Xtreme Xmas

[Mighty_Emperor]

After last years fun:

www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 411#477411

www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 815#477815

It has been quite on this front but:

Pa. Community Celebrates Festivus


Dec 23, 7:05 PM (ET)


ERIE, Pa. (AP) - The celebration of Festivus is alive and well in northwestern Pennsylvania, nearly a decade after the bizarre "holiday" garnered pop culture notoriety on "Seinfeld."

Residents were preparing to celebrate "the festivus for the rest of us" Friday with a night of airing grievances, feats of strength and, of course, the aluminum Festivus pole.

"It's all in good fun," said Jeff Boam, 36, a math teacher from Millcreek Township and longtime "Seinfeld" fan.

"More than anything else, it's a great excuse to get together with friends and have outrageous fun," said George Klapsinos, 38, a senior technical service specialist for Lord Corp.

Many people learned of Festivus through "Seinfeld," but its roots actually go back several decades, when writer Daniel O'Keefe's father started it. He was looking for something more from the holidays, something that wasn't political or religious.

O'Keefe wrote "The Real Festivus: The True Story Behind America's Favorite Made-Up Holiday" and co-wrote the "Seinfeld" episode.

In the episode, Frank Costanza, played by actor Jerry Stiller, comes up with the idea for a new holiday after struggling in a tug-of-war for a doll at a toy store.

Festivus'"traditions" differ from those of Christmas.

Instead of a tree, Festivus followers celebrate around a metal pole. Boam's Festivus pole is 6 feet tall and rooted in bucket of cement.

"No tinsel, no ornaments. Nothing should go on it. It should be bare," Boam said.

Guests also grab the pole and fume about how others have disappointed them in the past year.

"One year, we had a blizzard on the night of the party," Klapsinos said. "So we grieved about everyone who said they were going to show up but didn't. I mean, we made it, right?"

Finally, the festival features feats of strength.

"This usually means wrestling," said Jack Munch, a real-estate broker. "I've seen parties where it deteriorates into five people wrestling in the snow in the backyard. The whole thing is a blast. You never know what's going to happen on Festivus."

---

Information from: Erie Times-News, http://www.goerie.com

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051224/D8EM91P08.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Miserable get:

Teacher defends Santa remarks

Editor:
Lebanon Daily News

Last week I substituted at a local elementary school in Lebanon County. The lesson plan required me to read the 1882 poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore to two classes of students. While I can appreciate the poem for its literary value, the subject matter is offensive to me, and the reading of this poem to the children imposed values upon me which are against my deeply held religious beliefs. I could not in good conscience present the notion of Santa Claus as a truth to the children, and stated so.

No public-school teacher should be required to teach a belief, custom or religion that he or she believes to be false, or be required to pass those purported falsehoods onto impressionable children, without the right to state a disclaimer. Furthermore, freedom of speech and religion, no matter how unpopular the speech or against cultural norms the religion, are protected rights.

A secular public school should not be propagating any kind of religion. The belief in Santa Claus as a divine, magical, omniscient, powerful, giving, loving father-figure, to whom children are taught to make supplications and requests, is a religion indeed — a distorted substitute for the Judeo-Christian God.

In presenting the poem, I gave the children some historical background about the Santa Claus myth — its evolution from the historic Nickolaus, Bishop of Myrna in Asia Minor, who died in 343 A.D., to its amalgamation with ancient Western pagan traditions of German, Scandinavian and Dutch origins, to the current manifestation in the secular Christmas culture of today. (Dutch children, for example, would put their wooden shoes out at night for “Sante Klaus” to fill with candies.) The current Santa Claus figure was popularized in the late 19th Century by artist Thomas Nast of Harper’s Weekly magazine, who depicted “Saint Nick” not as an elf but as a rotund, pipe-smoking man in a red-and-white suit. This is the deity to which countless public-school children today are taught to make supplications, and about whom they sing their many songs at annual public-school Christmas programs.

If people are upset about the revelation to children that Santa Claus is a myth — which all children who are taught this lie figure out eventually — perhaps it is because Santa is that zealously guarded idol of their own modern religion. Therefore, as a religion, let Santa be kept out of the public-school classroom — or perhaps, in the interest of “diversity,” make his mythical, oversized personage share equal representation in literature and song and Christmas programs with the other Person of the season: the Lord Jesus Christ, God made flesh, God with us.

www.ldnews.com/fastsearchresults/ci_3334340

Next year I hope Santa sneaks down his chimney and sticks a fork in his eye.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Animal head left on doorstep

'Gift' addressed to vegan teen; police say it's just a prank

Thursday, December 29, 2005

By Daniel Duggan


Three days before Christmas, a Palos Heights woman got quite a shock when she opened a package that arrived for her at home.

