Festivals and Culture
Iberia: Reminders that Power Can Vanish and What Turns Out to Be Important is How You Can Live Today
Sonya Zalubowski writes: One of the most thrilling moments was our visit to the Alcazar in Segovia, the castle with foundations that date to Roman times, where Isabella and Ferdinand reigned in the 15th century. We stood in the very throne room where Christopher Columbus once knelt before her. The people are surrounded by remnants of a succession of cultures ranging all the way back to prehistoric to Roman, Visigoth and Moorish, to the kings and queens whose rule dominated Europe as they sent out Portuguese and Spanish explorers, to 20th-century despots and finally present day governments more »
Christmas Presence: Jewelry, a Musical Powder Box, a Bike, See's Candy and Double Acrostics
Julia Sneden wrote: It's embarrassing to think back over the sheer volume of presents I've received over the years. A few stand out: a beautiful, winter-white skirt of soft wool embroidered with pale blue and silver snowflakes that I longed for but knew we couldn't afford, that turned up miraculously anyway ... an opal ring that my great aunt had promised me when I was sixteen ... from my husband, a pair of books by Carmen Bernos de Gasthold, the first Christmas we were married ... a present my eldest son selected all by himself for me when he was about eight, blue ornament earrings paid for from his allowance ... the Double Crostic books another son gives me yearly ... a copy of Babar the King brought me by my adult middle son ... photos of my grandchildren taken and compiled into a little book by my clever daughter-in-law. more »
Charles Dickens's Christmas Carol, Being a Short Story of Christmas, and a Viewing of The Man Who Invented Christmas
Compelled by personal financial difficulties, Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in only six weeks, during a period of intense creativity in fall 1843. The original manuscript of A Christmas Carol reveals Dickens's method of composition, allowing us to see the author at work. The pace of writing and revision, apparently contiguous, is urgent, rapid, and boldly confident. And, if you want to make a full weekend of Dickens' story and have an Amazon Prime membership among others, view The Man Who Invented Christmas. Dickens is portrayed by Dan Stevens, of Downton Abbey fame. The program is also available for a minimum fee if you don't have one of the memberships. more »
The Dangers of Celebrating Christmas: Injuries from Christmas Trees, Electrical Lights, Sleds and Chimneys
“While alerts in the entertainment sector are numerous (e.g. Clark Griswold illustrating risks such as burning down the Christmas tree, falling from the roof while installing Christmas lighting and being attacked by a squirrel hidden in the Christmas tree), serious health warnings are often ignored due to the preponderance of Christmas spirit.” Researchers also found that 277 children were hurt during interactions with a Santa impersonator — for example, by falling off his lap or falling while running away in fear. more »