ChristmasHoliday Dinner
From the Old English 'Cristes Mæsse' ~ meaning the 'mass of Christ' ~ the story of begins with the birth of a babe in Bethlehem. It is believed that Christ was born on the 25th, although the exact month is unknown. December was likely chosen so the Catholic Church could compete with rival pagan rituals held at that time of year and because of its closeness with the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, a traditional time of celebration among many ancient cultures. U.S. Christmas Traditions In the United States it is a holiday of reverence and gaiety. Customs and traditions of many nations are interwoven in the American celebration. From Germany we have the decorated Christmas tree, from Austria comes the carol "Silent Night," the poinsettia comes from Mexico and the English gave us stockings by the fireplace just to name a few. In the United States it hasn't always been a holiday. In 1870, rigid puritanical attitudes toward Christmas had softened, and the vast majority of the American people embraced the holiday as a permanent cultural tradition in this country. On June 26, 1870 for the first time in its history, the United States Congress declared Christmas a federal holiday. Even though Santa Claus is distinctly American his origins are in Holland. The Dutch settlers in New York called Saint Nicholas by the name Sinter Klaas. The American children loved the kindly Sinter Klaas but pronounced the name Santa Claus. In 1882 the sleigh and reindeer were introduced as Santa's mode of transportation when Clement C. Moore wrote the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicolas" for his children. This poem later became known by the name "The Night Before Christmas" and the kindly saint in a bishop's robe and miter became a "right jolly old elf." In 1863 the widely known cartoonist, Thomas Nast, drew a picture of Santa Claus and the transformation was complete. One area where the United States leads the world in Christmas showmanship is in outdoor lights and lawn ornaments. Americans decorate the outsides of their houses with the same exuberance that they use on the inside. We also anticipate and prepare for the holiday season longer than anywhere else in the world.
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Christmas Lights Etc. was started in 2000 to serve customers looking for premium Christmas decorations, convenient shopping, huge product selection and excellent prices. Since that time they have enjoyed tremendous growth and in 2006, Christmas Lights Etc. was recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the nation’s 500 fastest growing companies. They work closely with their factories to design many of the products to our exact specifications, to ensure that you will be satisfied with their products. They negotiate the lowest pricing with our manufacturers and vendors.Our products have been featured in Smart Money, on the CBS Early Show, and in other national publications.
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Paper.com has the new worldwide, competitive and comprehensive source for CHRISTMAS paper products. This is your online paper source for greeting cards, wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons and SOOO much more!!
Paper.com stocks over 8,000 types of paper for immediate delivery.
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ShindigZ has 36,000 theme supplies for holiday or special events for the home, office, classroom, or church! Shop exclusive theme decoration kits, personalized vinyl banners, unique photo stand ins and birthday scene setters.
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Keep Gaming's goal is to enhance your gaming experience with our gaming console/accessories. We have wide selection of hard to find gaming products and the hottest gaming accessories, including Guitar Hero and Wii. Our video gaming team is constantly looking for new and classic gaming console/accessories that our customers need.
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USAFlorist.com offers a complete selection of personal and corporate floral and gift items appropriate for any occasion and every sentiment. This includes fresh flowers, plants, balloons and gift baskets. Look the Christmas and Thankgiving arrangements.
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NitroRCX offers many varieties of R/C vehicles (including high graded models from Cen Racing) such as 1/8th scale monster trucks, 1/8th scale buggies, 1/10th scale stadium trucks, monster trucks, buggies, WRC rally cars, sedans, and race oriented touring cars.
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At Wonder Hobby, we are dedicated to providing our customers with a convenient, reliable and affordable place to shop for radio control toys, parts, and accessories. We proudly offers one of the web's largest selections of rc helicopters, cars, airplanes, boats, and more. We have a safe and secure online shopping system that allows us to accept orders from everywhere in the world.
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TreeGivers plants trees as part of the reforestation efforts in all 50 states, to honor special individuals... on special occasions...by planting a tree in their name. Such as Birthdays, Weddings, Memorials, Funerals, Retirements, Mothers/Fathers Day, as Christmas gifts, Company incentives, Environmental gifts, etc. the gift includes: the tree planted in any state, we then send the recipient a 8" x 10" Certifiate of Planting along with a letter/hand written card to notify them of the planting and as a keepsake.
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Back To Basics Toys was founded in 1988 by discerning parents who wanted their children to enjoy the same quality of play that they remembered and cherished. We offer classic games, puzzles and toys cherished by generations, and new toys bound to be the classics of tomorrow. Our collection includes the Radio Flyer All-Terrain Wagon, Collector’s Edition Candy Land, Old Century Baseball, Krazy Kar, Slinky, Wood Garage, Flexible Flyer Sled, Mrs. Beasley Doll, TinkerToy and more!
Free Ground Shipping on Orders Over $85! Use Promo Code EDISC83. Exp. 12/5/08
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Winebasket.com is a family owned and operated business, large enough to handle orders for hundreds of baskets at a time, yet small enough to customize any order. Operating out of a 10,000 sq. ft. facility in NJ, they design and hand-make an extensive array of gift baskets, all beautifully presented in a variety of styles and colors.
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Fantastic Gifts! from Hammacher Schlemmer
It is their mission to enhance their customers' lives by bringing them unique products that either solve problems or further their lifestyle, and eliminate their need to comparison shop by providing you with, not only the best products in the marketplace, but the information supporting the reasons why these products are truly the best.
Much has changed at Hammacher Schlemmer. They have evolved from a hardware store in the Bowery to one of America's oldest, most venerated retailers. But, what has remained constant since 1848 is their dedication to searching for the most unique and innovative products and their commitment to providing unequaled customer service and a guarantee—second to none. Don't miss this for Christmas Gifts!
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National Geographic Products! We offer CD-ROMS, Books, Magazines, Maps and Globes, Travel Products, Photography Gear, Videos, DVDs, Science Tools, Home Decor, Toys and Gifts for all ages!
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Signature Wines and Beverages is the premier provider of fine wines and customized water bottles for any event or venue with distinctive personalized labels. They partner with some of the world's most respected winemakers to provide world-class wines with stunning label design that can be personalized for any event or occasion. Signature Wines also operates the Sunset Wine Club, a unique food and wine experience emphasizing quality wines hand-selected and paired with unique recipes and menus chosen by the experts at Sunset Magazine. What an idea for a Gift.
A great Christmas Gift that won't be re-gifted
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MyChoice Gift Cards provides an online gift card mall featuring more than 150 of America’s favorite stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Their most popular product is the MyChoice Certificate, which can be sent instantly as a gift through email, printed to give in-person, or sent through physical mail. The MyChoice Certificate allows the gift recipient to choose exactly the gift cards they want from any of our participating merchants, including Starbucks, Amazon.com, Olive Garden, iTunes, Macy’s, Sears, and many more.
When you can't decide what to get for a Christmas this is it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ K'NEX is the next generation of construction sets. It inspires creativity, builds self-confidence and encourages interaction among children and parents. The possibilities are endless! K'NEX Brands is also proud to distribute BRIO trains and toys, as well as Lincoln Logs in North America.
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