She quickly realized it wasn't a gift from Santa Claus, as the tag said.

"I picked it up, it was red and squishy," said Kelly, 18, who asked that her last name not be used. "Then I saw an eyeball looking at me, and I freaked out."

The box contained an animal's bloody head.

Palos Heights police believe it was a prank but are continuing their investigation.

Kelly, a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is a vegan and does not eat any animal products. Her best friend and boyfriend also are vegans, and many of their friends are vegetarians.

"I've been asking all my friends, and I don't know anybody who would do something like this," she said. "My friends would all know that I take being a vegan seriously and wouldn't find it funny."

The box showed up in front of her house in the 12300 block of 76th Avenue on Dec. 22, sometime between when her mom locked the front door at 11 a.m. and when her sister came home at noon, Kelly said.

Her mother put the neatly wrapped box on the kitchen table and told her a gift had arrived. The box had a tag that read "Merry Christmas Kelly" and was signed "love, Santa Claus."

The box sat on the table for about an hour before Kelly opened it. She unwrapped the box and saw only newspaper.

Then she found the head.

"At first I thought it wasn't real, mostly because it didn't smell," she said.

She got a friend who lives nearby, and the two inspected the head closely while wearing rubber gloves. Then they called the police.

Kelly guessed that the head didn't smell because it had been frozen, "and there were plastic bags at the bottom of the box so the blood wouldn't drip out," she said.

All of the skin had been removed, but the head appeared to be from a goat or a lamb, Palos Heights Detective Adam Nagy said.

"There's no skin on it, so we can't really tell," he said.

It appears to be a prank, but police are running tests on the animal and the box to try to find fingerprints and other chemical evidence, Nagy said. At a minimum, he said, a person could be charged with disorderly conduct.

Finding a lamb's head is fairly easy — just ask at any butcher shop or meat packing house, said Harry Angelson, food safety manager at Chiappetti Lamb and Veal Corp., 3810 S. Halsted St.

"We sell a couple a day," he said. "Most butcher shops could order one for you."

He said people in some ethnic groups, such as Mexicans, use meat from lamb tongue and cheeks in traditional dishes. A good lamb's head will cost between $3.50 and $6, depending on where it's purchased, he said.

She said a fake head, maybe even a hamburger, might have been funny — but not this. And she doesn't have any enemies so serious they would go to such trouble.

"It's just horrible," she said. "I never thought that someone would do something like this in real life. It's like something you'd see in a movie."

www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsindex/29-ds1.htm

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Teens allegedly planned to burn baby Jesus statues

Associated Press
Jan. 3, 2006 08:15 AM

SAYREVILLE, N.J. - Four teens stole 27 baby Jesus statues from nativity scenes outside churches and homes and planned to burn them, police said.

Two of the suspects, who ranged from 15 to 19 years old, said they acted out of boredom, authorities said.

"They were looking for things to do," Detective Ken Kelly said. "They told us, 'We were going to have a baby Jesus burning party.' "

One suspect told detectives, "We just wanted to see their heads burning," Kelly said.

The suspects, who were arrested Monday, face charges of theft, criminal mischief, destruction of venerated objects and conspiracy, and could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Robert Olson, whose 18-year-old son, Christopher, was charged, said he and his family were shocked by the arrest.

"Although Chris is sometimes misguided, this was not something we expected out of him," he said.

Olson said his son is unemployed and working toward resuming his high school education. The teen is on probation for a disorderly persons offense involving a disagreement with a neighbor, his father said.

"I hope my son and the others will come to grips with what they've done and make full restitution and get whatever help they need to get rid of those feelings," Olson said.

Frank Payne, whose 19-year-old son, Michael, also was charged, said bias was not a factor.

"Michael has been hanging around with the wrong people," he said. "He goes to college. He's an outstanding young kid."

Also charged were 18-year-old Nicholas Hess and a 15-year-old who was not identified due to his age, police said.

www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0103Ste ... 03-ON.html

 

[GNC]

Hitler Santa

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061201/od_ ... _hitler_dc

Shops destroy Santas giving "Hitler salute" Fri Dec 1, 8:43 AM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German chain of shops has removed miniature wooden Santa Claus figures from its shelves and destroyed them after customers complained it looked like they were giving the stiff-armed Hitler salute that is outlawed.

Josef Lange, a spokesman for the Rossmann chain that has 1,200 outlets, told Reuters Friday the figures depicting Father Christmas with his right arm stiffly upright toward the sky and holding a sack in his left hand upset some customers.

