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Pumpkin Pie and Christmas

Pumpkin Pie and Christmas Day

Pumpkin pie is a historic ingredient of Christmas. December 25th is National Pumpkin Pie Day in the United States, a fact that very few know. Pumpkin pie today is as popular as it has ever been and yet few see its relation to Christmas. Strangely…
Christmas Fireworks
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Thank Christmas for Your 4th of July Fireworks

Fireworks at Christmas are not a thing many people think about. For many folks, Christmas is long associated with snow, stockings and jingle bells. None of that seems to fit with the colorful summer traditions of fireworks. But the truth is…
Coronavirus Christmas Story

A Coronavirus Christmas Story

(Special to MyMerryChristmas.com) – America can be a place of fences. Not so much “back East” (as they call it). But “out west” (as they also call it) where the suburbs that sprawled during the 1940s through the 1980s it is not uncommon…
Coronavirus at Christmas

What Coronavirus Means for Christmas

In 1918 the Spanish Flu pandemic hit in three waves – once in the spring, then again in the fall and once again in the new year of 1919. The second wave of the flu was the most deadly, killing more than 195,000 people during that stage of…
Find Christmas
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Finding Christmas in Thanksgiving

A recent survey revealed sharp divisions in when the celebration of Christmas begins. Nearly a third said Christmas begins right after Halloween, a third said Christmas begins right after Thanksgiving and for another third the celebration of…
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Understand Easter to Understand Christmas

In a world growing more secular by the day there seems to be a serious decline in the understanding of what makes Easter so significant. A quick Google search about the “facts” of Easter reveals stunning statistics on how many chocolate…
Christmas and death

Christmas Connection with the Dead

Many limit the Christmas connection with the dead as merely something from the imagination of Charles Dickens. As Scrooge is haunted by Marley he encounters many of the dead from his family and youth – and that has a huge connection to…
Christmas

Christmas in a Political Year

I recently engaged in conversation with one of our international members who observed, “You Americans ruin Christmas every four years”. Her reference, of course, was to the rancor of this particular election and how divisive it has been…
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More than a Half Million Lights on One Tree

Australia isn't to be outdone by anyone in the world when it comes to Christmas. There's no snow, few natural Christmas trees, and little that actually originates in Australia when it comes to Christmas. But they celebrate it big time and they…
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Ancient Connections of Thanksgiving and Christmas

Here is some fodder for your Thanksgiving day discussions around the turkey -- which is the more sacred holiday in America, Thanksgiving or Christmas? Check your learning of history at the door. This history of both holidays goes back further…
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Christmas in Billings, Montana 1954

Early last week, James Carroll of Tyler, Texas, came to Billings for the second time in his life. It was an enjoyable visit, but it was hard to top that first one, on Christmas Eve 1954. Carroll was a 23-year-old Army private at the time,…
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Racism and Christmas

Christmas has endured many controversies over the course of its history. Most usually center on religious disputes or how much Christmas imposes of itself on parts of society that do not want it. But in recent years Christmas has seemingly become…