Gift Bringer

From Why Christmas.com and Wikipedia;

"Gift Bringers from Around the World"

• Afghanistan: Baba Chaghaloo
• Albania: Babadimri
• Armenia: Gaghant Baba / Kaghand Papa (Father Christmas or Father New Year)
• Austria: Christkind (a little angel like person)
• Azerbaijan: Şaxta baba (Grandfather Frost)
• Belgium: Sinterklaas/St. Niklaas (Flemish) or Saint Nicholas (Walloon) & Père Noël (Father Christmas)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Djeda Mraz (Grandfather Frost)
• Brazil: Papai Noel (Father Christmas) & Bom Velhinho (Good Old Man)
• Bulgaria: Дядо Коледа / Dyado Koleda (Grandfather Christmas)
• Chile: Viejito Pascuero (Christmas old man)
• China: Sheng dan lao ren (Traditional: 聖誕老人, Simplified: 圣诞老人; means Old Christmas Man)
• Columbia: Niño Dios (Baby Jesus)
• Costa Rica: Niño dios (Child God, meaning Jesus) & Colacho (another name for St. Nicholas)
• Croatia: Djed Božičnjak (Grandfather Christmas)
• Czech Republic: Svatý Mikuláš (St. Nicholas) and Ježíšek (the Christ child)
• Denmark: Julemanden (Christmas Man)
• Ecuador: Papa Noel
• Egypt: Baba Noël
• Estonia: Jõuluvana (Yule Elder)
• Ethiopia: Amharic: Yágena Abãt (Christmas Father)
• Finland: Santa Claus (well he does live in Lapland in Finland!) or Joulupukki
• France: Père Noël (Father Christmas)
• Georgia: თოვლის ბაბუა, თოვლის პაპა / Tovlis Babua, Tovlis Papa (Snow Grandfather)
• Germany: Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man) & Christkind (a little angel like person)
• Greece: Aghios Vassilis / Άγιος Βασίλης (Saint Basil)
• Haiti: Tonton Nwèl
• Holland/Netherlands: Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) & Kerstman (Christmas Man)
• Hungary: Mikulás (Nicholas) & Télapó (Old Man Winter)
• Iceland: Jólasveinn (Yule Man) & Jólasveinarnir (The Yule Lads)
• India: Hindi: Christmas Baba, Urdu: Baba Christmas (Father Christmas), Telugu: Thatha (Christmas old man), Tamil: Christmas Thaathaa, Marathi: Natal Bua (Christmas Elder Man)
• Indonesia: Sinterklas
• Iran: Baba Noel
• Iraq: Baba Noel / Vader Kersfees
• Ireland: San Nioclás' (Saint Nicholas) & Daidí na Nollag (Father Christmas)
• Italy: Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) or La Befana (an old woman) or The THree Kings (parts of northern Italy)
• Japan: サンタさん、サンタクロース santa-san (Mr Santa) & Hoteiosho (A Japanese god of good fortune - not really related to Christmas)
• Latvia: Ziemassvētku vecītis (Christmas old man)
• Lithuania: Senis Šaltis (Old Man Frost) & Kalėdų Senelis (Christmas Grandfather)
• Lebanon: Baba Noël
• Macedonia: Дедо Мраз / Dedo Mraz
• Malta: San Niklaw (St. Nicholas)
• Mexico: El Niñito Dios (baby Jesus), Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men) & Santo Clós (Santa Claus)
• Mongolia: Uvliin Uvuu or Uvliin Uvgun (Winter Grandpa or Winter Old Man)
• Norway: Julenissen (Santa Claus) or 'Nisse' (Small Gnomes)
• Pakistan: Christmas Baba
• Peru: Papá Noel
• Philippines: Santa Klaus
• Poland: Swiety Mikolaj (St. Nicholas)
• Portugal: Pai Natal (Father Christmas)
• Puerto Rico: The Three Kings / Magi
• Romania: Sfantul Nicolae (St Nicholas), Moş Nicolae (Old Man Nicholas), Moş Crăciun (Old Man Christmas), Moş Gerilă (Old Man Frost)
• Russia: Дед Мороз / Ded Morez (Grandfather Frost) / Dedoushka (Grandfather in Russian) or Babushka (an old woman - although this is 'western' than actually Russian!)
• Serbia: Дедa Мрaз / Deda Mraz (Grandfather Frost), Божић Бата / Božić Bata (Christmas Brother)
• Slovenia: Sveti Miklavž or Sveti Nikolaj (Saint Nicholas) / Božiček or Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Winter); Božiček on December 24 and Dedek Mraz on December 31!
• South Africa: Sinterklaas / Kersvader
• South Korea: 산타 클로스 (santa kullosu), 산타 할아버지 (Santa Grandfather)
• Spain: Los tres Reyes Mages (The Three Magic King / Magi) & Papá Noel (Father Christmas); in Catalonia the gift bringer is Tió de Nadal, a Christmas log with a face on it!; In the Basque country, the gift bringer is Olentzero, a big man who wears a beret and smokes a pipe.
• Sri Lanka: Naththal Seeya
• Sweden: Jultomten (Santa) & Nissar / Tomte (Christmas Gnomes/Elves)
• Switzerland: Samichlaus (St. Nicholas) or the baby Jesus or Befana (South Switzerland) or the Three Kings
• Syria: Baba Noël
• Turkey: Noel Baba (Father Christmas)
• Ukraine: Svyatyy Mykolay (St. Nicholas) & Дід Мороз / Did Moroz
• United Kingdom: Father Christmas (inter-changeable with Santa Claus), Wales: Siôn Corn (Chimney John)
• USA: Santa Claus, Hawaii: Kanakaloka
• Uzbekistan: Qor bobo (Grandfather Snow - more related to New Year's Eve than Christmas)
• Venezuela: San Nicolás (St. Nicholas) & Niño Jesús (Baby Jesus)
• Vietnam: Ông già Noel (Christmas old man)