"We were astonished by the reaction," Lange said. "It looks like he's just pointing up to the sky and we were surprised that anyone saw the so-called 'Hitler salute' in that. But we responded and had the entire inventory removed and destroyed."

I can't find a picture to see how accurate this story is, unfortunately.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Hitler Santa

Shops destroy Santas giving "Hitler salute" Fri Dec 1, 8:43 AM ET
...
I can't find a picture to see how accurate this story is, unfortunately.

Santa picture on this site.

 

[Peripart]

Re: Hitler Santa

Shops destroy Santas giving "Hitler salute"

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German chain of shops has removed miniature wooden Santa Claus figures from its shelves and destroyed them after customers complained it looked like they were giving the stiff-armed Hitler salute that is outlawed.

Blimey! They're a bit touchy about these things, aren't they? I take it Superman is banned in Germany because of the way he flies? For that matter, anyone pointing to the sky and asking "Is it a bird - is it a plane?" is presumably in trouble, too.

And if I ever have occasion to be riding on a German bus and standing due to lack of seats, I'll be careful not to reach upwards for a strap to hang on to.

Poor old Santa.

 

[MrRING]

LINK

Christmas tree growers resort to fox urine and pink stain in the battle against tree poachers

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- While many Christmas trees sparkle with tinsel and lights during the holiday season, some reek of fox urine or wear a splatter of pink stain.

A surge in Christmas tree poaching has forced growers and property owners to take action. Smelly, discolored trees are less likely to be cut and dragged off by thieves, they say. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for example, evergreens are sprayed with a fox urine mixture and tagged with a warning to discourage tree thieves.

"It is a strong odor, and it smells just like what it is," said Kirby Baird, a landscape manager at the school.

When the tree is out in the cold, the smell isn't noticeable, Baird said. But once the tree is inside and starts to warm up... "It's nasty," he said.

Live Christmas trees have made a resurgence with consumers in the past three years, said Rick Dungey of the National Christmas Tree Association. While no one tracks the number of thefts, some believe the increased demand has fueled pine pilfering.

Tree poaching once was a problem at Washington State University, which has more than 150 evergreen, spruce and fir trees on campus. "We did have a lot of trees cut for Christmas trees, either entire small trees or tops of large trees," said grounds supervisor Kappy Brun.

The poaching all but stopped after groundskeepers began to spray campus trees with the oily, odorous liquid produced by skunks. While Nebraska and Washington fought tree poachers with odor, Cornell University made their trees less appealing as Christmas decorations.

Workers there painted trees with "ugly mix" -- a solution of hydrated lime and red food coloring developed by one of Cornell's veteran gardeners. The result: fluorescent pink trees. The mix stays on trees for about a month before fading, and is credited with saving dozens of evergreens over the years.

"Ugly mix" received widespread publicity and eventually was used by New York's Department of Transportation.

"I have gotten calls from Christmas tree growers and from more homeowners and landscapers, and they want to know what do we do," said Donna Levy, plant health care coordinator at Cornell Plantation, who said the university isn't recommending the mix, just sharing its strategy.

Cornell isn't using the pink goop this year because it sometimes is slow to fade. "We thought we would go a year and see what happens," Levy said.

Dave Velozo, who owns a nursery near Harrisburg, Pa., recently lost a rare blue Sierra redwood to a tree poacher. A jagged three-foot stump is all that remains of a 13-foot tree, which Velozo said he had nurtured for the past 15 years.

"Somebody must have seen it over the years and decided, 'Hey, this will look good in my trailer,"' he said.

 

[Niall114]

Disney tells Santa clone ho-ho no

When James Worley paid a visit to Disney World in Florida his portly frame and white beard soon had kids asking: "Are you Santa Claus?"

Not wanting to disappoint, Mr Worley, 60, played along with some "ho-ho-hos".

But Disney officials descended, telling him to stop the impersonation or get out of the park. They said they wanted to preserve the magic of Santa.

Mr Worley took off his red hat and red shirt but said: "I look this way 24/7, 365 days a year. This is me."

'Confusing'

Even after bowing to the request to alter his appearance, Mr Worley, from Tampa, said children continued to ask if he was Santa.

"How do you tell a little kid, 'No, go away, little kid'," Mr Worley told local television.

He said Disney had told him "Santa was considered a Disney character".

Officials at Disney World's Epcot park said they had had complaints from "several guests who were very upset".

Disney said it had its own Santa at Epcot and Mr Worley was "confusing" the children.

Mr Worley said he had played a jolly elf at charity events for a number of years, while his wife sometimes dressed up as Mrs Claus.

