Merry Christmas...Happy Holidays...Yuletide Greetings...

...from my family to yours. Wishing you happiness, peace, and prosperity in the new year.

Always in spirit...

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Christmas Eve and the Nutcracker

The nutcracker is a famed article from the German Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) area. A fairy tale written between 1776 and 1822 by E.T. Amadeus Hoffman entitled "The Nutcracker and the King of Mice" and the famous Tchaikovsky "Nutcracker Ballet" first performed in 1892 have done much to popularize the nutcracker. 

The origin of the first nutcracker is a mixture of legend and history. No one knows when they were first made. Fancifully carved nutcrackers have been known and collected in Europe since medieval times. As early as the year 1725, they were present in Erzgebirge homes.

Nutcrackers are a reflection of dining customs in the past. At one time, nuts were served as part of the dessert course in which guests cracked their own nuts and lingered over wine and sweets. The amusing nutcrackers undoubtedly provided a lighthearted conversation piece. An important source of protein that could be preserved through the winter, nuts were considered a more important foodstuff before the modern age than they now are. Nutcrackers may crack nuts, but their real joy today is their colorful presence in the home.

It is said that someone has a "hard nut to crack" if one faces a difficult problem. Nutcrackers have unusual faces, and many depict officials or authority figures who work for the people to "crack nuts." Even folk sayings reflect the nut's significance. "The harder the nut, the sweeter the kernel," or "Nuts are given to us by life, but we have to open them ourselves." As the Germans used to say when faced with a difficult problem, "I will discuss it with my nutcracker!" 

Germany, a country of rich woodlands, has long been a major center of woodworking and nutcracker production. The Steinbach factory in Hohenhamein is a leading manufacturer and has been turning out wood products of various kinds for generations. The Steinbach family claim that their nutcrackers bring good fortune and have even devised their own guidelines to nutcracker collecting: "The first and most important piece in a nutcracker collection is the king. He is the ruler of the collection, so he needs to be displayed so that he overlooks his subjects. The number two piece is the soldier or guard with a weapon. He is there to protect the king. The third nutcracker for any collection should be the good luck piece, and in Europe the chimney sweep is the symbol of good luck. The fourth in line of importance is the drummer or musician. This nutcracker is the one who drums out the good news about the collection. The king need to eat, have clothes and shoes, so bakers, servants and workers finish out the basic collection."

The Erzgebirge mountain region of Saxony remains a prominent area for cottage-industry nutcracker-making. The Ulbricht factory of Seiffen is located in this region. As many as 130 separate procedures are required to make a fine quality nutcracker. Some nutcrackers are handcarved, but most are produced on the lathe, as in times past. The wood is carefully selected, cured, dried, machined, assembled and finally painted. Nutcrackers are much sought after as collectors pieces. Because there is a great deal of handwork and skill involved, only limited quantities can be crafted. Nutcrackers are also produced in Far Eastern countries and in the USA.

German author Dr. Heinrich Hoffman, widely know for his children's books, penned the following verse in 1851: 

King Nutcracker that's my name.

I crack hard nuts and eat the sweet insides, 

But the shells, ugh - I throw to others,

Because I am the King!

This information was obtained from a leaflet I picked up while visiting Bronner's Christmas Wonderland (the world's largest Christmas store) in Frankenmuth, Michigan. 

Bronner's carries a wide selection of nutcrackers year-round.

Happy Christmas Eve!!!

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We welcome and observe Winter Solstice/Yule

On the arrival of the Winter Solstice, we observe Yule.

Also known as Jul, Yule predates the Christmas holiday by thousands of years. Linguists debate the origin of the word Yule. Some suggest the word is derived from “Iul,” the Anglo-Saxon word for wheel. This makes a connection to a Celtic calendar, the Wheel of the Year. However, in the Norse culture, “Jul” refers to the god, Odin. Odin was celebrated during Yule as well.

Yule celebrations included bonfires, decorating with holly, mistletoe, and the boughs of evergreen trees, ritual sacrifices, feasts, and gift-giving.

Many Christmas Traditions Borrowed From Yule

Many of the traditions we use at Christmastime were borrowed from Yule traditions of old. Whether they are from myths, feasts, folklore, ancient beliefs, oral stories told, or festivals, we have woven them into the fabric of our modern-day customs. Do you recognize any Christmas traditions borrowed from Yule?