^ It is interesting to see how different countries and cultures view/celebrate the same basic holiday. ^

https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/giftbringers.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christmas_and_winter_gift-bringers_by_country

Half Brexit

From Reuters:

"Half of Britons support a second vote on Brexit, poll finds"

Half of Britons support a second vote on whether to leave the European Union and a majority think the government may be paying too much money to the EU to open the way to trade talks, according to a new opinion poll.   The poll, published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper, found 50 percent of people supported another vote on the final terms of Britain’s exit deal, 34 percent rejected another referendum and 16 percent said they did not know.  The newspaper said it was the first major opinion poll since last week’s media reports that Britain is preparing to pay about 50 billion euros ($59 billion) to help to move on to talks on a future trade pact with the EU. Mike Smithson, an election analyst who runs the www.politicalbetting.com website and a former Liberal Democrat politician, said on Twitter it was “the first time any pollster has recorded backing” for a second Brexit referendum. Since the referendum in 2016, high profile opponents of Britain’s exit - from French President Emmanuel Macron, to former British prime minister Tony Blair and billionaire investor George Soros - have suggested Britain could change its mind and avoid what they say will be disastrous for the British economy. Blair said on Sunday he was trying to reverse Brexit because claims by the leave campaign, such as the National Health Service getting an extra 350 million pounds a week once Britain leaves the EU, have been proved false. Blair told the BBC that the government aims in the Brexit negotiations will fail because it wants to leave the single market, but retain all of the benefits, and voters can change their minds. “It’s reversible. It’s not done until it’s done,” he said. “When the facts change, I think people are entitled to change their mind.” Brexit supporters argue any attempt to halt the exit process would be anti-democratic. According to the Survation poll only 11 percent of voters said Britain should pay 50 billion pounds to quit the EU, while 31 percent said the government should not pay anything at all. The poll also found 35 percent of those surveyed said they would be worse off financially after Brexit, while 14 percent said they would be better off. The online poll, carried out by research firm Survation, interviewed 1,003 adults in Britain between 30 November and 1 December. Survation said it carries out polls for media organizations including the BBC, Sky News, the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian.  The polling agency correctly predicted a narrowing in the vote between the ruling Conservative party and the opposition Labour Party in this summer’s general election that resulted in May leading a minority government.

