Since so much time and effort is put into selecting the perfect Christmas

grave danger as a fire hazard. The average Christmas tree should last for about

five to six weeks if the proper care is given to it.

After selecting a Christmas tree and getting it home, the first thing that

should be done is to make a fresh cut and place it into a stand with water. A

Christmas tree shouldn't be mounted dry and the water in its stand should be

replenished regularly. A fresh cut is made by cutting about an inch off the

bottom in a slight diagonal shape to help the absorption of water. If a fresh

cut isn't going to be made immediately after getting the tree home, it should be

placed in a container with water and left to stand in a shaded area that is away

from the wind.

If a fresh cut isn't made and the Christmas tree is left exposed to air, the

vessels for transporting water can become blocked. If this happens, another

fresh cut can correct the problem and the tree would need to be immediately put

in a container with water.

Your Christmas tree should be secure in its stand and it should be placed

away from open flames or sources of heat such as furnaces, fireplaces and air

vents, all of which may dry it out. Decoration of the tree should also begin

after it has been mounted in its stand. Several decoration precautions should be

taken to lessen or avoid the Christmas tree being a fire hazard.

Ornaments that have an open flame or candles should never be used for

decoration. Christmas tree lights should be checked to make sure the bulbs are

working properly, the connections are intact and that no part of the cord is

damaged. If there appears to be any exposed wiring or bulbs that are not working

or which are working intermittently, that string of Christmas tree lights

shouldn't be used.

A good Christmas tree stand should be selected since water is the most

important item to getting the longest life out of your Christmas tree. In

selecting a stand, find out the amount of water it can hold when a tree is

placed in it. Some water will be displaced from the space taken up by the base

of the tree so it is important that a selection is not made based on the total

volume of water the stand can hold.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, the average Christmas tree

may absorb up to one gallon of water each day. It is therefore important to

check the water everyday and replenish it accordingly. To make sure your

Christmas tree gets enough water, the Association recommends that one quart of

water is required for each inch of the diameter of the tree's trunk.

After Christmas is over and your wonderfully decorated Christmas tree has

provided much joy, it is important to remove it before it dries out. Options to

discard your Christmas will likely depend on the services offered by your

municipality. Some municipalities will pick up Christmas trees on particular

days, with a cut-off date. Some towns may require that residents take their

trees to specific locations, while in others Christmas trees will be picked up

with the garbage, again up to a certain date. But Christmas trees should never

be burned in the fireplace as it can cause the build up of creosote, a

colorless, oily substance.

There's also the choice that you can continue to get a different use from your

Christmas tree by cutting it to pieces yourself and be environmentally sensitive

by using it for mulch.

It could be said that since it was the birth of a baby as a gift to

the shopping and preparation during the Christmas season is really for the

benefit of children.

From a financial perspective, the extensive shopping done at Christmas is

really of benefit to businesses. But what really drives the maddening shopping

activity is a desire by parents, relatives, friends and acquaintances to play

Santa Claus, mainly for children. Within families, children are usually the ones

who individually receive the most gifts. And it's deservedly so because their

wide-eyed anticipation, excitement and pure joy when they open their Christmas

presents gives everyone an indescribably happy feeling.

Along with playing Santa Claus and secretly getting gifts for children,

adults also use the Santa story for all it's worth as an effective means of

discipline. As soon as the Fall season approaches, children will begin to hear

warnings about their behavior and the consequence of Santa Claus not leaving any

toys or presents like the wonderful ones they received in the prior year. And

when the Santa Claus story is not being used to help to get the best behavior

from children, it is simply pure fun to delight them by telling them stories

about Santa Claus, his elves and reindeers to simply enliven their imagination.

The story of Santa Claus is even useful for older children who may just be

starting to unravel the mystery of Santa Claus. The stories that tell of

different places where Santa Claus actually lives can be a starting point to go

on an imaginative journey around the globe and become a geography lesson to

learn about those places.

