Christmas With the Castlemans...in search of a perfect tree


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There's lots to see here and many interesting links to follow. Most of the links offered here will open a new page, making it possible for you to come back here simply by closing that new window after you have viewed the link. We hope you enjoy your visit and come back often.

We offer several Christmas pages for you to search through....be sure to check out our delicious Christmas recipes! And please visit the graphic sites where I found so many of these wonderful graphics for my pages.

Christmas is a special time of the year - one of our favorite holidays. Have a wonderful Christmas celebration and may this upcoming New Year be the best year of your life!





This page is dedicated to my husband, AL.
He's a talented musician, an accomplished pilot, an adorable person,
and my best friend for 32 years.

And here's a couple of small gifts for Al

Pooh Rings

We both wish you.......

H A P P Y - H O L I D A Y S


On to the music!
Do You Hear What I Hear?

CHRISTMAS MUSIC ON THE NET

Midi Files

...Holiday Music...

.....Don Carroll's Midi Page.....

Mannheim...Woodshed Christmas Midi

Classical Christmas....... Santa's Christmas Music

Christmas Music to Surf By......Songs of the Season

Star Christmas Music/Graphics..............Great Christmas Midi Tunes

A Tree Full of Christmas Music

LeLong Farm



Playing now: Silver Bells


Silver Bells
Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style.
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner you hear:

Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be Christmas day.








The house is
cozy & warm
now what we need...
Patriotic Christmas
Is a
Christmas Tree!









WE'VE GOT THE FIREPLACE ALL ABLAZE AND WARM....
now where is that tree?



Pull up a chair, throw another log on the fire and read a good story
Christmas Stories, from Raton, NM
Build a good fire and Tips for a safe holiday fire
Olive, the Orphan Reindeer
Great Stories for Christmas
Hobo's First Christmas
Solstice A Christmas Play
A Christmas Love Story
The Birth of Jesus
Fireplace Tales
Bosley - The Best Bear








Oh.....look! Here comes Kris Kringle Kasselman
(he's German, you know)....with our tree!!!

CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY

The Christmas tree was to become an important focus of 19th century American celebrations thanks to the German people. Local New England lore in several communities claims that the first American Christmas tree was cut and decorated by Hessian soldiers serving under Continental Army officers in the northern states, but the first real record of a decorated tree in New England comes from Harriet Martineau who was visiting a family in Boston in 1832. A German immigrant, Charles Follen, decorated a tree each Christmas for his son, and according to Martineau's account there were wax candles on every branch, carefully placed so as to light the tree but not set it afire. Baskets of sugarplums, gilded egg cups, colorful paper cornucopias filled with sweets, smart dolls, and other whimsies glittered in the evergreen branches. Not a twig was left uncovered with something sparkling.

In present day Germany, as in America, people love to decorate their houses at Christmas. Many German houses will have little wooden frames holding electric candles in their windows, and colored pictures of paper or plastic which look beautiful from the outside at night. Most homes will also have little wooden 'cribs' - a small model of the stable where Jesus was born, with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and animals.

Christmas in Germany is celebrated on Christmas Eve, the 24th of December. The four Sundays before Christmas Eve are Adventsundays. On the first Advent (which means 'coming') you light one candle at the Adventwreath or Adventskranz (it can be a garland or wreath out of firbranch and leaves). On the second you light two candles, on third you light three candles on the 4th Sunday you light four candles. From the first December until Christmas Eve they have an Adventcalendar. A calendar with 24 little doors. Day after day they will open one door. Father Christmas - 'Der Weihnachtsmann' - brings presents in the late afternoon of Christmas Eve (December 24th), after people have been to a church meeting. The presents are then found under the Christmas tree. One person in the family will ring a bell and call everyone to come to the room.

On the 6th of December, Germans have St. Nicholas' Day. On the eve - the children put cleaned shoes outside the door. The next morning the shoes are filled with chocolate. On Christmas Eve morning they put the Christmas firtree in the living room and decorate the Christmas tree. At midday they eat Christmas dinner . Fish (carp) or goose is a favorite meal. At four o'clock many of them will head to church . After the service it 's distribution of Christmas presents.


Fröhliche Weihnachten!




Worldview's Christmas Around the World



Continue on to see the Tree!


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