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5

On the fifth day of christmas my true love gave to me: Five golden rings

Ok, there's only four in the pic, but my love didn't really give me five of them

Good lord.They are uncannily like mine (Before anyone starts asking I have my parents rings as well as my own)

Lovely - have you taken that picture by yourself? It's unique art, Liisi!

I don't like to wear too much jewelleries, I have never learnt to feel comfortable with wearing them - eventhought I have them in my jewellery-boxes and my dear hb buys me some now and then (he has a good taste with them) and sometimes I buy them by myself. But I respect people who wear lots of them and feel comfortable with them, eventhought 'it's not my thing'.

6

St. Nicholas' Day

One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. And so St. Nicholas is a gift-giver.

And for naughty children coal is put in the shoe instead of oranges!
This custom is still practised in a number of European countries....Many families will give the children a mix of oranges and coal to show that no child is perfect.

I remember getting a piece of coal one year I always got a shiny penny and an orange at the bottom of my stocking - family tradition I think.

We always get ( ) a tangerine and an apple at the bottom of our stockings as well! And a toothbrush...

7

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All The Way...

I love that pic of the bells Suzanne!

Yes Mari, the pic is mine I took it with my cell, so the quality is not the best..

Spooky pikey

I've never heard that story before milly But it's a nice one

Thanks Liisi

All these pictures are gorgeous - thanks folks.

My calendar is really pretty with a picture of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and a donkey on the front. However, the pictures inside aren't incredibly seasonal - so far have included a mouse and a fox

oh I do love this thread! That is lovely Suzanne!

It is a fantastic thread.

Thanks, thats one of my favourite Christmas pieces.