Disk Music Boxes

Photo courtesy The Musical Box Society International

Photo courtesy AntiqueMusicBoxes.co.uk

I like antique disk music boxes.  I used to visit Rita Ford's Music Boxes shop when she was located in New York City, and enjoyed listening to the bell-like quality of the beautiful sound coming from these huge boxes, which can be as big as grandfather clocks.  Two of my favorite albums are recordings of Christmas music and opera music played on Rita Ford's disk boxes.  Not only do they produce beautiful music, but the wood boxes are quite beautiful too, with beautiful carving or beautiful inlay.

Disk boxes were popular at the turn of the 20th century, and quite affordable so many people had them in their homes.  The popularity didn't last long, however, due to the invention and subsequent popularity of the nickelodeon and the player piano, then the gramophone.

I knew that the huge disks were still being made in the mid-20th century, but had thought that they were no longer being made.  What I didn't know is that there has been a resurgence in the popularity of antique disk boxes, so much so that the disks are still being made and new boxes are now being made.

For more information about disk players and music boxes click here and click here and click here.

What is your favorite music box tune that you have heard?

Christmas in the Ukraine

Photo of Ukranian child in traditional clothing, next to Christmas tree, courtesy 123rf.com

Although there are some secular Christmas celebrations on December 25, most in the Ukraine observe the religious Christmas celebration on January 7 according to the Julian calendar.  Some ancient pagan rituals are also observed, such as a mock battle between citizens and people dressed as monsters, representing a battle between good and evil in which the citizens are victorious.  For more information click here and click here.

What rituals do you and your family observe during this season?

Christmas Poems

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

Nearly everyone knows that most famous of Christmas poems, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clarke Moore (1779 - 1863).  Written in 1822, it's also known as A Visit from St. Nicholas.  Did you know that many poems have been written for Christmas?  Here's one I like that's new to me:

Christmas is a soft warm glow
Children playing in the snow
Decorations on the tree
Put on there by Mom and me
Candy canes red and white
A letter to Santa I did write
Sugar cookies in a row
Christmas is a soft warm glow.

I don't know who wrote this poem, but you can find this one and more written for children by going to this Christmas Poem website, (click here).  This website also has poems for lovers, funny poems, religious poems, and more.

One of the things I enjoy doing on Christmas Eve is reading Christmas poetry.  What do you enjoy doing on Christmas Eve?

Christmas in Puerto Rico

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico are both religious and secular.  Religious celebrations last six weeks, ending January 6 with the Feast of the Three Kings who visited the Holy Family in Bethlehem.  On the eve of this feast children put grain and water under their beds to feed the camels of the kings.

The Christmas Eve celebration includes a big feast at midnight consisting of the favorite seasonal foods of roast pig, rice and peas, pasteles, and coconut pudding.  The favorite seasonal drink is coquito, which is made of coconut milk and white rum.  For more information click here.

Christmas in Guatemala

Photo of tamales courtesy 123rf.com

In the nine days leading up to Christmas in Guatemala, there are daily processions with religious statues, firecrackers, and people acting as the Holy Family.  At the end of the procession the Holy Family stops at a selected house, and asks for and is given shelter for the night.  Then everyone enjoys a feast, usually with the favorite food of the season, tamales.  At the end of the Christmas Eve procession a Christ-child figure is added to the manger, then everyone again celebrates then attends midnight mass.  Christmas morning is spent in worship, after which celebrating and feasting continues.  For more information click here.

How does your family spend the days prior to Christmas?

Christmas in Asia

Photo of fried chicken on Japanese dish courtesy 123rf.com

In the Philippines Christmas is a full-on religious holiday and an official holiday, with much celebration, feasting, and gift-giving.  In other East Asian countries there are public holidays during the Christmas season, but there are few who celebrate Christmas either secularly or religiously.  In Muslim countries, Christmas is neither an official nor unofficial holiday, but Christians who live there do celebrate Christmas with their churches. 

In Japan there is intense secular celebration with much gift-giving, and although many Christmas religious symbols are used in their secular celebrations, actual religious celebration is not wide-spread outside Christian communities. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is one of their favorite pieces of music during this season, and fried chicken one of their favorite foods. A friend who is Japanese has told me that the Japanese are very name-brand conscious, and that this is reflected in their Christmas gift-giving.  For more information click here and click here.

If you celebrate during the month of December, what do you celebrate and how?

Christmas in South America

Photo courtesy FreeImagesLive.co.uk

South America is in the middle of summer during the Christmas season, so holidays can include fireworks, trips to the beaches for surfing and swimming, picnics, and barbecues.  While Christmas has been influenced by native traditions and U.S. and European customs, the majority of people celebrating Christmas in South America do so in a devoutly religious manner.  Nativity scenes are especially prevalent and important to South Americans.

There are separate celebrations that include feasts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and since the Christmas season extends through Epiphany there are religious celebrations and feasting on New Year's Day as well.  Some of the special Christmas-season foods are Christmas pudding, a special dessert cake called Pan de Pascua, roast pig or peacock, steak, turkey, and pies.  Special Christmas-season drinks are cola de mono or "monkey's tail",  fruit juice, cider, beer, and champagne.

For more information click here, and click here, and click here.

What Christmas traditions does your family observe?

Christmas Websites & Baking

Photo courtesy Coolest Christmas Present Cake (click here for recipe)


Photo courtesy Pastry Passion (click here to purchase one of these cakes)

Even though we have a large collection of Christmas cookbooks that we love, we thought we'd see what the internet had to offer this year.  The number of websites devoted only to Christmas is staggering, and the number of sites dedicated to Christmas baking is no less so.  Here are a few of our newly discovered favorites:

Christmas Baking = The home page contains many links to other Christmas sites.

