Does your family celebrate Easter? If your family is Christian, you probably do. Yet even if you are not really into the spiritual side of Easter, you can still have some fun with your kids. Personally, I enjoy activities both with religious significance and the more non-sectarian aspect. Here are some tips for a hassle-free Easter celebration with your kids.

Religious activities
If you attend church regularly, then you would probably have set plans for Easter Sunday. If not, then check with your local church and see what they have in store for the children on this special day. You could even simply go to church as a family and observe Easter. You can also hold a special Easter meal and commemorate the rising of Christ.

Easter egg hunt
For the more non-sectarian approach, you can organize your own Easter egg hunt at home. It would be fun to gather your kids and their friends for this event. To make things easier for you, why not purchase some plastic eggs which can hold some goodies? This will get rid of the task of boiling eggs and purchasing separate treats.

You can also check your local malls or events center. The chances are that they will be holding Easter egg hunt activities. This will probably be easier on you as you do not have to organize your own hunt. More so, your kids could enjoy the company of other people that they have never met before.

I hadn’t realized that the day of The Three Kings was so unknown in America (at least not in the non-Latino communities)and England, both of which are the cultures from my husband’s side of the family. And so, the o.c Mom that I am, I dug up some more on the three kings to share with my husband and kids (they should know why their shoes are getting filled with candy, dont you think?, and now my blog too…. next I’ll be reporting how the big festivities went.

Los Tres Reyes Magos literally means “The Three King Wizards”, but is usually interpreted to mean “The Three Wise Men” or “The Three Kings”. Their celebration day (January 6th) is refered to as “Three Kings Day” or just “The Day of the Kings”.

In Spanish tradition, on the day of January 6th, three of the Kings: Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar, representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus twelve days after his birth.

As such in Spain, this is the day that people give and receive gifts. And as children in the United States and other countries might wait with great anticipation the arrival of Santa Claus, in Spain the children await the arrival of the Three Kings.

On January 5th in most Spanish towns is the “la cabalgata” (the calvacade) which is a parade marking the arrival of the Three Kings. The Three Kings ride on floats throwing candy to the children. In the Canary and Balaeric Islands the Three Kings arrive by ship!

After the parade the children return to their homes to prepare for the arrival of the Three Kings. They place their shoes on the windowsills and fill them with straw, carrots and barley for the donkeys of the Three Kings. Sometimes they might also leave some food for the Three Kings. The next morning the children wake up early to open their presents. Although the children like all of the Three Kings, their favorite is Baltasar because he is the one who it is believed actually leaves the gifts. This is also the day that adults will get their presents although of course these are not delivered by the Three Kings.

And for my history-buff husband, heres what I’ll be telling him about the Feast of the Epiphany:

Epiphany (Greek: ?????????, “the appearance; miraculous phenomenon”) is a Christian feast intended to celebrate the ’shining forth’ or revelation of God to mankind in human form, in the person of Jesus. The observance had its origins in the eastern Christian churches, and included the birth of Jesus; the visit of the Magi, or Wise Men (traditionally named Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar) who arrived in Bethlehem; and all of Jesus’ childhood events, up to his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. The date of the feast was fixed on January 6. Ancient Liturgies speak of Illuminatio, Manifestatio, Declaratio (Lighting, Manifestation, Declaration); cf. St. Matthew’s Gospel (iii, 13–17); St. Luke’s (iii, 22); and St. John’s (ii, 1–11); where the Baptism and Marriage at Cana are dwelt upon. The Christian Churches have traditionally also talked of a “Revelation to the Gentiles”, where the term Gentile meant all non-Jewish peoples. The Biblical Magi represent the non-Jewish peoples of the world.

[tags]three kings, epiphany, magi, holidays, latin[/tags]

Growing up, my family always celebrated the three kings day, or the Epiphany. We knew it as the day the three kings (also known as the Magi) would be passing our home, traveling back from Bethlehem, and if we were good and left our shoes by the window, they would fill it with candy.

