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Tag: Christmas

Christmas Magic

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious September Daily Challenge! Brought to you by the writers of “the Challenged.” Adapted from one of Bonnie’s August prompts) Secretly, you put a magical zucchini on your neighbor’s porch. It was christmas of 2023 and the snow on the grou...

How to Manage the “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” Debate in Your Workplace

It’s that time of year when we hear endless Mariah Carey Christmas songs. Also, when there is an annual debate on whether we should say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” when interacting with co-workers or our peers. There is a strong misconception that the &ldqu...

A Christmas Paradise by the Water: Nyhavn

When my two friends and I traveled to Copenhagen for four days, visiting the iconic waterfront at Nyhavn was at the top of our list of sights to see. We went in late November, which meant that the Holiday spirit was in full force, and the Christmas markets were up and running. Nyhavn and the ...

The Christmas Markets Of Copenhagen

Christmas markets are a must-see in many European countries during the festive period. Whether it’s Cologne or Berlin in Germany to Salzburg or Vienna in Austria, get a taste of Hungary by visiting Budapest or enjoy the buzz of Basel by venturing to Switzerland. Wherever you fancy going the mo...

’Tis The Season! Let’s Go To A Christmas Fair

It’s only November, but the UK is getting into Christmas mode. Once this has started, nobody can stop the Brits! And then, an English friend texted me, ‘Hi Yuri, would you like to go to the Christmas fair with me? I’ve got tickets’, so I went out in my kimono in Christmas ...

the way christmas smells in New York City

I remember your first date. You bought a Christmas tree on the street. He was tall and you were a wild woman. He wore shorts in winter and you were stylish. Those stylish trends are things of the past; they’re old now, and maybe in another ten years they’ll be new again. Christmas ...

Where would you go — London or New York for Christmas? Let us compare!

Maybe it’s Pogue’s song “Fairytale in Jew York” or the endless Christmas movies set in the Big Apple, but something about a New York Christmas appeals to us Brits. This is a growing trend as recent studies show a 10% increase in Dece...

Parents Unhappy with Disney’s NYC Christmas Village

Disney’s The Santa Clauses’ Winter Wonderland on the rooftop of Pier 17 is receiving negative feedback from local parents. Many have taken to social media to complain about various aspects of the attraction. One issue is the size of the ice rink, which parents describe as “tiny.&rd...

13 Exciting Things to Do for Christmas in New York

At the holiday markets, New York City provides you with ample decoration items, food, and winter activities to take you in a full holiday mood. There are plenty of options for you if you want to shop; there’s the Union Square holiday market, Columbus Circle holiday market, and Bryant Park holi...

A Magical Christmas Evening: Dining on the Seine in Paris

As the sun began to set on a crisp December evening in Paris, I found myself on the picturesque quays at the foot of the Orsay Museum, ready to embark on a truly enchanting experience. The anticipation was palpable as I prepared to board a restaurant boat for a Christmas-themed dinner cruise along t...

Script Guidelines for Your Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie

Soyou’ve decided to write a movie script for the Hallmark Channel holiday season. We are thrilled to spend another summer shooting Christmas movies in Canada. In order to produce our annual quota of 147 whimsically enchanting heteronormative Christmas-themed movies, we invite anyone and e...

The 8 Best Sydney Beaches Where You Can Spend Your Christmas Day

Here are some beach suggestions to make your trip during the Christmas season more festive and enjoyable. Summer in Australia is a season of fun, sun and celebrating some festive times including Christmas. It is a great to experience this festive season during summer, and what better way to ...

Toronto Christmas Celebrations 2023: A Guide To Magical Holidays!

Step into a winter wonderland as Toronto transforms into a festive paradise for the most enchanting time of the year! In this lively guide to the Toronto Christmas Celebrations 2023, we unwrap the magic of the holiday season, revealing the city’s glittering lights, joyful festivities...