^ This isn't that surprising considering the first Brexit vote was very close and all the chaos and uncertainty that has come about in the months since the vote. If a second vote was held now I believe Brexit would be voted down. I think most Brits didn't really understand what a "No" vote would mean and now they are and so would change their mind. ^

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-vote/half-of-britons-support-a-second-vote-on-brexit-poll-finds-idUSKBN1DX0P6?il=0

Christmas Markets

From Christmas Markets.com:
"Your Definitive Guide to 2017 Christmas Markets and Breaks"


^ I have gone through this site and learned a lot about both Christmas Markets I have been to around the world as well as ones I want to go to. ^

https://www.christmasmarkets.com/countries/

Support Holidays

Sensory Santa

From Disability Scoop:

"Sensory-Friendly Santa Welcomes Kids With Special Needs"

Hours before Woodfield Mall opened on a recent Sunday morning, before workers turned on the holiday lights and the halls filled with shoppers, 4-year-old Liam Munnelly’s parents placed him on Santa’s lap. Though Liam couldn’t talk back, Santa spoke to him, pointing at the decorations overhead. The little boy with the blue-rimmed glasses and red bow tie poked Santa’s belly and touched his beard, then smiled briefly at the camera before hurrying back to his dad. Liam was born premature, has cerebral palsy, and likely doesn’t know who Santa is, said his mom, Erica Munnelly. But “it’s important to have the memories, to be able to look back and have the pictures,” she said.  Liam was Santa’s first visitor that morning at Woodfield Mall’s Caring Santa event, one of more than 375 sensory-friendly Santa events planned at malls and other locations nationwide this year by New Jersey-based Cherry Hill Programs and the advocacy organization Autism Speaks. Families register in advance to see Santa and the visits take place before malls and stores open, to lessen any anxiety the sounds and sights of the season may bring. At Woodfield, the loud music and “Despicable Me 3” ads on seven screens that typically greet kids on their way to Santa were turned down. For Liam, lights and sound are not an issue, Erica Munnelly said. “We just need the patience because muscle movements are hard for him.” Cherry Hill, which provides the Santa experiences in malls throughout the U.S. and Canada, launched its sensory-friendly Santa programming in 2011. It has seen rapid growth recently, partially because of awareness and high demand, said Lisa Goring, chief program and marketing officer for Autism Speaks, which partnered with Cherry Hill about three years ago. This year, sensory-friendly Santa events are set to be held at more than 300 locations, up from 180 last year. Autism affects an estimated one in 68 children in the U.S, according to Autism Speaks. One-third of those children are nonverbal, and for most, it will be a lifelong condition. There are many types of autism, and what is distressing for one person with the disorder may not bother another. “We ask every family, ‘Are the lights OK? Is the sound OK?'” said Heather Lloyd, director of marketing and business development for Woodfield. “There’s already one family that has proactively said they can’t handle the flash.” During the Woodfield event, each family was given 15 minutes with Santa, and provided with crayons and snacks when they arrived. Some families came in matching outfits; some children wore footed pajamas. Some children hurried through the Ice Palace, something like a giant snow globe lined with TVs, to get to Santa. Others lingered, playing in the fake snow that fell from above. If a family stayed in one spot, another moved in front of them. If it took time for a child to work up the courage to approach Santa, he or she was not rushed. “When you have a sensory-sensitive child or a special-needs child, you can’t (rush),” said Mickey Teply of Hoffman Estates, who attended the event with her daughter, son-in-law and their two foster sons. “It’s their time, not your time.” Teply’s daughter and son-in-law are set to adopt 5-year-old Justin later this month, Teply said. Justin has autism and is nonverbal, and the patience taken with each family at the event makes an otherwise distressing experience enjoyable, Teply said. Many of the Santas deployed to the sensory-friendly events receive special training on how to interact with children with autism and other special needs, said Ruth Rosenquist, Cherry Hill spokeswoman. “It’s really about letting the child and letting the caregiver take the lead,” she said. “The child will give Santa clues.” The recent Woodfield event reached capacity with 40 families and another scheduled at the mall on Dec. 3 is full, Lloyd said. The time with Santa is free but photo packages start at $24.99. For Woodfield, which is preparing for the busiest retail stretch of the year, the event doesn’t really make business sense, said General Manager Kurt Webb. It takes manpower to put on, and most families likely won’t stick around until the stores open to shop, as the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping can be distressing to the children. But the mall has done it for five years. “Most things we do have motivation behind them to improve business,” he said. “This one is really about the families and the kids.” If it wasn’t for the sensory-friendly event, it’s likely that none of Dawn and Tim Karlovsky’s four children — they have two sets of twins — would see Santa. Their son Lincoln has autism, and lines, especially those as long as the one to see Santa at a mall, make the 10-year-old anxious. The sights and sounds can be overwhelming, too, Dawn Karlovsky said “I’m not going to come and have memories with Santa and not bring him,” she said. “This way, (the kids) could all do it and it’s all a good experience.” The family, from Fox River Grove, has attended the event for five years, Dawn Karlovsky said. It’s part of the holiday routine, which is helpful to kids with autism, and the routine has become tradition. Part of that tradition is arranging themselves on the sofa next to Santa and posing for a picture before whispering their Christmas wishes. One of the Karlovsky kids wanted a Hatchimal, one asked for a gift card to GameStop. Lincoln, though, didn’t have any specific requests. “It’s not even what he wants to ask Santa for,” Dawn Karlovsky said. “It’s just coming.”