Mr Worley said he still loved Disney and Christmas.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/w ... 189521.stm

Published: 2006/12/18 11:39:11 GMT

 

[MrRING]

This is stupid that it would cause furvor, but I thought it was still worth noting here

Furor in Italy over "gay nativity" in parliament By Philip Pullella

ROME (Reuters) - Two leftists in Italy's ruling coalition on Wednesday outraged fellow lawmakers by placing four dolls representing homosexual couples near the baby Jesus in the official nativity scene in parliament.

The two parliamentarians from the small "Rose in the Fist" party said their gesture was to promote the legalization of gay marriage and granting legal recognition to unmarried couples.

Bruno Mellano and Donatella Poretti placed the Barbie and Ken-type dolls in the parliamentary nativity scene, each couple lying down embraced among the shepherds witnessing the birth of Jesus.

Each of the two doll couples, which parliamentary ushers removed after a few minutes, wore miniature placards with slogans in favor of gay rights.

"This is a vulgar and unacceptable double attack against both a (national) institution as well as a religious symbol," a group of women parliamentarians of the opposition conservative Forza Italia party said in a statement.

Luca Volonte, a member of the small centrist opposition Union of Christian Democrats, called the gesture a "pure attack against the religion practiced by the majority of Italians."

Italy is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic and nativity scenes, featuring figures of the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, animals and three kings bearing gifts, are put but in many homes, squares and shops.

Some members of the opposition demanded the lawmakers be censured by the speaker of the lower house of parliament.

But even the Italian Communist Party, which supports gay rights and is also in the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Romano Prodi, distanced itself from the action.

One communist parliamentarian called it "a grave political error" that would not help homosexuals.

The two leftist politicians carried out their gesture just before Pope Benedict, speaking to pilgrims and tourists at the Vatican, said Christmas creches were part of Christian culture that had to be defended.

In recent weeks, several state schools have decided not to erect the nativity scene. Some shops decided not to sell them, saying they were not popular or did not fit their image.

But even Education Minister Giuseppe Fioroni has criticized such schools, saying they had gone too far in banning nativity scenes which could instead be used as tools for inter-religious dialogue.

 

[ramonmercado]

Nigerian Christmas without 'evil' Santas
By Senan Murray
BBC News website, Abuja


There are no Christmas decorations, the radio stations are still playing hip-hop and rap and some children recoil at an image of Santa decrying it as evil.


Some children in Nigeria prefer masquerades to Santa

"His costume looks phoney and his face is strange," says eight-year-old Ifunanya Chima when shown a picture of the benign bearded old man in his trademark red cloak with white fur trimmings.

"We prefer masquerades," he told me referring to the traditional colourful dancing which is a big part of the festive season here.

And there is also hope of a white-ish Christmas in this sub-Saharan West African country.

For a dusty harmattan haze hangs over most of the country as the north-east trade wind sweeps in from the Sahara Desert.

Markets across the country are heaving with punters hoping to net late bargains.

Ghost cities


Christmas is a time for new clothes, family reunions and colourful dances in Nigeria

Soon, the major cities will become ghost cities as most people return to their native villages to share the traditional "Christmas rice".

"I can't spend Christmas in Abuja," says Nick Ibechukwu who owns a business in Nigeria's capital city.

"I have to go back to my village in the east to join the rest of my family and relatives because this is the only time in the year that we get to see one another."

Christmas in Nigeria is a time for new clothes, long distance travels for family reunions, and lots of colourful masquerade dances in most villages.

Religious differences

And for now, it does not matter that half of Nigeria's 130 million people are Muslims with a handful of pagans.

At Christmas, most Nigerians forget their religious differences and just share their Christmas rice - a dish of boiled rice eaten with very spicy chicken stew.

"I celebrate Christmas because it's a time for loads of fun," says Ibrahim Idris, a Muslim in Abuja.

Christmas clothes take the place of Christmas gifts as excited children and adults try to outdo one another in showing off their best wear during the festive season.

There are big retreats for Nigeria's fast-growing Pentecostal Christian sects, but these retreats sometimes look like bazaars as they throw up business opportunities for some enterprising people.

Increased highway robberies

Ironically, highway armed robberies are more common during the Christmas season in Nigeria.


Dance groups take over village squares to offer free entertainment

And since most city dwellers travelling to their villages for the holiday season have to drive on pothole-ridden roads due to the absence of a functional rail system, road accidents tend to be more frequent.

In the village, Christmas becomes more colourful, with masquerades and dance groups taking over the village square to offer free entertainment for all.

The incorporation of masquerade into Christmas festivities shows the growing influence of traditional African religious rituals on Christianity in Nigeria.

