The symbols we treasure today were gathered up and incorporated into our modern celebration of Christmas: the tree from Germany, songs from England, the jolly gift-giver from the Netherlands, and recipes from all over the world.
Are you worried that the political environment may ruin your chances for stress-free holiday celebrations? Our Self-Taught Gardener brings us a lesson in cooperation from the holly plant.
In a letter to the editor, Gary Leveille writes, "One room of moving miniatures within a Christmas village is amazing, and sure to make even the Grinch smile."
The cows at Churchtown Dairy are not only receptive to the Christmas carols, but they seem to have a distinct preference for certain songs over others.
In cold weather you will need more fuel to maintain proper temperature, so make sure you have a full bag of charcoal and, if you’re cooking your rib roast on a gas grill, at least three-quarters of a tank of propane.
Christmas as we know it—the trees and wreaths, bells and caroling, gifts and good food—is a 19th-century invention. The authors, literally, of the modern celebration were a Stockbridge spinster and a German immigrant: Catharine Sedgwick and Charles Follen.
The world is full of darkness to be found at every turn; to acknowledge its presence -- to hold space for it -- is not the same as letting it engulf us and extinguish our light.
