Legend has it that during his life the priest rode across Asia Minor bestowing gifts upon poor children. One economist’s analysis calculates that, despite increased overall spending, Christmas is a deadweight loss under orthodox microeconomic theory, because of the effect of gift-giving. This loss is calculated as the difference between what the gift giver spent on the item and what the gift receiver would have paid for the item. It is estimated that in 2001, Christmas resulted in a $4 billion deadweight loss in the U.S. alone. Because of complicating factors, this analysis is sometimes used to discuss possible flaws in current microeconomic theory.
Hope shines bright in Nativity Window, a gleaming collection of glorious stained glass – a perfect celebration of the spirit of Christmas. Christmas is an annual holiday celebrated by the Christians, on 25th December, in the major part of the world, to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God, the Messiah sent from Heaven to save the world.
Shoppers can discover 1.8 million square feet of joy at Grapevine Mills or stroll alongHistoric Main Streetand marvel at the Christmas décor while checking off their holiday shopping list with all the charming gifts local stores have to offer. Attend one of the many classic Christmas events, including theHistoric Palace Theatre, home to live performances and beloved classic Christmas Movies, presented by Park Place Lexus Land Rover Jaguar Grapevine, all season long. From home workout equipment to fashionable activewear and accessories, we rounded up everything you and your loved ones need to break a sweat this holiday season. One of the Southeast’s largest and most-anticipated holiday traditions, Speedway Christmas features four million lights strewn across a remarkable four-mile course, with hundreds of creative displays and lights synchronized to Christmas-themed music.
Therefore, these Orthodox Christians mark December 25 on the same day that is internationally considered to be December 25, and which is also the date of Christmas among Western Christians. In South Tyrol , Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the Christkind (Ježíšek in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the presents. Greek children get their presents from Saint Basil on New Year’s Eve, the eve of that saint’s liturgical feast. The German St. Nikolaus is not identical with the Weihnachtsmann (who is the German version of Santa Claus / Father Christmas). St. Nikolaus wears a bishop’s dress and still brings small gifts on December 6 and is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht.
Christmas Eve isn’t a federal holiday but in many parts of the United States employers will give non-essential workers either part of the day or the full day off with pay. Christmas is declared a federal holiday with most workers receiving paid time off. English colonists arrive in America, fleeing religious persecution with an orthodox Puritan contingent banning Christmas in Boston, while a more lenient group share eggnog during Christmas in Jamestown, Virginia. At one point, the Church designated January 6 as Jesus’ baptismal date and the correct date for Christmas. But by the 9th century, Christmas was observed only as a minor holy day.
The songs now known specifically as carols were originally communal folk songs sung during celebrations such as “harvest tide” as well as Christmas. Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like “Personent hodie”, “Good King Wenceslas”, and “The Holly and the Ivy” can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages. “Adeste Fideles” appears in its current form in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th century.
In religious terms, the Christmas season is sometimes considered to extend from Christmas Eve to the feast of the Epiphany or Twelfth Day on January 6. This period is sometimes called Christmastide, though this word can also be used in a more general way to refer to the period from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. Popular activities include the decoration of a Christmas tree and the exchange of gifts. Create a snowy paradise with a flurry of decorations including falling snowflakes, icy evergreen forests, picturesque holiday cottages, and more.