The biblical narrative of Jesus’ birth gives no date for the event, though it more likely occurred in spring than in winter. Snope

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Pictures today are from my long overdone décor….this is my living/dining room.

And we’re leading up to the big day with our continued look at the untypical of a TYPICAL CHRISTMAS……..

and we’re look at a bit more Outlander in our ever-on-going effort to survive DROUGHTLANDER which also isn’t TYPICAL but it is true.

OH I HAVE ALL THE FOOD BOUGHT, the presents wrapped, the cards were sent out on like the last of Nov….or most with a few sent later as had address issues.  I HAVE BEEN working on cleaning my house and have only my bath and the kitchen to finish and that should be done tomorrow….oh and I sent checks this year or ordered presents from the supplier and had them shipped direct.  Aren’t you proud of me?

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Tinsel is not man-made. It is actually spider webs that turn to silver when spun on Christmas trees!  THE QUEEN’S GAZETTE

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So what else is typical about Christmas

The food for a typical American dinner could be turkey, but that’s more typical for Thanksgiving, while roast beef (I saw some lovely rib roast at the store this week) and/or ham are what Americans typically place on the table at this holiday time.

While in Finland Ham is often served as part of their “Christmas Table”–a board filed with all manner of food.   But their ham is eaten with mustard along with other dishes.  They also serve fish sometimes smoked salmon.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_dinner

The Cooking Channel Site for Christmas ideas    http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/christmas-dinner-recipes-ideas.html  for dinner include

Salt Roasted Prime Rib of Beef

Grilled Lollipop Lamb Chops

Holiday Hens with Fig Glaze and Cornbread Stuffing

To name a few and if you’re searching for something less TYPICAL this year.

Oh and a bit on table  typical–in Portugal they set places at the Christmas table for loved ones who have passed on as it is a time of remembrance.

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The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). In 1804, John Pintard, a member of the New York Historical Society, distributed woodcuts of St. Nicholas at the society’s annual meeting. The background of the engraving contains now-familiar Santa images including stockings filled with toys and fruit hung over a fireplace.   History.com

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Gingerbread has been popular since the ancient Greeks long before the birth we are celebrating this day and were very popular in England, shaped into animals and such and sold at Medieval Fairs and came to this country thru the colonist who settled in New England.  Regional variations began occurring as more people arrived. “In Pennsylvania, the influence of German cooking was great and many traditional Germany gingerbreads reappeared in this area, especially at Christmas time.”   http://wwwiz.com/issue04/wiz_d04.html   And the rest is a tradition of gingerbread men and house which are so very popular and typical for our holiday offerings.

Some more unusual sweet that are typical to other parts of the world include

Cougnou is a sweet bread in the shape of the infant Jesus that is enjoyed in Belgium during the Christmas holidays

The Danes have a type of donut–with no hole and a bit more like a pancake–that’s sprinked with powdered sugar and served with jam….typically raspberry or strawberry.

In France they have Thirteen Desserts which represent Jesus and the 12 disciples and are served from Christmas Eve until December 27.

Oh in Scotland there’s the Whiskey Dundee…a light less moist than many Christmas cakes–it originated in Dundee and I will let you guess where it got the rest of its name.

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The Christmas tree has an extensive history and numerous legends. Decorated trees may be traced back to the ancient Roman winter festival of Saturnalia. Trees were ornamented with pieces of metal in honor of Saturn the god of agriculture.  U of I

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In the US caroling has been traditional…though this tradition has been slowly dying out and is increasingly less common than it was.  In fact this TYPICAL tradition only dates back to the 18th century…..though there was caroling in the 12th and 13th century—this Medieval tradition was used in processionals and had nothing to do with Christmas and while currently carols take some of their forms from these ancient singing they have little other shared tradition.

An old tradition in Wales—still celebrated in many areas and included in traditional celebrations at Tintern Abbey and St. David’s Palace is Plygain a service from 3 – 6 am on Christmas morning…it involves males singers without accompaniment singing carols in local (especially rural) chapels to see in the special day.

This year the singing tradition took a bizarre turn in Taiwan where ten Zembo robots took the stage and sang All I Want for Christmas is You–which the UK’s Daily Mail described as terrifying.

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Stockings have been an essential part of the Christmas tradition for centuries (except, briefly, in the mid-1800s, when the New York Times wrote that Christmas trees almost completely supplanted them as the tradition of choice).  Smithsonianmag.com

check out this Outlander YouTube Christmas:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fph0NJxtpWc
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS done Outlander Style is really cute:
and catch Sam and Cait doing a presentation at Balfa Awards:
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote of Christmas on the Kansas Prairie: “Ma was busy all day long, cooking good things for Christmas. She baked salt-rising bread and r’n’Injun bread, and Swedish crackers, and huge pan of baked beans, with salt pork and molasses. She baked vinegar pies and dried-apple pies, and filled a big jar with cookies, and she let Laura and Mary lick the cake spoon. “That very Christmas, Laura Ingalls was delighted to find a shiny new tin cup, a peppermint candy, a heart shaped cake, and a brand new penny in her stocking. For in those days, these four small gifts in her stocking were a wealth of gifts to the young girl.”
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Boyd’s Bear Ada Mae Cherrie Jubliee
$12.00
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Most Canadian Christmas traditions are very similar to those practiced in the United States. In the far north of the country, the Eskimos celebrate a winter festival called sinck tuck, which features parties with dancing and the exchanging of gifts.  History.com

ORIENTAL Peasant DOLL with Traditional Hat and Coconut Fiber Dress 6 1/2″ Vintage
Grýla, a giant ogress who is said to live in the mountains of Iceland, descends from her hideaway every Christmas to hunt down misbehaving children in the cities and towns and eat them. She’s likely to be accompanied not only by her gargantuan feline companion, the Yule Cat — who has a similar taste for the flesh of children, particularly those who weren’t given new clothes for Christmas — but also by her 13 sons, the mischievous Yule Lads.  About.com

Infant Doll 5 3/4″ in Christening Dress UNMARKED BISQUE Head and Hand
$38.55
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Popular across central Europe, the Christmas markets are famous for their elaborate decorations, lights and shopping stalls Throughout some of Europe’s biggest cities, vendors, craftsmen and women, bakers and more gather to sell and showoff their talents.   Accuweather

Knowles Plate The Broadway Limited by R. E. Pierce Number 9293B
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I will be back on  Wed 12/28 for a new Blogging adventure
until there please HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY…..AND I am American and raised Christian and so as is my tradition I will wish you
A VERY MERRY (and if you wish a very typical) CHRISTMAS

“Yes! Yes I do! I like Christmas! I love Christmas!” — Ebenezer Scrooge (Reginald Owen)

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Welcome to the Cotswolds again.  I completed half my shopping for dinner now it’s just Publix for the rest tomorrow and then finish my house cleaning Friday and prep some stuff Sat for Sun.  All my gifts are bought…except one which I’m doing tomorrow…the tree is up the décor is overdone and today we’re doing A TYPICAL CHRISTMAS….it works–I hope.  Don’t forget to watch for his Scottishness at the end.

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“Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” — Zuzu Bailey (Karolyn Grimes) It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

        10″ CLEAR FROSTED GLASS COCA COLA DINNER PLATES   $10.85

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262772773228?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2648

 

 

 

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(First today is my office…draped with gold garland with tiny presents hanging from it and more of those decorative bags with snowman and Santa kitty.)

So what is a typical Christmas….I think in this big diverse world that is hard to explain…for we are much more in contact with the rest of the world and we see what others do and their décor and traditions so that this while making our knowledge more the same leads to a diversity of use of that knowledge which can make it more different from street to street in the same town or even house to house on those streets.

