Merry Christmas

Slide 1:Merry Christmas to all �

Slide 2:Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of people around the world.

Slide 3:Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians.

Slide 4:Among countries with a strong Christian tradition, a variety of Christmas celebrations have developed that incorporate regional and local cultures.

Slide 5:For Christians, participating in a religious service plays an important part in the recognition of the season.

Slide 6:The traditional colors of Christmas are green and red. White, silver and gold are also popular.

Slide 7:Traditional Christmas decorations include bells, candles, candy canes, stockings, wreaths, and angels.

Slide 8:The concentric assortment of leaves, usually from an evergreen, make up Christmas wreaths and are designed to prepare Christians for the Advent season.

Slide 9:Christmas lights and banners may be hung along streets, music played from speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places.

Slide 10:Rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured for the purpose of wrapping gifts.

Slide 11:In some countries, Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night, the evening of January 5.

Slide 12:The first specifically Christmas hymns that we know of appear in 4th century Rome.

Slide 13:A special Christmas family meal is traditionally an important part of the holiday's celebration, and the food that is served varies greatly from country to country.

Slide 14:Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting exchanged between friends and family members during the weeks preceding Christmas Day.

Slide 15:A number of nations have issued commemorative stamps at Christmastide. Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail Christmas cards, and they are popular with philatelists.

Slide 16:The exchanging of gifts is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration, making the Christmas season the most profitable time of year for retailers and businesses throughout the world.

Slide 17:A number of figures of both Christian and mythical origin have been associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving of gifts.

Slide 18:The most famous and pervasive of these figures in modern celebration worldwide is Santa Claus, a mythical gift bringer, dressed in red, whose origins have diverse sources.

Slide 19:The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch Sinterklaas, which means simply Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, in modern day Turkey, during the 4th century.

Slide 20:The earliest evidence of the celebration on December 25 of a Christian liturgical feast of the birth of Jesus is from the Chronography of 354 AD.

Slide 21:Some prefer cards with a poem, prayer or Biblical verse; while others distance themselves from religion with an all-inclusive "Season's greetings".

Slide 22:A long artistic tradition has grown of producing painted depictions of the nativity in art. Nativity scenes are traditionally set in a stable with livestock and include Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus in the manger, the three wise men, the shepherds and their sheep, the angels, and the Star of Bethlehem.

Slide 23:Christians celebrate Christmas in various ways. In addition to this day being one of the most important and popular for the attendance of church services, there are other devotions and popular traditions.

Slide 24:According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a stable, surrounded by farm animals, though neither the stable nor the animals are specifically mentioned in the Biblical accounts.

Slide 25:Among countries with a strong Christian tradition, a variety of Christmas celebrations have developed that incorporate regional and local cultures.

Slide 26:Christmas is for joy, for giving and sharing, for laughter, for coming together with family and friends, for tinsel and brightly decorated packages.

Slide 27:Christmas is for love. It was this love for which Jesus came to this world and sacrificed his life.

Slide 28:The whole world goes into the celebration mood during the mid winters. Long back even before the arrival of Jesus, Europeans started celebrating the light in the gloomiest days of winter.

Slide 29:The concept of Christmas tree was first introduced by Germany long back in 16th century. It was the time when Christians brought adorned Christian tree to their homes.

Slide 30:Mistletoe is especially interesting botanically because it is a partial parasite (a "hemiparasite"). As a parasitic plant, it grows on the branches or trunk of a tree and actually sends out roots that penetrate into the tree and take up nutrients.

Slide 31:The plant with its shiny green prickly leaves and red berry has come to stand for peace and joy, people often settle arguments under a holly tree. Holly is believed to frighten off witches and protect the home from thunder and lightning.

Slide 32:The Glastonbury thorn legend ties in Christ's death as well as the celebration of his birth. The legend goes that soon after the death of Christ, Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain to spread the message of Christianity.

Slide 33:With its beautiful, red, star-shape poinsettia is a favorite flower in the United States. In Central America it is called the "Flame Leaf" or "Flower of the Holy Night". Now very popular in the US, the American settlers were not quite familiar with this one only a couple of centuries back.

Slide 34:Reindeer has come to be associated with the Christmas riding the tradition of the Santa Claus.

Slide 35:The Christmas star has traditionally been associated with the spirit of the celebration.

Slide 36:The tradition of Christmas trees and Christmas Ornaments is a much disputed one what with several theories about their origin doing the rounds for a long time.

Slide 37:Elves are known to be tiny, dwarf-like creatures, either male or female, with pointed ears.

Slide 38:The Amanita muscaria mushroom, commonly known as the fly agaric mushroom, is another symbol of Christmas. Though not as popular as the X'mas tree or the baby Jesus, it is well known in those nations where Christianity is the dominant religion.

Slide 39:It's Merry Christmas! Share the spirit of peace and joy on this occasion of Merry Christmas.

Slide 40:MerryChristmas Merry Christmas ... !!!