Christmas Flowers Japan A Tradition Of Japanese

The process of gift is a universal phenomenon, but how to vary around the world. Especially in Japan, where the gift is a unique process, with rules to follow to ensure that no one is offended. If you plan to go to Japan and stay there for a while, you should be familiar with some of the practices of gifts there.

Often, gifts are exchanged between peers in Japan on July 15 and January 1. So if you go to Japan in those days around the company, be prepared to make and receive gifts from home.

In Japan, the focus is not the gift itself, but the art of giving, so do not worry about a loved one or a cheap gift. It is important for the Japanese who gave him a gift.

It is always a gift with both hands, never with a hand in front and one on the side or back. These actions demonstrate a lack of privacy or franchise.

If you have a personal gift to someone, you should give it privately and not in front of a group. It is considered offensive to give you a gift to someone in a group, but do not give a gift to someone of the same rank in the structure of the company.

Before accepting a gift, always politely refuse once or twice.

If you are invited to a Japanese house, make sure you bring the cake and candy and a bouquet of flowers, which must always be an odd number, except us.

Remember, if you receive a gift from someone in Japan, it is necessary to give a gift back to them to avoid offending them.

Some acceptable to give gifts in Japan include frozen fillets, cuffs and sets of pens and pencils.

However, to avoid giving gifts have read all the costs associated with funerals often than anything else, white christmas flowers japan blogs  and potted plants. There is a superstition, in Japan, which says that the disease potted plants to promote a business or home, to avoid like the plague, no pun intended.

Other gifts to avoid include four or something new because they are considered unlucky numbers. Also avoid red cards for christmas flowers japan . Red cards are often used to print the funeral announcements, have the opposite effect you want, if it is distributed at Christmas.

Before going to a foreign country for business or personal, always be sure you understand the customs of the region. If in Japan, I would be very careful. You can undo all the good work they have done just to take some simple rules of behavior. It will be too painful to be the worst thing you can do is offend someone without realizing that when you give or accept a gift.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for send flowers japan and gifts for any occasion. When shopping for flowers and gifts, you should only shop the best online stores specializing in Japanese gifts, Japanese flowers

The crowning glory of Jennifer Sevilla-Go - Christmas Flowers Japan

MANILA, Philippines - The sound of laughing customers is music to her ears. The giggles and shrieks are almost automatic when clients try on the wigs at Lynelle, a store that sells wigs and hairpieces. And for owner Jennifer Sevilla-Go, the positive cheer is an encouraging sign that she chose the right venture.

Back when she was still hosting That’s Entertainment, Jennifer always paid close attention to her hair. “I was known for having different hairstyles. I like to experiment, minsan naka-tiss yung bangs, minsan kulot, minsan chin-length, ginagaya-gaya yung hair namin ng fans, kaya dapat iba-iba,” she said.

Her busy acting schedule did not hinder her plans to become an entrepreneur. And since she was interested in clothes, she started designing outfits for her friends. She employed a few sewers and ran the business at home, while still actively doing movies and TV shows. In time, she started getting contracts to make uniforms for companies. Unfortunately, the manufacturers in China offered the same service at a much lower cost. Just like the other local manufacturers, Jennifer had no choice but to close shop.

But the actress did not exactly lose everything. Thanks to her clothing venture, she met a dashing businessman named Saymour Go, who supplied mannequins to stores and boutiques. He ran a store in Tutuban Mall, which sells all the components in visual merchandising including wigs.

A certified style enthusiast, Jennifer discovered the convenience of wearing wigs. She brought the hairpieces to her tapings and instead of spending hours fixing her hair, she simply wore the wig of her choice, and she’s good to go.

“Normally after a scene, you change your clothes, and fix your hair. Ako, I change my clothes tapos I wear a wig and then I rest and wait for my next scene. Yung iba, they still have to blow dry and style their hair especially if it’s a different scene like a party, or flashback. Madalas iba-ba yung kinukunan sa isang araw so palit ka ng palit ng hairstyle. Kaya madalas, sina-shampoo ulit yung hair, tapos dina-dry bago mag-shoot. Ang hirap di ba?”

For someone who spent years and years working in a movie set, the number of hours saved was very significant. In time, her co-stars became very interested in her hairpieces. “I would bring a few during my tapings, palaging nauubos because they buy it,” she said. Soon, Jennifer became known in the production circle as the supplier of quality wigs.

In 2007, on the year she married Saymour, Lynelle Hair Fashion officially opened in her husband’s mannequin showroom in Tutuban. Later on, she opened her first stand-alone outlet in Virra Mall and at the Dela Rosa Square in Makati.

Lynelle offers a vast collection of Japanese Kanekalon synthetic  fibers  and European and Asian human hair wigs. The store has over a hundred different hairpieces in various cuts and colors, including the famous hairstyles of movie stars like Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston, Robert Pattinson, Lady Gaga and many more.

While wigs and hairpieces have always been available in the market, there weren’t too many styles available. “In the past, people were not open to the idea of wearing a wig. Yung mga nag-wi-wig yung mga nakakalbo, may sakit, o kung kailangan mag-costume.”

She added that in other countries hairpieces are part of one’s personal wardrobe. “For example, si Angelina Jolie minsan mahaba ang buhok, tapos biglang short hair, that’s the magic of wigs, you can change your look anytime,” she explained.

The growing demand for stylish hairpieces clearly signifies the changing perception towards her products. “Nowadays, women are more open to wigs. Di ba minsan, gusto mong mag change ng look, for an evening affair you want long hair, pag nag-wig ka na okay na.”

She added that the accessory is beginning to be a staple in any stylish girl’s closet. “Para na siyang little black dress, you have to own at least one. So you must have at least one wig for days when you want to look different,” she said.

Lynelle sells hairpieces for all kinds of budgets. “We have the synthetic, colored wig na for one-time use, it starts at P300, eto yung ginagamit sa cosplay or teenagers who dress up like Animé characters. We also have first-class synthetic wigs from Japan, price starts at P1,000. These wigs last longer, especially if it is well-maintained,” she said. The wigs are packed in boxes complete with instructions on how to clean and store the hairpieces.

Aside from wigs, Jennifer also has her own line of clip-on hair extensions called Keira; these are long strands attached to the natural hair to instantly increase the length. According to the entrepreneur, one of the best contributions of hair products is the practical use of clip-on hair extensions. It enables men and women to have long and silky tresses in a flash christmas flowers japan .

“Nakakatuwa siyang gamitin kasi biglang humahaba ang hair mo. We have it in all colors. You can even have it curly or straight. No need to wait years so you can have long hair. You can have sexy hair in minutes,” she said. We didn’t realize she was wearing extensions during the interview, until she started removing the clipped hair from her head.

