And like oh so many parts of our Christian and/or Colonialist history, when it comes to the holiday season, we weren’t the first ones there. So - if there is a war on Christmas, it has been going on for almost two millennia. It was around the fourth century that the church decided to celebrate Christmas around December 25, and they chose that date specifically to align with other pagan festivals and rituals also going on around that time. But, it wasn’t until many years after Jesus’ birth that Christmas was even celebrated as a Christian holiday specifically. The bible itself is non specific about the actual time of year, but many theologians suggest it is during the springtime due to the presence of the sheep and young animals described. Well, what about the baby Jesus then? Theologians place the birth of the Christ figure around 3-5 AD. Egyptians are also said to have revered evergreens, praising them for their eternal quality. ![]() Celebrating Saturn during the Winter Solstice, people would decorate their homes and gave gifts - sound familiar? Centuries later, in England, Druids would perform rituals in the woods and place evergreen branches above the doors of their homes to ward off evil spirits. Another, perhaps more significant event in the history of the holiday season generally is the Roman festival of Saturnalia. The Christmas tree goes back much further than Luther. So it was in the day of Martin Luther, and even in our home! And though a modern family may purchase their Christmas tree at a store instead of bringing one home from the forest, the focus is often on family participation. Martin Luther is said to have brought a fir tree into his home to his children, to help him share an inspirational story surrounding an experience he had in the woods. (There’s a cross-related irony to be found there, I’m sure.) (Was that an early preemptive strike for the inevitable War on Christmas? MAYBE!) When a fir sprouted in that place, Boniface declared the new fir tree represented Christ himself. One of many legends surrounding the origins of the iconic Christmas tree is one of Saint Boniface, who is said to have disrupted a pagan ritual by destroying the tree where it was being held. How did this weird little indoor tree come to be a part of our collective American holiday celebration? I actually really love Christmas trees, do you? We have a fake half-sized tree at our house even though we consider ourselves agnostic, and it’s fun to go through ornaments and sentimental family memorabilia with our girls. This warm weather has also had an effect on the city itself and its businesses.Let’s start with the tree. ![]() typically, all the El Ninos of the past have generally come later for us in North America and it's arrived just like its brothers of the past with balmy conditions, a lack of snow and really almost jacket weather instead of parka weather." Not many snow shovels being sold "We've seen El Nino raise havoc in other parts of the world in terms of droughts and floods," said Phillips. And it's something that wasn't unexpected. Phillips said that the warm weather we are experiencing is related to the effects of El Nino. "We know the front end of winter is essentially non-existent," said Phillips. Phillips said winter-like weather has essentially been "missing in action" in the lead-up to Christmas. ![]() The winter season will officially begin shortly before midnight. ![]() It may be hard to believe with this kind of weather, but winter is nearly here. "Quite something different than what we've seen in the past." "It's sort of like if people in Windsor went down to Atlanta, Georgia, or Charleston, South Carolina, to spend Christmas, that's what they normally would see," said Phillips. Phillips said that Windsor may see temperatures that are at least a dozen or more degrees above the normal levels on Christmas Eve. "You're going to have to not just dream about a white Christmas, it's going to require divine intervention," said David Phillips of Environment Canada, when speaking with CBC Radio's Windsor Morning. Hoping for a white Christmas in Windsor? It'll be a miracle if we see one.
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