My typical is over decorating as you have seen in my previous–as well as today’s blogs–I use secular themes though I have had nativities and religious icons and scenes, its just lately I seem to have gone more to snowmen and penguins which have very little traditional or legends and more just fun and pop culture.

More traditional of course is the nativity scene as of course this day is celebrated as Christ’s birthday…But it is more likely a date determined by the Romans based on gods worshipped by the troops.   (infact:  The modern Armenian church……to celebrate Christmas on January 6  http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-christmas/       Showing that while the main date celebrated is December 25th this is not typical among Armenian Christians) though it is typical in most Christian countries and with the majority of Christians where ever they live or find themselves on December 25th.

(Here I used wrapping paper with a paper wreath and this garland including bulbs.)

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”Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind and that’s what’s been changing. That’s why I’m glad I’m here, maybe I can do something about it.” — Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn)

Mircle on 34th Street (1947)

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(Even a little addition to the calendar.)

When  I think of Christmas décor of course there’s trees…from a live one to an artificial in the US.    According to the American Christmas Tree Association:   78 percent of U.S. Households Will Display Christmas Trees This Season, so even though we’re in the majority there are 22% who won’t….so trees while common aren’t the all inclusive or typical for everyone. And even if they have a tree it could be real or not.  In fact since their invention and introduction in the 1930’s by a company that made toilet bowl brushes: ” artificial trees have continued to gain widespread popularity. In 2007 alone, almost 18 million were sold here in the U.S.”  http://www.moneycrashers.com/real-fake-artificial-christmas-tree-types-facts/   In India where there aren’t a lot of fir trees Mangos are often used….I have a mango in my back yard and it just doesn’t look very Christmas tradition, let alone festively orientated for any holiday I can think of.

People all over the world decorate Christmas trees though it is believed the current traditions started in Germany in the 15th and 16th century.   And they put toppers on these trees….I use a star but according to Wikipedia the most common topper is

An Angel

then stars (I’m in second place again…how typical)

and “less common tree-toppers include paper rosettes, ribbon bows, Father Christmases or Santa Clauses, Christian crosses, Christmas owls, and sunbursts.”   So we don’t even have a typical tree topper…I thought the owl was an interesting one as I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tree with an owl on its top and what exactly is a Christmas owl as apposed to a say New Years owl?…..interesting.

Oh and in Germany it is more typical for the tree to be put up and decorated on Christmas Eve than the days or weeks we see other places especially here in the US.

And the possibilities for all the décor for the tree is as limitless as the imagination.  In fact HGTV has a site (http://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/18-festive-christmas-tree-themes-pictures) which includes 18 different tree ideas from a Hawaiian Theme with features multiple star fish shells to a tree made out of books with a star on top.  One is set up in a metal cart which allows you to move it from room to room which is new to me but according to the article is becoming more TYPICAL.

(As you might have noticed I decorate everything.)

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“Look, Charlie, let’s face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It’s run by a big Eastern syndicate, you know.” — Lucy Van Pelt

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

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(Even my printer isn’t safe…snowmen for me can be typical but there’s so many alternative and I have them all or as many as I can find)

While we in America typically but probably not all—put stockings on the mantel…or if no mantel then assorted other areas where the big guy might drop in on Christmas night for a great surprise on Christmas morning this isn’t typical everywhere–in France children, for instane,  put their polished shoes in front of the fire place or chimney in hopes that Pere Noel (Father Christmas) will leave sweets in them.

In Holland presents are handed out on December 5th, while in Serbia it’s the Sunday before…..much earlier than the Christmas eve or day traditions in the US (unless Christmas is on a Monday for the Serbians)–In Japan instead of under a tree or in a stocking presents are put on the kid’s pillow on Christmas eve night while they’re sleeping.

(This is a reindeer that use to light up…it doesn’t anymore but I still use it for my décor and that’s just tissue paper to add a little sparkle to my office chair—when I’  not using it.)

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“Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas, upon which the entire kid year revolved.” — Adult Ralphie as narrator (Jean Shepherd)

A Christmas Story (1985)

Check out the latest on the print shop:  http://www.ibtimes.com.au/outlander-season-3-print-shop-scene-just-filmed-behind-scenes-pictures-1536647

Claire, Brianna and Frank more on season 3:  http://ew.com/tv/2016/12/20/outlander-first-look-claire-brianna-frank/

More about the baby:  http://www.cinemablend.com/television/1602731/outlander-is-adding-a-baby-and-she-looks-adorable-see-the-first-picture

“That’s what Christmas memories are made from, they’re not planned, they’re not scheduled, nobody puts them in their Blackberry, they just happen.” — Kelly Finch (Kristin Davis)

Deck the Halls (2006)

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(here are three snowmen candles that fit together and a  couple my mom made:  A Santa where she stuffed and sewed together an existing pattern and  a crocheted Doilie like item with a trumpet attached)

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“Christmas is just about my favorite time. Ever since I was a little kid, I always felt like it was my own personal holiday.” — Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney)

Ernest  Saves Christmas  (1988)

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Boyds Bear Zoe the Angel of Life 1997 (262766948111)    $4.79

(Santa hats make nice décor…more garland and stockings…even some artificial pine pieces in the cup—a Santa teedy in a doll’s chair and that poinsettia was crocheted by my mum and is accented in a glass dish with a few small bulbs)

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“It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be.” — Frank Cross (Bill Murray)

Scrogged (1988)

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“Blast this Christmas music. It’s joyful and triumphant.” — The Grinch (Jim Carrey)
How the Grinch Stole Chirstmas (2000)
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  • Boyds-Bear-Zoe-the-Angel-of-Life-1997     variation

     

     

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“A woman voting for divorce is like a turkey voting for Christmas.” Alice Glynn

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And I’m back after a do nothing Sat and a hair and nails Sunday.  Pictures are (if they’re not my decorations) of Heathrow Country Club were I attended an event last week.

Today we’re doing a dangers of Christmas that you may or may not know about but which I thought was interesting and since it’s my blog you’re stuck with them.

And a little Out–and about Lander to complete our ramblings.

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“Bad hair day?  You’re a virgin, you’ve just given birth, and now three kings have shown up — find out the happy ending at a church near you.”
From a 1996 Christmas advertising campaign of the Christian Advertising Network

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[Welcome to my Kitchen I even have a little stuffed Santa on the coffee maker…The end of all my top cabinets have snow flakes on them…and I also use a reindeer gift bag and a Flamingo Santa plate to added to the ho ho ho feeling}

Did you know that many egg nog recipes includes raw eggs which are dangerous to consume…..many people think that the alcohol added kills any salmonella or other nasty creatures that might be lurking in those eggs, but that’s just not the case.  So what to do?

First avoid egg nog at parties and entertainments where you can’t confirm what’s in it.   Most bars and restaurants don’t serve the raw stuff but….oh and the eggnog in your grocery store is cooked and so you can enjoy it and serve it to your friends without any worry.

Oh and you can purchase pasteurized eggs and FYI most healthy adults will have no problem drinking a bit of raw eggs in their nog without any problems, like eating a bit of  cookie dough….but even a healthy adult can make themselves unhealthy by overdoing the nog or the cookie dough  and the raw eggs.

(I love this garland–it use to have lights but they don’t work anymore…but with all these cute characters on it—it’s work keeping—this year it’s hanging over my sink where the pass thru goes into my breakfast room)

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“There is nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.”
Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)

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(another small stuffed Santa wanna be adorning a taste of honey)

This is actually a game called Strange and Dangerous Christmas an action game, with 50 different levels, puts you in defense of your home and it’s contained Christmas tree and presents against thieves using what ever you can improvise in the home for your weapons.

