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…
Category: Holidays
Goats, Donkeys, Horses, and Reindeer: Santa’s Animal Helpers
Reindeer weren’t always Santa’s animal of choice. Before the reindeer, there were other more common animals such as goats, donkeys, and horses…
Twelve Days of Christmas Predict the Future
Everyone knows about the partridge in the pear tree, but during the Middle Ages the twelve days of Christmas also predicting the future…
History of the Christmas Tree: From UK to Germany and Back
An 8th century priest, a 16th century religious reformer, and the Victorian royals all played a role in the history of the Christmas tree.
British Christmas Crackers: Make Your Holiday Pop
In 1847 Tom Smith was inspired by French candies and crackling logs. He put them together and the Christmas cracker was born.
A Brief History of Halloween
Halloween’s roots go back more than 1,000 years to a pagan Celtic festival of the dead.
Why Carved Pumpkins are Called Jack-o’-Lanterns: An Irish Legend
Ever wonder why those carved pumpkins are called jack-o’-lanterns? This Irish legend explains it all…
Does the Easter Bunny Lay Easter Eggs?
Does a bunny delivering eggs seem normal to you?…
Ben Franklin and Daylight Saving Time
See what Ben Franklin had to say about daylight hours…
Boxing Day: What’s it all About?
In the UK, the 26th of December is a public holiday known as Boxing Day…
Christmas Reading
A list of Christmas articles to help you get into the spirit of the season…
Dickens and His Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens might just be the best known Christmas story out there. Find out the story behind the story…
The Broom: A Halloween Poem
A Halloween poem for you…
Who Was Saint Patrick?
Digging into his history a bit, I found that this Irish saint was quite an interesting fella…
Vinegar Valentines
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.
New Year’s Day, Calendar Years, and the British Tax Year
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…
Happy Holidays
I just love the festive, Christmas season. The sights, sounds, and smells always seems to lift my spirits…
Wassail and Wassailing
When wandering through a Christmas market on a chilly winter’s day, nothing tastes better or warms you up like a hot, spiced cider…
The Provence Christmas Story
You may know the traditional Biblical Christmas story, but in Provence, there is a bit more to it…
History of Valentine’s Day
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…
Father Whipper: St Nick’s Evil Helper
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 Panto: An Outrageous Holiday Tradition
British Christmas pantos are filled with slapstick humor, cross-dressing actors, jokes about current events, and audience participation…
British Christmas Pudding and Pie
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…
Holiday Musings
Musings about books and winter holidays…
Befana: Italy’s Good, January Witch
On the 6th of January, Italian children await a very witchy-looking old lady called La Befana…
Happy Crappy Christmas
Two quirky Christmas traditions from Barcelona…
Mistletoe and a Flying Donkey
Mistletoe in French is called gui. This ball of vegetation that grows high in trees has been considered magical since ancient days…
First Thanksgivings, Huguenots, and Alligators
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?…
Margo’s Musings
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…
Carnival Music and Gourds in Nice, France
Every year, the Nice carnival has a different theme, but music is always important…
St Nicholas… Santa Claus… Father Christmas
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 First and the Spirit of Labor Day
May 1st, a day to take off work and give out flowers….
American Easter Bunny vs French Easter Bell
There is no Easter Bunny in France but fear not, the French have come up with another method to distribute those Easter eggs
April Fool or April Fish?
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 Time in Venice, Italy
Carnival celebrations take place around the world, but when we think of elegant masks and beautiful costumes, we think of Venice…
Carnival Kings, Silly Strings, and Blooming Things
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
The King Cake holds a Surprise
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…
Thirteen Desserts? That’s my kind of Meal!
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
Santons: The Little Saints of Provence
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 and Presidential Pardons
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.
Guy Fawkes Finally has his Day
Remember, remember the 5th of November…A British revolutionary executed in 1605 comes back as the face of the Anonymous movement.