Why Christmas = Written by a Christmas fan in England

All Things Christmas

A Magical Christmas

Christmas Ideas

Christmas Stock Images = Free Christmas Photos!

We'll still bake the Christmas cookies we were taught to bake when growing up:  cookies cut into shapes using Christmas cookie-cutters, then decorated with colored powdered sugar frostings.  We wanted to bake a cake in the shape of some Christmas object or symbol, so we've also decided to bake the cakes pictured above to see if we would like to add them to our Christmas baking repertoire.  We'll use a bundt pan for the wreath cake.  The ideas may seem obvious to you, but we hadn't thought of them and can hardly wait to see them on the sideboard. 

By the way, if you have celiac disease you can do like we do and use a flourless chocolate cake recipe for cakes and cupcakes.  For cookies we put a thin layer of flourless chocolate batter into egg-poaching rings or metal cookie-cutters on a cookie sheet, then bake as usual.

What's coming out of your kitchen this holiday season?

Christmas Giving

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

Boxing Day began about 800 years ago in the U.K., when churches would open their alms box on December 26 and distribute the contents to the poor.  Some churches still do this today.  Boxing Day has become an official holiday in some of the British Commonwealth countries, but many people don't know that the origin of the day was to help the poor.

We don't observe Boxing Day here in the U.S., but many families do take time to give to the less fortunate during the Christmas season.  When I was growing up, our family would go to the Social Services Office and get the name of a deserving family who would not be able to afford to celebrate Christmas.  We were given the names and ages of everyone in the family.  We shopped for groceries, toys, clothes, a tree, and decorations, then went home and wrapped the presents.  The family was told by Social Services that we would arrive on Christmas Eve morning.  When we arrived we helped put away the groceries, then set out Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, eggnog, and paper plates and cups.  We set up the tree, then helped the family decorate the tree.  We put the presents under the tree, then sat and chatted, and usually sang two or three carols with them before leaving. 

I assure you that as young children our Christmas Day meant so much more to us after having spent Christmas Eve mornings with such families.  As we opened our own gifts, we would imagine and talk about that other family's opening their gifts. 

I know many families who have similar Christmas traditions.  What do you and your family do for others during the Christmas season?

History of Christmas Carols

Photo courtesy FreeImagesLive.co.uk

Carol or carole is a medieval word that meant "a celebratory religious dance with song".  Originally pagans in Europe celebrated with carols on the winter solstice, and gradually the singing of carols merged with the Christmas celebration.  Some believe that the earliest Christmas carols were written in the 14th century.  The general consensus is that at least the singing of Christmas carols became popular in the 14th century.  For more information click here and click here.

What is your favorite Christmas carole, and why?

Christkind

Photo courtesy Loadtr.com

One thing that Christmas celebrations around the world have in common is a gift-giver.  Most Christmas gift-givers are Saint Nicholas- or Santa Claus-type figures, but in Germany the gift bringer is called Christkind, which means "Christ child", and she's a little blond girl with angel-wings and a golden crown.  For more information click here and click here.

Who is the gift-giver in your country, and what is that person called?

Christingles

Photo of Christingle courtesy FreeImagesLive.co.uk

Christingles are used in the U.K. and parts of Europe.  They are oranges with red ribbon wrapped around them, an area is carved out to place a candle, and four sticks with sweet-meats or candies are placed in it.  They are commonly used in services to raise money for people who can't afford to celebrate Christmas or other children's charities.  Click Here to read the touching story behind Christingles.

If you have made a Christingle, what did you put on the sticks?  How did you use it?

Chrismon Ornaments

Photo courtesy Chrismon.org

Chrismons are Christmas ornaments with religious symbols on them.  They were created by Frances Kipps Spencer (1917-1990) of the Ascencion Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia.

If you make Chrismons or other Christmas ornaments, what do they look like?

Saint Nicholas Day

Photo courtesy FreeImagesLive

Today, December 6, is Saint Nicholas Day in Eastern Europe.  In the morning of this day East European children receive gifts.  Last night, December 5, they dressed in angel and devil costumes and went caroling.  Most families have the traditional Tannenbaum, or German-style Christmas Tree, and light one of the four candles in the advent wreath each Sunday in December.  For more information, click here and click here.

If you celebrated Saint Nicholas Day, what did you receive and give today?

The Tower of London

Photo courtesy FreeImages

The central White Tower in the Tower of London, a castle keep, was built by the Norman, William the Conqueror (1028-1087), to signify the power he had over the Anglo-Saxons he had recently conquered at the Battle of Hastings.  Crowned William I on Christmas Day in 1066, he was the first Norman King of England.  Lacking confidence in the strength of the local building materials, William imported Caen stone from Normandy and built the edifice on top of Roman ruins, another move to signify his power over the country.  For more information, see the Royal Armouries Museum website.

If you have been to the Tower of London, what is your favorite area?

Christmas Trees in the United States

In the 19th century, cultivated trees from tree farms became popular and preferred as they had a more symmetrical shape than those grown in the wild.  Today, the Christmas tree farm industry is made up of 15,000 growers, employing 100,000 people, and producing 33 to 36 million trees per year.  Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii!  Each year, 77 million trees are planted, because it takes 6 to 12 years, depending on the species, for an evergreen tree to mature.  For more information, click here to go to the National Christmas Tree Association's website.

Thanks to Deborah Mitek's article, "O Tannenbaum", in the November 2011 edition of Needle Pointers magazine, a publication of the American Needlepoint Guild, for this information.