Thank you Santa for coming to Cayuga & Thank you Elf Lisa!

 
THE SHARING OF CHRISTMAS ~

"Long before joyful carols fill the air and gaily trimmed trees peek from behind curtained windows, we begin to plan special Christmas surprises for our loved ones.
Gift ideas are carefully considered as we contemplate each name on our list.  And much to our delight, we often discover that it is our handcrafted offerings that bring the greatest joy."

~ THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS, Leisure Arts, 1992.

"... and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.  May that be truly said of us, and all of us!"

From A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  [Does anyone remember "him?"]
[*Click on photo for larger image.]

Royal Christmas Message ~  The first speech was written by author Rudyard Kipling.

"At 3 p.m. on every Christmas Day since 1932, the reigning British monach has spoken to the people of the Empire and Commonwealth.  The first to make a royal Christmas broadcast was George V, who had been requested to do so by BBC General Manager John Reith since 1923.  Written by Rudyard Kipling, the speech was delivered from Sandringham Castle:

In part it read:  "Through one of the marvels of modern science I am enabled this Christmas Day to speak to all my peoples throughout the Empire.  I take it as a good omen the wireless should have reached its present perfection at a time when the Empire has been linked in closer union, for it offers us immense possibilities to make that union closer still."

Source:  THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHRISTMAS, Gerry Bowler, McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2000.

Elves ~

"Small supernatural creatures who are now associated with Christmas through the notion that they work as Santa's helpers.
They were not always so benign.  They originated in [Scandinavia] -farm- or house-elves, who could be helpful if bribed but malicious if they were slighted, especially at Christmas when, as in Denmark, a bowl of milk must be left out for them.  In the second half of the 19th century, the reputation of elves began to change for the better as part of a drive to make Christmas more child-centred.  An 1859 poem in Harper's Weekly speaks of Santa Claus keeping "a great many elves at work,/ All working with all their might, / To make a million of pretty things..."

~ THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA of CHRISTMAS, Gerry Bowler, McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2000.

"I used to have a sign over my computer that read 'Old Dogs can learn new tricks', but lately I sometimes ask myself how many more new tricks I want to learn.  Wouldn't it just be easier to be outdated?"

~ Ram Dass, US professor of psychology, researcher and writer.

~ Old Geezer Wit Quips and Quotes For the Young at Heart, Richard Benson, Summersdale Publishers, 2006.

                                       Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela 1918 - 2013

"I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people.  I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.  I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities.  It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realized.  But my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

~ Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)  speech in Johannesburg, 20 April 1964, which he quoted on his release in Cape Town, 11 February 1990.

Source:  The Oxford Dictionary of QUOTATIONS,  Oxford University Press, 2001.

www.nelsonmandela.org

"I could feel myself growing stronger as the weight of the long years lifted from atop my shoulders like a wish borne on dandelion down.  Silently, the last poppy's petals closed, and Elder began to vanish from sight, remaining just long enough to speak his final words:
    
'In this end is to be your greatest beginning, Nicholas, for from this day forth, the world will know you as Santa Claus, The Keeper of Childhood Dreams.  So has it always been, so shall it be forevermore.'

"The elves erupted in a glorious cheer that shook the snow from the treetops and began a revelry that has been remembered ever since as The Night The Hills Sang Out.  Hand in hand, Sara and I turned to join the joyous elves, dancing as never before beneath a universe of infinite stars."

~ Santa My Life & Times An Illustrated Autobiography, designed & produced by Martin I. Green and Berkshire Studio.  Avon Books, Inc. 1998.

Note:  Selfie Courtesy of Santa

Greeting Card (Fifties ?)

"As the much-loved novels of Charles Dickens demonstrate, while many English families of the mid-nineteenth century lived in leisured comfort, seeking agreeable pastimes to fill their time, the poorer people lived in appalling conditions. . .
"[Queen Victoria] tried to encourage her subjects with her own example of a happy family gathered around a fir tree hung with pretty decorations:  a day when people everywhere stop to greet one another in peace and harmony, exchanging cards and presents to demonstrate friendship and love."

"In Dickens' A Christmas Carol, even the miserly Scrooge was forced to recognize the joy of Christmas."
~ VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS, Valerie Janitch, Brockhampton Press, 1995

~ Charles Dickens (Feb.1812 - June1870)  English writer, social critic.
~ Victoria (May 1819 - January 1901)  British Queen from June 1837 until her death.