The tradition of Nativity plays began in churches where they were used to illustrate the Christmas story as told in the Bible. Victorian Christmas The festive season is upon us and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than with another dedicated Christmas channel? Many people like to have a tree in a pot with hopes to keep it from year to year. Bear in mind that Christmas trees make enormous specimens when planted in the ground and are only suitable for large gardens. If you'd like a tree to keep for several years, it's best kept on the patio outside of the festive season. It'll need watering whenever the compost feels dry when you push your fingers in and feeding with a Best Buy liquid plant food during spring and summer. Watch out for aphids which sometimes will infest the tree. This World Heritage village near Bradford is home to a living Advent calendar. Between 1 December and Christmas Eve, 57 windows across the village will be “opened” or lit up and remain illuminated until the new year. For the tree to look as good as it can on Christmas Day, buy it as near to Christmas as you can - although this year a lot of people seem to be putting them up much earlier than before.

Ancient people were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives and because of this they had a great reverence for, and even worshipped, the sun. The Norsemen of Northern Europe saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons. It was from the word for this wheel, houl, that the word yule (another name for Christmas) is thought to have come. At Winter Solstice the Norsemen lit bonfires, told stories and drank sweet ale. Christmas trips to Banchory, half-an-hour’s drive from Aberdeen (or around an hour on the 201 or 202 bus), begin with crisp country walks to the Falls of Feugh and Corsee Wood, where red squirrels scramble through the trees. Before Christianity came to the British Isles the Winter Solstice was held on the shortest day of the year (21st December). The Druids (Celtic priests) would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months. Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and begins on Sunday nearest to 30th November. The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus meaning coming. Traditionally it is a penitential season but is no longer kept with the strictness of Lent and Christians are no longer required to fast. The arrival of ‘That’s Christmas’ isn’t just a one-off; it mirrors a broader trend within the broadcasting landscape where channels adapt their programming or introduce new channels to celebrate the festive season.The Victorians gave us the kind of Christmas we know today, reviving the tradition of carol singing, borrowing the practice of card giving from St. Valentine's day and popularising the Christmas tree. All Jewish people had to be counted so the Roman Emperor could determine how much money to collect from them in tax. Those who had moved away from their family homes, like Joseph, had to return to have their names entered in the Roman records. Windsor & Eton Central railway station is served by Great Western Railway, while Windsor & Eton Riverside is served by South Western Railway. Another legend is about a little orphan boy who was living with shepherds when the angels came to announce Jesus' birth. The child wove a crown of holly for the newborn baby's head. But when he presented it, he became ashamed of his gift and started to cry. Miraculously the baby Jesus reached out and touched the crown. It began to sparkle and the orphan's tears turned into beautiful scarlet berries. Ban on Christmas

This isn’t the first time a Christmas-themed channel from “That’s TV” has graced our screens during the holiday period – as this is now a festive tradition. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke give different accounts. It is from them that the nativity story is pieced together.Matthew tells us about some wise men who followed a star that led them to Jesus' birthplace and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Luke tells how shepherds were led to Bethlehem by an angel.

Protests against consumerism have been made by Christians and non-Christians such as 'Buy Nothing Christmas', encouraging people to spend time with their families instead of spending money on them. Christmas is not only a Christian festival. The celebration has roots in the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the festivals of the ancient Greeks, the beliefs of the Druids and the folk customs of Europe. Midwinter celebrations That’s 60s’ will shift to Freeview Channel 71 UK-wide and Freeview Channel 77 in Greater Manchester (taking the place of That’s 70s). The launch of ‘That’s Christmas’ brings with it a small reshuffle of some of That’s TV’s other services, which will see a few channel changes. This year, the festive channel – which is the Christmas-themed sister channel to That’s TV, is launching this Wednesday – October 18.Christmas remains a time to forget about the long dark days and celebrate with friends and family. Bibliography

This week, ‘That’s Christmas’ is set to make its cheerful debut on Freeview, Freesat and Sky, temporarily replacing the ‘That’s 70s’ and ‘That’s 60s’ channels on some of these platforms. Christmas comes just after the middle of winter. The sun is strengthening and the days are beginning to grow longer. For people throughout history this has been a time of feasting and celebration. With ‘That’s TV’ normally being a channel dedicated to nostalgia and entertainment – its Christmas-themed channel also tends to press the retro buttons.Many Pagan traditions had been brought to Britain by the invading Roman soldiers. These included covering houses in greenery and bawdy partying that had its roots in the unruly festival of Saturnalia. The Puritan movement began during the reign of Queen Elizabeth in England (1558-1603). They believed in strict moral codes, plenty of prayer and close following of New Testament scripture. We’ve created a template for you to use. Simply add a poll to each pair in that round and post it to your story. Add the results to the image and re-share with the poll for the next round and so on, until you and your friends find your overall Christmas winner! You could do it just for one category, such as favourite Christmas food, or to find everyone’s best Christmas thing of all. Motayor, Rafael (June 14, 2021). "Simon Otto to Helm Animated 'That Christmas' Adaptation, Based on Books by 'Love Actually' Writer". Collider. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021 . Retrieved June 14, 2021. In some areas, you can hire a Christmas tree in a pot which will be delivered and then collected. Although you'll pay a premium for this service, it may be useful, especially if you don't have a car to transport your tree or find lifting and carrying difficult.