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Why Do We Celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25?
There are several reasons Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25. The date is nine months after March 25, a day recognized by Christians as Annunciation. It was the day Mary was told she would was having a baby. The nine months that follow are an approximation of Jesus’ birth. Dec. 25 also coincides with pagan Winter Solstice celebrations like Saturnalia' and Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. Since they were historically celebrated around that time of year there was precedent for holiday festivities during this time of year.
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What Does the Name 'Christmas' Mean and What Is the Meaning of Christmas?
Christmas is a shortened from the words “Christ’s mass.” It’s derived from the Middle English word "Cristemasse" which has Greek, Hebrew and Latin origins. Christmas is an annual holiday that honors the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated by Christians around the world and is regarded as an important religious and cultural holiday.
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Next: How Can We Celebrate Christmas?
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How Can We Celebrate Christmas?
Christmas is traditionally celebrated in many ways and celebrations vary across cultures. In the days leading up to Christmas, people usually put up special decorations including colorful lights and evergreen trees. Gifts are often placed under the tree and exchanged on Christmas day among loved ones. Large meals are also typically served as part of the celebration as well.
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Next: Why Do We Celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25?
Part lollipop and part cupcake, cake pops are a fun, portable dessert that’s a clever gift or party favor at bridal or baby showers and children’s parties. They’re also a great way to use up leftover cake scraps and frosting. Start by mixing the cake crumbs and frosting into a soft dough and molding it into balls. Place the balls on lollipop sticks, dip into an easy-to-make candy coating, and cover in colorful sanding sugar. Customize them using your favorite cake flavor, frosting, and sugar colors.
Special equipment: You’ll need 16 (6-inch) lollipop sticks for this recipe.
What to buy: Candy Melts are disks of sugar and oil that, when melted down, are used as a coating for sweets. They can be found in gourmet grocery and cooking stores or sometimes at craft stores.
Sanding sugar, sometimes labeled as pearl or sparkling sugar, can be found in gourmet grocery and cooking stores. It’ll give a bright sparkle to the cake pops.
Game plan: You can use any type of cake, including boxed cake mixes, for the cake crumbs. Half of a 13-by-9-inch cake or 1 (8-inch) round cake will give you just about the right amount of cake crumbs needed for this recipe.
You can use any type of frosting for this recipe except whipped cream frosting.