Carol of the birds: A Christmas Bird Count story

My first Christmas Bird Count was a few decades ago in the hot desert that separates Arizona and California at Imperial National Wildlife Refuge. The Colorado River seemed to narrow and fade by the hour, but at sunrise, the birds were heavily at play. Birds were my daily chorus, my compani...

My Weird Green Christmas: How to be Green and Save Money

A few years ago I was challenged by an environmentalist to write a piece on how I live a more environmentally friendly Christmas. These are my tips! Christmas gifts In an effort to be ‘green’, economical and imaginative at Christmas, many of our presents come from charity shops, ofte...

Christmas Cards: A Stupid Tradition, Terrible for the Planet!

Think about it. Christmas cards — they’re probably made in China, where a low-paid, possibly exploited, Chinese workforce slaves away in factories, where machines powered by coal-fired power stations create cards for Western consumers like you and me. The cards are then shipped to the...

My Weird Green Christmas: How to be Green and Save Money

A few years ago I was challenged by an environmentalist to write a piece on how I live a more environmentally friendly Christmas. These are my tips! Christmas gifts In an effort to be ‘green’, economical and imaginative at Christmas, many of our presents come from charity shops, ofte...

A Whimsical Christmas Tale:

A squirrel wearing a tiny Christmas hat sitting jauntily on its head was the unexpected hero in a quaint little town where snowflakes danced delicately in the chilly night air. Nobody realized that this animal companion was going to set out on a wacky journey that would give the customary Christmas ...

The Brave and Hungry Christmas Mouse

I had two Maine coon cats, Phoenix and Gryphon. Their food bowls were kept in front of the glass French doors to the garden. The garden backed onto a wood so we got quite a bit of wildlife. Squirrels, deer, tadpoles and frogs, toads. Lots of birds, including a green woodpecker, resident robins...

How to Celebrate Christmas Like Rich People When You’re Poor

Growing up, ‘Home Alone’ was one of those Christmas movies that shaped my ideas of what Christmas should look like, a huge house, decorated to the nines in Christmas fluff, full of family and mayhem, maybe on the way to a big family vacation somewhere. My house was tiny, not a stitch ...

What is AI’s Christmas present to humanity? An improved economy.

Happy Holidays 2023. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate December 25th as a day of gift giving and receiving. It’s always fun and exciting to unwrap gifts to see what’s inside. As we unwrap the promise of AI, an improved economy seems to be the most sensible expectation of what AI wil...

WHY DO WE GIVE AT CHRISTMAS?

Christmas is a time for giving. This often extends beyond friends and family to charity donations. Many charities run specific Christmas appeals and there is evidence more people give at Christmas, compared to during the rest of the year. Why is this? Research from psychology and neuros...

Santa’s Bringing Closed-End Funds for Christmas

It’s a jolly good time of the year to have a bank account full of income. How could you use an extra $500, $1,000, or $1,500 per month in revenue? Would receiving an extra $500 monthly in guilt-free dividends change your life? I know that it has changed mine in spectacular ways. Free...

How Buddha would have Celebrated Christmas.

Maybe this is because in the month prior to the holidays we spend so much time talking about presents. Even thinking about gifts below the tree was enough to thrill me for days. As I grew up, Christmas started meaning more for me. It extended from giving and receiving presents, to putting up deco...

What Are Christmas Blessings?

A blessing is an expression of grace that uplifts and nourishes a person, being, or place. And to me, “grace” is not an undeserved favor or God forgiving us for our sins. Grace is us tapping into the patterns of harmony or of loving, suffusing kindness that come from the ultimate patt...

The Real Truth About the Shepherds on That First Christmas Night

There they were, the shepherds, watching their flocks of sheep, protecting them from predators just like any other night of the year. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the angels of heaven appeared to announce the greatest of all news in the history of news! The common story goes that the shepherds ...

What’s Really The Reason For This Season?

