Legend tells us St. Nick was a kind man who loved children and rescued them from harm. But in parts of Europe, he traveled with an evil sidekick.

Margo Lestz – The Curious Rambler
Bringing History to Life
Legend tells us St. Nick was a kind man who loved children and rescued them from harm. But in parts of Europe, he traveled with an evil sidekick.
The fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving Day in America – and that means turkey! If you think you know all about Thanksgiving, see if you can answer these five questions…
I’m sure you’ve seen images of those fabulous Fabergé eggs gleaming with gold, and dripping with diamonds. But did you know that they were created as Russian Easter egg love tokens?
Henry VIII is credited with being the first monarch to have turkey for his Christmas dinner. But for most of Henry’s subjects, goose was the favored holiday bird…
Reindeer weren’t always Santa’s animal of choice. Before the reindeer, there were other more common animals such as goats, donkeys, and horses…
Everyone knows about the partridge in the pear tree, but during the Middle Ages the twelve days of Christmas also predicting the future…
An 8th century priest, a 16th century religious reformer, and the Victorian royals all played a role in the history of the Christmas tree.
In 1847 Tom Smith was inspired by French candies and crackling logs. He put them together and the Christmas cracker was born.
Halloween’s roots go back more than 1,000 years to a pagan Celtic festival of the dead.
Ever wonder why those carved pumpkins are called jack-o’-lanterns? This Irish legend explains it all…
Does a bunny delivering eggs seem normal to you?…
See what Ben Franklin had to say about daylight hours…
In the UK, the 26th of December is a public holiday known as Boxing Day…
A list of Christmas articles to help you get into the spirit of the season…
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens might just be the best known Christmas story out there. Find out the story behind the story…
A Halloween poem for you…
Digging into his history a bit, I found that this Irish saint was quite an interesting fella…
Instead of syrupy sweet declarations of love, the Victorians sent cards that left a decidedly sour taste in the mouth. They were called vinegar valentines.
January 1 has been known as New Year’s Day since the Roman times. But that didn’t necessarily mean it was the first day of the new year…
I just love the festive, Christmas season. The sights, sounds, and smells always seems to lift my spirits…
When wandering through a Christmas market on a chilly winter’s day, nothing tastes better or warms you up like a hot, spiced cider…
You may know the traditional Biblical Christmas story, but in Provence, there is a bit more to it…
Who was Saint Valentine? And why is February 14 so special? Well, let’s have a look at the history of Valentine’s day and see if we can find out…
Misbehaving children have to be very careful the first part of December, or St. Nick might send his not-so-nice “helper” to see them…
British Christmas pantos are filled with slapstick humor, cross-dressing actors, jokes about current events, and audience participation…
Christmas pudding and mince pies are a big part of the British holiday season. Let’s have a look at these two essentially British desserts…
Musings about books and winter holidays…
On the 6th of January, Italian children await a very witchy-looking old lady called La Befana…
Two quirky Christmas traditions from Barcelona…
Mistletoe in French is called gui. This ball of vegetation that grows high in trees has been considered magical since ancient days…
The Pilgrims are credited with serving the first Thanksgiving meal… but could the French have beaten them to it? And what was on their table?…
Autumn is definitely in the air. The drop in temperature makes me want to curl up beside my (imaginary) fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.
And speaking of books…
Every year, the Nice carnival has a different theme, but music is always important…
Even though some of the American/British folkloric characters don’t come to France, you’ll be happy to know that the jolly old man in the red suit does. Of course, he goes by a different name: in France he’s known as Père Noël, or Father Christmas.
May 1st, a day to take off work and give out flowers….
There is no Easter Bunny in France but fear not, the French have come up with another method to distribute those Easter eggs
In many countries, the first day of April is a day to play harmless jokes on family and friends. This usually consists of telling a farfetched story in such a way that it sounds like it could be true. When the other person falls for our joke, we exclaim…
Carnival celebrations take place around the world, but when we think of elegant masks and beautiful costumes, we think of Venice…
In Nice, France we are preparing for the carnival and that means another royal visit. Every year in February, a different king comes to town
In France, it’s a tradition to eat pies and cakes containing little “prizes” in January. This practice can be traced back to Roman times and their winter solstice celebration…
Christmas time in Provence and the south of France is full of traditions and, as with most good traditions, food is usually involved. Miniature wheat
In many parts of the world, Nativity scenes make up a part of the Christmas decoration but in Provence, they are taken to the extreme…
Turkeys have long been given as gifts to US presidents. But in recent years, presidents have begun to pardon a live turkey the day before Thanksgiving.
Remember, remember the 5th of November…A British revolutionary executed in 1605 comes back as the face of the Anonymous movement.