And did you know that one of the most dangerous place for the holiday is the kitchen, with all the frying, boiling and baking people are prone to get burned and cut a lot….children and visitors that aren’t helping with preparation can be in the wrong place at the wrong time either be injured themselves or injury someone who’s doing preparations for instance.  Add alcohol and these things can get crazier….I guess driving isn’t the only thing we shouldn’t be drinking and doing this weekend.

(Here I have a Santa plastic mask on my cookie jar, two small stockings from the handles on the cabinet…a tin with Christmas décor….another plate this one with a snowman….al to lively up my counter)

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“God bless us, every one!”

Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ (1843)

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(A scroll-type corner handing)

Did you know that Mistletoe and Holly are poisonous to your pets?  Even Christmas trees can be toxic (at least on the level that it irritates the mouth and stomach when the limbs are chewed on) though the fir oil usually only causes drooling and sometimes vomiting (which can also be a side affect of ingesting Poinsettias which sometime also occasionally causes diarrhea as well).

Oh one more  injury to your pet can result from running into or otherwise plunging their heads into the Fir tree, for in fact the needles can cause corneal abrasion.

(more snow flakes—these on my refrigerator)

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“Now Christmas comes, ’tis fit that we
should feast and sing, and merry be:
Keep open house, let fidlers play.
A fig for cold, sing care away;
And may they who thereat repine,
On brown bread and on small beer dine.”
from the 1766 ‘Virginia Almanack’

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“On top of that same refrigerator a couple of present bags…one with a tiny stuff teddy bear inside and the other supporting a plush Santa.”

We all use care with the light on the tree to avoid shocks for instance, but did you know that every year there are many, many children who actually swallow the bulbs?

And that’s not the only way Christmas can be bad for your health:  Stress, alcohol, late nights and parties can all contribute to your lowered resistance—add the cold weather that so many areas experience during this happy (“White”) time of the year–and you have a sure fire recipe for catching at best a cold and at worst the flu.

(Using Christmas-themed plates or bowls, as well a hot pot holders and salt and pepper shakers combines function as well as décor…I added a Santa head (wooden), a small drummer boy–hanging from a spoon and the picture of a polar bear to add to the season feeling.)

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“At last the dishes were set on, and grace was said. It was succeeded by a breathless pause, as Mrs Cratchit, looking slowly all along the carving-knife, prepared to plunge it in the [goose] breast; but when she did, and when the long- expected gush of stuffing issued forth….”
Charles Dickens (1812-1870). ‘A Christmas Carol’

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“A tin of a snowman atop the cabinet and  a left over cover for some cookie tins I sent out to friends…oh and the bear is a handing present tag, just a little something that makes it more festive at little cost to the decorator.”

Oh and when we’re looking at health problems–did you know that it was found that there is a marked increase in allergy complaints during the Christmas season with the Christmas tree being a major cause–oh and artificial trees aren’t far behind, seems they build up dust and stuff in their branches which also causes problems for many people.   And studies have shown that a lot of the allergins in the live trees are from molds including aspergillus, penicillium, cladosporium and alternaria  http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/your-christmas-tree-could-killing-7008703 .  But others are just allergic to the pine tar or other components of the tree itself.

Now if your family and you don’t have any major allergy problems this should not be a problem…if you do then it could cause allergy and asthma attacks.  But the mirror went on to say:   “In around one in 500 people, such as those with a compromised immune system, the mould will settle and grow inside their airways, and will cause the sudden onset of a cough and fatigue that won’t shift.”

  Solutions include spraying the tree with a mild bleach solution before bringing it into the house to just taking an anti-histamine if it’s just a mild sniffles,  There’s also hosing down the artificial tree before bringing it into the house (as well as better storage methods).   Having your doctor check you for specific allergies couldn’t hurt and will help you decide your décor next year.  And if you’re one of those people who have a compromised immune system (i.e. persons undergoing chemo treatment for instance) you should discuss this issue with your doctor as it could result in serious even life threatening health problems.

(a teapot and another snowman figurine setting high above the kitchen to be admired but not in the way)

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Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you’re home. ~Carol Nelson

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Get into the celebration for Cait’s nomination:  http://www.cbs8.com/story/34031644/outlander-star-caitriona-balfe-celebrates-her-well-deserved-golden-globe-nomination

And check out Outlander revitalizing Scottish fashion:  http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a16511/how-outlander-is-revitalizing-scottish-fashion/

and the return of the kilt:  http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a40493/dressed-to-kilt/

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves. ~Eric Sevareid

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Pot holders are another great décor item…like the bear above…

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Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

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on the long counter I have one of those flimsy carpets holding a gaggle of snowmen…from Salt and pepper shakers to a couple in a bucket and a holder for spreaders for cheese and the like and can’t forget the snow lady and baby–two separate figures that I’ve combined as mom and kid.

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More pot holders, and dish towel  decor

tags  and even falling cats all make it merry.

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“Maybe Christmas, The Grinch Thought, Doesn’t Come From A Store.”

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Pictures are still from my lovely church event w/a friend.  The rest are more of my weird décor.

We’ll finish up the Christmas Word theme today and give you some Jamie to dream about in anticipation that some day he really will return and is not just a hopeless dream

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Oh and wanted to share a new business in the Central Florida areas from a gentleman that spent many years at Colonial Camera and Hobby:

Hi:  Im Frank the SLRNUT that does the Kiwi Camera swap meet

Having retired from Colonial Photo & Hobby this year

I have just opened a store for old photography equipment  in Oveido near Orlando

Cameras from $1 –  serviced cameras – film – filters- bags – lenses – enlargers etc etc

Check out the store NEW ITEMS EVERY DAY

DETAILS ON : www.oldcamerastore.com

BUYING  -SELLING -TRADING

Look forward to seeing you

Pass this to friends

Frank

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“One Can Never Have Enough Socks,” Said Dumbledore,
Another Christmas Has Come And Gone And,
I Didn’t Get A Single Pair. People Will Insist On Giving Me Books.”

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(More of my weird stuff…a snowman panel, one of those brooms with the great smell with a stocking to add to it’s holiday flavor…a fold out of Santa and friends and that at the bottom is one of those skimpy rugs that won’t stand up to the feet thing, but is nicely decorative….the present is a plastic outline of the real thing and it’s all tied together with garland which is hung with Chrstmas tree bulbs)

There are so many words associated with Christmas…everybody’s favorite LOVE…..we love everyone and everyone loves everyone else….it is a season of love when we forgive all at least until after the tree lights are unplugged on Christmas evening…..but love is seen at weddings and other holiday–like Valentine’s Day which vertically drips red hearts and sentimental declarations so sticky sweet we are all threated with holiday diabetes and sugary over-load.

Happy is another….and we do happy well at Christmas with our smiles and our good cheer.  We toast everything and everyone.  We invite everyone we know to join us for the holiday so they will not have to be unhappily spending the day alone, as we equate loneliness with unhappiness and probably rightly so in 99% of the cases.    But Happy to me is so New Years that I give  that one to that holiday….with Christmas just enjoying it as well  but after birthdays which probably holds the  main hold on that word.

(This is the top of one of my T V’s…a mini bag and a fold out Santa with tree—no place is ignored in my Christmas mania)

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“I have always thought of Christmas time,
when it has come round,
as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time;
the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year,
when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely,
and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave,
and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens”

 

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(That same TV–it’s old an we never use it, but it’s too big to move and no one will take it away…so I used the sticky glass characters to adorn it)

So after much thought on the matter I decided Merry fit the bill best….No Merry wishes for birthdays, nor New Year…..Thanksgiving already has it’s word right up front there–July Forth is Independent (or ence)…Memorial and Labor aren’t a big celebratory word fest…people just pretty much veggie out and enjoy the days.  I am not well enough versed in additional holidays but if someone out there would like to supply words for them please feel free.