The Christmas season is chaotic. There are so many activities to jam pack into one month. Then, there is the long list of gifts to buy. The countries that celebrate Christmas seem restless and constantly busy. Majority of the time, it doesn’t matter if you are a believer or not. Everyo...

Lights, Love, and Laughter: A Pakistani Christmas Celebration

Christmas in Pakistan is something special. Although Christians are a minority, the spirit of this festival is embraced by people from all walks of life. Imagine a house decorated with colorful lights and decorations, creating a magical atmosphere that brings everyone together. As Christmas appro...

Celebrating Christmas in a Christian Family as a Muslim

This Christmas, I was warmly invited to their family home. I was greeted with open arms by his parents. His father’s handmade gifts, his mother’s blanket for my home, and the kindness of his sister made me feel welcomed. Embracing New Traditions: Board Games One of the most delight...

The Meaning of Christmas

When the hour of the Revelation of Jesus drew nigh, a few of the Magi, aware that the star of Jesus had appeared in heaven, sought and followed it until they came unto the city which was the seat of the Kingdom of Herod. The sway of his sovereignty in those days embraced the whole of that land. T...

A Muslim's Perspective on the Christmas Celebration

During the holiday season, individuals from different cultures and traditions gather to celebrate. Although Christmas is primarily linked with Christian customs, it has become a time when people from diverse backgrounds participate in the spirit of joy and goodwill. In Islam, celebrating Christmas i...

Have Yourself a Confusing Little Christmas

This time of year, the festive end, is always a confusing one for me. Or rather, it has been for the last couple of decades. For many, November/December is the slide into Christmas and New Year. The shops are filled with all the festive ‘must-haves’ — wrapping paper, cards, tins...

We’ve Chosen a Tiny Christmas

Afew days ago, I asked folks to tell me what kind of Christmas dinner traditions they had. I wanted to learn what other people did before making a decision about what sort of tradition I might be able to do as a single mom struggling with chronic disease and an especially disappointing lack of energ...

What Does Losing Your Eye Look Like?

It was the home stretch before Christmas 2020. With only a few days left before the big day, I still had so much to do. My son had his last indoor soccer game of the year. Why they plan these games so close to the holiday I’ll never know. So, with shin guards in my hand, I buckled my little on...

Christmas with Mom

Today, I’m going to share two of many Christmas memories about my late mom that I’ll hold dear in my heart for the rest of my life. My Mom never allowed my cerebral palsy to limit her vision of the man that I could become. Depending on your background or experience this time of year c...

If I Wish You A Merry Christmas

“Merry Christmas!”, I said to the man behind the counter at the gas station. The man, much darker than my complexion, with a red mark on his forehead, smiles back and me and says, “Yes, Merry Christmas!” We both feel as if each man holds an appreciation for the other. I...

The Joys I See In Her/Their Christmas Wish Lists

I destroyed my children years ago. Perhaps it’s because of my Jewish upbringing — one where I longed for the excess of Christmas — that my children come down a tree on December 25th overflowing with piles of gifts. Like, I go a bit crazy. I know it’s not right, and also...

What a Christmas Card Taught Me About Family and Conditional Queer Acceptance

I have what I would generously call a vexed relationship with my extended family, particularly when it comes to my sexuality. If you’re familiar with my work here at Medium, you may recall that a few months ago my dad’s eldest sister disinvited my partner and me from her house in one of ...

Why I Love Christmas, as an Elderly Gay Man Who Lives Alone

Most people are in good spirits during the holidays, and that is infectious. We are reminded that Christmas is a time of peace and goodwill. Sometimes we get too sentimental about babies. But the joy, excitement, and innocence of little children is what it is about. Sharing the Good News that God ca...

What Being Disowned By My Family On Christmas Day Taught Me About Love

Ifyou’ve read any of my other articles, my homosexuality won’t come as a surprise to you. I make no secret of it — better yet, I focus a lot of my work around the topic of being gay, in hopes of raising awareness of the hardships faced by many LGBTQ+ people due to their s...