Children are also central to Christmas because the many grand displays of

Christmas scenery, colorful lights and sparkling ornaments really target the

attention of children. So, if children were not so important at Christmas time,

then it is quite possible that many of the traditions that make Christmas what

it is would not exist. As an example, Valentine's Day and holidays related to

Easter have a much different mood and atmosphere. Children aren't the focus in

celebrations for those special periods.

Christmas is also an important period for the toy industry whose clients

are naturally children. Although the industry is part of the big retail picture

and therefore seeks to boost sales during the Christmas season, there is also a

deeper meaning for children. Toys are important to entertain, to educate, to

help children develop their imagination and to develop coordination and other

skills in children. Toys can also help children to play together and learn to

share.

The toy industry is therefore important at Christmas time in introducing new

products that are integral to the development of children. When children become

totally captivated by a new toy at Christmas time, it may help them to learn a

new skill or provide new knowledge all in a fun and captivating way that will

make it more likely that whatever is learned will be remembered.

Children are also the focus of Christmas celebrations because it is

important to create fond childhood memories of the season. These memories are

created not by children necessarily receiving a lot, but by enjoying everything

about the season. The story of Jesus with the moral of sharing, giving and doing

kind deeds for others can also help to build a good character and set a moral

foundation that teaches children to have empathy and compassion during the

Christmas season and all throughout the year.

It's only fitting that since Santa Claus has the magnificent capability to

elves busy themselves for their end-of-year Christmas expedition around the

globe.

The popularity in America today of the images and legend of Santa Claus

can be traced to the poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' that was written

by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822. In that poem, Moore described St. Nicholas as a

jolly fellow who flew from house to house in a sleigh pulled by reindeers and

waited for children to go to bed on Christmas Eve before he came down the

chimney to deliver Christmas presents for them.

Following the distribution of that poem, the popular magazine Harper's Weekly

published cartoons by Thomas Nast between 1863 and 1886 that depicted Santa as a

cheerful fellow with a large round belly and long white beard who wore a bright

red suit that was trimmed with white fur. In those cartoons, Santa also held a

sack, which was filled with toys for boys and girls, over his shoulder. The

cartoons also showed Santa reading letters from good boys and girls, working in

his workshop with his elves, checking his list to make sure he had all the

required toys and even showed his wife, Mrs. Claus.

The tradition of Santa Claus was brought to America however by Dutch colonists

who settled in New York City, which was called New Amsterdam at the time.

The real St. Nicholas is said to be a minor saint from the 4th Century with a

reputation for generosity and kindness that gave rise to legends of many

miracles that he performed for the poor and unhappy. One of the stories about

the legend of St. Nicholas is that he saved three poor girls who were sisters

from being sold into a life of slavery or prostitution by their father.

According to the legend, Santa Claus provided the girls with a dowry so that

they could get married.

The legend of St. Nicholas led to hundreds of people being devoted to him and

consequently thousands of European churches became dedicated to him. After the

Reformation period however, widespread practice and worship of St. Nicholas

disappeared in European countries that were Protestant, except in Holland where

the legend of St. Nicholas continued. St. Nicholas was known as Sint Nikolaas

but that was later corrupted to Sinter Klaas.

Dutch colonists took this tradition of Sinter Klaas to New York City where it

was adopted using the Englist name of Santa Claus. Over time, the Dutch legend

of the kindly saint was combined with old Nordic folktales about a magician who

punished naughty children and rewarded good ones with presents to give rise to

the stories that now exist about Santa Claus.

The red and white-trimmed suit of Santa Claus is believed to be the colors that

the original St. Nicholas worebecause red and white were the colors of the robes

worn by traditional bishops. It is also believed that the Coca Cola Co. played a

role in what is regarded as the popular look of Santa Claus today through

paintings by artist Haddon Sundblom that were placed in some of the company's

advertisement between 1931 and 1964.