• The midwinter feast usually lasted 12 days.
• Vikings decorated evergreen trees with gifts such as food, carvings, and food for the tree spirits to encourage them to return in the spring.
• Mistletoe combined with a mother’s tears resurrected her son, the God of Light and Goodness, in a Viking myth. The Celts believe Mistletoe possessed healing powers as well and would ward off evil spirits.
  
  
  
  
  
• In Norse tradition, Old Man Winter visited homes to join the festivities. The Viking god, Odin was described as a wanderer with a long white beard and is considered the first Father Christmas.
• Viking children left their shoes out by the hearth on the eve of the winter solstice with sugar and hay for Odin’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir.
• Children traipsed from house to house with gifts of apples and oranges spiked with cloves and resting in baskets lined with evergreen boughs.
• The Yule log was a whole tree meant to be burned for 12 days in the hearth. The Celts believed the sun stood still during the winter solstice. They thought by keeping the Yule log burning for these 12 days encouraged the sun to move, making the days longer. The largest end would be fed into the hearth, wine poured over it. They lit it with the remains of the previous year’s Yule log. Everyone took turns feeding the length of timber into the fire as it burned. Letting it burn out would bring bad luck.

How to observe Yule

Share your observations, stories, and traditions related to the holiday. Examine your holiday traditions and compare them to those of yuletide. Where do they cross and blend? Explore the history and lore of Yule. Read Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth by Dorothy Morrison for more insight.

Yule History

While we observe the winter solstice around the world, Germanic cultures of northern and western Europe primarily celebrated Yule. At the midpoint of winter, they celebrated the rebirth of the sun and the light it would bring to the Earth.

WINTER SOLSTICE

The winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It occurs annually between December 20th and December 23rd.

The winter solstice is marked by the point at which the North Pole is at its farthest from the sun during its yearly orbit around the sun. It will be approximately 23 degrees away from the sun. Despite the temperature outside, the winter solstice is considered the astronomical beginning of winter. Meteorological winter begins December 1st and lasts until the end of February. It’s marked by the coldest average temperatures during the year.

Depending on how far north a person is in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter, their day can range from 9.5 hours to absolutely no sunrise at all. On the bright side, the days will gradually become longer in the Northern Hemisphere until the summer solstice in June. In the Southern Hemisphere, this same day marks the summer solstice and the Southern Hemisphere’s longest day of the year.

The vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox conventionally mark the beginning of spring and fall respectively and occur when night and day are approximately equal in length.

Around the world since ancient times to modern-day, celebrations, festivals, rituals, and holidays recognizing the winter solstice have varied from culture to culture.

How to observe WinterSolstice

Winter lovers, enjoy the shortest day of the year. Those longing for more sunlight, prepare to celebrate. Longer days are ahead. 

Winter Solstice History

Since the marking of time and the earliest calendars, this day marked the hardest time of the year for early people. Survival was paramount when food and heat are not reliable. In all corners of the Earth, there are ancient remains that seem to have been built around marking the winter solstice.

• Probably the most famous of these is Stonehenge, England. Every year when the sun sets on the winter solstice, the sun’s rays align with two of the giant stones known as the central Altar and the Slaughter stone.
• As the sun rises the day of the winter solstice, its rays illuminate the main chambers of the monument dating back to 3200 B.C. at Newgrange, Ireland.
• In Tulum, Mexico an ancient Mayan city stands deserted. At the top of one of these buildings, a small hole casts a starburst when the sun rises on the winter and summer solstices.

Credit for the Yule and Winter Solstice above: National Day Calendar here and here.

Winter Solstice will arrive at 10:58 am EST today.

I finished my wreath...just in time for Yule/Winter Solstice. 

A Blessed Yule to your and yours!

Always in spirit...

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Wallis' Chart-Topping Lonely Christmas

What a wonderful song for the season! Take a listen!

