Happy Holidays To The Rocketeers !!!
Christmas in Boston
We Irish are fond of enjoying a drink or two. We also tend to be quite verbose and jocular. The obvious combination of these two traits is the wonderful ability to toast our family and friends. To that end, Lynnrockets would like to propose an Irish Christmas toast to all you fellow Rocketeers (now would be a great time to raise your glass of spirit):
“The light of the Christmas star to you, The warmth of home and hearth to you, The cheer and good will of friends to you, The hope of a childlike heart to you, The joy of a thousand angels to you, The love of the Son and God’s peace to you.”
Did you know that “Holly and Holly Wreaths” were Irish traditions? No Irish home would be complete without the holly. Holly grows wild in Ireland and is used to decorate the entire house. The Celtics (the early Irish settlers and not the basketball team) believed holly represented life and rebirth. The evergreen leaves symbolized life during a time when all else was bare and the red berries represented the coming of Spring. With the coming of Christianity to Ireland the berries took on a new meaning, new life in Christ. One charming folklore says holly is put out as a kind gesture to tiny fairies who might use it as a hiding place to come in out of the cold. Holly wreaths as a door decoration can be traced to North American Irish immigrating to the US during the Great Potato Famine.
The ancient Celts believed that mistletoe had healing powers. Its powers were so great that its presence encourage a brief truce among enemies. Hence the Victorian era custom of kissing under the mistletoe.
Window candles as part of Christmas decoration are Irish too! Candles in the window date back to ancient time’s laws of hospitality towards strangers. To have a light in your window on Christmas Eve to welcome the stranger meant that you were welcoming the Holy Family too. To have no light meant that you shared the guilt of the Innkeeper at Bethlehem who said, “No Room”!
If you are up to the challenge, you might try this Christmas toast in native Irish:
“Nollaig faoi shéan is faoi shonas duit.”
It means “A prosperous and happy Christmas to you.”
So there you have it. A little Irish Christmas history.
Posted on December 23, 2011, in Uncategorized and tagged Arthur Fiedler, Boston pops, Celtic Woman, Christmas in Killarney, Christmas Wrapping, Irish Rovers, Sleigh Ride, The Waitresses, Wexford Carol. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
Merry Christmas
The ancient Celts believed that mistletoe had healing powers? The Aztecs called poinsettias “Cuetlaxochitl.” During the 14th – 16th century the sap was used to control fevers!
The colorful red and green plant caught the attention of Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, America’s first minister (ambassador) to Mexico between 1825 and 1829. Dr. Poinsett brought the plant to America and raised it in his greenhouses in Charleston, South Carolina. The plant was initially known in the United States as “painted leaf” or “Mexican fire plant” until it eventually was named “poinsettia,” in honor of of its “discoverer” Dr. Poinsett.
Happy Holidays
http://gawker.com/5870807/how-to-choose-a-wine-for-the-holidays
Always learn something when I read your blog a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you Lynnrockets!
yes, me too…especially when it comes to picking out wine, BigPete.
WIZARD
You mean you forgot cranberries, too?
Hope you all had a nice Christmas.
Happy New Year’s (Party like it’s 1973)
Recorded on their Goats Head Soup tour, this indispensable document of The Stones on the verge of collapse yet also at one of their ten thousand peaks was only available for years as a crappy-sounding bootleg. Though originally intended as a genuine live album by the band, Brussels Affair never hit the shelves, and is only now finally available with the crisp sound and perfect mix of an official release. At the time of this show, The Stones were Jagger and Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and consummate guitar master Mick Taylor, whose relatively short time with the band marked what’s arguably their strongest period, a stretch that includes both Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main St. Taylor’s lyrical playing here nearly steals the show, and the juxtaposition of Keith’s shambling rock ‘n’ roll fever with Taylor’s understated but powerful neatness really jumps out of the speakers.
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You can’t always get what you want
(Favorite flavor? Cherry Red!)
Life (against all the odds, still alive!)-6 parts