There is no cautioning the children to get to bed early to wait for Santa Claus, as gifts are not traditionally exchanged upon this day in Cuban culture. Although some Cubans have adopted the concept of Santa Claus after living in America, traditionally Noche Buena and Christmas Day is more of an adult festival. The parties on Noche Buena, much like New Year's Day, last long into the morning hours, and children sometimes fall asleep on their feet! Everyone rises late and has a casual meal of the leftovers. Usually, Cuban children receive their gifts on the 6th of January, the day of Los Reyes Magos, the Three Kings or Three Wise Men. This is a day of processions and gift-giving, and people dressed up as the Wise Men throw candy to the crowds of children watching in the streets. (if you really think about it, it makes more sense to exchange gifts on the day when the Three Wise Men presented their...
But it would be rare to find a Cuban household that did not have some sort of family get-together, and serve some form of pork, rice, and beans on December 24th! Family togetherness, taking joy in whatever life has to offer, and the appreciation of good food is the true meaning of Christmas for Cubans, and something a Cuban of any age can appreciate.
Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge: Relationships and Redemption Few stories have been retold or achieved such great cultural familiarity as has Charles Dickens' 1843 novel A Christmas Carol. Perhaps the reason for its success and permanence is its thematic universality. In its central character, readers are given a figure with a dramatically stunted way of relating to other human begins and yet one who is destined for redemption. This is the narrative thrust
Men met as men, and as comrades-in-arms. They exchanged addresses for post-war visits and letters. Christmas carols rang out that brought the two sides even closer. They played soccer games. And, of course, some commanders protested against the frivolity and celebration. They were, for the most part, disregarded. Weintraub notes that this truce, ignored in history as an anomaly of little importance, was so emotionally consequential for those who
Christmas Trees The shiny green cone lit up our living room. It seemed to give off a light of its own, independent of the strands of tiny bulbs and streamers of tinsel that crowned its natural beauty. A dozen strategically placed red balls blossomed like fruit from its branches, which lingered languidly in the living room air. Perfectly bowed and perpendicular to the trunk, the needled arms of our Christmas tree
Christmas is a time that brings us together and while there are many movies and books that depict crazy times when families do get together, I love being around my family. Yes, we have our quirks, but being together with family is something that cannot be matched by anything. A few years ago, all of my family was able to get together for the holiday. That included all of
This is everywhere in windows with the Apple iPad for example, where the device is showing up in 1960s retro windows as the futuristic toy of choice. It is an interesting strategy to juxtapose these images, but it works really well to bring attention to the iPad and get customers thinking about it. The best holiday window displays do this interweaving of storytelling and product imagery so well it
Grinch Stole Christmas There are tried and true methods of style in most classical and romantic literature, even back into the epics of Egypt and Babylon, and most certainly throughout Greek and Roman mythology. One such method is for the hero to stand or represent the author's conception of a significant paradigmatic individual and theme for that work. Typically, the hero, while perhaps slightly flawed like the rest of humanity,
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