Holiday Traditions
One of the fun things about
Christmas is traditions. Take for instance, the Land Down Under, because, well,
someday I want to visit there, just probably not at Christmas. The English and
Irish predominately settled Australia so it stands to reason their traditions
reflect those countries. Here's a few of
their Christmas Traditions.
Aussie’s decorate their homes
with ferns, palm leaves and evergreens along with blooming flowers of Christmas
Bush and Christmas Bell Flower. It’s summer time in December down under, when
most of the United States is looking forward to big flakes and blankets of snow
for a white Christmas.
Carols by Candlelight is one of
the popular events in Australia. People come together under the stars at night
to light candles and sing Christmas carols. Seems to me, it’s not far from our
own tradition of Christmas carolers. I just can’t imagine Christmas without
snow, that’s why I live in Colorado.
Christmas Day is when families
and close friends gather from all over Australia for a holiday midday dinner.
Some enjoy a traditional British Christmas dinner of roast turkey or ham and
rich plum pudding doused in brandy and set on fire before it is brought to the
table. Other families head for the backyard barbie to grill their Christmas
dinner, maybe shrimp, in the sunshine or go to the beach and enjoy a picnic of
cold turkey or ham and a salad. To the delight of children, Father Christmas in shorts may appear to greet children at the
beach on Christmas! If you can’t have snow, that’s the way to celebrate
Christmas.
Because I am of Swedish descent,
let’s take a peek at Christmas Traditions in Sweden where in December the days
are quite short, the nights long and the ground is usually snow covered. The
Christmas season begins at church on the first Sunday of Advent, which is the
fourth Sunday before Christmas. Children use an Advent calendar to keep track
of the first day of December until Christmas, just like some of ours do. Each
morning, they open a flap in the calendar's Christmas scene to see the charming
picture behind it. This year, I have a Victorian Advent calendar on my computer
and enjoy a surprise behind each door daily.
The festivities in Sweden really
begin with St. Lucia’s Day, December 13th, a celebration of the patron saint of
light. A Christmas market held in the old medieval section of Stockholm is
where you can find handmade toys, ornaments, and candy. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
Some people write a special verse to accompany the gift and even seal the
package with colorful sealing wax. I have enough trouble with scotch tape and
wrapping paper, I can’t imagine what would happen with hot sealing wax. Not a
pretty sight, I’m sure. A Christmas tree is selected by the whole family just a
day or two before Christmas and decorated, while the delightful aroma of
gingerbread cookies in the shape of hearts, stars, or other festive shapes waft
through to house. Christmas Eve is when the main feast is eaten.
Presents might be brought by
Santa (Jultomten) or by gnomes/elves
named Tomte or Nissar. Many families set out a sheaf of grain on a pole
for hungry birds. My hubby and I always put out special treats for the wild
birds on Christmas.
As for my family, we put up the
tree, Christmas decorations inside and out, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Or
try to. No it’s not a real tree, only because I’m allergic. <sigh>
We watch Christmas movies
throughout December and make candy such as Divinity, Fantasy Fudge and Beaver
Dams. What are Beaver Dams, you ask. Well, take a package of butterscotch
chips, melt them in a double boiler, stir in half-package of crispy Chow Mein
Noodles and one half can of cocktail peanuts. Spoon the concoction onto foil
and let set. They look like beaver dams hence the name. YUMMY.
This year I’m going, to once
again, try my hand at gingerbread cookies. Its become a Christmas Tradition of
sorts, an make my family cringe. Why you ask?
I haven’t had a lot of luck in previous years getting a good tasting
cookie.
Do any of you have a favorite
recipe that I could try? Feel free to leave the recipe in the comments section.
Charm Me Again
Sequel to Charm Me
Tena Stetler
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Mystery
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: December 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5092-2973-4
ASIN: B07ZDKKC4N
Number of pages: 336
Word Count: 85,360
Cover Artist: Kristian Norris
Tagline: Breaking the curse is only the first step to forever.
Book Description:
Daylan, a warlock, is being haunted, but what the ghost wants is a mystery. His magical powers bring him no closer to an answer—until he encounters Josie, a Yoga instructor.
But when she is kidnapped by an ancient Fae Warrior set on revenge Daylan must rescue her before the rogue claims her as his own. During his quest, his world spirals out of control, and a devastating curse comes to light. Could the ghost hold the answers he needs?
Can he break the age-old curse to save Josie and their future, or will Daylan lose her forever?
Excerpt
Suddenly, the
wind changed direction, a thin maroon line formed along the flat bottom of the
dark clouds spreading across the sky where moments before there’d been only a
few fluffy cotton ball clouds in a sea of blue. The maroon line widened then
switched to vertical and spread open to reveal a shimmering interior.
Shadows emerged
from the cloud then disappeared. As he was about to comment, huge raindrops
plopped on the ground followed by pea size hail that grew to softball size.
Josie ran for
cover and he followed. Protected under a ledge, she cupped her hands over her
ears as the roaring of the storm combined with huge ice balls smashing against
rocks echoed through the canyon. She elbowed him and cocked a brow in question,
pointing to the vegetation that remained unharmed.
His eyes
narrowed. Something isn’t right. I can feel it. Magic is spinning this storm.
But who—how and why? At a loss for answers, he shrugged and urged her further
under the ledge to wait out the storm. Brushing the wet strands of hair out of
her face, he smiled. She looked like a drowned rat but the fragrance around her
reminded him of sweet spring flowers. He leaned into to her and brushed his
lips over hers. Immediately, he straightened and backed away. Her eyes were
still closed. Maybe I could’ve lingered…
Her eyes blinked
open and she licked her lips. After a beat, she waggled a finger in front of
him. “Not a good idea.”
About the Author:
Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance novels. She has an over-active imagination, which led to writing her first vampire romance as a tween to the chagrin of her mother and delight of her friends.
With the Rocky Mountains outside her window, she sits at her computer surrounded by a wide array of paranormal creatures, with a Navy SEAL or two mixed in telling their tales. Her books tell stories of magical kick-ass women and strong mystical males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.
Colorado is her home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. Any winter evening, you can find her curled up in front of a crackling fire with a good book, a mug of hot chocolate and a big bowl of popcorn.
Website: https://www.tenastetler.com
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