It also shows that many Nigerians have stopped attaching great religious importance to Christmas and simply see it as a social event.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6197477.stm

 

[rynner2]

Poole — the town with a Christmas tree that you can wipe your feet on
Simon de Bruxelles

When is a Christmas tree not a Christmas tree? When it is a giant cone covered in what appears to be green doormats.

Shoppers stared in bemusement at the mysterious object that landed in a shopping precinct in Poole, Dorset, this week. Some compared it to a giant traffic cone, a witch’s hat or a cheap special effect from an early episode of Doctor Who.

The 33ft structure turned out to be their Christmas tree, designed according to the principles of health and safety, circa 2009.

Thus it has no trunk so it won’t blow over, no branches to break off and land on someone’s head, no pine needles to poke a passer-by in the eye, no decorations for drunken teenagers to steal and no angel, presumably because it would need a dangerously long ladder to place it at the top.

Last year Poole boasted a Norwegian fir draped with strings of coloured lights. It cost £500 and continued a decades-old tradition. The replacement, which is constructed on a metal frame overlaid with what appears to be artificial grass, cost £14,000 and comes with built-in fairy lights and hidden speakers to play Christmas tunes that will put shoppers in the festive mood. But the only mood apparent among shoppers who saw the tree yesterday was a bad one.

etc...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_a ... 934109.ece

 

[Pietro_Mercurios]

Poole — the town with a Christmas tree that you can wipe your feet on
Simon de Bruxelles

When is a Christmas tree not a Christmas tree? When it is a giant cone covered in what appears to be green doormats.

...

The 33ft structure turned out to be their Christmas tree, designed according to the principles of health and safety, circa 2009.

Thus it has no trunk so it won’t blow over, no branches to break off and land on someone’s head, no pine needles to poke a passer-by in the eye, no decorations for drunken teenagers to steal and no angel, presumably because it would need a dangerously long ladder to place it at the top.

...

etc...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_a ... 934109.ece

You may laugh, but as this old Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents press release makes clear, Christmas trees could kill, or maim.

http://www.rospa.com/news/releases/2000/pr083_12_12_00_home.htm

LOOK OUT! THAT CHRISTMAS TREE IS DANGEROUS

RoSPA Press Office : Press Release. December 12, 2000

Rocking around the Christmas tree could be one of the quickest ways to land in hospital as the party season gets into full swing, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents warned today.

Of about 80,000 accidents expected in the home over the Christmas and New Year break - around 1,000 are likely to be caused by Christmas trees.

Most will result from branches poking into people’s eyes, others will cut themselves trimming the tree to shape and some will fall off ladders while adding the decorations.

David Jenkins, RoSPA Product Safety Adviser, said: "As well as trees, our other big worry is the growing popularity of candles and the increasing number of fires resulting from their use. Definitely do not put lighted candles on Christmas trees and keep them well away from other trimmings or combustible materials like curtains.

"Naked flames should never be left unattended and candles should always be in a stable holder. Make sure you have put them out before going to bed."

Christmas tree lights are expected to lead to more than 300 accidents and RoSPA’s advice is to buy new ones which will either be transformed down to a lower voltage or double insulated. The ones that people repeatedly bring out of the loft each year could well be unsafe.

Gift wrappings, cards, glue and adhesive tape are likely to claim hundreds of victims. Look out for small parts falling off decorations or presents as these can choke children.

Thousands will have slips and falls over presents or on fat spilled on the kitchen floor. Too much alcohol is also likely to lead to falls or is sometimes drunk by children polishing off the remains of drinks from the previous night’s party. If guests are staying, keep stairs well lit and free from obstacles such as toys.

Even camp-beds put up to accommodate friends and relations lead to accidents - often when people forget they are there and stub their toe or fall over them.

"With a little more care and planning people can have an accident-free Christmas," David Jenkins said.

And, if you have a real Christmas tree, remember to keep it watered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNjO3wZDVlA

So, have a safe Christmas and mind how you go.

 

[linesmachine]

i love the comment "Chestnuts roasting...in an open fire"

 

[rynner2]

Whatever happened to the Credit Crunch?

Nativity play costs 'sent soaring'
By Hannah Richardson
Education reporter, BBC News

Time was when an old tea towel and a pair of striped pyjamas were all your child needed for their nativity play.

Now, it seems, Virgin Marys are appearing in luxury pashmina shawls and Wise Men in be-jewelled silk turbans.

Some pushy parents are spending as much as £150 on their child's Christmas play, department store Debenhams says. :shock:

And so great is the "manger chic" trend that the store's team of personal shoppers are now trying to persuade customers to see sense.

