Winter and the Holidays are here!

Lyricist Sammy Cahn and the composer Jule Styne created the Christmas song Let It Snow in 1945. Did you know that nearly 300 years prior to the creation of this song, the English Parliament declared Christmas to be illegal? Reportedly, electric Christmas tree lights were first used in 1895. All of these and other little facts can be found on the World Wide Web: http://www.carols.org.uk/. Whether you are ready or not, Christmas is upon us and winter will officially be here next week.

How the weather has been frightful in Marshall lately. As I am typing, I am sure local emergency personnel are busy assisting others. My son had his share of problems, not an accident, but a dead battery. My tires are worthless so they provide very little traction, windshield wipers freezing up, no ice scraper. Needless to say, our family was not prepared and we had plenty of warning. Of course, how many times does Mr. Weatherman miss the mark? My safety and preparedness was betting on him missing the bull's eye again.

The Mullins-Lamb household is buzzing with activity. We have chosen to start a couple new traditions this year. For the first time in my married life, we decorated a real tree. I was hesitant at first but my husband was so insistent upon having an evergreen smell, I relented. We went as a family and picked the tree out, loaded it on the SUV and drove slowly home. The whole event was not as romantic or spirit driven as Hallmark moments but it was memorable! Our artificial trees are neatly boxed up in our basement awaiting another year. We have yet to find an evergreen scent produced that matches the smell of a real Christmas tree.

Our big decision for the season is staying home Christmas day. Normally, like so many families, we spend most of our time on the road traveling back and forth between huge meals, the sounds of ripping paper, and squeals of children's delight. With blended families, it can really become difficult. The long day begins with breakfast at the first stop, lunch at the second stop and dinner at the last house. How much can one waistline take in a day? Bristol University reports the average Christmas dinner contains over 1,400 calories, 70 percent of the total calorie intake for an adult woman (2,000 calories a day) and over half the amount for an adult man (2,500 calories a day) http://www.physorg.com/news117210423.htm....

With all of the hustle and bustle, does anyone really have time to discover the reason we celebrate Christmas? Before the birth of Jesus, in ancient time Europeans celebrated winter solstice. In Rome, a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture--was celebrated. Christmas is probably the most celebrated holiday in the world but as I mentioned earlier, it was not always so. Christmas was banned from 1645 to 1681. Christmas was not declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870. The holiday celebrations in modern times represent both secular and religious traditions.

What about the jolly gentleman in the red suit? Where and how did Santa Claus come into being? The History Channel reports a gift-giving monk named St. Nicholas is believed to be the original Santa Claus and to have been born in modern-day Turkey around 280 A.D. The name Santa Claus evolved from Nicholas' Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, in the 18th century, Santa Claus invaded American homes.

Let us not leave out "the most famous reindeer of all," Rudolph. In 1939, a copywriter at a Montgomery Ward department store wrote the famous story about the reindeer to help bring business into his store. Can you imagine writing a little story to attract shoppers and the story becoming a worldwide sensation?

Whatever the reason you choose to rejoice and give thanks during the Christmas Holiday, I wish the best to everyone. I have been writing this blog for about nine months, which is long enough to give birth to a baby but maybe not quite enough time to perfect a writing skill. My goal from the very beginning was to bring something new to the Marshall community and I hope I have succeeded. With 2008 coming to a close, I want to say thanks for your support. Happy Holidays.