WALLIS' "Lonely Christmas" rapidly impacting AC radio charts

WALLIS' “Lonely Christmas” continues in the A/C radio Holiday Top 20 current songs/new releases

-WALLIS advances into the Top 5 Mediabase Independent Artists rankings at #3

-“Lonely Christmas” takes major jump on Mediabase A/C chart (ALL songs including holiday): 51* - 36*

and the Billboard/BDS A/C chart (all songs including holiday): 50* - 38*

Charts
Mediabase Holiday A/C Chart: 19*
Mediabase Mainstream A/C Chart (all songs including holiday): - 36*
Mediabase Holiday HOT A/C Chart: 24
Mediabase A/C Independent Artists Chart: #3
BDS/Billboard A/C Chart(all songs including holiday): 38* (#3 New & Active under A/C Top 30 chart)
Jim Brickman national radio show Artist Spotlight airs 11/13 – 12/26
Pandora Featured track confirmed to run 11/5 – 12/25

New Adds This Week
KZXY/Victor Valley, CA Mediabase Hot A/C

New Feature/Special Programming Spins This Week
WRRM/Cincinnati, OH Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WWLI/Providence, RI Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WDEF/Chattanooga, TN Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WRSA/Huntsville, AL Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
KYBA/Rochester, MN Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WMAS/Springfield, MA Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WMXS/Montgomery, AL Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
KTDY/Lafayette, LA Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
KSSK/Honolulu, HI Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WLZW/Utica, NY Mediabase Mainstream A/C
KSBL/Santa Barbara, CA BDS Mainstream A/C
KPLA/Columbia, MO BDS Mainstream A/C

*(Brickman Network) Non-Reporting AC Stations
KRBB/Wichita, KS
WJXA/Nashville, TN
WMRS/Indianapolis, IN
KRTZ/Cortez, CO
WPEZ/Macon, GA
WEBE/Norwalk, CT
WJBD/Salem, IL
KKMI/Burlington, IA
KROS/Davenport, IA
KDAO/Marshalltown, IA
WLXT/Traverse City, MI
KUMR/Rolla, MO
KVVR/Great Falls, MT
WCLU/Bowling Green, KY
WENI/Corning, NY
WENY/Elmira, NY
WMXW/Binghamton, NY
WEGC/Albany, GA
WXKC/Erie, PA
WZIM/Peoria, IL
WWFW/Ft. Wayne, IN
WKHG/Louisville, KY
KNBZ/Sioux Falls, SD
WKDK/Columbia, SC
WSTV/Roanoke, VA
WMXO/Olean, NY
WZWW/State College, PA
WDSN/Johnstown, PA
WDNY/Rochester, NY
KQSN/Ponca City, OK
WDYK/Hagerstown, MD
KMXJ/Amarillo, TX
KQBG/Wenatchee, WA
WJJR/Burlington, VT

Stations Adding to Date
Christmas Across The Lands National/Syndicated holiday radio show
Mill City Radio/Boston, MA Streaming
WYKZ/Savannah, GA Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WVEZ/Louisville, KY Mediabase/BDS Hot A/C
KSRZ/Omaha, NE Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WRSA/Huntsville, AL Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WJKK/Jackson, MS Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WYJB/Albany, NY Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WTFM/Kingsport, TN Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
KZXY/Victor Valley, CA Mediabase Hot A/C

Feature/Special Programming Spins To Date
WRRM/Cincinnati, OH Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WWLI/Providence, RI Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WDEF/Chattanooga, TN Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WRSA/Huntsville, AL Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
KYBA/Rochester, MN Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WMAS/Springfield, MA Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WMXS/Montgomery, AL Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
KTDY/Lafayette, LA Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
KSSK/Honolulu, HI Mediabase/BDS Mainstream A/C
WLZW/Utica, NY Mediabase Mainstream A/C
KSBL/Santa Barbara, CA BDS Mainstream A/C
KPLA/Columbia, MO BDS Mainstream A/C

*(Brickman Network) Non-Reporting AC Stations
KRBB/Wichita, KS
WJXA/Nashville, TN
WMRS/Indianapolis, IN
KRTZ/Cortez, CO
WPEZ/Macon, GA
WEBE/Norwalk, CT
WJBD/Salem, IL
KKMI/Burlington, IA
KROS/Davenport, IA
KDAO/Marshalltown, IA
WLXT/Traverse City, MI
KUMR/Rolla, MO
KVVR/Great Falls, MT
WCLU/Bowling Green, KY
WENI/Corning, NY
WENY/Elmira, NY
WMXW/Binghamton, NY
WEGC/Albany, GA
WXKC/Erie, PA
WZIM/Peoria, IL
WWFW/Ft. Wayne, IN
WKHG/Louisville, KY
KNBZ/Sioux Falls, SD
WKDK/Columbia, SC
WSTV/Roanoke, VA
WMXO/Olean, NY
WZWW/State College, PA
WDSN/Johnstown, PA
WDNY/Rochester, NY
KQSN/Ponca City, OK
WDYK/Hagerstown, MD
KMXJ/Amarillo, TX
KQBG/Wenatchee, WA
WJJR/Burlington, VT

