Moravian missionaries named the Pennsylvania city of Bethlehem after the biblical birthplace of Jesus on Christmas Eve in 1741. Nearly 300 years later, Moravians continue celebrating their Christmas season traditions in Bethlehem. They include the “putz,” a Nativity scene that tells the story of Christ’s birth with miniature wooden figurines, the making of thousands of candles by hand and a song service where worshippers share sweet buns and coffee in their pews. The Moravian settlements in Bethlehem were recently added to the UNESCO World Heritage list as the best preserved of its kind in North America. The holiday is omnipresent in the so-called Christmas City USA — widely known for its lights, ornaments and Nativity scenes.
Delmarva's Holiday House is brought to you by Bay to Beach Builders
Panto is as much a part of Christmas in Britain as turkey, tinsel and mince pies. Pantos is short for pantomimes. They are stage musicals that play at theaters big and small across the U.K. each winter. They mix a fairy-tale plot with topical references, slapstick, song, dance and double entendres. About 3 million people in the U.K. see a panto each year. They provide seasonal work to faded pop stars, television entertainers, the occasional Hollywood celebrity and many young actors including the A-listers of tomorrow. Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult and Jude Law who played Humpty Dumpty are among those who fondly remember their time in panto.
AP
Santa Clauses are coming to town. Thousands of Kris Kringles and jolly Old St. Nicks are jamming streets, sidewalks and bars from Adelaide to Vancouver on Saturday for annual SantaCon charity pub crawls. In New York City, where temperatures hovered around freezing, the fermented merriment kicked off around 10 a.m. and was slated to stretch into the evening. Santas and others dressed as holiday characters strolled to bars and clubs from midtown Manhattan to the East Village, flooding the streets with a crimson tide of Christmas cheer. SantaCon participants are encouraged to donate $15 to enter participating venues. Organizers say the money will go to charity.
Poynter’s Tree Farm, a cherished holiday staple in Kent County, is set to close its doors for the final time this season after nearly six decades of service.
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