Keira hair extensions are easy to use. A tutorial video is available on the site, with Jennifer herself gamely demonstrating how to securely attach the extensions. Available in different colors for both straight and curly hair, the additional length clearly guarantees a sexier look. The clip-ons can also add volume to thinning hair.

Once attached wearers can style it like their natural hair. “You can blow-dry, use a straightening iron, rollers, you can style it any way that you want,” she said.

Lynelle Hair Fashion stores at Virra Mall and at dela Rosa Square in Makati are often visited by production designers, cross-dressers and animé enthusiasts. Her wigs and extensions are seen in nearly every show on television.

“We did Marian Rivera’s long hair in Amaya. We used Keira extensions. Kahit yung hair ng mga boys, those are all extensions. Michael V gets his wigs from us for his show Bubble Gang. Other shows like Banana Split, Goin’ Bulilit, lahat sila sa amin kumukuha. We supplied the wigs in The Sound of Music and Little Mermaid. I have an advantage because I am very familiar with production, kasi nga I do movies. And so I know what they need.” Lynelle also supplies leading hair salons. 

Jennifer looks forward to the fun atmosphere at Lynelle every day. “You always hear people laughing, palaging masaya. Minsan mga employees on their lunch break pupunta sila dito, they look for wigs for their office party. Minsan naman mga gays, ang lalakas magtawanan, ang saya-saya nila. I feel so fortunate the store is such a happy place.”

In celebration of the Christmas season, all wigs are sold at 20 percent off until Dec. 31. Lynelle also sells accessories like bumpits, a do-it-yourself kit for bouffant hairdos similar to the signature look of Jackie O and other stylish women in the ’60s.

Lynelle also has multi-colored bandanas, a fashionable solution for those unexpected “bad hair days” or for those who simply want to cover their heads. The accessory is often used by patients suffering from thinning hair due to medical treatments.

With the growing demand for her products, Jennifer is busy running the business and being a doting mother to three-year-old son Simon. As for her showbiz career, she was part of the indie film Bisperas directed by Jeffrey Jeturian. It won the Best Film award at the Cinemalaya Film Festival. It also bagged the Best Asian-Middle Eastern Film award at the 24th Tokyo International Film Festival.

And while her husband openly supports her movie career, for now she is happy to be focusing on her hairy business christmas flowers japan blogs .

Japan’s tourism industry looks forward to a bright, trouble-free 2012 - Christmas Flowers Japan

TOKYO—The Japanese capital is all dressed up for the holidays and people are bundling up to head out and enjoy the sights. Many flock to the brick-lined Yebisu Garden Place to see its solar-powered Christmas tree, hear live music, and marvel at the Baccarat Eternal Lights chandelier. Five-metres tall, three-metres wide, and adorned more than 8,400 crystal parts and 250 lights, it’s a mesmerizing display, symbolic perhaps of the hopes people here have for the future. After the pall that fell over this country following the March 11th disaster, most are looking forward to a brighter 2012.

That includes the folks who work in tourism. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) says foreign visits dropped 73% in the days after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident. But with time, and thanks to a Herculean effort to salvage a $19.4 billion (CAD) industry, travelers are returning. As of October, visits were only down about 15% overall.

“It is recovering rather quickly,” says the JNTO’s Manoru Kobori. “Probably by the springtime when we see the cherry blossoms in full bloom we will see almost the same level as the year before (2010).”

If you’re considering a trip to Japan, here are some ideas you might want to add to your itinerary christmas flowers japan blogs . 

TOKYO This is a city of neighbourhoods and parks. Set aside time to walk the small side streets of Ebisu, Daikanyama, Omotesando, Shimokitazawa, and Koenji. You’ll stumble upon small cafés, standing bars, boutiques, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. If you’re in the city in April, stroll along the river in Nakameguro to see the cherry trees in all their glory. Take a break from pounding the pavement in these great green spaces: Yoyogi Park, Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Happo-en.

KAMAKURA Once the de-facto capital of Japan (1192-1333), Kamakura now is a laid-back beach town. An hour’s train ride from Tokyo, go during the week to avoid the crowds. Start with breakfast by the sea at bills restaurant in the Shichirigahama neighbourhood. Then go for a stroll on the sand and watch the surfers ply the waves. After that, see the sights, including the Hasedera Temple, the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and the Great Buddha.

KYOTO Many of this city’s temples and shrines are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But take time to visit some of the smaller places of worship, such as the tiny Daihikaku Sensoji Temple, which is perched on a hill in the western Arashiyama district. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. And why just visit a temple when you can stay in one? The Shunkoin Temple offers rooms with private bathrooms and a shared kitchen. Email Reverend Taka Kawakami to make a reservation.

KARUIZAWA Generations have been coming to this town, located in the foothills of the Japanese Alps, to enjoy hot spring resorts (onsen), the colours of fall, and the cool of summer. Karuizawa is a one-hour high-speed train journey from Tokyo. The old Mampei Hotel, where John and Yoko once stayed, is still open. A modern-meets-traditional resort worth seeing is Hoshinoya Karuizawa, with its public-access onsen and riverside shopping and restaurant village.

IZU PENINSULA The perfect weekend getaway. In summer and early fall, Tokyoites enjoy its beaches, the best outside of Okinawa. Shimoda is one town worth checking out. Consider staying at White Beach Hotel, a place with functional rooms, a fun atmosphere, and good food (plus it’s 30 seconds from Ohama beach).

YAMANASHI PREFECTURE If you’re looking for a good day trip from Tokyo, head to this prefecture, Japan’s version of the Napa Valley. Yes, Japan makes its own wine with domestically grown grapes, and while it’s not yet on par with New Zealand or California, it’s getting there. Go to the Budo no Oka Center (Grape Hill Center), where for $14.50 CAD you can sample from hundreds of bottles in the “tasting cave.” Once your thirst has been quenched, head upstairs and have a barbeque on the terrace, with a view of the surrounding hills and vineyards christmas flowers japan .

TOHOKU Hoping to give back while you’re in Japan? Get in touch with the non-profit organizations that are doing good deeds in the devastated Tohoku region. Christine Lavoie-Gagnon, a Quebecer and long-time resident of Japan, started an international group called NADIA in the days after the disaster. She and her volunteers have been cleaning and fixing up homes in the city of Ishinomaki. Register for trips on their website.

3DS sets sales record as games finally arrive - Christmas Flowers Japan

The much-maligned Nintendo 3DS is the fastest selling console to reach 200,000 sales in Australia.

The handheld has reached the milestone in 37 weeks on sale according to sales data from the NPD Group Australia.

The 3DS received a major boost in recent weeks by the release of key games Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.