Debenhams spokesman Ed Watson said: "The amount of money that some parents want to spend on their child's nativity play appearance would enable the baby Jesus to leave the stable and check into a five star hotel.

"It's silly and we're doing all that we can to persuade competitive parents to change their minds - it is the season of good will after all."

He added: "Their sons and daughters will still look wonderful wearing a pair of pyjamas and a sheet rather than the latest dress or coat straight from the high fashion catwalk."

Debenhams said it noticed the trend after speaking to its personal shoppers who were suddenly being asked for tips on how to create the ultimate nativity play makeovers.

While the majority of parents wanted advice on how to use cheap readily-available materials to the greatest effect, a significant minority were insistent that only the best would do, Mr Watson added.

He suggested the cause of the phenomena may be, with the pressure on primary school places, parents wanting to get their child noticed.

He also said it may be that today's parents are simply not confident about making their child a costume and so they "throw money" at it instead.

And strangely it was those parents whose children had the less prominent parts in their plays, such as donkeys or sheep who were playing major roles.

Mr Watson suggested: "They feel they have to compensate for their child's minor role by putting on a much greater display of 'manger chic' to win attention."

Brand new bridesmaid dresses worth £50 are being sourced for the role of angel and arctic fur throws costing £60 for the role of sheep, he said.

While parents of would-be shepherds were paying £25 for striped Velour dressing gowns.

Mr Watson said: "While we applaud parents wanting to do their very best for their children, we feel certain that the story of the nativity can still be told using very simple materials."

Meanwhile John Lewis said it had found the reverse to be true, with parents desperately trying to improvise costumes at the last minute.

A spokeswoman said: "Every parent has felt it, that dreaded knot of panic as the realisation hits that a costume for Mary, Angel Gabriel and one of the three Wise Men has to be made within a week!"

Fabric expert at the Welwyn Garden City store Julia Dudrenec said: "I've been working in the haberdashery department for over 10 years and every Christmas it's the same.

"Worried parents and children arrive with sometimes only minutes to spare before the stage beckons. We try and help as much as we can, with the minimum of fuss, time and expense."

The store had also seen a surge in sales of tea-towels and tights.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8393701.stm

 

[rynner2]

Elf jailed over Father Christmas dynamite hoax in US mall
A man dressed as an elf told a Father Christmas working in a Georgia shopping mall that he was carrying dynamite, causing the evacuation of the entire building.
Published: 10:09PM GMT 03 Dec 2009

But when a bomb squad arrived to inspect the three suspect packages the 45-year-old elf left next to Father Christmas, the incident was declared a hoax.

William C. Caldwell III, a petite man who is five feet tall, dressed as an elf and queued to have his picture taken with the Southlake Mall's Father Christmas.

When he reached the front of the queue, "he told Santa Claus that he had dynamite in his bag," James Callaway, the Morrow police captain, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"He said that two times to Santa Claus."

The man dressed as Father Christmas notified the mall's security team, and Morrow police quickly arrested Mr Caldwell, who was not part of the mall's Christmas staff.

The mall in suburban Atlanta was evacuated but no explosives were found.

Mr Caldwell was being held without bond on Thursday in the Clayton County jail.

He faces several charges, including carrying out a hoax and making terrorist threats.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -mall.html

 

[rynner2]

Too Xtreme for Poole!

Fir replaces fake Christmas tree

A Dorset town's much ridiculed fake Christmas tree has been replaced with a traditional conifer.

Some residents likened the £14,000 fake tree in Poole to a "huge traffic cone" or "a witch's hat". It was damaged by people climbing on it.

The 33ft (10m) structure had been chosen because of fears that a real one could topple over in strong winds.

The Dolphin Shopping Centre donated the real tree which was put up on Tuesday morning.

Dorset police are studying town centre CCTV video to see who damaged the artificial tree.

Police said one or more individuals climbed the structure in Falkland Square and damaged its framework between 1700 GMT on 30 November and 0915 the following day. It was taken away for repairs.

Jonathan Sibbett, chairman of Poole Town Centre Management, which chose the fake tree, said: "We opted to have an artificial tree this year after feedback from Poole shoppers and residents.

"This led to the decision to bring in something different this festive season and we are very disappointed that the cone tree has been vandalised."

A Facebook group entitled, "We don't care about health and safety, Poole needs a proper Christmas tree", has almost 5,000 members who welcomed the move to replace the fake tree. 8)

It was made of artificial turf held together by metal mesh and had speakers hidden inside to play Christmas carols.