About WALLIS
WALLIS is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. WALLIS gained worldwide recognition at 15 years old when she released her first song, “Lonely Christmas” on December 3, 2020. Uploaded to YouTube, with a music video shot on her father’s iPhone, “Lonely Christmas” quickly went viral, amassing over 1.2 million views in just eighteen days. “Lonely Christmas” became a hit on Reddit, garnering over 15k upvotes and making it to the top of Reddit’s “What’s Hot” page. WALLIS has made TV appearances nationwide, was playlisted on NPR’s New Music Friday, included in Paste Magazine’s holiday sampler, featured on TODAY.com, shared by Ellen DeGeneres on social media, and has been covered by dozens of news and media outlets around the world. “Lonely Christmas” was played on dozens of terrestrial and streaming radio stations across the U.S. and Europe.

Born into a musical family in Philadelphia, WALLIS discovered a deep connection to music at a young age. WALLIS frequently collaborates with her producer/songwriter father, Gene Schriver, and performs with her sisters Maren (13) and Soleil (10). Together known as the Schriver Sisters, the trio has performed professionally since 2017.

Find WALLIS online:
Official: www.iamwallis.com
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/I_am_Wallis
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC0dNudEMWwUmngsVHz5CLyw
Instagram: www.instagram.com/i_am_wallis
Spotify App: www.open.spotify.com/artist/0gMhmwvjwwuKGDrn8AvXG3?si=E8FkzlRuTiKs3F3JCHzDbg

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Other Fires by Lenore Gay - A special giveaway for the holidays

Author Lenore Gay is giving away three print copies of her novel, Other Fires on social media. There will be one winner on each platform. Visit any one, or all, of her social media channels below for details and to enter. (U.S. entries only)

Facebook 

Instagram 

Twitter 

About Other Fires

Joss and Phil’s already rocky marriage is fragmented when Phil is injured in a devastating fire and diagnosed with Capgras delusion—a misidentification syndrome in which a person becomes convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an identical imposter. Faced with a husband who no longer recognizes her, Joss struggles to find motivation to save their marriage, even as family secrets start to emerge that challenge everything she thought she knew. With two young daughters, a looming book deadline, and an attractive but complicated distraction named Adam complicating her situation even further, Joss has to decide what she wants for her family—and what family even means.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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Christmas Lights Through Car Windows - Amanda Fagan

There's really nothing better during the season than some really good Christmas music. What I've learned from my friend, Ken at Sounds of Christmas...it's nice to hear original songs that are outside the norm of White Christmas and The Christmas Song. 

This little collection from Amanda Fagan is just the ticket. With four original Christmas songs and one original New Year's song, it really is a wonderful listen, especially for those of us who still enjoy looking at Christmas lights through car windows. I'm honored to add this to my already extensive Christmas music collection. You should add it to yours too.

Here are videos for Christmas Lights Through Car Windows, and my other favorite on the EP, Christmas Pageant.

 

 

Amanda is a 17-year-old senior in high school, who lives in San Diego. She began releasing her music on Spotify and YouTube this past year, and has had over 11 million listeners in less than a year. 

Visit Amanda...

Website

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

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Kicking off A Festive Yuletide 2021 with a very special Jonathan Antoine concert giveaway

It's that time again! The season of Yuletide. We are kicking off today with a very special giveaway. Here are the details:

The Holiday Season has officially begun! We are celebrating by giving you the chance to win two tickets to see world renowned Tenor, Jonathan Antoine’s ChristmasLand Live! Where the Magic of Christmas Comes Alive. The winner will receive two tickets to see Jonathan Antoine live at one of the following venues.

12/01 - Morristown, NJ @ Mayo Performing Arts Center

12/03 - Troy, NY @ Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

12/12 - Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre

12/18 - Mount Pleasant, MI @ Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort

12/21 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Parker Playhouse

12/23 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Mahaffey Theatre

*Must be 18+ and be able to present a government issued ID.

To enter, leave a comment on this post, and include a way to contact you if you're the winner. 

Check out last year's post featuring Jonathan's 2020 Christmas album here. 

A Festive Yuletide...join me in celebrating the season. As usual, I will be sharing Weekend Baking, Weekend Lit, Weekend Crafting...maybe even Friday Baking and Movies. Also, book reviews and other bookish posts...and Christmas Around the World posts. Gift ideas. Just all around festive cheer for one of my favorite times of year!