Advertisement: Story continues below 

The games significantly boost the console's software library, which was widely criticised at launch for lacking must-have titles.

Nintendo dramatically slashed the price of the 3DS by $100 only four months after the new machine was launched following lower-than-anticipated early sales.

Such an early price cut was unprecedented for the usually highly conservative company, and the Japanese giant was forced to apologise to early adopters and offer 20 free downloadable games as compensation.

Australian 3DS owners who signed up to the "Ambassador" program can download their 10 free Game Boy Advance games from today.

The free games are:

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity

Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island

Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Mario vs Donkey Kong

Metroid Fusion

Wario Land 4

WarioWare, Inc Mega Microgames.

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Comments

11 comments

Whoot finally more games to play on my 3DS other than mario 3D

gothioso | Sydney - December 16, 2011, 7:48AM

This article is incorrect - we all know smartphones have killed the dedicated handheld.

Charlie Miso | Part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor - December 16, 2011, 9:20AM

I should probably just google this, but are 3DS titles playable on a standard DS, just without the 3D effect?

I don't play my DS-Lite enough to warrant upgrading to all these new fangled models they come out with.

Lucid Fugue | Melbourne - December 16, 2011, 9:39AM

@ Lucid Fugue

I'd like to know too. My son has almost completed Mario Kart on the DS and I'm sure he would go bonkers if he could play MK7 too - those gliders look great

oric - December 16, 2011, 10:22AM

@Fugue and Oric - Nope, the 3DS has significantly more powerful hardware inside than the DS. 3DS games will not run in 2D on the DS or DSi, juts like PS3 games will not run on a PS2.

DexX | Nose and grindstone are in alignment - December 16, 2011, 10:26AM

My local EB now has a display 3DS out and I've had the opportunity to have a good go at it.

It's crap, basically. The 3D effect (actually more about the illustion of depth than 3D as you'd understand it from cinema, etc) is in no way worth the compromises they've made on image quality, such as the fact that the whole thing appears blank if you move your head a millimetre in the wrong direction. If you turn down the slider to nix the 3D, the image quality is notably worse than my iPad or my phone.

DisDis | Sydney - December 16, 2011, 10:28AM

christmas flowers japan blogs

Ah, okay. I suspected. Been Christmas present buying, and not knowing whether your nephews have actually upgraded makes it tricky, but I'm all about giving them a lesson in classic gaming, so I bought Kirby anyway.

The other year he was playing Metroid and was shocked to learn that Samus has been around for years. Disappointing.

Lucid Fugue | Melbourne - December 16, 2011, 10:36AM

Also goes to show how insignificant Australia is as a market.

LTD sales of 3DS - 200,000 fastest ever to each that number

Japan sales last week - 350,000 (sure Monster Hunter et etc but still), 205,000 previous week.

Charlie Miso | Part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor - December 16, 2011, 10:57AM

I credit the new Justin Bieber xmas song / music video for this achievement. Have you seen this thing? (channel V happened to be on while I was having lunch in a cafe).

The clip is disgustingly littered with references of children picking up 3DS's; at some stage the B himself is handing them out to little girls.

Bringing together my 2 favourite over-corporatisms; modern pop music & the christmas holiday period.

Entertainment Calendar – Issue of Dec. 15, 2011 - Christmas Flowers Japan

The RB Chorale presents “Tis the Holiday Season,” a night of singing, dancing and beautiful sets with something for all ages. Three shows will be held at the Poway Performing Arts Center, 15498 Espola Road, Poway, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday Dec. 17, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18. Tickets can be purchased from any chorale member, online at www.rbchorale.org, or on-line at www.powayperformingarts.com. General admission is $20, seniors (55-plus),students (13-18) and active military tickets are $18 and all children (through 12 years) are admitted for only $5. For more information visit christmas flowers japan .

Don’t forget to bring an unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots campaign.

The Ramona Community Brass Band presents their 3rd annual Christmas concert “Christmas On The Home front, a study in how America celebrates Christmas in war time,” 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18 in the Performing Arts Wing at Ramona High School, 1401 Hanson Lane, Ramona. The concert has a military and patriotic theme and features such carols as “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “The Night Before Christmas,” “Still, Still, Still,” and more. There is no cost, but donations are accepted.

The vocal ensemble Pacific Camerata will present a concert of Renaissance sacred music celebrating the season 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8 at San Rafael Catholic Church, 17252 Bernardo Center Drive, San Diego. This varied program will include music from Spain, Germany and England, and will feature the lovely “Ave Marias” of both Josquin des Prez and Robert Parsons. Another highlight will be the lyric motet, “Dixit Maria,” by Hans Leo Hassler, as well as the composer’s own “Parody Mass” based on that same motet. A free-will offering will be taken. For more information, call 858-487-4314 ext. 1225.

The San Diego Folk Heritage presents bluegrass vocalist and fiddler Stephanie Bettman and multi-instrumentalist Luke Halpin in concert 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Templar’s Hall, Old Poway Park, 14314 Midland Road, Poway. Tickets are $18, $15 for members. For more information, contact SDFH@san.rr.com.

The San Diego County Library Acoustic Showcase presents Barbara Nesbitt in a free concert 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Poway Library, 13137 Poway Road. For more information call Ross Moore at 858-736-1538.

The City of Poway is looking for bands and entertainers to serve as entertainment at events hosted by the city in 2012, including the Summer Concert Series. If your band or entertainment group is interested in becoming a performer at special events, visit www.poway.org/entertainment for the complete application process. Entertainers must submit promotional materials during December 2011 and January 2012 to be considered for special events that take place during 2012. All materials must be postmarked or emailed no later than Jan. 31, 2012. Your materials will be kept on file for one calendar year, and you will be contacted by staff if you are selected. More more information, visit the website or call Audrey Denham at 858-668-4774.

The Poway Folk Circle, a group of local musicians, host folk song circles and acoustic jams. Folk Song Circles meet at 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of every month in Templars Hall in Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road. Bluegrass Jams meet on the second Monday of every month at Round Table Pizza in Rancho Bernardo, 16761 Bernardo Center Drive. The Craft Fair Jam is 9 a.m. the first Saturday of the month in Old Poway Park, and Slow Jam Sunday is 1 p.m. the last Sunday of the month in Old Poway Park. These events are free and open to the public. For further information, visit www.powayfolkcircle.org.

DANCE

The City Ballet presents “The Nutcracker,” featuring live music by the City Ballet Orchestra, running Friday, Dec. 16 – Sunday, Dec. 18, Tuesday, Dec. 20 and Wednesday, Dec. 21 at the Spreckels Theatre, 121 Broadway, San Diego. Tickets range from $29 – $59. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.cityballet.org.