Aside from that though, it really marked the end of the holiday season, as the day after we would start packing away the Christmas tree, lights and all the decorations. Since we’ve had kids, its become another holiday passed down for our kids to remember, and this year, we’ve even been invited to a three kings party at the local Spanish club. Apparently in Spain, the three kings day (which actually falls on January 6th) is a pretty big deal. Heres how they celebrate it there:

” While most of the world has already begun packing up the Christmas ornaments, throwing out the tree, and finding a place for all of their gifts, Spaniards are continuing the celebration. January 6, Three King’s Day, is the long awaited day in which the three Kings bring their gifts. On January 5, children go to a parade where they see the three kings arrive to their city, and take the opportunity to ask them for gifts. Later, before going to bed, children leave their shoes out in a visible spot in the house or on their balcony, y go to bed hoping that when they wake up they will find gifts left by Mechior, Gaspar, and Balthasar. For breakfast or after lunch, families often have the typical dessert of the day, the “Roscón de los Reyes”, a large ring shaped cake that is decorated with candied fruits, symbolic of the emeralds and rubies that adorned the robes of the three kings. Somewhere inside the cake there is a surprise, and the person to find it will be crowned King or Queen of the house for the remainder of the day. ”

[tags]three kings, epiphany, Spain[/tags]

My family is a multi-cultural one. Between my husband’s family heritage and mine, much of Europe, America and Asia is covered, making it an interesting place to grow-up for our children who have a variety of world holidays to discover.

One of these is Boxing Day, which is not known to those who live away from the “Commonwealth Countries”, and is often mistakenly assumed to have something to do with the Mike Tyson kind of boxing!

So here, for all your information:

Despite its name, Boxing Day, which is celebrated on December 26 in Great Britain, has nothing to do with pugilistic competition. Nor is it a day for people to return unwanted Christmas presents. While the exact origins of the holiday are obscure, it is likely that Boxing Day began in England during the Middle Ages.

Some historians say the holiday developed because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but took the following day off. As servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would present them with gift boxes.

Another theory is that the boxes placed in churches where parishioners deposited coins for the poor were opened and the contents distributed on December 26, which is also the Feast of St. Stephen.

As time went by, Boxing Day gift giving expanded to include those who had rendered a service during the previous year. This tradition survives today as people give presents to tradesmen, mail carriers, doormen, porters, and others who have helped them.

Boxing Day is December 26, the day after Christmas, and is celebrated in Great Britain and in most areas settled by the English (the U.S. is the major exception), including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Boxing Day is just one of the British bank holidays recognized since 1871 that are observed by banks, government offices, and the post office. The others include Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Whitmonday (the day after Pentecost), and the banking holiday on the first Monday in August.

The Feast of St. Stephen also takes place on December 26. St. Stephen was one of the seven original deacons of the Christian Church who were ordained by the Apostles to care for widows and the poor. For the success of his preaching and his devotion to Christ, St. Stephen was stoned to death by a mob. As he died, he begged God not to punish his killers.

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas dinner, Christmas Story[/tags]

Here is a wonderful Christmas Story on the meaning of Christmas from the eyes of one little girl and her family.

A very Christmas to you and your families!!

A Christmas Story

It was the year 1968. That year was an exceptionally hard year in every way. Pop was laid off due to too much snow in the woods. He was a logger. Roads were impassable and snow lay thick in the mountains. We knew there would be no Christmas. Mom had told us there simply was no money. Times were tough. We didn’t have money even for our very basic needs.

That was the year the guy from the fire department brought my sick baby brother some medicine in his four wheel drive. That was the year the snow piled up relentlessly night and day. The wind blew it under the window sills. We slept each night downstairs by the fireplace
trying to stay warm. The entire house was closed off by blankets in doorways and masking tape on all the windows. Rugs were shoved under loose fitting doors so not a breath of cold air could get in.

