# art christmas gothicadvent new asmsg kidlit scbwi authoruproar iartg childrensbooks rudolphtherednosedreindeer yule christmaseve norse winter wintersolstice edwardian

Then the Cat sat next to the Baby, and purred. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, thanked the good cat for comforting Jesus with warmth and mirth by gently stroking the cat’s forehead with her initial ‘M’. Hence the ‘M’ on the tabby cat. (2/3)

2 10
2020-12-23

A Blessed Celtic Christmas! Watercolor of Queen Maeve by Æ

6 21
2020-12-23

Bringing mistletoe into the house is a symbol of good luck going back to the ancient Druids and it is supposed to possess mystical powers. There is also the tradition of kissing beneath it.


Margaret Tarrant

41 127
2020-12-23

“Whenever five or six English-speaking people meet round a fire on Christmas Eve, they start telling each other ghost stories” (Jerome K. Jerome)

Dickens is the last survivor of the once popular tradition of telling Christmas ghost stories.

21 60
2020-12-22

"Run! Run! Run!
As fast as you can,
You can't catch me -
I'm the gingerbread man!"

A classic tale in which a gingerbread man comes to life and runs from different characters who want to eat him. Many variants of the story can be found over Europe 🍪

9 22
2020-12-22

A young child knows about death from an early age and reading to or with them
about the greatest story ever told is loving and heartwarming.
https://t.co/fvLehoQU53

5 5
2020-12-22

A modern Christmas fairytale: was created by copywriter Robert May in 1939 for Montgomery Ward Department store's Christmas colouring book. May was inspired by “A Visit from St. Nicholas” & H.C. Andersen’s “The Ugly Duckling”

18 49
2020-12-22

The Santa Claus legend can be traced back to St. Nicholas, a monk. He gave away all of his wealth and traveled countryside helping the poor and sick. Over many years, Nicholas’s popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors.

7 18
2020-12-22

A nisse is a creature from Nordic folklore associated with & Similar in appearance to a garden gnome, he is accompanied by the Yule Goat, & knocks on doors on to give out gifts. Img: Christmas Nisse & Kersti, by Carl Larsson

29 105
2020-12-22

Yggdrasil, the Norse Tree of life, later translated into Christian traditions.

8 34
2020-12-15

The folk ritual comprises having red bean porridge after offering it to the household spirits, the Ancient Roman equivalent of lares who were the good spirits of ancestors protecting their descendants, protecting the families from illness and curses. (2/3)

2 5
2020-12-16

The Snow Queen, ruler of the snow bees... Illustrations for Hans Christian Andersen's classic wintery fairytale by contemporary British illustrator Angela Barrett (b. 1955)

20 75
2020-12-15

In celebration of the upcoming winter solstice here is The Yule Goat by John Bauer. In later Scandinavian traditions the yule goat became a giver of presents. Does anyone know if this still happens?

4 21
2020-12-15

The Nisse from Scandinavian folklore is associated with the winter solstice and Christmas. They live on farms and will punish farmers who are lazy or disrespectful. In more recent times they deliver gifts. They're very fond of porridge with butter! 😋

🎨Nyström

30 120
2020-12-15

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen is the tender, tragic tale of an impoverished, dying child set on a cold New Year’s Eve, with snow and frost.
🎨Jerry Pinkney Rachel Isadora
Anne Anderson Honor Appleton

14 39
2020-12-15

In midwinter our ancestors rejoiced, looking forward to the spring and the promise of bounty which the new sun promised.

‘Solstice’ roughly translates to ‘sun stands still’- as it was believed the sun was suspended in the sky on these occasions.

4 14
2020-12-15

- here comes the day/night when Saule turns on the year come back next year our sun goddess

2 4
2020-12-15

The Winter Solstice is the day that The Holly King is said to be at the height of his power, bringing death and cold to the land. At the Spring Equinox, his brother The Oak King will snatch his crown and begin his Summer reign.

74 246
2020-12-15

Snow babies were popular on cards in the early C20th. Created in Germany as cake decorations, their popularity spread due to the belief that the North Pole was reached in 1909. It is now known the expedition ended up about 60 miles away.

25 95
2020-12-15