Christmas Party

A Little bit of History..

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th in all Christian churches (Eastern Rite, Roman & Protestant).

Traditionally in the United Kingdom the Christmas season ran for twelve days following Christmas Day. These twelve days of Christmas, a period of feasting and merrymaking end on Twelfth Night, the Feast of the Epiphany. This period corresponds with the liturgical season of Christmas.

The Christmas period in some countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, in practice now begins many weeks before Christmas, which allows for shopping and get-togethers, and extends beyond Christmas Day up to New Year's Day. This later holiday has its own parties, and in Scotland, Hogmanay —which occurs at the New Year—is celebrated more than Christmas.

Countries that celebrate Christmas on December 25th recognize the previous day as Christmas Eve, and some of them follow Christmas day with Boxing Day. In the Netherlands, Germany, and Scandinavia, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are called First and Second Christmas Day.

Traditions

Father Christmas.
Some of the more popular customs of British and North American Christmas are Santa Claus (or Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas), who brings gifts to children on a sleigh pulled by reindeer. In some cultures Santa Claus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, or Black Peter. In some versions elves in a toy workship make all his holiday toys; he may also be married to Mrs. Claus. Many shopping centres in the UK have a Father Christmas whom children can visit to ask for presents.

Gitfs and cards

Gift-giving is a near-universal part of Christmas celebrations. In many countries, children leave empty containers on Christmas Eve for Santa to fill with small gifts such as toys, candy, or fruit. In the United Kingdom, the tradition is to hang a Christmas stocking by the fireplace, because Father Chistmas is said to come down the chimney the night before Christmas to fill them. In other countries, children place their empty shoes out for Santa's visit.

Christmas cards are extremely popular, in part as a way to maintain relationships with distant relatives and business acquaintances.

Decorations

Decorating a Christmas tree with Christmas lights and Christmas ornaments; and the decoration of the interior (and sometimes exterior) of the home with garlands and evergreen foliage, particularly holly and mistletoe are common traditions. In North America and to a lesser extent the United Kingdom, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with large numbers of lights, including (sometimes) lit-up models of sleighs, snowmen and other Christmas figures.

The traditional Christmas flower is the poinsettia. Other popular holiday plants are holly, red amaryllis and Christmas cactus.

Cities often get into the swing of things, hanging Christmas banners from street lights or placing Christmas trees in the town square.

Religion and celebrations

The religious celebrations begin with Advent, the anticipation of Christ's birth, around the start of December, and are marked by special church services. Advent services often include Advent carols, and the period is also celebrated with Advent calendars, sometimes containing sweets and chocolate for children. Immediately before Christmas, there are many Christmas services at churches at which Christmas hymns and Christmas carols are sung. There also are special services, typified by the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Cambridge. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, special services often include a Midnight Mass, or a Mass of the Nativity. The church's season of Christmas ends on the feast of the Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night, the traditional date of the visit of the Three Kings to the child Jesus.

The holiday's popularity is so pronounced that other faiths have emphasized their own winter holidays to serve as a Christmas surrogate. The most obvious example is Judaism's Chanukah, which in the 20th century has evolved a similar family gift-giving tradition.

In the Media at Christmas

In the United Kingdom this is usually of extended length, allowing some popular shows to gain high ratings and essentially become Christmas institutions (for example, Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies, Only Fools and Horses, Top of the Pops). HM Queen Elizabeth II annually broadcasts a 10-minute speech on Christmas Day at 3 p.m., charting her views of the past year and giving her own reflections and advice. Also, the popular animated tale The Snowman is screened every Christmas on Channel 4, and a new story, The Bear, by the same artist and company, is usually broadcast around the same time.

The music industry features the battle of bands and artists to make it to the 'Christmas No. 1' spot, which is always recognised on the first Sunday before, or on, Christmas Day. Many of these songs are extremely festive (for example, Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" from 1973), while others are novelty songs that remain at the top of the chart for one week only (such as Mr. Blobby's "Mr. Blobby" from 1993).