That was also the year that food was scarce for man and beast. Earlier in the fall, the cold and scarcity of food drove the bear into our orchard to eat any remaining plums and apples that we hadn’t canned or processed in some way. We trapped those bears, tanned their hides to use for rugs, and ate the meat to fill our bellies. Christmas dinner that year was going to be Bear Roast. There were nine of us kids, and food was scarce.

The fires were kept burning night and day. My baby brothers were set on the lids to the warming ovens above the kitchen stove and held there while they dangled there feet over the old Home Comfort. Its cheery warmth not only heated our kitchen, but it also kept their tiny
toes warm.

That was also the winter that mom ran out of formula for the baby. Not knowing what to do, we prayed that God would send our baby formula. He was allergic to milk and too young to . That day a man handed
mom an envelope of gospel tracts. There hidden in the tracts was a five dollar bill. God had answered our prayers. The baby would now get his formula.

I had only one wish that Christmas. I had seen a beautiful doll bed in the department store window. I wanted it so badly, but I knew it was way too much to ask. I could dream though, and dream I did. Mom knew how badly I yearned for a doll bed, so one day shortly before
Christmas she set about to make me that coveted gift. Taking two cardboard boxes she turned the one upside down and set the other on top. She fastened them to each other then lined them with fabric and made a little pleated skirt to cover the cardboard box underneath. She knew that on Christmas morning I would be the happiest child for miles around.

The air was filled with secrecy that Christmas, as we all tried to make each other gifts. Buttons were strung onto strings, small jars were filled with filberts to rattle at the babies, nuts piled high behind the stove in gunny sacks were cracked and sugared for treats. Once again Bear meat was on the dinner menu. But once again God had other plans.

The day before Christmas a big red truck lumbered down the lane to our house. It was the Fire Chief! Whatever was happening? Why had they come? They had chained up the vehicle to get up the snowy roads. Maybe they were bringing medicine. One year the fire department brought aspirin to all the babies on the mountain because families couldn’t get into town. But no! Wait! There were other men with him. We watched as the firemen jumped down and began unloading gifts from the truck. They piled them on to the front porch while we watched from the window. There were lots of boxes. The excitement was more than we
could bear. Beautifully wrapped gifts with sparkly bows were lined up on the porch.

Mom opened the front door to ask what this was all about. A fireman filled her arms with a box overflowing with food. “Merry Christmas,” he called over his shoulder as he stomped back through the snow for more things. My sisters and I were squealing and excitedly running from window to window in the hopes of seeing better. The babies peeked out from behind mom’s skirt.

Finally the last box was unloaded and our porch was filled with food and gifts. Everything we needed for a complete Christmas dinner was brought by that fire department. Mom was crying as she thanked the men. At eight-years-old I didn’t see what there was to cry about. I
mean one minute there was no Christmas, the next we all had gifts and a Christmas dinner! At the time I knew nothing of what lies in a mother’s heart when God so completely and wonderfully answers her prayers for Christmas for her babies.

But the firemen weren’t done. They had gone back to the truck, and now they were pulling out a huge box with a candy cane striped swing-set inside. Our joy was beyond imagination. We had spent many hours swinging in homemade swings in the apple trees, but we had never seen or dreamed of anything as lovely as this red and white swing set. Our
little hearts could hold no more.

That year was the best Christmas we ever had. The turkey from the fire department filled the place with mouthwatering smells. Gifts were opened and nowhere was there greater joy than that which was found in the old farmhouse that day.

That night, as the snow continued to blow across the dark hills, nine children lay tucked in their beds on the dining room floor. The fire gave the room a soft glow. Over in the old green chair mama rocked the baby and fed him warm formula while Pop made his bedtime rounds,
stoking the fire and checking windows and doors for any loose masking tape that would let the cold east wind inside.

That was the night that the firemen brought Christmas to little children on a cold mountain. That was the night a new doll, brought from the fire department, slept all snuggly warm in its cardboard box beside a little girl who had prayed for a Christmas.