Definiques Dance Academy is offering instruction in tap, jazz, ballet, musical theater, competition team and private lessons. They are celebrating their Open House noon – 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 with performances throughout the day. Call Definiques Dance Academy to set up your complimentary class. Definiques Dance Academy is located at 12759 Poway Road, Suite 204, Poway. For more information, call 858-357-4555 or visit www.definique.com.

Poway dance instructor Debbora Childress is offering dance classes in the Poway Community Park. Children 3 – 18 years old can learn the arts of tap and ballet during one-hour, age-appropriate classes held 11 a.m. – 6:15 p.m. Mondays and 1-5 p.m. Thursdays. “Dance for Children,” an introduction to dance and tumbling for children ages 3 – 5, will be held 10 a.m. Mondays. For more information, call Debbora Childress at 760-747-9777, email her at debbora@cox.et or visit www.poway.org/classes.

The Malashock Dance Studio presents Malashock/RAW2: STRIPPED 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Malashock Dance Studio #200, 2650 Truxtun Road, San Diego. Choreographers John Malashock, Michael Mizerany and Henry Torres & Angel Arambula will present new work that is both fearless and dynamic. For more information and tickets, visit www.malashockdance.org.

Dance to ballroom dancing with DJ Rudy Vidal’s Funtastic Sounds 7- 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Mike Krause’s live dance band Saturdays at The Growing Place Montessori School, 13242 Pomerado Road, Poway. Entrance fee is $10/person. Location features 1,000 square feet of wood floor for dancing and free off-street parking. For more information, call Mike Krause at 619-922-6765.

Tap dancing classes for adults, taught by Gigi St. John, are Tuesdays at the RB Swim & Tennis Club. Each class is one hour, intermediate at 11 a.m. and beginners at noon. Just show up or sign up by calling St. John at 951-282-3639.

The Academy of World Dance n Arts offers a free introductory class to swing, salsa and ballroom 7 to 8 p.m. every Friday, year-round for ages teen through adults. No previous experience needed. For more information, visit www.worldancenarts.com or call 858-679-8277. The academy is located at 12621-A Poway Road, Poway.

THEATER christmas flowers japan blogs .

PowPAC, Poway’s Community Theater, presents “Mr. Scrooge and Mr. Dickens,” a faithful adaptation of the beloved holiday classic, Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” with a twist: the presence of Charles Dickens onstage reading passages of his work aloud, running through Sunday, Dec. 18, with show times 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at PowPAC, Poway’s Community Theater, 13250 Poway Road, Poway. The theater is handicap accessible. Special Holiday Show pricing: General Admission, $12; Children under 12, $6. For reservations, contact the PowPAC box office at 858-679-8085 or email boxoffice@powpac.org.

The Scripps Ranch Theatre presents the hit musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” running through Saturday, Dec. 17 in their theater located on the Alliant International University campus at 10455 Pomerado Road. Tickets are $25 general admission, $22 students, seniors and active military, and $13 group rates. For reservations, call the theater box office at 858-578-7728.

The Welk Theatre presents “Late Night Catechism,” a side-splittingly funny look at catechism class 8 p.m. Fridays through Dec. 16 at the Welk Resorts Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk Drive, Escondido. For tickets, call 888-802-SHOW or go on-line at www.welktheatresandiego.com and reserve your premium seating now.

The California Youth Conservatory Theatre presents the Broadway hit musical “Spring Awakening,” running Saturday, Jan. 7 – Sunday, Jan. 15 at the Welk Resort Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk Drive, Escondido. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12 – Friday, Jan. 13, 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 and Sunday, Jan. 8 and 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. Tickets are $30.50 or $45.50 to include the pre-show buffet. “Spring Awakening” contains mature themes, sexual situations and strong language. For more information and tickets, call 760-749-3000 or visit www.welktheatresandiego.com or www.cyctheatre.com.

The Avo Playhouse presents “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Christmas Carol,” at Vista’s Avo Playhouse, 303 Main Street, Vista.

Performances of “Rudolph” are 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15 and Friday, Dec. 16 and noon Saturday, Dec. 17. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for kids under 12.

Performances of “A Christmas Carol” are 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18. Tickets are $17.50 for adults and seniors, and $9.50 for kids.

For tickets, order at www.vistixonline.com or call the box office at 760-724-2110.

Broadway Theater presents “Life of a Sofa,” running through Sunday, Dec. 18 at Vista’s Broadway Theater. Shows are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.  Tickets are $17.50 each and seating is reserved. Box office: 760-806-7905 or online at www.broadwayvista.com.

The Avo Playhouse presents “Camelot,” returning to Vista after 22 years, 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 and noon, Sunday, Dec. 18 at Vista’s Avo Playhouse, 303 Main Street, Vista. Tickets are $20. For tickets, order online at www.vistixonline.com or call the VISTIX box office at 760-724-2110 from noon to 5 p.m.

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival presents “Jesus Christ Superstar,” running through Saturday, Dec. 31 at the La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. Following the show’s run, the production will move to Broadway in March of 2012. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. For more information and ticket prices, call 858-550-1010 or visit www.lajollaplayhouse.org.

The Old Globe presents “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” running through Saturday, Dec. 31 at the Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. San Diego’s favorite holiday tradition, back for its 14th incredible year, is a wonderful, whimsical production that will once again jump right off the pages of the classic Dr. Seuss book and onto the Old Globe’s stage. Ticket prices start at $39 for adults and $24 for children 17 years and under. For tickets and more information, 619-234-5623.

New Village Arts continues its holiday tradition with Joe Mantello’s adaptation of David Sedaris’ highly acclaimed “The Santaland Diaries,” running through Saturday, Dec. 24 at New Village Arts Theatre, 2787 State Street in Carlsbad Village. Tickets are $20 general admission, $20 seniors, students and military, $18 for groups of 10 or more. For more information and tickets, call 760-433-3245 or visit www.NewVillageArts.org.

A beloved Cygnet Theatre holiday tradition is coming to a close with a sixth and final run of the timeless classic “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” based on the Frank Capra film, running through Saturday, Dec. 31 at Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs Street in Old Town State Historic Park. Tickets range from $29 – $54. Special events include Wine Tasting Night, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8 and OUT@CYGNET Night, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14. For more information, call 619-337-1525 or visit www.cygnettheatre.com

The San Diego Center for Jewish Culture presents comedienne Judy Gold live 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 at the David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Tickets range from $23 – $27 and can be purchased by calling the JCC Box Office at 858-362-1348 or visiting the web site at tickets.lfjcc.org.