The Borough of Poole had argued it was safer, sturdier and cheaper in the long run than a real tree and that a Norwegian fir tree could topple over in strong winds.

It said people had complained about hoardings and guy ropes, necessary under health and safety rules, which had supported last year's real tree.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/8401015.stm

 

[SHAYBARSABE]

Too Xtreme for Poole!


Some residents likened the £14,000 fake tree in Poole to a "huge traffic cone" or "a witch's hat". It was damaged by people climbing on it.

That fake thing is ugly. Couldn't have cost £14,000! Someone is lining his/her pockets on that installation.

 

[rynner2]

Couple planted tiny Christmas tree in front garden 30 years ago to 'make friends'... now it's grown to 50ft
By Andy Dolan
Last updated at 7:42 PM on 17th December 2009

When Avril and Christopher Rowlands moved out of London to the countryside, they wanted a way to meet other villagers.
So they planted a 6ft Christmas tree in their front garden and invited their neighbours to help decorate it.
Now, 30 years later, it seems the couple aren’t the only ones to have put strong roots down, because their tree is still standing – and has grown 44ft.

Yesterday the couple told how the tree that once took only six lights to dress now accommodates almost 900 bulbs and is so tall they use a cherry picker, donated by a local building firm, to decorate the top.
Every December, the tree is the focal point of Inkberrow, Worcestershire, particularly as the village is one of a few in the UK to spurn street lights to avoid light pollution. Mrs Rowlands, 64, a writer for television, does not know the species of the tree, but said the couple were inspired by one outside the post office in Christmas 1978, the year they moved to the village.
She said: ‘The post office tree looked magical, particularly as there were no other lights in the village at night.
‘That gave us the idea of planting a tree in our own garden to light up in the same way.
‘We also thought it would help us to get talking with our neighbours and make friends in the village.’

She said they expected the tree, bought for £6 in a garden centre in 1979, to grow to around 10ft, but even now it is getting taller.
Mr Rowlands, 65, a freelance producer for the BBC, said: ‘After a few years we realised the tree was growing incredibly tall and was getting more and more attention.
Soon the entire village was joining us every December to help us decorate it.’

The couple, who have no children, said they were warned when they bought the tree that it would ‘last for years and would certainly grow’.
Mrs Rowlands added: ‘We’ve been told it is the tallest residential Christmas tree in Worcestershire and maybe in the UK. We’re extremely proud of it even though it completely towers over our house.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0a25YBTMT

 

[GNC]

Link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20467316

Herne Bay Christmas lights switch-on booed by disappointed crowd

A Kent town's Christmas display was booed by crowds when the lights were switched on.

A few hundred people gathered in Herne Bay last Friday to watch the stars of the local Sleeping Beauty panto, Gareth Gates and Toyah Wilcox, turn them on.

One person said the decorations looked like normal light bulbs, while another said he had more in his shop window.

Canterbury City Council said it was the same display as last year, but it would consult with local businesses.

Greengrocer Karen Truelove described the switch-on in the town centre as "completely flat".

"There was nothing for people to look at... within half-an-hour the town was like a ghost town."

'Dismal display'

Her father, Stan Truelove, said most of the traders were disappointed by the poor display of lights and had expressed concern they would not bring shoppers into the town.

He claimed the council had not invested any money in the lights for several years.

Hairdresser Louise Richards said the annual display had been "dismal" for the past two or three years and it had not felt like Christmas.

"People are dragging children around, they want something pretty to look at. There's nothing here.

"We pay enough money - business rates. The council should be doing something," she said.

Ms Richards said by comparison the lights in Canterbury were "beautiful", and even by the bus station they were better than those in Herne Bay.

Businesses fear the lights could have an impact on their Christmas trade
Local businesses and residents have now formed a group "to light up Herne Bay next year" and to highlight the "disgusting waste" of money on lights "that are not as good as some local houses".

In a statement, Canterbury City Council said it would be "keen to talk to those traders who are showing an interest in the display in their towns".

It said the council had provided £83,000 to pay for the decorations in Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay, while the Herne Bay business association was responsible for raising any extra funds for the tree in Mortimer Street.

Earlier, singer and actress Toyah Wilcox tweeted: "Herne bay light switch on was an honour and a joy. The people were fantastic & they r what counts. I'd never b disappointed by lights "

Probably the opposite of an Xtreme Xmas, but I feel like booing Christmas sometimes too. There's a bigger message here somewhere...

 

[Vardoger]

Probably the opposite of an Xtreme Xmas, but I feel like booing Christmas sometimes too. There's a bigger message here somewhere...

Xtremely BAD Xmas?

