Let them know it's Christmas time

Christmas is a Christian holiday that is set to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. He was said to be born on December 25^th and that is why we today celebrate this day.

Long time ago in Bethlehem so the Holy Bible said
Mary's boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day.

Hark now hear the angels sing a king was born today
and man will live for evermore because of Christmas Day.

Above I wrote the start of the song Mary’s boy child, and this song is one of many who describe the birth of Christ.  I think we all know the story of how little baby Jesus was born, but I will still tell you the short version.  Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to get registered. Bethlehem was Joseph’s hometown and that was why they had to go there. Virgin Mary was pregnant and when they came to Bethlehem she was close to giving birth. There was no room for them anywhere and because of that they sought refuge in a stable. In that stable Jesus Christ was born and the Christmas star shined above it. At the same time the angel Gabriel showed himself for a couple of shepherds and told them that a new savior had been born and that they where to follow the star. They did and found baby Jesus, gave him a lamb, and told Mary and Joseph what the angel had told them. Later three wise men showed up. They all had a gift for baby Jesus and the gifts were gold, myrrh and frankincense.  

Today Christmas is more a holiday that is based on presents and school brake. You don’t have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas anymore, and only a few people actually go to church on Christmas Day.  I think this is a bit sad that a successful Christmas today depends on how many presents you get, but I think that it is great that not only Christians can get into the Christmas spirit.

In Norway, where I come from, we celebrate Christmas on the 24^th. December 24^th is the day celebrated as Christmas Eve. In most of the western world this day is celebrated because it has cultural significance.  Why we in Norway celebrate on this day instead of December 25^th, I don’t know, it has just always been that way.  

Now I will tell you about my Christmas traditions. I celebrate Christmas with the entire family on my mother’s side, so that means we are a total of sixteen people. On December 24^th I wake up at around 09.30 in the morning. At 11 am we all go to the church yard to visit some graves. We visit the same graves every year, even in the same order. After the church yard we go home to my aunt and uncle to eat sandwiches and drink hot chocolate with cream. Now it’s time for a brake. We all go home and rest for about two hours before we start getting dressed for Christmas celebration.  When we are all dressed everybody comes over to my house and we eat cakes and walk around the Christmas tree, singing Christmas songs. After this it is time for the presents. This takes up a lot of time, but it is very fun. When we are done with the presents we can finally have Christmas dinner. This takes place at my grandparent’s home and lasts for the rest of the night. I will not list up the menu, out of fear of a growling stomach, but I can promise you it is delicious.

To end my blog post I will write a few things I love about Christmas and that really gives me Christmas spirit. I hope it will do the same for you.

Christmas songs, Santa Claus, Christmas tree, Christmas star, Christmas menu, snow, snowman, mistletoe, Christmas decorations, red candles, advent, presents and happy people.