As the weather turns cold, and daylight becomes shorter, we begin to feel the Christmas Season approaching, and our hearts begin to glow with feelings of warmth, and goodwill towards each other.
Christmas is a time of beauty from the inside out. For a brief period, we seem to give ourselves permission to let go of all the little stress that constraint us, and we open our hearts to love, to giving and receiving. It is a time when hearts are filled with joy, and minds are filled with caring thoughts much more than at any other time.
I love Christmas. There’s no other time of the year that excites me the way Christmas does, no other season that evokes in me warm, cozy childhood memories as Christmas does. I revel in the beauty of the season, in the colors, the aromas, and in the myriads of colorful twinkling lights that are a celebration of life, hope, and all that’s fine, and good about humanity.
Christmas is simply a Magical season. It’s that time of the year when the air is filled with lively exuberance, when spirits soar in joyous merriment, and families and friends get together to share love and re-live old traditions..
This event is dedicated to everyone who still gets excited, and is inspired by the wonderful magic of the Christmas season. For the children, it’s an exciting time, and for the grown-ups, we become children again. I hope that as you read this, you’ll feel the spirit of the Holiday Season stirring inside of you, warming your heart with fond memories, and nice cozy feelings.
I invite you to make a place to get together during the Christmas season, to connect with like minded folks who love Christmas, and who feel inspired and transformed by its magic.
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Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, who many Christians believe is the son of God. His birth date is unknown because there is little information about his early life. The Gospel of St Matthew in the Bible claims he was born during Herod the Great’s reign. Herod, who was a king of Judaea, died in 4 BCE. Many Christians celebrate Jesus’ birthday on December 25 but there are some who hold tradition by observing the date on January 7.
Christmas on January 7 is also known as Old Christmas Day. Eleven days were dropped to make up for the calendar discrepancy that accumulated with Julian calendar when England and Scotland switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Many people, especially in rural areas, did not accept the loss of these 11 days and preferred to use the Julian calendar.
Many Orthodox churches recognize the holiday dates according to the Julian calendar. Christmas is still on December 25 in the Julian calendar so the January 7 date is only valid between 1901 and 2100 The Gregorian date for Orthodox Christmas will be January 8 in 2101 if the Julian calendar is still used.
The Julian calendar was revised in 1923 and this version is more in line with the Gregorian calendar. A few Orthodox churches follow the revised Julian calendar but most Orthodox churches follow the more traditional Julian calendar, which has the original dates for Christian observances prior to the Gregorian calendar’s introduction.
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