 

[ramonmercado]

‘Infidel Santa’ killed in Tajikistan
http://rt.com/news/infidel-santa-killed-tajikistan-133/
Published: 03 January, 2012, 12:35

A young man dressed up as Father Frost, the Russian counterpart of Santa Claus, has been brutally killed in Tajikistan. The assailants reportedly shouted “infidel” as they stabbed him to death.

The tragedy unfolded in the capital, Dushanbe, on Sunday night. Parviz Davlatbekov put on a traditional Father Frost costume to visit his friends and celebrate New Year with them. But before reaching his destination, the 24-year-old encountered a group of youths who beat him up and stabbed him. He died in hospital shortly after.

According to some local media and reports on social networks, the attackers were Muslim radicals who had targeted Davlatbekov for wearing a Father Frost outfit. They are said to have called their victim an infidel during the attack. Reports say some 30 people participated in the killing.

However, the religious motive is being denied by the police, who say they are treating the killing as an ordinary, secular crime. Three people have been detained for their role in the assault, all of whom are university students.

The issue of how or even whether a Muslim should celebrate New Year made the headlines in Tajikistan recently. An influential cleric said in an interview that both the Christian Gregorian calendar and the New Year are alien to the country where 98 per cent of the population is Muslim. The statement split Tajikistan, where the holiday has been celebrated for many decades.

 

[rynner2]

Kent town is first in country to put up Christmas lights - 121 days early
A Kent town is the first in the country to put up its Christmas lights – 121 days before December 25.
By Claire Carter
4:20PM BST 30 Aug 2013

Tenterden Chamber of Commerce decorated a tree in the town with around 1,500 lights and said the lights are set to remain lit for the next four months until Christmas Day.
The display – believed to be the first in the country after being rigged up in August – has gone up early to encourage people to donate money to raise £15,000 to replace lights stolen last year.

The lights were put up by volunteers during a downpour that followed Britain’s hottest summer in seven years.

Jonathan Medes, events officer at the volunteer run Chamber of Commerce for the town, said they had put up the lights with the help of a tree surgeon this year to ensure they were secure.
He said: “The lights used to just get hung in the Christmas trees but this year we’ve gone for putting them up the stem and around the branches and securing them.
“We’ve got them all up and ready, and I think we will leave them up until Christmas now.
“We thought if we put some lights up to engage people’s interest it would help with the fundraising.”

Mr Medes said the lights were put up last Saturday and they hoped by having the display early this would help them raise awareness in the community and reach the £15,000 target they need to replace the stolen lights. He said he hoped to decorate a further nine trees and that most of the display would be underway by October – still two months before Christmas day.

All the town’s Christmas lights were stolen from a store at a local fire station before organisers could put up the display last year, leaving them with just a few small trees decorated with a supply of emergency lights.

Mr Medes added: “It’s really important to have this display for the community. In previous years trees on both sides of the street have been lit up, but last year we were left in the dark, and with nothing.
“We are determined not to let this happen this year.”

After the lights were put up, town councillor Sue Ferguson posted a photo of the lights, adding: "Tenterden Christmas lights going up!!”
A tweet from Tenterden Town added: "Tenterden Christmas lights coming along, are we the first town in the country?"

The lights have been timed to come on at 9.15pm and go off at 11.30pm.
But the early display has attracted its critics.
Simon Abbott, 43, said: "It's still more than 100 days until Christmas and the sun is still blazing away.
"Nobody wants to think about the cold winter coming up - we want to enjoy the sun while it lasts not start thinking about presents, turkey and snow."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... early.html

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

I can understand them being installed this early, but did they really need to switch them on now? :lol:

 

[JamesWhitehead]

It would be even less publicity-worthy to do it in the proper season. :snore:

 

[Analogue Boy]

Kent town is first in country to put up Christmas lights - 121 days early
A Kent town is the first in the country to put up its Christmas lights – 121 days before December 25.


Tenterden Chamber of Commerce decorated a tree in the town with around 1,500 lights and said the lights are set to remain lit for the next four months until Christmas Day.

Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Vardoger]

The Christmas marzipan will be available in supermarkets in Norway within four - five weeks.
I look forward to the marzipan, but it is a little bit early.

Nom Nom Nom!

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

Send us some over mate!

 

[Cherrybomb]

I'm a big Xmas fan - but even I (who has done almost all her xmas gift shopping already) think thats going too far

 

[Kondoru]

Me too, I love marzipan.

Im doing everyone leather gifts, now I have spruced up my leatherwork skills.

I have found an old gungy green sofa I am going to use to make a leather holly wreath.

Do you realise stylised holly leaf templates look more authentic than those traced from real leaves??