Tickets for the 2011-2012 season at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts are on sale on the center’s website, www.powayarts.org, by calling 858-748-0505 or at the box office, 15498 Espola Road, noon to 5 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

PowPAC, Poway’s Community Theatre, is offering a number of varied volunteer opportunities for its award-winning theater. For more information, contact Maxine Brunton at 858-679-0640, or call the theater box office and leave your name and telephone number at 858-679-8085.

ART

The North County Society of Fine Arts is a local nonprofit group devoted to bringing the visual arts to public attention and fostering art education.

Members’ artwork currently displayed includes Lori Chase and Margaret North at the Poway library, 13137 Poway Road, Sharon Ford at the Bernardo Heights Community Center, 16051 Bernardo Heights Parkway and Pat Dispenziere at Luc’s Bistro, 12642 Poway Road.

For further information, visit www.ncsfa.org.

Members of the Rancho Bernardo Art Association are displaying art through December at the following locations:

Kathy Mehaffey, Irina Bender, Marlene Tague and Richie Stewart at the Stoneridge Country Club, 17166 Stoneridge Country Club Lane, Poway.

Phyllis Hensperger is exhibiting her art during December at the Rancho Bernardo Winery Tasting Room, 13330 Paseo Del Verano, Rancho Bernardo, Mon. thru Fri. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For further information, call Phyllis Hensperger at 858-675-2262.

An exhibition of art work titled “Pattern and Shape” by Rancho Bernardo resident Ruth Hohberg is on view through January at the Sorby Gallery at Casa de las Campanas 18655 West Bernardo Drive. Visitors are welcome. For a guide and directions call 858-674-5624.

The Escondido Art Association presents its open, juried “Holiday Spirit” fine art exhibit through Friday, Dec. 30 at the Artists Gallery, 121 W. Grand Avenue. Show judge is Kris Peterson. An Artists Reception will be held from 5 – 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. Ribbon awards will be presented at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend and enjoy meeting the participating artists. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Closed December 24. For more information, call 760-489-0338 or 760-741-3117, or visit www.escondidoartists.org.

The Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation (MTRP) presents an exhibition featuring seven award-winning artists: Argento, Shant Beudjekian, Loretta Deczynski, Wilma Lopez, Vincent Quaranta, Vita Sorrentino, and Pamela York. This exhibit will be on display in the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center Art Gallery through Friday, Dec. 30. The MTRP Visitor and Interpretive Center is located at One Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, and it is open daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Distinction Gallery and Artist Studios and ArtHatch present a 24-hour Art-a-Thon to support free teen art education 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13 – 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 at the ArtHatch gallery, 317 East Grand Avenue, Escondido. 25 artists from San Diego County will seek pledges of $ 1.00/per hour and up to create artwork for up to 24 straight hours.  As works are finished, they will be added to the ArtHatch gallery space and auctioned off for a one month period following the event. For more information, call 760-781-5779, email contact@arthatch.org or visit arthatch.org.

The Ramona Art Guild is sponsoring a second open juried show through Saturday, Dec. 24 at the Poway Center For Performing Arts. The exhibits will be juried by Pat Kelly, well-known local artist who teaches both plein air and still life painting at the Athenaeum. For more information, visit www.RamonaArtGuild.org.

Jan Krentz is presenting her lecture with trunk show on 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, providing an historic look at traditional 8-point star designs, ranging from Lone Stars and Hunter Stars, to the new Diamond Quilts. There will be a combination slide presentation with trunk show of beautiful quilts that illustrate the star designs. The event takes place at Scripps Ranch Library, 10301 Scripps Lake Dr., San Diego. Guest fee: $5.00.

Jan’s workshop entitled the “Thousand Pyramids” will take place the following day, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. This great quilt is easy to piece and easy to change the size to fit your needs. The workshop focuses on cutting with the Half Diamond tool, color flow, fabric placement and piecing tips. The pattern is featured in Quick Diamond Quilts & Beyond. This one-day workshop is sewing-free. Location: Paradise Quilters, 1451 Montiel Road #140, Escondido. $35 members; $40 non-members.

Rancho Bernardo Art Association is looking for artists who want to meet others who share the same interest, learn from demonstrations and exhibit their work. The members have critique nights and an award show. For membership, contact Phyllis Hensperger at 858-675-2262. Adult membership is $25, couples $30, students $15. More information at ranchobernardoart.com.

MUSEUMS

The San Diego Natural History Museum has a number of exciting exhibits and 3-D films to enjoy.

Water: A California Story demonstrates through photos, maps, video, and hands-on activities, current, local issues on land and in the ocean.

All That Glitters: The Splendor and Science of Gems and Minerals is at the Natural History Museum through April 15. This exhibit shows how gems are created around the world, including here in San Diego county.

The exhibit Skulls contains hundreds of skulls from all over the world—hoofed animals, horned animals, birds, primates, rodents, snakes, lizards, amphibians, and more. Visitors have the chance to draw skulls of their very own on chalkboards and ask museum scientists questions about skulls.

The Best of Nature Photography Show, an international juried competition, will be on view in The Ordover Gallery from Jan. 10, through May. Admission to the show is included with general admission to the Museum. The opening reception will be on Saturday, Jan. 21, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and is open to the public.

The Natural History Museum is located at 1788 El Prado in Balboa Park. Tickets are $17 for adults; $15 for seniors; $12 for military, youth 13–17, students; $11 for children 3–12. Free for members.

Mingei International Museum presents “Maneki Neko: Japan’s Beckoning Cats – From Talisman to Pop Icon,” featuring selections from the museum’s collection of 155 unique beckoning cat statues, running through Jan. 15.

The museum is located at 1439 El Prado in Balboa Park. Hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, Regular admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for students and active duty military with ID. For information, call 619-239-0003 or visit www.mingei.org.

“Cellular Journey,” an introduction to human cell biology and stem cells, is at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. Interactive exhibits include “From Tissues to Cells,” in which visitors can view human tissue samples through microscopes, and “Journey Inside a Cell,” where visitors board a motion-activated scooter and take a virtual tour inside a human cell, and can also launch a stem cell on its path to become a specific cell.

The center is hosting the premiere of the new IMAX film “Born to Be Wild.” Narrated by Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman, this film follows the lives of orphaned orangutans and elephants, from birth to their reintroduction into the wild. The Science Center is located at 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park. For more information, visit www.rhfleet.org/site/imax.

“Geometry Exposed,” runs through June 10. Discover how various shapes fit together to make patterns and how spaces divide into patterns of shapes. For more information, call 619-238-1233 or visit www.rhfleet.org.

The San Diego Air and Space Museum is currently temporarily hosting one of the DeLorean cars used in the “Back to the Future” movies as part of the special traveling exhibition, “SPACE: A Journey to Our Future.” The museum’s DeLorean is one of seven used onscreen in the films, and one of only three to have survived since filming. For more information, visit www.sandiegoairandspace.org.