But back to Christmas…Merry is what we say…not happy but Merry….Webster’s give an archaic definition (that means old time use) :  giving pleasure :  delightful and that definitely buys it all for Christmas….it is a fine of buying gifts, going to parties, going home for the holidays, where cheer and joy survive and we bring out more archaic traditions than any other part of the year or holiday for that matter,  some so old they date back to the Romans and the Celts….but more of those traditions are Victorian.  Yes those uptight, moralistic prude where the ones  who seemed to be the ones that really made Christmas what it is today and probably into a lot of tomorrows before we change it too drastically.

(Even the stand the TV is on has a decorative bag)

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““The rooms were very still while the pages,
were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch,
the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting.” –Louisa May Alcott”

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(New cards–that next year will be in a card composite…the fire place is in need of repair, so I covered it with a kitten in stockings bag…And of course the stockings on either side of the affair)

The 2nd  is one of 3 modern defining:  full of gaiety or high spirits :  mirthful  I mean being  high spirited is a must at Christmas and gaiety is right up there….haven’t you noticed that people are so much nicer…today I was going into the post office with an armful of boxes and a gentlemen came over and took the majority of them, opened the doors for me and helped me get them put in the containers…it was wonderful, and something that I have notice over my few hundred years is much more common at Christmas….I get more smiles, people say hello at random more often and random acts of kindness are contagious.

The third is “Marked by festivity and gaiety (maybe I should have picked gaiety)….what other time of year do we have more get togethers, Christmas parties, Office parties, and they go on generally from Thanksgiving until the big day…while the gaiety of new years is limited mostly to adults on one night….no where do you see kids at school drawing names for a New Years get together…..not only is it a time for deeds but for presents….with everyone from the secretary to the garbage man getting “a little something” from perfume to a twenty in appreciation and celebration of the days of festivity.

(More of my signature garland strung with plastic snow flakes, one of my snowmen wall panels…a Santa on the couch and Christmas snow pillows are fun too)

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As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is.    Eric Sevareid

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(A Christmas tree skirt….a small snowman garland…some more plastic snow flakes…a Christmas Cookie tin and various small ornaments from a gingerbread woman, snow man, cottage a bear on a bell and just a bell…with a couple bulbs at the end of each garland making my coffee table cheerful and bright)

The final definition is one I hadn’t noted before:  a brisk  or quick.  i.e.  A merry pace…..I never though of the holiday being brisk and quick but when you think of it the time you have to shop goes by without you even seeing it go and suddenly it’s the day before and you’re re-gifting or frantically running through stores going thru debris-like stacks that have been pawed over so much they barely look like anything vaguely resembling a possible gift  (because by this time there’s hardly anything left) and the beleaguered staff has long since reverted to just shuffling the mess and making  zombie like sounds and movements and explain in a monotone that that electronic mega item hasn’t been available since before the reason for the season was born.   No apologies, on December 25 they are only sorry that they hadn’t gone into some profession where they dealt with better people, like State Prison inmates  or insane asylum lifers.

Oh and another thing that went quickly is the wonderful time that we share with loved ones—many of who we fly or drive uncounted miles to be with and whom we seldom see more than once a year.  It goes so fast, but the gaiety of the memories, the joy of the fellowship….and the merriment of the season does leave memories to warm our hearts when we spend those days alone—it is the light that gets some through days that things aren’t quite so cheery.  It only comes once a year and yet it can last a life time…..Merry memories.

(The full effect)

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Wilfred A. Peterson, The Art of Living
Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It’s lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It’s higher thought and a greater plan. It’s glorious dream in the soul of man.

$13.00

A fun look at Sam’s commercial:  http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/outlander-sam-heughans-barbour-advert-9352000

And you just thought it was new cast members,,,,but maybe zombies and pirates??? Season 3 already promises more sex scenes so bring the rest on https://www.inverse.com/article/24830-outlander-season-3-zombie-pirate

Only nomination for Golden Globes is Cait for Best actress:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/12/12/golden-globes-nominations-2017/?utm_term=.cd1ca4a4c3c4

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A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.     King Solomon

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FOODSAVER HANDHELD RECHARGABLE VACUUM SYSTEM (262749848128)     $10.86
dsc_1257I love little items

There’s a scripture that says, ‘A merry heart doeth good like medicine.’ I think that’s true, too.   Dolly Parton

$128.50

 

 

(I even use wrapping paper to make the useless Christmasy)

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Good tidings we bring
To you and your kin
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year

$17.50

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“Christmas is the season of joy, of holiday greetings exchanged, of gift-giving, and of families united.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

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I’m back with more Lake Mary Christmas and the rest of the pictures is some my own décor for the holiday.

Didn’t do much but work so far this week, but do have plans for tonight.

We’re looking at JOY today in my quest for the words of Christmas.

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“Good news from heaven the angels bring,
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is given,
To crown us with the joy of heaven.”

~ Martin Luther

This is on my entrance porch—snowballs on skis lights and a scroll type hanging to welcome all who comes here.
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Another word that I so associate with Christmas…Joy….
Joy to the world is the one that comes to mind first…

delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture; More

literaryjocundity
“whoops of joy”
pleasure, source of pleasure, delight, treat, thrill
“it was a joy to be with her
Joyous…Joyfulness—there’s even a verb “Joyed”   as in they joyed in the experience.  And of course enjoyed….which is what I always used for the verb…my English may have some lapses there.
(of course a front entry rug is mandatory)
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Let us have music for Christmas…
Sound the trumpet of joy and rebirth;
Let each of us try, with a song in our hearts,
To bring peace to men on earth.”~ Mildred L. Jarrell

 

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(I like a wreath on the front door but you have many options–this one is made of light foil and wire–is durable and weather proof and of course I added a spongy large snow flake to kind add so that there was more than one décor piece but not too over done —which I have a tendency to }

Of course those of us who grew up with the traditional Christian upbringing knows that the Angels used the Joy word:  We bring you tidings of Great Joy—-to make introductions to humankind that a savior had been born and onto us a son is given.

and George Willis Cook summed up a lot of believer’s feelings:  ” I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart…” 

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. – Psalm 27:5-7 (NIV).

Christians (most–there are some denominations who do not celebrate the holiday as they point out the pagan traditions and influence found in the date and celebrations–see my previous  blogs on origins of some of these) find much to be joyous about during these festive times  and churches overflow with joyful celebrations and joyous decorations….and I so love this positive time for all.

(The pictures are part of my décor as my home office and I just added a Santa, a string of foil and wrapped presents and then decked the table with a pottery snowman, a decorated gift box (one opened so it sets up better) a stuffed Christmas Bear flanked by a small metal container,   one of those fiber snowflakes with a Santa Coaster in the middle and a big gift bad reclining across the bottom of the stand.) 

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“There is a Christmas song upon the air,
There is a joy innate within the heart;
An inner sense of peace, a holy light
Illumines life and sets these days apart.”

~ Edna Greene Hines

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(Adding door hangers again to make a piece more festive.)

