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Sending and receiving Christmas Cards are a tradition that is observed by millions of people world-wide to express the sentiment of the season. Since the birth of Christ there have been celebrations of the birth and people writing to each other of the news and in remembrance. Today colorful cards are widely manufactured, bought and mailed. Even though Christmas began as a religious holiday, today many cards don’t have any content at all related to religion.

Christmas stamps also a nice tough for your cards. They add color and festivity to the greetings that you send to your friends and family. Stamps are printed and issued a couple of months before Christmas and are sold in great demand during the season.

Christmas would not be same without the tradition of giving gifts.

The tradition began in the 4th Century in the area we now know as Turkey.

St. Nicholas, in his role of bishop of Myra, gave out gifts to the children in secret.

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, children and students in Greece, Russia and Serbia. He is also the patron saint of Barranquilla (Colombia), Bari (Italy) Amsterdam (Netherlands), and of Beit Jala in the West Bank of Palestine.

Christmas today has become synonymous with gifts and people spend a lot of time in choosing the best gift to give to their loved ones.

For many, one of the primary concerns at Christmas is the holiday decor. Putting up lights, placing wreaths and hanging ornaments can keep us busy in December or even earlier. Many people spend hours planning and then many more hours setting up outdoor displays and lighting, for many it is a holiday tradition.

Safety should always be considered in all your decorations. Check these items to be sure you are being safe:

• When you buy a tree, have an inch cut off the bottom to help the tree absorb water.
• If you buy your tree early and keep it outside, store it away from wind and sun, and keep the bottom in a bucket of water.
• Make sure your lights are safe and carry certification from a testing laboratory.
• Don’t use electric lights on a metal tree.
• Discard and replace any strings of lights that are frayed or broken.
• Unplug your Christmas tree before you leave or go to bed.
• Don’t buy a tree that is dry and dropping needles. To check for freshness, loosely grip the end of a branch and pull your hand over it. Only a few needles should fall off.
• Make sure your tree stand holds plenty of water, and don’t let it run out.
• Keep your tree at least three feet from furnaces, radiators and fireplaces.

Without the danger of drying out a real tree, more lights are safely added to artificial trees. We all love the sparkle and shine from the tree lights. Small twinkle lights and colored lights also have impact when you layer several strands and pair them with ornaments having reflective surfaces. For many it is all white, while others choose a mix of colors. Some even do a background of white or clear lights and then highlighted with strands of colored lights that wrap the outside of the tree.

Begin at the bottom of the tree close to the trunk, allow some slack in the first strand of lights, separate the cord near the first bulb so it forms a loop. Slip the loop over one of the branches near the trunk, and wrap the cord a few times around the branch to secure it. Pull the string of lights taut to the tip of the branch, and then work back toward the trunk, wrapping the cord over itself and the branch. Separate the cord again when you reach the trunk, and slip the cord over a branch let to secure it. Carry the cord over to the next branch, wrap it around another branch near the trunk, and pull it out to the tip. Wrap the cord over itself and the branch as before. Continue wrapping branches in this manner to the end of the string. Plug in the next set, and keep going to the point where the tree comes apart. Work any extra lights back along the branch rather than crossing the section. When you wrap the top section of the tree, don’t wrap the lights around as many branches, so the tree will look evenly lit from top to bottom.

We all love the sparkle and shine from the tree lights. Multi-faceted bulbs refract more light and appear especially bright. Small twinkle lights and colored lights also have impact when you layer several strands and pair them with ornaments having reflective surfaces. Many people choose all white lights, others a multi-color pattern. Some even do a background of white and then add strands of colored lights wrapping the outside of the tree.

To get started, mentally divide the tree vertically into three triangular sections. Plug in the first string of lights and nestle the last bulb on the string at the top of the tree next to the trunk. Weave the lights back and forth across the triangle, being careful not to cross the cord over itself. When you reach the end of the first string, plug in the next set and continue weaving the lights back and forth until you reach the bottom, connecting no more than 300 lights end to end. Repeat this procedure for the remaining triangles.