^ It's really cool that this program exists so that all children (regardless of their ability) can enjoy the holiday experience. ^

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/11/30/sensory-friendly-santa/24471/

Christmas Dictionary

^ That goes for my Chanukah and New Year's friends too. ^

1: Advent

International Disabled Day

"Hi" Banned

From the BBC:

"Canada province bans shopkeepers from saying 'Bonjour-Hi'" 

The unofficial greeting in the bilingual Canadian city of Montreal has long been a friendly "Bonjour, Hi!" But that standard is no more since a motion mandating store clerks to greet customers only in French was passed in Quebec's provincial legislature. The move reaffirms French as the primary language in the province, where use of English can be controversial. The motion - which is not a law - was passed unanimously, but the province's premier called the debate "ridiculous".  Introduced by the fiercely Francophile Parti Quebecois, the motion "invites all businesses and workers who enter into contact with local and international clients to welcome them warmly with the word 'bonjour'". "It's about being original and being ourselves, and being ourselves is a major Francophone city with an Anglophone community," said PQ house leader Pascal Bérubé.  "First thing you have to say, I think, is 'bonjour.' It's about respect, it's easy to understand." Premier Philippe Couillard, a Liberal, objected to the original wording of the motion, which called the inclusion of "Hi" in greetings "an irritant". He accused the PQ of trying to fan the flames of language war and stoke division in the province. He said the whole debate was "ridiculous", but agreed to vote in favour of the motion once the word "irritant" was removed.  Many in Quebec see their French identity as being under threat. It is the only Canadian province where French is the sole official language.  However, there are also sizeable Anglophone communities within Quebec, especially in the cosmopolitan hub of Montreal.  The Office quebecois de la langue francaise (OQLF) oversees the preservation of the French language in the province - sometimes at the expense of commonly used words. In 2013, an Italian restaurant was forced to remove "pasta" from its menu because it is not a French word.  In 2016, a restaurant called La Mama Grilled Cheese in Quebec City received a letter from the language agency chastising them for their Anglicism.  This year, the language watchdog quietly loosened some of its restrictions, allowing words like "grilled cheese", "cocktail" and "drag queen" back into the lexicon.

^ I remember learning about the "Quebec Language Nazis" back in high school and it seems not much has changed. I say this as a Canadian, a Quebecker and someone who speaks both French and English (and Russian.) It seems that every few years some groups and organizations in Quebec need to do something ridiculous so that they can continue to be in the headlines within Quebec, Canada and the World - especially since they lost both the 1980 and 1995 Sovereignty Referendums. I believe that every Canadian should know both French and English whether they are on the East Coast, the West Coast or the middle of Canada. With that said I don't think these language "witch hunts" are a good or effective way to show your pride in your language or to encourage its usage. If anything these laws and motions tend to move people away from using French. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42200730

Griswold Christmas

Holiday Dish Cost

From the MT:

"New Year’s Eve Will Be Most Expensive in Russia's Far East"

Russia's statistics agency has named the most expensive regions for making traditional holiday dishes after the country’s central bank published food price indexes to highlight falling inflation. The price of “Herring Under Fur Coat” salad fell by nearly 1 percent this year, while “Olivier Salad” is 1.2 percent more expensive, Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said last week.   Both traditional mayonnaise-laden dishes make up the core of New Year’s Eve food offerings in Russian households.The average nationwide price for making a four-person serving of “Olivier” is around 312 rubles ($5), while “Herring Under Fur Coat" will cost 153 rubles ($3), the Rosstat statistics agency said Tuesday.  Residents of the Chukotka autonomous district in the Far East will have to shell out the most for the dishes, according to the data. Altogether, the ingredients for “Olivier” will cost 526 rubles ($9), while ingredients for “Herring Under Fur Coat” are estimated to be 363 rubles. “Olivier” is cheapest in the Caucasus republic of Kalmykia—230 rubles, while families in the western region of Kursk will only be set back 118 rubles for “Herring Under Fur Coat," according to Rosstat.