Walk in the footpath of Poway’s first residents every Saturday morning at Poway’s Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center. Savor the smell of blooming native plants that Kumeyaay people smelled each spring for more than 2,000 years. Trained guides will share the culture, history and botany of this five-acre archeological jewel for free from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturdays at 13104 Ipai Waaypuk Trail (formerly Silverlake Drive). For information, go to www.poway.org/kiic.

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at MCAS Miramar has its Bell 214ST Iraqi “Super Huey” helicopter on display. Also on display is the Sikorsky HRS.

Another feature is a single-seat flight simulator, which gives members of the public a 20-minute “flight” for $15.

The museum is open 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Call 858-693-1723 or visit www.flyingleathernecks.org for more information.

The Rancho Bernardo Historical Society runs a free museum at the Bernardo Winery, 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte, Rancho Bernardo. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Call 858-487-4599.

The Poway Historical and Memorial Society operates the free Poway Heritage Museum and the Nelson House in Old Poway Park, 14114 Midland Road in Poway. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. Call 858-679-8587 or visit www.powayhistoricalsociety.org.

Learn about the past from the San Diego History Center, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. The organization is dedicated to preserving San Diego’s history through education and preservation.

Norman Baynard’s “Portrait of a Proud Community: Logan Heights” runs through Jan. 22. This exhibit features Baynard’s photographs of the Logan Heights neighborhood from 1939 to 1985.

For more information, visit www.sandiegohistory.org.

The Barona Cultural Center & Museum is open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is closed Sunday and Monday. The museum houses more than 3,000 artifacts, photographic displays and archives. There is no charge for tours, and admission is free. For more information, visit www.baronamuseum.org or call 619-443-7003 ext. 2.

The San Diego Museum of Art presents the exhibition Life and Truth: French Landscapes from Corot to Monet. The exhibit includes landscape paintings by artists such as Corot, Courbet, Théodore Rousseau, Narcisse Diaz, Charles-François Daubigny and others, as well as the museum’s own Haystacks at Chailly by Claude Monet. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults, $9 for seniors and military, $8 for college students with ID, and $4.50 for youth ages 7-17. Members and children ages 6 and under are free. For more information, visit www.sdmart.org.

The San Diego Museum of Man presents Strange Bones: Curiosities of the Human Skeleton, focusing on the many strange and curious things that happen to our skeletons throughout the course of our lives, including the effects of scurvy and syphilis, running through January. The museum is open daily 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 for adults, $5 for children 3-12, and $7.50 for seniors, military, students with ID and children 13-17. For more information, visit http://www.museumofman.org.

The San Diego Museum of Man presents Modern Day Mummy: The Art and Science of Mummification through March 4. This new exhibit focuses on Mumab, a modern-day mummy preserved using ancient Egyptian techniques. The museum is open daily 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 for adults, $5 for children 3-12, and $7.50 for Seniors, military, students with ID and children 13-17. For more information, visit http://www.museumofman.org.

The Timken Museum of Art is open 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, visit http://www.timkenmuseum.org.

LOCAL MARKETS

The Scripps Ranch Farmers Market & Art Festival is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday at 10380 Spring Canyon Road, the site of the old E.B. Scripps Elementary School. For more information, visit www.srfm.org.

Poway Farmers Market is 8 to 11:30 a.m. every Saturday next to Old Poway Park, at Midland Road and Temple Street. The market, sponsored by the City of Poway and operated by Outback Farms, features certified organic produce, most of which is grown in San Diego County. For more information, call 858-668-4576.

The Bernardo Winery hosts a farmers market which includes fresh produce, vendors and food stalls every Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte.

North San Diego Farmers Market and Speciality Faire, a combination of the Sikes Adobe Farmstead Market is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Sunday at the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead, 12655 Sunset Drive in Escondido.

The Fall & Winter Season of the 19th Annual Boardwalk Craft Market in Old Poway Park is now underway and will continue on every Saturday of the month until Christmas, including Christmas Eve. The juried show and sale features contemporary artists who work in traditional arts and crafts: wood, metal, glass, clay, fabric, fibers, soap making, painting and photography. The park is located at 14134 Midland Road in Poway. Boardwalk Craft Market hours are 8 am to 2 p.m. For further information, call 858-486-3497.

OTHER EVENTS

UltraStar Cinemas is offering free admission to members of the military and their families on Christmas Eve. The free admission will be valid from 6 p.m. to closing at all five of UltraStar’s San Diego County locations, including Mission Marketplace Oceanside, Poway Creekside, Mission Valley-Hazard Center, River Village Fallbrook and Chula Vista. For a complete listing of movie show times, please visit www.ultrastarmovies.com.

Come explore the tide pools with the Birch Aquarium at Scripps 1 – 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23 at Dike Rock,  1 – 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Hospital Point and 1 – 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 at False Point. Aquarium naturalists will show participants how to tread lightly through these fragile ecosystems and will help them discover the wonderful world of tide pools. The cost is $12, ages 2 and older. Directions to meeting place will be provided at time of RSVP. RSVP required at 858-534-7336 or at aquarium.ucsd.edu.

A Christmas Tabernacle, San Diego’s new 3-day Christmas festival kicks off Friday, Dec. 16 – Sunday, Dec. 18 at Liberty Station, 2640 Historic Decatur Road, San Diego. This event features 2 stages of entertainment, a living Nativity, Santa’s Village, a snow hill, live reindeer, shopping for Christmas gifts, International Christmas Village. themed Christmas tree forest, a food court, arts & crafts workshops and much more. One-day admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, and $12 for children ages 4 – 12. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.christmastabernacle.com.

The 3rd Annual Hillcrest Taste ‘N’ Tinis is being held 5 – 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15. This event features over 30 amazing restaurants serving up samples, 13 retail and boutiques providing samples of holiday martinis and shopping deals, complimentary gift wrapping for any purchases made at the event and carolers that stroll throughout the venue spreading the holiday cheer. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event. Participants in the cocktail portion of this event must be 21 years or older and have a valid ID to enter. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.tastentinis.com or www.mcfarlanepromotions.com, or call 619-233-5008.

The Balboa Park Puppet Theater presents new holiday shows for kids 10 and 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays – Fridays and 11 a.m. and 1 and 2:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater, Balboa Park. “The Merry Christmas Show” runs Wednesday, Dec. 14 – Monday, Dec. 19. “Benito Bunny’s Great Christmas Adventure” runs Tuesday, Dec. 20 – Monday, Dec. 26. “Jack and the Beanstalk” runs Wednesday, Dec. 28 – Sunday, Jan. 1. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 seniors and $3 children ages 2 and up. For more information, visit balboaparkpuppets.com.

