Celebrate Tis The Season

The song “The 12 Days of Christmas” is a mainstay of the holiday season, but the practice of celebrating Christmas as a twelve-day festival fell out of fashion long ago in most cultures. In Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas, author Chris Marchand explores the history behind the season and individual feast days from December 25 to January 6, and then offers suggestions for how you can celebrate it with your family, church, or community. Along with this, he provides answers to many of the nagging questions surrounding the holiday, such as the history behind the twelve-days song, why December 25 was chosen as the date, and what to do about its supposedly pagan origins. The challenge before us is to first help people see Christmas as a holiday that begins, rather than ends, on December 25, and then to together figure out how to reinvent Christmas in the present by learning how it was celebrated in the past.

"Marsha Gullo Frerichs (1954-2008) was a native of State College, Pennsylvania, who believed in living life to the fullest. This passion exhibited itself not only in her love for her family but also through her interactions with others and her love for poetry. She was inspired by Carol Welsh's doctoral dissertation "Writing in Colors" which served as the catalyst for the present book of poems in which she records her feelings as she travels the bumpy road of breast cancer treatments. Never one to feel sorry for herself, Marsha found solace in her writings and a joy in sharing with others The Power of Hope. Her dream, cut short by an aggressive cancer, was to use her writings as a comfort and inspiration to others"--Back cover.

Christmas is not everybody’s favorite holiday. Historically, Jews in America, whether participating in or refraining from recognizing Christmas, have devised a multitude of unique strategies to respond to the holiday season. Their response is a mixed one: do we participate, try to ignore the holiday entirely, or create our own traditions and make the season an enjoyable time? This book, the first on the subject of Jews and Christmas in the United States, portrays how Jews are shaping the public and private character of Christmas by transforming December into a joyous holiday season belonging to all Americans. Creative and innovative in approaching the holiday season, these responses range from composing America’s most beloved Christmas songs, transforming Hanukkah into the Jewish Christmas, creating a national Jewish tradition of patronizing Chinese restaurants and comedy shows on Christmas Eve, volunteering at shelters and soup kitchens on Christmas Day, dressing up as Santa Claus to spread good cheer, campaigning to institute Hanukkah postal stamps, and blending holiday traditions into an interfaith hybrid celebration called “Chrismukkah” or creating a secularized holiday such as Festivus. Through these venerated traditions and alternative Christmastime rituals, Jews publicly assert and proudly proclaim their Jewish and American identities to fashion a universally shared message of joy and hope for the holiday season. See also: http://www.akosherchristmas.org

Create meaningful, extraordinary celebrations and events that foster lifelong memories with the ones you love with inspiration from Katie Jacobs through her essential guide to entertaining. Create beautiful memories for your family and friends with help from Katie Jacobs, a stylist for Reese Witherspoon's lifestyle brand Draper James. She reveals her secrets for throwing fantastic parties for any occasion, from a casual backyard movie night to a lavish holiday party. The ultimate party hostess and styling pro, Katie shares her magical gift of making entertaining look effortless, and possible at the same time. Using Katie’s inspiring ideas and make-ahead tips, you will be so organized that you can minimize the fuss, enjoy the time, and celebrate too! In So Much To Celebrate, readers will: Become inspired to make the most out of every season through entertaining loved ones Remind you to craft experiences for family and friends that can be felt (and tasted), not just seen Discover a mix of tasty recipes, creative entertainment tips, and a heavy helping of nostalgia Brimming with creative party themes for every season, inspiring décor ideas, and delicious recipes, So Much to Celebrate is the perfect book for anyone who appreciates good times, good food, and good celebrations.

INCLUDES NEVER-BEFORE-SHARED PROJECTS, RECIPES AND INSPIRATION, ALONG WITH STUNNING NEW PHOTOGRAPHY For as long as Zoe Sugg can remember she has loved welcoming friends & family into her home, whether it's to celebrate someone else's big day or just being with friends, there is nothing she enjoys more than putting her energy into making any occasion special. In Zoe's eyes the best thing about getting people together is there really is no right or wrong way: maybe you want to plan a throw-everything-at-it shindig, or simply make a special effort for one guest. Mostly it's about how people feel when they're in your company. How the smallest of gatherings can feel momentous, and the biggest of parties can feel intimate. Over the years Zoe has shared glimpses of this side to her in her videos, with millions of viewers taking daily inspiration from her life. In Cordially Invited she shares her best and never seen before ideas in print. Divided into seasons, and woven through with Zoe's own stories and memories, this book reveals her favourite events - big or small - throughout the year and how to celebrate them in style. From practical ideas for how to feed your guests and hacks for unexpected get-togethers to simple but impressive DIYs and those personal touches people will remember, Cordially Invited is Zoe's blueprint for making an event and a memory out of each day.

A special new enlarged edition of the bestselling Christmas story told from the point of view of the grumpy innkeeper. When a night of angels, shepherds and bright stars keeps him from his sleep, is there anything that will cheer him up?

"What we call Christmas is one of the oldest and most enduring of the human celebrations." So begins the Preface of this perennially popular volume which includes hundreds of seasonal selections from Unitarian Universalists over the years, plus a bibliography of resources beyond denominational inspiration. Celebrating Christmas contains history, customs, commentaries, opening words, responsive readings, poetry, prayers, meditations, readings, various service elements, special services, family and fun items, and a dozen woodcuts suitable for worship service covers. In addition there are thirteen new carols for the season. Celebrating Christmas was edited by Carl Seaburg. He and Mark Harris later compiled Celebrating Easter and Spring: An Anthology of Unitarian Universalist Readings.