I like Martha Beck’s The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life     in which she suggests such practices as:  • Nothing:   Do nothing for fifteen minutes a day. Stop mindlessly chasing goals and figure out which goals are worth going after.    I really like that…..if you do to check her book out:  https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Diet-Daily-Practices-Happier/dp/0609609904

Bill Burnett and Dave Evan’s book Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life  takes an approach which sounds a bit confusing to someone who hasn’t read the book–by designing your new life by going at it as a designer would their project, buildings etc.  Interested in  seeing what that might entail:  https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Life-Well-Lived-Joyful/dp/1101875321                              

and finally along the finding a better or at least more joyous existence comes Linda Joy’s book for women:  A Juicy, Joyful Life: Inspiration from Women who have Found the Sweetness in Every Day        https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9303195-a-juicy-joyful-life

(This one (back of front door) has a nice snowy wall covering and garland….hung so that it maintains itself even when the door is opened and closed.)

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Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given–when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.” ~ Joan Winmill Brown

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(Something I started 4 years ago and which could be a fun thing for your kids (I don’t have kids and I enjoy doing it).  I just tape all the cards together and add some of those present tags to spots where they do fit well I also include all the pictures sent with the cards and the like.)

So Christmas brings joy–whether you believe in the reason for the season or not this time of year tends to bring out the best in a lot of people—a positive time when you can enjoy your fellow man or woman and a great time to contribute to other’s joy.

I like to give at least a little something special for my friends and family—-I enjoy making an effort to find something special (but not necessarily expensive) for everyone on my list and by making my list a bit longer and more inclusive.   I use to give Christmas cups to bunches of my co-workers…I’d buy Christmas cups all year long at resale shops and the like–then I’d fill them at Christmas with candy canes, small wrapped seasonally of course, chocolates and add a small tree ornament to it all and then attach one of those multi-purpose gift cards to hang from the handle and then passed them out a couple of weeks before Christmas.  It made for very positive energy in the office.

And of course the charities and help that we can contribute to those that have much less than us can be a bound-less source of joy not only for the receiver but for you the giver….if you can afford to contribute that’s great–if not then volunteer to help by serving food, passing out (or collecting) items and I could go on and on forever.  You have only to look about your town or Google charity organizations in your local area to find a choice of Joy sources for you to contribute to.

And so that my readers is my idea of the joy of the holiday.

More of those cards (1 for each of those four previous Christmases)

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“Christmas day is a day of joy and charity. May God make you very rich in both.” ~ Phillips Brooks

Jamie is aging……wander how that will affect you thought on how hot he is:  http://www.cinemablend.com/television/1533199/how-jamie-will-age-in-outlander-season-3-according-to-sam-heughan

Or maybe just check out the challenges of next season:  http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/outlander-producer-maril-davis-discusses-8421261

and remember last season:  http://thespinoff.co.nz/tv/09-05-2016/spoon-me-and-think-of-scotland-thoughts-from-outlander-s02e05/

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.   Richard Bach

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(Add a little extra with tree ornaments at the points.)

or a small present bag
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or a small figurine
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dsc_1225 dsc_1222 dsc_1223and other little touches
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At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year. Thomas Tusser

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All pictures today are mine (except the Outlander at the end) but main and those outside the featured areas are assorted shops and wanderings about Lake Mary in the state of Florida.

We’ll look at Christmas words this week…..and some of my weird decorating ideas that you might like…or not I put décor on everything—it makes me happy and Holidays are a time for happy right?

Lovely weekend—Sat. spent the day getting a massage and then to Lake Mary for the outdoors market and lunch at my favorite Tea Shop:

Royals English Tea Room

https://www.facebook.com/Royalstearoom/

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Then joined a friend to enjoy Cheesecake and a Jazz Trio with two lovely ladies of the church–one the minister’s wife singing Christmas songs…a lovely evening.

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The best of healers is good cheer.    Pindar

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Donnie & Bourke Large all Weather Leather Bag (262760177062)   $23.77

 

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This is one of my simple ideas…Just a couple of heavier paper pieces I have bought along the ages of the holidays—on the door (in my laundry room ).

I thought as stated before that I was looking at words of our Holidays and the first one that came to mind was

CHEER

often combined with GOOD

First cheer can be a verb:

To shout encouragements—like praising and encouraging a team from the sidelines…To cheer on a team for instance

To encourage and give comfort and support….to cheer up someone that is down, to cheer on someone that is straining at a task all comes to my mind.

Cheer is also a noun:  Shout of encouragement and support is a CHEER

and Cheerfulness   is presenting a good and encouragement to those who are in despair.

I also think of the toast “Cheers” which is given when the egg nog, or drink at parties or smaller gatherings, is said in salute and encouragement to friends and others that gather about this time of year.

(I use plastic wreathes and I love present tags to spice  up a door.  The snow flakes are garlands….but  I prefer to have them falling._

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Let us be of good cheer, however, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come. James Russell Lowell

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(a bag for presents makes a nice adornment  for my cabinet edge)

(Amy Grant In her song  naming the season:  It’s the most wonderful time of the year
Goes on to say:
With the kids jingle-belling
And everyone telling you
Be of good cheer

and then repeats
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

So it’s a wonderful time which is reinforced by kids jingle-belling (don’t ask) and telling you to be of well you know.

(I like using stockings all over—not just above the fire place and I like hanging these about the house instead of about the tree….the snow flake is just a paper one I got somewhere…)

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The man who radiates good cheer, who makes life happier wherever he meets it, is always a man of vision and faith.    Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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(Here a door knob hanger clings to a cabinet nob…some more of that same tree garland…another Christmas bag  and that’s a hand knit stocking ornament (thanks to my mum…I’m not that domestic)

A little racier and fun is a Blues classic by BB King which is about a man who brought Holiday Cheer and much more to the ladies he visits in “Back Door Santa”  to quote the song:  “while the men are out at play,”   Now that sounds like a little different take on our cheer definition….or at least on the source of it.

In  A Holly Jolly Christmas  we’re encouraged to:   Have a holly, jolly Christmas;

Cause:
It’s the best time of the year

the usual wish for the white stuff
I don’t know if there’ll be snow

but in case we don’t then we:
but have a cup of cheer

Dare I presume that’s not lemonade?

Ok we’ve got women, wine—or a bit harder stuff all in song…so we’ve reached the adult version of the holiday cheer.

(here I’ve continue with the wrap and added another of my mom-s ornaments–a snow man…there’ s a big metal ornament hanging from another cabinet knob.    I filled the basket with some crispy fake greenery and added a tree bulb, a couple of those present cards and set a plastic snow flake on the front and setting between the present bag decorated pop corn popper and the basket—a stuffed polar bear in sun glasses and tropical–yet Christmas-type shirt.)

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No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy today, mix good cheer with friends today enjoy it and bless God for it.

 Henry Ward Beecher quotes (Liberal US Congregational minister, 18131887)

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(And then we use a dish already setting there…a little metal Christmas box, a silver bow and a gold tree ball for the tail…all watche over by a Santa and snowkid.)

In our day and age there’ s even a Good Cheer Web Site:  http://www.beofgoodcheer.com/articles/history

This is from the site:

Be of Good Cheer dotcom is a private enterprise, based solely on a personal mission statement of Making Life Better.

The concept takes root in learning everything possible, and practicing every way possible, to make life better for everyone on whom we have any effect during every day.

Which obviously  has gone far beyond Christmas.   Which if they practice what they .com is a good thing.

(a close up on the basket)

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(I also use Christmas boxes for pictures–sometimes flat like this)

So Christmas is a great time for Cheer what ever you believe and how ever you celebrate….that’s what I love about the holiday, it is about birth and new hope and love and understanding…it is the celebration of,  if you are Christian then a savior and if you are not then a great prophet and wise man….who preached love, and doing good unto others who once said:    In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Jesus
s

Surely a goal we all should strive for to the best of our abilities….however we define overcoming the world in our own life and within our own beliefs.

