Aluminum Christmas Trees Nostalgia Thrives

Millicent Jordan vividly recalls the first aluminum Christmas tree she ever purchased. She was 22 years old when she saw the sad-looking little silver tree at a garage sale. “It was marvelous,” says Jordan, 38, of Forest Hill. “It came with a rotating color wheel that changed the hue of...

Christmas in Santa Claus, Indiana

The southern Indiana community known as Santa Claus, tucked into the scenic Ohio River Valley, acquired its distinctive name in 1852. It had struggled mightily with its lack of identity and the subject came up again after a church service on Christmas Eve. According to local legend, churchgoers stayed on for...

Mr. T’s Presidential Christmas Memory

Action hero Mr. T once dressed up as Santa for a meeting with late former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The A-Team star – real name Laurence Tureaud – was invited to meet the late leader and his First Lady Nancy Reagan at Christmas in 1983. And, despite pleas from his mother to behave himself,...

Odd Christmas Traditions Around the World

In Italy they have no Christmas trees, instead they decorate small wooden pyramids with fruit. In Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, it is customary for the streets to be blocked off on Christmas eve so that the people can roller-skate to church. An artificial spider and web are often included in the...

Christmas Mailing Dates and Guidelines

To arrive before Christmas, mail going to members of the military in Iraq and Afghanistan should be sent by December 4. Military mail headed to other overseas destinations should be sent by Dec. 11, the Postal Service said Tuesday. “We have so much mail for the troops over the Christmas...

Wacky Christmas Facts

~ Winter was a time of celebration to pre-Christian Romans and they decorated fir trees in honor of this seasonal change. ~ The use of a Christmas wreath as a decoration on your front door, mantel or bay window symbolizes a sign of welcome and long life to all who enter. ~Today poinsettias are the most...