^ To us in the West spending $3, $5 or $9 on a holiday dish is nothing, but in Russia (outside of Moscow) it is a lot. I never had "Herring Under Fur Coat" since I don't eat fish, but I love "Olivier Salad." ^

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russias-traditional-new-years-dishes-most-expensive-in-far-east-59731

2019 Abdication

From the DW:

"Japan Emperor Akihito abdication set for April 2019"

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has agreed that the date of Emperor Akihito's planned abdication will be in April 2019. It will be the first by a Japanese monarch in about two centuries.  Emperor Akihito is scheduled to abdicate what is typically a job for life on April 30, 2019, the Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed sources. Abe announced the date after a special panel he chaired on Friday. Emperor Akihito expressed his wish to abdicate from the Chrysanthemum throne in 2016 and the upper house of parliament passed a law allowing him to do so in June this year. Akihito, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, said last year he feared age might make it hard to fulfil his duties. He will be succeeded by his elder son, Crown Prince Naruhito. A law adopted in June allows Akihito to step down. But it also left the details to be worked out later. Emperor Kokaku, who gave up the throne in 1817, was the last Japanese emperor to abdicate. The new law also allowed for the possibility of allowing females to ascend the throne. Akihito’s retirement and the engagement of his granddaughter, princess Mako – who leaves the imperial family after she marries – reopened debate about the shortage of male heirs and a possible succession crisis. According to legend, the Chrysanthemum Throne is the oldest continuing monarchy in the world, founded in 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu. Emperor Akihito, who has reigned since 1989, is the 125th direct descendant of Jimmu. The emperor acts as a high priest in the ancestral religion Shinto, although his claim to divine origin was formally renounced after Japan's defeat in World War II. Under the current constitution, the emperor is a "symbol of the state and the unity of its people" and has no real political power as a constitutional monarch. After World War II, as part of Japan’s surrender, Emperor Hirohito renounced what he called the "the false conception that the emperor is divine," although Japan is the only modern nation that still refers to the head of its royal family as emperor.

^ It is one thing to abdicate (several monarchs - especially in Europe - have done it in the past few years and another to announce you want to abdicate in 2016 and then wait to do so until 2019. That seems a little odd to me. ^

http://www.dw.com/en/japan-emperor-akihito-abdication-set-for-april-2019/a-41607784

Supermoon

From USA Today:

"The only supermoon of the year will rise Sunday evening"

The only supermoon of 2017 will appear in a sky near you Sunday night ... weather permitting. Bigger and brighter than a typical full moon, the term “supermoon” was coined in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle. According to NASA, it's used by the media today to describe what astronomers would call a perigean full moon: a full moon occurring near or at the time when the moon is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth. A supermoon can appear as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than when a full moon is at its farthest distance from Earth, NASA said.The astronomical term for a supermoon is "perigee syzygy." (Syzygy is when the sun, moon and Earth are all aligned in a straight line.) The exact moment of the full moon is the morning of Dec. 3 at 10:46 a.m. ET, (9:46 a.m. CT, 8:46 a.m. MT, and 7:46 a.m. PT), Space.com said.At that moment, the moon will not be visible over most of North America. However, the moon will still appear plenty big when it rises in the eastern sky Sunday evening.Due to the optical effect known as the moon illusion, the full moon can seem huge when rising behind distant objects on the horizon. A supermoon appears especially impressive. Clear skies are forecast across much of the eastern U.S., except for New England and around the Great Lakes, the National Weather Service said. Elsewhere, clouds could obscure the view in the upper Midwest, northern Plains, Rockies and Northwest.The December full moon, even when its not a supermoon, is known as the cold moon. The moon will reach perigee — the moon’s closest point to Earth for this month — at 3:45 a.m. ET Monday, when the moon is 222,135 miles from the Earth. The moon's average distance is 238,000 miles. If you miss this one, however, don't fret: The first two full moons of 2018 will be supermoons. Just over a year ago, we enjoyed an especially large supermoon: The one on Nov. 14, 2016, was the closest one since Jan. 26, 1948, which won't be surpassed again until the supermoon of Nov. 25, 2034.

^ This is pretty cool. ^

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2017/11/28/only-supermoon-year-rise-sunday-evening/901844001/

December