(shelves over the washer a great place for foam material snow flakes with a nice picture — cut out–of Santa in background)

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The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.   Mark Twain

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A gift guide for your favorite Outlander Fan:  https://kissatmidnight.wordpress.com/tag/outlander-season-three/

READ a blog devoted to Outlander:  http://outlanderanatomy.tumblr.com/post/143814627948/frasersridge-outlander-book-quotes-x-an

See how the  sex scenes are ranked and see if you agree:  http://medway.wickedlocal.com/entertainment/20160602/is-it-hot-in-here-steamiest-outlander-sex-scenes-ranked

A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds.       Percy Bysshe Shelley

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CERAMIC BOWL WITH PINE TREE CHRISTMAS OR OTHER (262760170129)    $4.99

 

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(making shelves merry with fur balls another of my mom’s snowmen and another package name tag bringing up the bottom with cord already attached.)

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Beauty products always cheer me up and give me hope. If it makes you feel pretty, why not?   Salma Hayek

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Using  a old popcorn tin…a snowman figurine  and another of those tags.,

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Pine cones in an existing basket, another snowman figurine…package tag and a flat snowman ornament just hanging there.

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dsc_1193 even floor decor dsc_1194 deco bag for coat rackdsc_1195A glass sticky in corner

dsc_1188That’s all folks

“…the Norman presence in Sicily was a vital linkpin on the crusaders route.”

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WELL here we go again….today we’re going back to medieval times again and look at the world or at least Europe as it was……

The pictures are from the Mizelle House–at Leu Gardens in Orlando….it’s lovely if you’ve never been there you gotta go…and this time of the year the house is so nicely decorated.

Course we’ll have a bit of the Scot toward the end—like I said…gotta have a happy ending.

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“From the Devil they came and to the Devil they will return.”  This saying is about the counts of Anjou reported by Gerald of Wales….refers to the legend that the Angevin counts and kings were descended from the daughter of Satan.”

This and all today’s quotes are from Elizabeth Hallam’s THE PLANTAGENET CHRONICLES.

           ROVER Pottery Barn Dog Collectible Plate   $10.00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262753063637?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2648

England hasn’t changed a lot even the counties listed above are still basically the same, but in the 11 and 12th century there were 3 separate countries on the little isle.

Now first you have to realize that England was under Norman rule—a group of Frenchmen on the coast of France that had previously known the Viking invader and held much Scandinavian genes in their  as had the English.  In fact England had been many years since a true Celt ruled the English, though they still held out in Wales and Scotland….in fact prior to this current occupation  they were invaded and occupied by the Roman Legions and had become quite Romanized when the Empire began to fail and troops could not be spared to continue protecting this out of the way island.

For a short while the island stood and then the Pagan Ango-Saxons came and their early invasions (it was an ongoing effort of loosely organized tribes) gave rise to Arthur, the Once and Future King—though scholars are still debating if this was actual or just a hope of the conquered people.  While the Saxons remained in power the Vikings—practitioners of rape, pillage and whole sale slaughter came.  Their first attack on Britain was at Lindesfarne a isle not too far removed from York and home of another invasion….the site of a monastery where one of the Saxon kings had determined that he no longer wished his people to be pagans and so the monks were settled here as a jumping off place for the monks to go into the country and convert Celts and Anglos alike.

But the Vikings returned and decided to stay and so there were portion of land and power by the 9th century–and by the 11th c the King of the Danes was king of England and the English paid heavy fees called Danegeld .  As I’ve noted the Viking connection went to Normandy as well and intermarrying resulted in a familiar relationship to Normandy and all manner of promises and infighting for the rich lands of England, ending in the invasion of a Norman Bastard and now we find England ruled by the Normans….and the official language of the English court for generations yet to come being French.

“Henry won his  final victory in England because the great barons were increasingly reluctant to fight a decisive battle–whichever side wone, a massive confiscation of property would undoubtedly follow.”

Scotland’s history is much more vague than England’s….we know that the Romans did not find the area too welcoming—in fact the wall they built from coast to coast still stands as a great tourist attraction, not to mention a tribute to a people so inhospitable that they never became a part of the Roman Empire…a claim few places in Europe could boast.

The Vikings did come here but unlike Ireland and England they did not make nearly the settlements or in-roads.  They settled on the Orkney Island north of Scotland and which would later come to Scotland as the property of a queen…It is thought—but not proven that the Vikings may have wiped out the Picts,  that illusive group of people that was put in our history books to confuse us as no one seems to know a whole lot about anything that is anyway related to that lost tribe.

Eventually there would be Norman possession of Scotland, but these did not come from invasion, but from grants from the Scottish king and intermarriage with the noble families of the land.  Eventually a Norman/Scottish line–the Stuarts would set both the English and Scottish throne.

“12th century England was predominantly rural, and with the exception of London, the few existing towns tended to be small by continental standards.”

Wales lacked Scotland’s location being toward England’s north and least populated area—and while both shared long and often bloodily contested borders they –Wales was more at the mercy of her neighboring England than the Scots.

The Welsh like the Scots were Celts and both were bordered on  England….but while the Scots had had no real (except passing raids) contact with the Romans, the Welsh have many ruins—to show how they hosted the Romans on their lands.  On the other hand they are one of the few places in Europe and the only one of the three countries that had no Viking settlements at all.

The last Prince of Wales that was actually Welsh was Llywelyn ap Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (1246 – 82). Infact the Welsh were almost as fractious with each other as they were with the English and  so in actuality the 11th century saw the only  true King of Wales:  Gruffydd ap Llywelyn .  He escaped Harold (the King of England at the time) in 1063 only to be killed by either his own men or others in revenge for the death of another Welsh noble.  What ever the case his head was separate from his body and sent to Harold, who decided to marry his widow and wait for the Normans to invade.

“The subjection of women–ideally, subordinate in society and submissive in the home–was fundamental to the medieval interpretation of Christian ethics, and was largely reflected in law and custom.”

 

Proctor Silex Juicit Autiomatic Juicer   $30.00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262753053472?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2648

As we go into Christmas time without Outlander—well with reruns etc….thought I’d bring you some views you might like:

This is the main intro—but it’s a director’s cut rather than the one we’re use to…watch it carefully for the differences…I like it better:  https://vimeo.com/108432585

a sing along introduced by Sam and with some nice cuts to remind you what’s worth waiting for:  https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=outlander+title&&view=detail&mid=5EDE17493297C577BA9B5EDE17493297C577BA9B&FORM=VRDGAR

what would your choice bee>>>>>>DUH    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=outlander+youtube&qpvt=outlander+youtube&view=detail&mid=B0C7F8F55F6D72D081BDB0C7F8F55F6D72D081BD&FORM=VRDGAR

“The 12th century was a great period of legend-making, the time when the Arthurian tale first became widely known, and many noble houses invented pedigrees that gave them legendary ancestors, probably to explain obscure social origins.”

$10.00

BOYD BEARS HUMBOLT THE SIMPLE BEAR

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262752894919?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

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“Becket’s birthplace, London was the largest and most prosperous city of the land.  By the 1170s when FitzStephen wrote his life of Becket, it had become the capital of England.”

Black Slide-on Crocks 8 M   $15.00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262753030032?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2648

 

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“It has on the east the Palatine castle (the Tower of London), very great and strong, the keep and walls rise from very deep foundations and are fixed with a mortar tempered by the blood of animals.”