The 2012 Model-year San Diego International Auto Show is being held Thursday, Dec. 29 – Sunday, Jan. 1 at the San Diego Convention Center, located at 111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. Show hours are 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The 2nd Annual Firefighters’ Ball runs from 7:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 and includes a private reception at the auto show from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $9 military (with ID) and seniors (62 and over), $8 children (7-12), children (1-6) free (when accompanied by an adult). Children 12 and under are free on Mazda Family Day, Sunday, Jan. 1, when accompanied by a paid adult. For additional show information, to purchase e-tickets or download discount coupons, visit www.sdautoshow.com.

The Bernardo Winery presents “Holiday Nights,” 4 – 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15 – Sunday, Dec. 18 at the Bernardo Winery. For these four nights, the Bernardo Winery grounds will be open until 8 p.m. including the winery tasting room, Village Shops and Café Merlot. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be appearing nightly from 5 – 7 p.m . to hear children’s Christmas wishes and for photo opportunities. Brant Bender Photography will be on hand Friday and Saturday nights for professional portraits with Santa, for $10 each. For more information, call 858-487-1866 or visit www.bernardowinery.com.

The Miss San Diego Pageant and

Scholarship Association returns to Poway to hold the 2012 Miss San Diego Pageant Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. The pageant is seeking talented women ages 13-24 to participate in a program that has been a San Diego tradition since the late 1920’s and is an outstanding scholarship provider for young women. More than $4,000.00 in scholarships will be awarded as Miss San Diego 2012 and San Diego’s Outstanding Teen 2012 will be crowned. Those interested in competing in the pageant should visit www.MissSanDiego.org for more information.

The Brain Injured Veterans Association (BIVA) is honoring the 2012 Silver Eagle Patriot Award recipients in an Award Ceremony and Rock, Roll & Doo Wop Show 7 p.m. Saturday Jan. 14 at Mira Costa Concert Hall, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside. The honorees are Bret Michaels, Senator Mark Wyland, Troy Shondell (This Time), Arlene Smith (lead singer of The Chantels), Assembleyman Martin Garrick, Brenton Wood, Duncan Hunter, Celia Landis, Chuck Atkinson, Dave Mason (105.7 the Walrus), Howard Blank (The Outsiders and The Legends), Johnny Tillotson, and many other surprise guests. Champange Reception at 6:00 PM. A limited number of tickets are available at $50,00 per person. For tickets or more information call 877-287-7455 or email: director@bivaamp.org.

Should We Chuck Christ out of Christmas? - Christmas Flowers Japan

I’d like to thank a Register reader who recently alerted me to a recent USA Today column by Amy Sullivan, who—according to her blurb—“is a contributing writer at Time and author of The Party Faithful: How and Why Democrats Are Closing the God Gap.”

If the Democrats are closing the “God gap,” it isn’t because of the level of thinking displayed in her column, which is titled:

Let’s put ‘Christ’-mas in its place

Titles are often chosen by editors rather than authors, so this may not be her fault. But right now we’re only bouncing on the end of the diving board, and we’re about to plunge into the 12-foot end of the pool.

If it’s December, then it must be time to choose sides in the Christmas wars. One camp worries that the celebration of Christ’s birth has become too commercial and frantic. Its goal is a simple Christmas season, stripped of consumption and flashing lights and endless holiday parties. The other camp thinks the problem is that our December festivities are practically religiously neutral. They want shoppers to encounter more nativity scenes and fewer “happy holidays” banners.

I am at a loss to explain her perception of these two “sides.” The people who think Christmas is “too commercial” are usually the very same people who think that the “religiously neutral,” “happy holidays” issue is a big part of the problem (i.e., the commercialization leads to a de-emphasis on the religious nature of the holiday in order to sell more).

By seeing this one camp as two camps, the author is already off to a schizophrenic start. She’s imagining a single side riven against itself, when in fact she’s talking about the same side.

That doesn’t stop her from feeling torn herself, though.

Every year I’m torn. I like baking Christmas cookies. I enjoy the chance to dress up in party clothes and raise a glass with friends and colleagues. I like the excuse to give gifts to those whose lives are intertwined with mine. But as a Christian who wants to focus on the spiritual rhythms of Advent and truly commemorate God’s gift of his son to the world, I find that the Christmas season gets in the way.

We can agree that the pre-celebration of Christmas tends to step on the proper celebration of Advent.

So instead of engaging in a battle to reclaim Christmas, I propose an alternative. Let’s take Christ out of Christmas.

JAW. HITS. FLOOR.

Cutting bait . . . on Christmas? Why on earth would you do that???

The battle for the soul of Christmas ended a long time ago, and cultural forces won. That’s clear when Christmas trees fill homes and apartments in Japan, a country where 2% of the population is Christian.

This makes no sense at all.

What does the ordinary home in non-Christian Japan have to do with the “soul of Christmas” and its potential improvement in countries with a Christian heritage?

Couldn’t one view the celebration of Christmas even by non-Christians a “preparation for the gospel” (as the early Christian writer Eusebius of Caesarea would put it)—a preparation that Christians can build on, inviting non-Christians to a deeper consideration of the ultimate reason that they are celebrating?

Sullivan’s horizons are far more limited. She spends a good bit of her column pinching from what she describes as a “wonderful book, ‘Christmas: A Candid History,’ [by] Methodist minister and religious studies professor Bruce David Forbes.”

I downloaded this book, and it ain’t so wonderful. It does contain some interesting points from history, but it’s written from a faith-lite viewpoint that sharply limits its value.

Proceeding from this flawed staring point, Sullivan goes on to suggest the familiar canard about early Christians basing Christmas on pagan holidays—something for which there is no evidence (and, in fact, which there is evidence against).

At least in his book Forbes stresses how much of his theory is sheer speculation. Sullivan makes no such disclaimers.

She claims that a purely religious celebration of Christmas never existed and that it was always mixed with pagan partying. This cannot be substantiated from the historical record.

She then says:

That reality has frustrated religious communities for centuries. After the Reformation, the Puritans were appalled by the excess and non-biblical practices associated with Christmas, and launched an actual war on Christmas that culminated in the English Parliament’s 1652 decision to outlaw Christmas. In the American colonies, Puritan influence resulted in subdued observances. In fact, with few exceptions, the U.S. Congress met on Christmas Day every year until the mid-19th century.

Okay, let me get this straight. Sullivan is arguing that the battle for the soul of Christmas is irretrievably lost, and in the same breath she’s admitting that it survived a withering attack between the 1600s and the 1800s and has since become such a widespread celebration that it’s even normal in Japan?