That was the night the heavens bent low.

That was the night the angels sang.

I will forever be grateful to the men who sacrificed their time that cold Christmas Eve. I have never forgotten their labor of love and the joy they brought to our hearts. Thank you so much for bringing Christmas to our house that year. You will never know what that meant to all of us! May God bless you all!

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas dinner, Christmas Story[/tags]

Aside from filling their stocking with goodies and the presents from my husband and I, Santa also bring my two children something from their “lists”(please don’t mention the word spoiled). For my nearly-2 boy, the choice was easy - a wooden Thomas the Tank Engine set, his current obsession. For my preschooler, it wasnt as easy as every month she’d come up with something new she wanted. A few months ago it was a My Little Pony house/castle, then it was the Superman Matchbox activity game, then the Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses doll (which her classmate had, of course).

By the time Christmas rolled around, it had changed to several other highly-commercialized, overpriced toys which would probably keep her interest for a week tops, but there are kids for you. So I held off her “Santa Present” for as long as I could until I finally got my husband to the mall and told him to deal with it. In true male-style, he led me to the nearest Sports shop, asked the shop assistant for kid roller skates and voila- she had her present.

Its the strangest thing, but despite her not mentioning skates at all in her Christmas desires, when we went to that Email Santa website, it was what she mentioned FIRST in her letter!!! I don’t know how my husband knew, but the moral of the story is that sometimes, just sometimes, we Moms have to let Daddies work their own magic with the kids.

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas presents[/tags]

Here it is, heart-wrenching and hilarious - what kids around the world have been emailing Santa about:

I just wish that the parents of a friend of mine really loved him (which they don’t),as he now lives in an Aid Center for kids and I want him to get out of there !
- Diana, 14, Arad, Romania.

my dad is on disability my mommy can’t work because of my sister and mommy says we not to expect much for chirstmas. but my sister needs a new bed and new clothes. and a new bike. but mommy says we have each other and that is what is important.
- Toni, 8, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Santa I am hearing impaired and had a dog named kip that would let me know if doorbell was to ring, wake me up when the alarm goes off, and much more. We were told that he was not doing everything he was supposed to do so hedaquarters in Michigan took him to help train him more. If he does not do good he will never come back to me. He have been very good up there so far and I hope and wish for him to come back. I would like for us to spend Christmas together because he had made a difference in my life. I know this may be asking too much, but I thought with hope and faith my dog may come back home. Thank you
- Annie, 18, Pensacola, Florida.

You said you might not have enough room in your sled for all the toys….I asked my mommy to get you a new-bigger sled for your Christmas present. I hope she gets it to you before Christmas!
- Alex, 4, Volga City, Iowa.

Gee it’s hard being six. I hope seven is easier?
- Damian, 6, Adelaide, Australia.

Santa, I do not have an email address of my own so I am using my brother’s email address. Please don’t get our presents mixed up though
- Lorna, 7, Essexville, Michigan.

Please bring something special for my Marmo. This is her first Christmas in heaven. We will miss her jello at Christmas dinner.
- Elizabeth, 6, Belfast, United Kingdom.

Santa, please be careful bringing my puppy down the chimney, if she doesn’t fit please make other arrangements to get her to me, do you have special helpers for precious pet deliveries?
- Scotty, 8, Fresno, California.

Santa, my computer is missing. For christmas I asked for some new computer things like what my daddy has and I was hoping that maybe your elves just borrowed it to add that new stuff to make it run gooder but if they didn’t maybe somebody stole it and you could bring me a new one?
- Matthew, 8, Franklin, New Hampshire.

I hope that you get every house in the whole Unavicers.Maybe your wife should do the work for you.
- Jessica, 8, DeWitt, New York.

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Letters, Santa[/tags]

Today my daughter and I emailed Santa and he emailed back in seconds!! We printed his letter out and now it hangs on the fridge, so you can imagine how thrilled my 4-year old was.