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 Boyd Bears Justine the Choir Singer 1999    $4.99
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Boyd Bears Justine the Choir Singer 1999

Fiery Tempered, Strong in Battle, Swift to Avenge a Wrong, But Generous to the Church

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I thought I’d start out with a Pub (still in Bourton-on-the-Water in Cotswald) THE DUKE OF WILLINGTON that features something we’re going to look at today…But I’ll explain that soon…..and of course we’ll have Jamie guarding the rear (that boy can guard my rear or front any time he wants…and I wouldn’t mind him searching the property) …..oops outa here.

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Oh and you can all start celebrating the holiday now—we got our tree today–a beautiful one from Michigan…..the same company comes to Longwood every year and I buy a tree from them.  The tree has been watered and I’m letting it absorb the water and the tree preserver stuff before I decorate tomorrow…Can’t wait love to do the tree.

By the way the quotes today are from THE PLANTAGENET CHRONICLES  Edited by Elizabeth Hallam

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“…these men were highly effective in playing complex political games, and gradually built up a strong power base through a mixture of warfare, diplomacy and good marriage alliances.”

MONKEES Hey Hey 1989 Tour PROGRAM Tour without Mike Nesmith   $4.99

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So what is passing thru this maze of useless information that forms what I call a mind for my presentation to you today?    Well it probably won’t surprise you that I’m reading the book that the quotes are coming from today and in doing so I came to some realizations…though I have been a student of history there are so many things I do not know about so many details which would or should be obvious—things I should know, so this week that’s what we’re going to look at and today it’s about Royalty.

First most of us know that the King and some times the Queen…Both Mary I (daughter of that crazy Henry that we have heard so much about lately) and Elizabeth I ruled in their own right…Mary did have a husband, Phillip a Spaniard and Catholic which didn’t necessary endear them to the people of England and Elizabeth who was single—whether she was a virgin queen or not will probably be debated until the isles of the UK sink into the sea.  And Elizabeth was such a good name it’s been redone with a queen who was both married and fertile and who still reigns over my favorite place in the entire world.

Oh and there was another Mary—her full name was Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes May—-she at the arrangement of his grandmother,  Queen Victoria, first married Albert and when he died Victoria arranged for her to marry her second grandson George and eventually they fell in love, had a large family and took the throne of England in 1910 though she was just a Queen Consort and didn’t get a number.   Hint I never knew that bit about the two husbands—the Royals seem to manage to stay interesting even in a less than favorite period of mine

  

“The Fortunes of the house of Anjou were founded on the prowess of Ingelagar, a semi-legendary soldier of fortune who carved out an estate for himself in the Loire valley.”

OK we know about Queens and Kings…kinda but how are they different from Emperors for instance.  Well Emperors are those that rule an Empire (DUH) and an empire is a group of countries controlled by one ruler–while a King is the ruler of one Country…the picture of Henry II who was a king.  When Henry eventually became King he ruled England (but not Scotland or Wales) and a couple of areas of France–but not the whole country so he was yep a KING….

Henry’s mother Matilda, who was suppose to rule England but who’s cousin Stephen held the throne and his 19 years ruling–again as a king—was a time of civil war and total unrest in the realms of France and the total of England with invasions into other countries on the British Isle as well.

Oh by the way Matilda was once an Empress—of the Holy Roman Empire:  “The Holy Roman Empire (Latin: Sacrum Imperium Romanum) was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806.[7] The largest territory of the empire after 962 was the Kingdom of Germany, though it also came to include the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Burgundy, the Kingdom of Italy, and numerous other territories.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Holy_Roman_Empire       But when her husband died leaving her childless, the kingdom was taken over by an enemy of her husbands and she went to France where she married the first Plantagenet and began a war with Stephen that would eventually result in Henry VII becoming the English king.

In the great age of European monasticism–the 11th and 12th centries–Benedictine monks were the most influential of all practitioners of monastic communities.

Next in the line came the Princes:  These were the sons of the monarch…the eldest being the crown prince who was expected to rule the country (princesses usually came after princes and rarely ruled–even when the late king ruled that it would be so as in the case of Maude we just talked about….but princes could be usurped–as in the case of Richard III and the two sons of Edward IV who went into the tower for protection and never were seen again, with their Uncle and most recently Henry VII’s mother both being put forward as the causation of their disappearance.   More recently in Britain the princess if oldest gets the title but that has happened in just the last few years so we have no examples for what will happen there.  Elizabeth’s (!)  husband was never given the crown…he has always remained a Prince Philip and he I of the royal line…

Next comes Duke….well technically it’s actually the next in rank to the king as the princes are usually called Dukes and they remain that way until they die.  It gets very confusing:     Let’s look at the Royals today:
You become a prince by being the son of a prince, or princess by being the daughter of a prince or by marrying a prince. So Prince Andrew’s daughters are Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. The Queen’s daughter Princess Anne has the title Princess Royal, but her children Peter and Zara do not have titles. It is traditional that they would have been made a Duke and Duchess or Earl and Countess, but it is understood that Princess Anne asked the Queen not to give her children titles so they could live as private individuals. Prince Edward declined to be made a Duke on his marriage and became Earl of Wessex, so that his wife Sophie is Countess of Wessex. The Royal Family is descended directly from the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Wessex. On their marriage is was announced that their children would not be titled Prince and Princess but as the children of an Earl, so they are Lady Louise and James Viscount Severn.    http://www.britroyals.com/faqs.htm

Definition of Duke:   1. A nobleman with the highest hereditary rank, especially a man of the highest grade of the peerage in Great Britain.

2. A sovereign prince who rules an independent duchy in some European countries
“Louis’ choice was Fulk, count of Anjou, Mine and Touraine, who according]y traveled to the East to marry in 1129.
After the Duke and Duchesses you have Marquess, Marchioness:
The theoretical distinction between a marquess and other titles has, since the Middle Ages, faded into obscurity. In times past, the distinction between a count and a marquess was that the land of a marquess, called a march, was on the border of the country, while a count’s land, called a county, often was not. As a result of this, a marquess was trusted to defend and fortify against potentially hostile neighbours and was thus more important and ranked higher than a count. The title is ranked below that of a duke, which was often restricted to the royal family and those that were held in high enough esteem to be granted such a title.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess
After the Count then we have   viscount which is the fourth rank in the British peerage system, standing below an earl and above a baron.[3] There are approximately 270 viscountcies currently extant in the peerages of the British Isles, though most are secondary titles.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscount
And finally the baron:  William I introduced the rank of baron in England to distinguish those men who had pledged their loyalty to him under the feudal system.   Feudal baronies (or “baronies by tenure“) are now obsolete in England and without any legal force….
So now you know the order and a bit of the history of what they were….There will be a test.
“The conquest of Normandy by Goffrey Plantegenet count of Anjou, was almost complete in 1144.”

Precious Moments “You Are My Number One” Figurine 1988
$17.00
check out what we know about Seasons 3:
Some good pictures and reviews of characters new and old
Sam discusses failures…even hotties like Heughan don’t always win!!!
a little more on 3:
 “King David I, king of Scotland from 1124 to 1153, was a combination of administrator, church patron and freebooter.

SHINNY GOLD Deorated Clear Glass Bell and Small Vase Set   $10.00

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“In 1141 Stephen was captured at the battle of Lincoln, only to be exchanged against Matilda’s half-brother, Earl Robert of Gloucester, who was taken at Winchester in 1142.”

PRECIOUS MOMENTS “But Love Goes on Forever” Boy & Girl Figurine 1979
$7.50
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“Like him (Groffrey Plantagenet), he (Henry II) also acquired great prospects through his wife: in this case, the duchy of Aquitaine which was Eleanor’s inheritance.”

Small PRECIOUS MOMENTS “You Have Touched So Many Hearts” Cup    $4.99
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I discourage a cult of personality. Newt Gingrich

First want to recommend that my readers in Central Florida (or further) check this out

(This is a watercolor and not a resident of the lake the Art House is near.)

