus.

"Sleigh bells ring, are you listening, in the lane, snow is glistening, a beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland" goes the popular song by Dean Martin. The association ofChristmas and snow, forms the quintessential image of Christmas in most people's minds. Not so in countries below the Equator where it would hardly be reasonable to ask for snow, considering that Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere falls during summer. Santa would be sweating hard if he hasn't changed into shorts or got a tan if he hasn't applied sun-screen. Jokes apart, the festive spirit of Christmas is the same. Christmas dinners are replaced by Christmas lunches and Turkey is let taken over by crabs, oysters and sea fish. And while the rest of the world is bundling up by the fireplace, going on sleigh rides or hitting the slopes for their winter holiday, everyone in the Southern hemisphere is surfing, barbequing and playing sports. A Christmas Tree in Australia is incomplete without a small wooden kangaroo hanging.

Santa is indeed a very popular figure around the world. To Christians in the African Republic of Ghana, Father Christmas comes from the jungle. Did you know that in Hawaii he comes by boat. On the Nerang River in Australia he rides water skis, wears a white beard and red bathing trunks. In Brazil Grand-papa Indian, Vovo Indo, brings gifts. In China, Santa Claus is called Dun Che Lao Ren, which means Christmas Old Man. He brings presents to good children. Being a culturally diverse and worldly fellow, Santa has many interpretations, indeed.

Every year Christmas brings in nostalgia of the past and hope for the future. It's the last page of the year's story before a new, joyful beginning. M e r r y C h r i s t m a s !

First star I see tonight, please make my wish come true.

Why can't we join hands around one tree? Let live and let it be.

Make Christmas last forever.

"It's Christmas, all over the world tonight.

It's Christmas, all over the world."

Lyrics from song 'It's Christmas All over the World' by Sheena Easton.

-RD- || caffeineaddict. || .LilGreenRobot. || pancakes ||

Edited by Get-Lost - 9 years ago

Quote

Frequent Posters

MsChanadlerBong

@MsChanadlerBong

Rocker

+ 5

Posted: 9 years ago

"You better watch out! You better not cry! You better not pout, I am telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town"

Hearing the rhyme brings out childhood memories, where if you did not behave well Santa would not bring you presents. Sweet cajoling for the children to behave well. Where on one hand, parents warned the children to become good for the sake of goods on the other hand they also created some creepy, spine-chilling monsters who would haunt you down if you were not in Santa's good book.

Well every Christmas we meet our jolly Santa, how about bringing you his fellow spooky mates who you may have never even heard of.

And so begins Grandma, with a cup of ale

Not the usual, it's a hidden tale!

"We had a lot of Santa stories!" the children wail,

And thus are in the boat of ghastly monsters, they're about to sail

From pale beast with a big horn and claws,

To the Yule cat who is up to finding your flaws.

Frau Perchta is out with punishments to the bad

If you get eaten by Pre Fouettard, Santa's gonna be sad

So beware children, there are some thirsty for your blood

You ought to behave well and shall save you, the son of God!

Krampus: He is known as Santa 's companion. Where on one hand Santa visits the house of good children, he sends Krampus to the house of bad. A popular fictional character that is in the Alpine region, Krampus is a long-horned, shaggy, goat-like monster with a forked tongue who would beat the children with a bundle of sticks and throw the children into a sack to take them down to Hell with him for a year.

The Yule cat: You have heard about Santa's reindeer but I bet you haven't heard about the Icelandic Yule cat or Christmas cat! It is created to make children work hard so that they wouldn't be sacrificed to the Yule cat . There is a famous Icelandic poem written on the cat where the poet suggests the children to work hard and help out the needy too.

Frau Perchta: Tales of German and Australia include Perchta the witch, who hands out both rewards and punishments to the people during the twelve days of Christmas. She gives the most dreadful punishments i.e. she will rip out the sinner's internal organs and replace them with garbage. Her images which will make your heart skip a beat with horror, is shown in Christmas procession in Australia.

Yule lads: They are 13 Icelandic trolls, who each have a name and a distinct personality. In ancient times they were known for stealing things and causing problems during Christmas time so that they could scare misbehaving children.

Gryla: She got associated with Christmas when she was assigned as the mother of the Yule Lads in the 17th century. She is known as the ogre who kidnaps bad children and eats them. She is known as the troublemaker and was blamed for the Eyjafjallajokull's eruption; a glacier in Iceland.

Did these creatures give you chills? Christmas not merry anymore? Well, yes it is; as long as you are good. For those who like being bad; you never know which monster may pay you a visit 😈

Edited by -RD- - 9 years ago

Quote

Looks like you are new here. Register for free, learn and contribute.

Subha

@Life_Is_Dutiful

Stunner

+ 45

Posted: 9 years ago

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

Jingle all the way!

It's that time of the year where Santa Claus's long journey from the North Pole begins with bag full of gifts!

This year, we, the Crazy Creatives have decided to become Santa Claus and present a few books to our Tellywood people which they direly need.

Here's the first book

Our tv shows go on and on for years by introducing meaningless tracks, stupid characters, ruining the main characters, unnecessary movie promotions,etc. This book is truly the need of the hour for all the serial makers who keep on showing idiotic tracks and irritating the regular viewers.

This is for all the historical show makers who promote their shows as real life stories of the great heroes of our country. Instead we get to see fictional characters, fictional stories, historical characters turned into Majnus, Joru ka Ghulams, etc. The makers need to know that they can't make their own stories and ruin the historical characters in the name of creative liberty.

'A woman turns into a fly',

'A woman is shown pregnant for 2 years',

'A man flirts with another woman for years and his wife is totally unaware of his infatuation for his married neighbor'

These are a few of the tracks that we get to see on television nowadays. Logic has no place in daily soaps. Instead tracks are stretched out like rubber bands and when the trps fall, many more illogical tracks are shown. It's high time the story writers use their brains while writing the tracks.

And last but not the least,