If anything, that sounds to me like the idea of Christmas is extraordinarily resilient, and the overcommercialization of it is a recent historical phenomenon that might be no more longlasting than the Puritan attempt to suppress it was. Who knows what Christmas will be like in the year 2525—if man is still alive, if woman can survive?

When christmas flowers japan had its comeback en route to becoming the blowout holiday season we now know, it wasn’t because of religious leaders. Instead, cultural factors such as the publication in 1823 of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, the development of the Santa Claus figure, and the nascent social valuing of family togetherness formed our modern conception of Christmas.

So . . . maybe what we need is a new poem to rival ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas?

If one set of cultural factors has harmed the celebration of christmas flowers japan blogs then maybe we need to work at re-evangelizing the culture, including the creation of new artistic works that better convey the Christian faith.

That’s part of that whole New Evangelization thing, right?

I’m not hearing anything that would warrant Christians abandoning Christmas. What exactly is Sullivan proposing?

[I]t’s time to stop pretending that Christmas the cultural winter celebration is about the birth of Christ. Let’s just make it official and separate the two holidays that have been intertwined for most of the past two millenniums. It’s surprisingly easy to divide up the various Christmas assets left over from such a split.

First, there’s the name. Because Christmas the cultural season is so dominant, I propose that it retain the moniker, to be officially rendered X-mas. Everyone pronounces the holiday as “Chris-muss” anyway, which sounds like we’re honoring some dude named Chris, not the son of God. And despite campaigns by social conservatives to eliminate the greeting “happy holidays,” when a store clerk wishes me a “Merry Christmas,” she generally isn’t saying that she hopes I enjoy my religious observance of Christ’s birth.

As for the religious holiday, I’m calling it Jesus Day. When I was young, my family celebrated Christmas very literally as Jesus’ birthday. My Baptist grandmother baked a birthday cake for baby Jesus, along with more traditional cookies and pies. And at church, which we attended on Christmas Day, all the kids and children’s choir alumni gathered at the front of the sanctuary to belt out the tune “Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus.”

Hmmm. Interesting suggestion, Ms. Sullivan. One practiced within your very own lifetime—on Christmas Day yet. Maybe you’d like to devote a little more thought to that one before saying we should chuck Christ out of Christmas?

I would enjoy the goodwill and merriment of X-mas without reservation if I no longer felt it was co-opting and eclipsing my religious holiday.

I would feel all kinds of reservation and be totally weirded out. What kind of Twilight Zone holiday is this?

Lighting the Advent candles and reading daily devotions would provide a quiet respite during X-mas season.

So Advent would be celebrated at the same time as the de-Christed “X-mas”?

And on Christmas morning, instead of collapsing in an exhausted and mildly resentful heap, I could begin the real celebration with a full heart.

As a society, we need a designated time of year to celebrate with one another. We need the outlet of X-mas to give us a burst of festive energy to get through the winter. And we need fudge and Santa cookies, darn it. So let’s take Christ out of Christmas and make our culturewide secular celebration official. Just give me Jesus Day when it’s all over.

The proposal is thus to take Christmas, kick Christ out of it, rename it X-mas, and then rename St. Stephen’s Day as Jesus Day?

I’m sorry, Ms. Sullivan, but I think there are better ways to work out a “mildly resentful [holiday] heap” problem. I suggest an attitude adjustment.

Certainly there are better ways than surrendering a huge piece of Christian heritage and replacing it with something with the unbearably kitschy name “Jesus Day.”

Frankly, this plan zero chance of success, but it’s embarrassing and offensive that you would even make the suggestion.

I wonder what your Baptist grandmother would think.

Incidentally, this Friday I’m devoting an installment of the Jimmy Akin Secret Information Club to the top myths about Christmas—including the idea it’s a pagan celebration disguised as a Christian one. If you haven’t yet joined the club but do so before Friday (by going to www.SecretInfoClub.com, you’ll be sure to get this installment in your email inbox.

In the meantime, what do you think of Ms. Sullivan’s proposal?

Should we chuck Christ out of Christmas?

Today in History - Christmas Flowers Japan

In 1783, George Washington resigned as commander in chief of the Continental Army and retired to his home at Mount Vernon, Va.

In 1788, Maryland passed an act to cede an area “not exceeding ten miles square” for the seat of the national government; about 2/3 of the area became the District of Columbia.

In 1823, the poem “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” was published anonymously in the Troy (N.Y.) Sentinel; the verse, more popularly known as “’Twas the Night Before christmas flowers japan ,” was later attributed to Clement C. Moore.

In 1893, the Engelbert Humperdinck opera “Haensel und Gretel” was first performed, in Weimar, Germany.

In 1928, the National Broadcasting Company set up a permanent, coast-to-coast network.

In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo.

In 1968, 82 crew members of the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured.

In 1975, Richard S. Welch, the Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Athens, was shot and killed outside his home by the militant group November 17.

In 1986, the experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, completed the first non-stop, non-refueled round-the-world flight as it returned safely to Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In 1991, fire destroyed a house in Corsicana, Texas, killing three young children; their father, Cameron Todd Willingham, was convicted of starting the blaze and was executed in 2004, although some experts raised questions about whether the fire had been deliberately set.

Ten years ago: Israel barred Yasser Arafat from making his annual christmas flowers japan blogs Eve visit to Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Argentina’s interim president, Adolfo Rodriguez Saa (sah), was inaugurated. Time magazine named New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani its Person of the Year for his steadfast response to the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Five years ago: The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment; Iran immediately rejected the resolution. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held the first Israeli-Palestinian summit in 22 months. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his leg while skiing with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho.

One year ago: Mail bombs blamed on anarchists exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome, seriously wounding two people. Chicago Board of Election Commissioners ruled that former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was a resident of the city and therefore eligible to run for mayor.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Gerald S. O’Loughlin is 90. Actor Ronnie Schell is 80. Emperor Akihito of Japan is 78. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Paul Hornung is 76. Actor Frederic Forrest is 75. Actor James Stacy is 75. Rock musician Jorma Kaukonen is 71. Rock musician Ron Bushy is 70. Actor-comedian Harry Shearer is 68. Gen. Wesley K. Clark (ret.) is 67. Actress Susan Lucci is 65. Singer-musician Adrian Belew is 62. Rock musician Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) is 55. Actress Joan Severance is 53. Singer Terry Weeks is 48. Rock singer Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) is 47. The first lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is 44. Rock musician Jamie Murphy is 36. Jazz musician Irvin Mayfield is 34. Actress Estella Warren is 33. Actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is 21.

Thought for Today: “Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.” — Anonymous.

(Above Advance for Use Friday, Dec. 23)

Copyright 2011, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.