If anyone would like to contribute a guest review, or guest post about anything Christmas-y, drop me a line via the contact link in the menu.

Check out my post about new Christmas book releases this year. Grab yourself a merry read, or think about your Christmas loving family or friends. Remember, books make great gifts!

If you're looking for some ideas for new Christmas music this year, Ken with The Sounds of Christmas was once again my guest in October and he shared all the new music coming out this year. You can read the post here. Don't forget to stop over and give The Sounds of Christmas a listen, and there's a podcast too. (Listen to me as a guest on the podcast in October.) Just click on the logo in the right sidebar.

A reminder: The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon are now co-events. That kicked off today. It's not too late to sign up. The challenge/readathon runs through January 6th. Check out the details here and/or at Seasons of Reading.

Let's get this festive Yuletide underway!

Always in spirit...

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2021 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon - Time for some festive reading!

WINNER of the charity giveaway - Mallory A. Haws

It's officially November 22nd (in the Eastern time zone) and so it begins!

Remember...

Dates: November 22, 2021 through January 6, 2021

Three ways to participate:

Challenge - Pick a level
Readathon - read as much (or as little) as you want
Participate in both!

Everything else you need to know can be found in the sign-up post here.

  

THE PRIZE: The first person to post a review (must be from a book started on or after November 23) in the review linky here at Christmas Spirit (I'll have it posted later on today) will win a $15 charitable donation to human rights organization of their choice, such as the ACLU, Boys and Girls Club, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, Amnesty International, It Gets Better, Planned Parenthood, or another human rights organization of your choice (food banks, homeless shelters would also apply), perhaps your local chapter or a local organization. This giveaway is open internationally. Note: I will not donate to any organization that does not believe that all are equal, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation.

HAVE FUN!!!

The linky below is the same one as the sign up linky. If you do a starting line/goal post, just add your link again, but be sure to put "goal post" beside your name, i.e. Michelle/True Book Addict (goal post). Note: If you're just signing up, you can do it here on this post. It's the same linky.

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2021 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon

It's that time of year again, and time to sign up for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon co-event! 

Dates: November 22, 2021 through January 6, 2022

Three ways to participate:

1. Challenge - Pick a level
2. Readathon - read as much (or as little) as you want
3. Participate in both!

Regarding the reading of Christmas books, for the readathon, you do not have to read only Christmas books. I am always reading regular genres along with Christmas books during the season. Please do try to read at least one though. 🎄

For the reading challenge, these must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, children's books (we even have a level for them!), etc.

Reading Challenge Levels:
--Candy Cane: read 1 book
--Mistletoe: read 2-4 books
--Christmas Tree: read 5 or 6 books, or more (this is the fanatic level!)

Additional levels:

--Fa La La La Films: watch a bunch or a few Christmas movies...it's up to you!
--Visions of Sugar Plums: read books with your children this season and share what you read

*the additional levels are optional, you still must complete one of the main reading levels above

I will have a review linky posted here on Christmas Spirit the day the challenge starts. You will find it in the menu at the top of the blog.

Sign up in the linky below. This linky will be the same one on this site and over at Seasons of Reading. No need to sign up both places. For this readathon in particular, we will do a wrap-up linky, in keeping with the regular process for the reading challenge.

THE PRIZE: The first person to post a review (must be from a book started on or after November 22) in the review linky will win a $15 charitable donation to human rights organization of their choice, such as the ACLU, Boys and Girls Club, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, Amnesty International, It Gets Better, Planned Parenthood, or another human rights organization of your choice (food banks, homeless shelters would also apply), perhaps your local chapter or a local organization. This giveaway is open internationally. Note: I will not donate to any organization that does not believe that all are equal, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation.

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A Blessed Samhain...Happy Halloween

Have fun and stay safe!

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Halloween - My house is very festive this year

First, I wanted to let you know that Ken from Sounds of Christmas...yes, our friend Ken who shares new Christmas music with us every year...invited me on his podcast to talk about this site, Halloween, my trip to Salem, and more. You can listen to it here. Stop back by and let me know what you think in the comments. I was nervous at first, but really ended up enjoying myself. Ken has that effect on people. 

Okay, on to today's post. As you (might) know, last year I moved house from Tennessee to Michigan so when Halloween rolled around, I was still unpacking and getting settled. I was unable to go all out for Halloween. Well, I made up for it this year! Take a look...

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