Central Florida Watercolor Society Hidden Gem Art Show Reception
December 9

6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The public is welcome.

Casselberry Art House

The show will be hosted here

December 2 through December 30.

The show will be representative of the diversity of subject, styles and expertise of our membership. We invite the public to come see this sampling of new work from our members. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information click:    http://centralfloridawatercolor.org/casselberry-in-december/

 

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Pictures are continued from the Cotswolds driving about.

We’re checking out various cult trends today some old and some new…kinda a cross section to show you the nature of the being we call (or use to call) cults.

And of course for all of you (including me) who’s  devoted to OUTLANDER some divine items to help you keep the faith till Droughtlander is over.

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A cult is a religion with no political power.    Tom Wolfe

Charles Diana 1981 with gold trim and FRUIT decor on Rim. 9 1/2″ COMMERAIVE
When I started looking into cults I found that the word let alone it’s definition is vague, unpopular and something like a lot of things now days relating to religion is at best not mentioned and at worst not believed.
We have seen (he results of what some now call Destructive Cults (again removing the link with a religious leader or teachings that existed in many) like Jim Jones and his believers, who under the directions of a self styled and self-appointed prophet or maybe more, who downed poison rather than face the reality of who and what they had become and mainly so that Jones didn’t die alone and heaven knows what other reasoning was floating in that self-centered mind at the end.
So today we’ll look at some religious beginnings and ends with a little less exiting examples.  I am not judging, merely pointing out a few examples of how cults were, and are and so forth for your intellectual references or whatever.
A good cult delivers on its promises. A good cult nourishes the needs of its members, has transparency and integrity, and creates provisions for challenging its leadership openly. A good cult expands the freedoms and well-being of its members rather than limits them. Philip Zimbardo
Cults have been around forever–the above symbol is for the Cult of Mithras—a temple to whom still stands (or at least the remains) in London, most likely built for the Roman troops who were the majority of his followers.   (oh the bird like divider symbol above and repeated doesn’t mean any thing I just liked it.)
If you look at previous items I’ve done on Christmas you see more information on how that Cult’s beliefs influenced our current holidays.
Vaccine conspiracies, like so much modern cult conspiracy culture, perpetuates itself and lives on indefinitely thanks to the community-building and archiving of the Internet. Alex Pareene
Read more at:
The cult of Saints developed early after Christ–in the 3rd century on and included having objects from Saints, these started out with objects and pieces from local saints to the more famous ones and of course include Jesus himself.   For instance these were in a collection of a Cardinal in Rome in the late 11th century:
“… these included Christ’s umbilical cord, foreskin, and some of His blood, pieces of the cross, numerous objects associated with His ministry and Passion…” (Christopher Tyerman).
And a result of this cult’s belief:  the Crusades into the Holy Lands developed from  the cultish mania for reverence and belief in these items being holy and then extended on to the places that the passion took place, the birth and death, the mount where Christ preached and the disciples as well.  Men and sometimes even woman went there to be in contact with the places that the founders of their religion had been present in order to reach their own salvation.  They went there in order to hold these places in their sphere of worship.    But as is often the case when humans since time began there were other less divine reasons– for in addition:  “Popes and kings granted special privileges to crusaders to reinforce this message. Initially, Pope Urban II promised forgiveness of sins to those who took up the cross. However, as the wars continued, Church and political leaders found that they had to promise additional benefits, beyond the spiritual, to encourage participation. These benefits included forgiveness of debts and interest payments, protection of property and family, even different courts of justice for those crusaders who commit criminal acts.”   Crusades: Motivations, Administration, and Cultural Influence     Rachel Rooney with Andrew Miller
Nobody has a bigger cult than Warren Buffett.     Michael Eisner
But back to the Tudors—the short lived dynasty has for some of us with a thing for history became a cult all it’s own….from Henry VII–or maybe starting with his mother–if you haven’t seen the White Queen TV series you should and you will get an idea what originally drove the young man to claim the throne—and his defeat of Richard III (and then there’s the cult of us that believe in him…..OMG I’m cult crazed) and then Henry VIII his over indulgent son who loved wine, women and song….closely followed by food and his own way in absolutely everything including his religion…somebody forget to teach him any concept of obey even when it comes to a deity.   Then the setting of everyone of his legal children on the throne…no other dynasty no matter how long lasted seems as spectacular when compared to the Tudor dynasty and so our Historical Cult of the Tudor Scholar both professional and like me amateur.
 
I love cult movies. I probably have watched ‘Big Trouble In Little China’ more than anyone on the planet.    Drew Goddard
So cults have a wide spectrum and are not necessarily good or bad—the rest of the things we do.  For instance the following are considered:  New Religious Movement (kinda like a non-judgmental way to say–well you know)
For instance
The Native American Church (NAC), also known as Peyotism and Peyote Religion
Started late 19th C.  beliefs include a mixture of Native American traditional beliefs and Protestantism with the use of entheogen peyote as a sacrament.  It is the most wide-spread indigenous religion among Native Americans today.
or

Jewish Neopaganism

Popularized in the 1960s.  It is a polytheism (multiple gods or in this case goddesses).  It grew in the 1970s along with other Neopagan groups and a number of minor Canaanite or Israelite orientated groups developed.  It also may contain Jewitchery (Witchcraft with Semitic roots) going back to the goddess cults of the Israelites.

 

 

 

Just one more

While I was looking into possibilities to include I was amazed to find that the church I grew up in. is included in some lists

Seventh-day Adventist Church

As I can attest most of their beliefs are common to other Protestant Christian beliefs  (i.e. the trinity and belief in the Bible are very consistent) they have others which include Saturday and not Sunday being the day of worship and the day of rest.  the unconscious state of the dead–you don’t go to heaven but rest in the grave until Jesus’ second coming and then the good are resurrected and taken to heaven.  They also emphasis diet, health in their daily lives as well as promote religious liberty and tend to be conservative (very) in their principles and lifestyles.

This may sound insulting to some of my cult studies friends, but there’s a lot of cult studies people who ignore, shall we say, the wider canvas – because they simply don’t know about its existence or they don’t know how it operates.     Peter York

Precious Moment’s Angel with Watering Can “Sending You A Rainbow” 1982
$9.50
Cait in the Cult of Victoria Secret …no wonder she doesn’t mind nude scenes.
IF YOU’RE OF THE CULT OF OUTLANDER–THEN you need to make it thru Droughtlander…and one way to do it:  Stream some shows that feature the Outlander stars:  http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/07/15/battling-droughtlander-5-streaming-choices-featuring-the-stars-of-outlander/
A synopsis on gag reel—though you can’t see it at this site it’s worth a read:
AND something every cult member is expected to do–indoctrinate new members—this for our favorite show/cult:  http://thats-normal.com/2013/10/guide-selling-outlander-tv-series-everyone/

 Long Kiss Goodnight has a huge cult following. They could make another version of that movie right now and make a lot of money. Samuel L. Jackson

Precious Moments “You Are My Number One” Figurine 1988
$17.00
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I think fashion, mishandled, can be quite toxic. It becomes about image and the cult of celebrity. I think when an artist is seen at a lot of parties as a celebrity, I find that worrying. I think it can limit them. Amanda Harlech

LAMPSHADE Six-Sided LAMPSHADE7 1/4″ tall FLOWERED—Vintage Beauty
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The best method for preventing destructive cult involvement is preventative education. If students and the public at large are more aware of destructive groups beforehand they may better understand and resist their recruitment efforts.    Rick Ross
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