Pat Bond’s Last Best Christmas Party

Pat Bond was a pioneer lesbian performer. She began performing after her moving and funny interview in the 1977 documentary on gay people, Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives. She toured the country with her solo shows, beginning in 1979. For most members of the audience, it was the ...

How a Christmas Gift with a Secret Meaning Saved My Life

It was the year we murdered a tree for Christmas. Daddy made me hold the Douglas fir while he attacked at its base. The tree’s perfume made me fall in love. As it broke at the bottom, its woody tendrils shrieked as it let go. I let go, too, and Daddy yelled at me. We dragged the tree out of...

On Christmas Eve, Black Trans Woman Amber Minor, 40, Was Shot to Death in Missouri. — Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

Amber grew up in Kansas City. According to her childhood best friend, Tre’Shawn Roberts, Amber knew at an early age that she wanted to transition. First, Amber and Tre’Shawn came out as gay men in their teens. Both knew transitioning would be difficult in the 1990s. Nevertheless, they pu...

Christmas in mourning

This year was the first Christmas I’ve had the chance to celebrate. I bought gifts for friends, decorated a Christmas tree, watched movies, and went to Christmas markets, yet things have been feeling far from festive. I could only go into the holiday season with a heavy heart. What is there to...

FMCSA Makes Sure the 2023 US Capitol Christmas Tree Arrives Safely

FMCSA conducts the standard Level I inspection and ensures the drivers are properly credentialed prior to the journey. In addition, staff travel with the tree and participate at the whistle stops to engage with local communities and raise awareness about the importance of sharing the road ...

A Tragic Christmas Eve: Three Siblings and 2 Guns

On December 24, 2023, tragedy struck a family in Florida as the two brothers engaged in a deadly altercation. Damarcus Coley allegedly fatally shot his 23-year-old sister, Abrielle Baldwin, during a heated argument over Christmas presents. Earlier, they had went out Christmas gift shopping and the D...

Modern Questions About a Long-Standing Christmas Tradition

Over a month ago, this tree was firmly rooted in the ground. In recent weeks, it resided in a home, likely decorated with ornaments, brimming with lights, wrapped presents at its base, propped up in a special corner of the room. I walked past this discarded tree on a walk with my dog. I was jo...

A Christmas Treat: My Journey with 8000Kicks

Unwrapping a Sustainable Surprise The moment the sneakers arrived, the unboxing experience was a delight. The packaging was as eco-conscious as the shoes themselves, boasting 100% biodegradability. The sneakers, with their minimalist yet versatile design, were a sight to behold, promising to be a...

Could We Just… Maybe… Skip Christmas?

Myson is 19. He towers over me and as I’m looking up at him, his face is a bit crestfallen as he lets me know he won’t be there for our traditional tree trimming. Every year, we put the tree up and it might sit a couple of days with only lights before we all get together and put on ou...

My Christmas Tradition Is Odd. Just The Way I Like It.

I’m a sucker for odd family traditions. The kinds of things you don’t see peeping through the windows of every other house on Christmas morning. I love the unique and the bizarre. Truthfully, the perfectly decorated, everything-matching Christmas tree makes me vomit faster than chuggi...

A Christmas Treat: My Journey with 8000Kicks

Unwrapping a Sustainable Surprise The moment the sneakers arrived, the unboxing experience was a delight. The packaging was as eco-conscious as the shoes themselves, boasting 100% biodegradability. The sneakers, with their minimalist yet versatile design, were a sight to behold, promising to be a...

My First Real Spanish Christmas

I hope your Christmas break was truly wonderful! Sometimes, I can’t help but feel that too much emphasis is placed on a single day of the year. However, I wanted to extend my warmest wishes to all, those who might have chosen a quieter, more solitary celebration, free from the stress of planni...