Good morning Bloggets. As the ice lay sleeping on the cars
this morning, my fingers reflect the bitter bite from Jack Frost who is trying
hard to get into my house. I’m fighting him like a Warrior would in a nightmare
where one is being pursued by a pack of hungry wolves!
He’s not going to win this battle. I have control over the
thermostat!
Do you know the origin of tinsel? Well from what I have
read, it is late middle English and is a indication of fabric being interwoven
with metallic thread or spangled from old French (estincele) mix all of that up
with Latin scintilla meaning I think, spark.
Spangled. I love that word. As a child each Christmas in my
stocking would be a packet of spangles. Please tell me, can you still buy them?
They were square sweets boiled, I think. Oh, they were delicious. I never got
them at any other time of the year, only Christmas, but that doesn’t say they
weren’t for sale the rest of the year, just I never got them. I just love the
word Spangle/spangled. Say it, go on, I dare you to say it without smiling?
By the way if you are reading this and English isn’t your
first language, then let me tell you what tinsel is. The strands of material
you hang from a Christmas tree. It’s meant to mimic ice. Modern production of tinsel
was invented in Nuremberg. Why is it everything beautiful to do with Christmas
comes from Germany? I have bought so many I think they are called Glosh
Christmas baubles from Germany. Last Christmas I think it was, I wrote the
romantic story about the origin of those glass baubles.
In early 16 hundred, tinsel was made from real silver. I wonder
if there is any original left? Can you imagine how much that would cost now? oh
I would love some of that.
So, get your cup of hot chocolate, your warm slippers and
get all cosy near your fire as it’s story time with Fifi.
The legend of the Christmas spider, is a folk tale from
Ukraine, Russia, Finland, Norway, Poland Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
Sounds like one of my stats blogs. Haha.
This is most prevalent in Ukraine where small ornaments are
traditionally a part of the Christmas tree.
A poor but hard-working widow once lived in a hut with her
children. One summer day, a pine cone fell on the earthen floor of the hut and
took root. The widow’s children took care of the tree excited of the prospect
of having a Christmas tree when winter was to arrive.
The tree grew but when Christmas Eve arrived the children
couldn’t afford to decorate it so they went to bed sad. The next morning when
they woke, the Christmas tree was all decorated covered in cobwebs. They opened
the windows and the sunshine and air turned the webs into gold and silver. They
were all delighted. In some countries that I have written about above, if you
find a spider on a Christmas tree, then it’s considered good luck.
In my house that would be getting our Boy Wonder with the vacuum
cleaner.
I’m now off to hunt for a spider Christmas ornament on Amazon…
Don’t let your hot chocolate get cold!
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