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Ghosts and goblins, jack-o-lanterns and witches, trick-or-treating, and spooky nights - Happy Hallowe'en!

Festival of Lights

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Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas (15 March 270 – 6 December 343) also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor (modern-day Demre, Turkey). He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, a practice celebrated on his feast day and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas.

Thomas Nast, 1881

Peanuts was a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written that ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. Peanuts is among the most popular and influential in the history of comic strips, with 17,897 strips published in all, making it "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being".

This tartan was inspired by the Yule Lads from Icelandic folklore who are thirteen mischievous brothers that come down from the mountains every year around Christmas. Each night from December 12th through December 24th, a Yule Lad visits people in their homes to scare them and steal things.

Dressing for the holidays can often include not only seasonal colours for clothing, but traditional decorations, including decking the halls, not only with boughs of holly, but often with the mistletoe herb, in the form of a "kissing-bough." Kissing under sprigs of mistletoe is a well-known holiday tradition, but this plant’s history as a symbolic herb dates back thousands of years. Many ancient cultures prized mistletoe for its healing properties.

Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, a period of feasting, drinking, and sacrifice. The traditions of the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar (Sonargöltr) are still reflected in the Christmas ham, Yule singing, and other traditions from the ancient Yule customs.

In Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol,' the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is transported by The Ghost of Christmas Past to his youth on a Christmas Eve, back in time to a festive holiday party held by Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig.

In modern traditional folklore, a Christmas elf is a diminutive creature that lives with Santa Claus in the North Pole and acts as his helper. Christmas elves are often depicted as green or red clad with pointy ears and pointy hats. Santa's elves are often said to make the toys in Santa's workshop and take care of his reindeer, among other tasks.

The tartan is inspired by the spirit of Christmas. Colours: green represents Frankincense; red represents Myrrh and yellow represents gold, the colour of kingship. Gold, frankincense and myrrh are the gifts given to the Baby Jesus by the three Kings in the nativity story, each symbolic of Jesus' life and death.

Canada Post has assigned postal code H0H 0H0 to the North Pole (referring to Santa's traditional exclamation of "Ho ho ho!").   "H0H 0H0" has been Santa's very own postal code since 1982.

A Wish for Peace and Love at Christmas

May the joy of the holiday and season be with you and yours!

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