I urge all parents of young kids to go visit the site - Email Santa - and will definitely telling all my friends to go there with their kids asap. The site opens up to an up-to-the-second “Countdown” to when Santa will be coming to your home, which immediately got my daughter wide-eyed and smiling excitedly. The message below it read:

The elves & reindeer have been busy making fun things to do… just look to the right , there’s something for you !! There’s games and great letters and pet emails too! But shining through, Santa wishes your Christmas dreams come true ! Merry Christmas!!

Just below that, you can help your child fill in the blanks like her name, where you live, whether she’s been good this year and what she wants for Christmas as well as a ps. bit on any extra things she may want to tell Santa. She also gets to choose a stamp and a little present for Santa or the reindeer!

You hit the button, and hey Presto! You hear this voice of a man who sounds like he’s on a radio, saying that an email is now being delivered from the North Pole, with some familiar “ho ho ho’s” in the background, and there is your child’s letter from Santa, all personalized and adorable, ready to be printed out, totally free! (well, you can give a donation to the lovely soul who created this).

The site also has a bunch of other fun Christmassy things for your child to do, like sending an email to Rudolph from your pet, cool games, colouring pages and best of all, the letters to Santa from the children are posted on a page for all to see. I’ll be sharing some of my favourites in the next post, which shouldnt be missed. Some will really make you cry!

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Emailing Santa, Santa Clause[/tags]

A wonderful family Christmas tradition I started since the children came along is baking Christmas cookies. My daughter is now nearly 5, but we started doing it when she was 2, and actually do it all year round. Of course, during Christmas it becomes even more special as we make enough to give away and its a good excuse to use our special cutters in holiday shapes like a Christmas tree, bell, star and angel. The gingerbread man is my daughter’s favourite, as is the snowman.

Everyone has a favourite cookie recipe of their own, but this particular one is ideal for the busy Mom as they freeze really well and come in handy when the kids just want to do the shaping and icing part (and you have enough on your hands to want to mix and measure). Oh, and best of all, these taste really good too!

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

Heat oven to 375° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter, brown and granulated sugars, corn syrup, and vanilla for 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add ingredients from the variation of your choice.

Unless the directions for the variation state otherwise, form the dough into tablespoon-size mounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks. Cool completely.

To Make Now and Bake Later: When you mix a batch of cookies, double the recipe. Bake half the dough according to the recipe and divide the rest into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic, then place in a resealable plastic bag. To save yourself time and hassle, label the bag with the flavor, the oven temperature, and the baking time, adding 3 to 6 minutes to the regular oven time. Freeze the dough for up to 3 months. To bake, slice the frozen dough into rounds about 1/2 inch thick, making as few or as many as you would like. Bake on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet.

Yield: Makes 40 cookies

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 105(43% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 3g); SUGAR 8g; PROTEIN 1g; CHOLESTEROL 17mg; SODIUM 67mg; FIBER 1g; CARBOHYDRATE 15g

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas cookies, cookie recipe[/tags]

Tis the season we receive and send Christmas cards and get Christmassy emails too. Here are a couple that came into my inbox recently, which no doubt the kids will enjoy.

Pimp My Nutcracker -
This is a hilarious one, where the trad Nutcracker can be given a makeover to look like an …er…pimp? Well, it really does sound much worse than it is as the bits that you can put on him (think gaudy jewelry, hamburgers and a Starbucks coffee) are really more of the bling-bling-hip-hop-school rather than the back alley chap with a dubious job. Definitely for older kids or those that have a kooky sense of humour as my daughter does. I’d also leave the “P” word out, and replace it with Bling Bling or even “rapper”, as it is such a hideous word anyway and I’d hate to explain to my child what it means in literal terms.

The Snow Dog
This interactive card, sent by my Mother to the kids is of the classic and heartwarming type. Kids who are nifty with the mouse can click on different bits to make the story go along. Lovely graphics and very very sweet.

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas e cards, Nutcracker game[/tags]