A is for Angels and Advents

ADVENT begins the 4th Sunday before Christmas Day and Ends on Christmas Eve.

ANGELS play an important role in the celebration of Christmas.

B is for Bells, Bethlehem and Boxing Day

BELLS play an important part of celebrating Christmas.

The town of BETHLEHEM celebrates Christmas three times.

BOXING DAY is celebrated in several countries.

C is for Candles and Cards

During the Victorian era, CANDLES in a window were a sign of good will.

The first Christmas CARDS were made in England.

D is for December and Dickens

Christmas occurs during the month of DECEMBER.

Charles DICKNS invented the phrase 'Merry Christmas'.

E is for Elves, Epiphany & Evergreen

ELVES help Santa make toys and do other chores.

The Feast of EPIPHANY is also called 'The Adoration of the Mag!"

Many kinds of EVERGREENS are used at Christmas. A wreath is a symbol of Christmas.

F is for Feasting, Fruitcake, Flower and Frankincense

Christmas is synonymous with FEASTING and the food varies from county to country.

FRUITCAKE is a Christmas tradition. Figgy pudding is a Christmas desert.

A popular Christmas FLOWER is the Poinsettia, which is really not a flower, but the red leaves make it look like one.

FRANKINCENSE was one of the 3 gifts of the Magi.

G is for Gifts and Greeting

Giving GIFTS is part of the Christmas spirit.

The GREETING "Merry Christmas' is said in many languages including sign language. There are also Christmas sayings and superstitions.

H is for History & Holly

The HISTORY of many Christmas traditions date back thousands of years.

HOLLY is a symbol of Christmas.

I is for Icicles

Real ICICLES have different shapes. Some Christmas lights are shaped like an icicle.

J is for Jesus & Jingle Bells

Christmas began with the birth of JESUS.

The words and music for the song JINGLE BELLS were written in 1857.

K is for Kings & Kris Kringle

The three wise men who visited Jesus were also called KINGS.

KRIS KRINGLE brings gifts to children in Germany.

L is for Legends, Lights & Luminarias

There are many LEGENDS associated with Christmas including La Befana, The Christmas Pickle, and The Christmas Rose.

The customer of putting electric LIGHTS on trees at Christmas started in the 1800s. Some people decorate the outside of their home with lights during this season.

M is for Manager, Mistletoe & Music

The earliest known MANAGER scene appeared in Italy nearly a thousand years ago.

The Christmas custom of kissing under the MISTLETOE goes back hundreds of years.

The history of Christmas MUSIC dates back many centuries. Some of the more recent songs have an interesting history.

N is for Noel, North Pole & Nutcracker

There are several meanings to the word NOEL. The song First Noel is a traditional English Carol.

There is a real city of NORTH POLE in Alaska.

The NUTCRACKER Ballet was first performed in 1892 and is popular during the Christmas Season.

O is for Ornaments

Christmas ORNAMENTS have an interesting history. Many people make their own Christmas ornaments.

P is for Pilgrims & Poem

The PILGRIMS did not celebrate Christmas and a law was passed fining people who did. But the day was so popular that the law was repealed in 1682, although strong religious opposition lasted into the next century.

The Night Before Christmas' is a favourite POEM.

Q is for Quiz

QUIZZES and games at Christmas time bring family and friends together.

R is for Reindeers & Religions.

REINDEERS pull Santa's sleigh. Rudolph is the most famous reindeer of all and even has his own song and movie.

All Christian RELIGIONS and many others celebrate Christmas.

S is for Santa Claus, Shepherds & Star

SANTA CLAUS has not always appeared the way we think of him today.

SHEPHERDS in the field were the first to hear of the birth of Jesus,

Many countries issue Christmas STAMPS. The first Christmas Stamp was issued in Canada.

A STAR in the sky led the wise men to the Christ Child.

T is for Toys, Twelve Days and Tree

Every year there are certain TOYS that are especially popular during the Christmas season. Christmas Crackers are popular in England.

The TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS has a religious message.

A decorated TREE is a relatively new symbol of Christmas.

U is for Umble

UMBLE pie was a popular medieval dish served at Christmas time.

V is for Victorian

Many Christmas customs come from VICTORIAN times.

W is for World

Christmas is the most universally celebrated holiday in the WORLD.

X is for Xmas

XMAS is an abbreviation for Christmas.

Y is for Yule Log & Yule Tide

The YULE LOG has become a traditional Christmas Fayre.

YULE TIDE is the winter solstice.

Z is for Zwarte Piet

ZWARTE PIET helps St. Nicholas distribute presents in the Netherlands.