Christmas Archives - Lutgard Musiime

Is a tree necessary for Christmas

December 10, 2021

When I saw this Blogmas prompt, it got me thinking, is it really necessary? I have never so much about it. Whether we have it or not, I will still enjoy Christmas. But I was curious to find out its origin, maybe I could reconsider my position. Let us learn together.

What is a Christmas tree?

According to Wikipedia, A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually, an evergreen conifer such as spruce, pine, or fir, or an artificial tree with a similar appearance. The tree was traditionally decorated with “roses made of colored paper, apples, wafers, cotton wool. As times moved on, this has transitioned to the trees being illuminated with Christmas lights and there is now a variety of traditional and modern ornaments like garlands, angels stars, ribbons, chocolate to mention but a few.

History of the Christmas tree

The Real History of Christmas Trees | Time

I have come to learn that long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people. Ancient people often hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows with the belief that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.

Germany is credited for the origin of the Christmas tree tradition as devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if the wood was scarce. Some sources believe that in the 16th-century Protestant reformer, Martin Luther first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.

Meaning and significance of a Christmas tree

In Christianity, the Christmas tree is symbolic of the birth of Jesus Christ. The tree’s branches and shrubs are viewed as an emblem of immortality and are said to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Christ on the cross.

Among the Romans, evergreen trees are held as solar symbolism in the Roman culture. The trees were a testimony of light to the Romans. They celebrated the festival of Saturnalia to honor Saturn– the God of agriculture. To mark the occasion, Roman people decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. Among the Greeks, the coniferous pine was sacred to Attis, the Greek God for flora– the world of vegetation. In the Greek tradition, pine was furnished with silver adornments, and bells and offerings were placed under the tree as sacrifices to the deities.

In Africa, I guess we borrowed from these cultures and more. That being said, with or without a Christmas tree, Christmas I will celebrate and enjoy.

What is it like for you?

2

Lifestyle

Blogmas Day 4,5,6,7

December 7, 2021

Honestly, no one ever prepares you for adulthood, that one can plan and things turn out different. As I started this #BlogmasEdition I promised to be in your faces every single day for 25 days up to Christmas and as we can tell already, I have failed you. But when we fail, we stand up, dust ourselves and continue the journey. The promise I will make is that content for the 25 days will be served, this content coming in every day is what I cannot guarantee anymore. So can we catch up at least and pay this debt? We left off on day 3, so we will continue with Day 4

Throwback to Christmas

My memory for last Christmas is really hazy because a lot of things happened shortly after that Christmas and killed everything for me. But let me try. I remember that Christmas was in the middle of a pandemic, at the height of messy campaigns and my brother had been recently married. As usual, I was at my mother’s and for the first time for Christmas, it was just me and mum. My 2 brothers did not come home this time around so it was new. We went to church, cooked, had our meal (a lot of food as always), had conversations here and there, and that was it. I remember being very lazy to send out individual Christmas messages to friends and family. Shortly after mum broke her leg, a friend of mine died, things were really messed. So that was what happened. Santa better passes by this year with better tidings.

Never have I ever

This is a popular game and a fun one too, best played with drinks. The aim is to loosen up a crowd and get them to be a little more comfortable with one another. The questions range from the simple ones to the harder ones that can get personal. If the question is true, I will take a shot. If it is not the other person takes the shot. So let us try and see how far I can go. Regard this as a virtual edition

Never have I ever got a tattoo (Your shot)
Never have I ever stood someone up on a date (Your shot)
Never have I ever had a speeding ticket (Your shot)
Never have I ever ghosted someone’s texts (My shot)
Never have I ever lied to get out of going to work (My shot)
Never have I ever given a fake name (My shot)
Never have I ever dumped someone over text (Your shot)
Never have I ever been sick on public transport (Your shot)
Never have I ever been thrown out of a bar or club (Your shot)
Never have I ever gone skinny dipping (Your shot)
Never have I ever gone out with a friend’s ex (Your shot)
Never have I ever fallen in love at first sight (My shot)
Never have I ever said ‘I love you’ when I didn’t mean it (My shot)
Never have I ever been mugged (My shot)
Never have I ever broken a bone (My shot)
Never have I ever lied about leaving the club early (My shot)
Never have I ever dropped my phone in a toilet (My shot)
Never have I ever run out on a meal without paying (Your shot)
Never have I ever Googled my own name (My shot)
Never have I ever forgotten where I parked my car (My shot)
Never have I ever fancied a friend’s parent (Your shot)
Never have I ever kissed more than one person in one day (Your shot)
Never have I ever had to hide a love bite (My shot)

Let us stop there, We should be over my limit already, these shots are too many although you can share with me what surprises you the most.

5 movies to watch to get you Christmasy

I am the wrong one for this, if I thought so hard all that comes to mind is Home Alone and mark you this is because we always watched this one while growing up. Otherwise on Christmas many times the time flies so fast and we end up watching nothing. Let me refer you to my friend Joy for the movies to watch. I will also be trying out this time and I will surely update you.

Amazon.com: Home Alone : Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Catherine O'Hara, Angela Goethals, Devin Ratray, Gerry Bamman, Hillary Wolf, John Candy, Larry Hankin, Julio Macat, Chris Columbus,

Favorite Christmas Carols

This is one of my favorites because I love to listen to the Christmas Carols, I will share many of these.

Death robbed us of Philly Lutaya but his legacy lives on through his songs

Taya’s vocals are incredibly beautiful. You will throw nursery rhymes and her vocals will do them justice. I love this song even more with her vocals

This has all the songs we grew up to. I always smile listening to these

I love this song because it feels like a blend of the new music genre and the old and it blended so well. The lyrics are rich too with the reality of what is happening in our modern times.

Let us meet tomorrow, God willing

2

Lifestyle

5 things I love about Christmas

December 3, 2021

To write only 5 things I love about Christmas is very limiting because from old the things to love about this season are countless but let me comb through my brain and pick out the top 5. Are you ready?

1. Christmas liturgy

I am a Catholic Christian and Christmas is preceded by a season we call Advent. It is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. During advent in mass, we do not sing the Gloria. Just as the Church refrains from the Gloria during Lent, She does the same during Advent, which is another great season of preparation for a greater mystery – the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. This is because Advent is a penitential season of the Church, just like Lent. Even though the Church sings “Alleluia” during Advent, She gives us this penitential season to call us to the same conversion that St. John the Baptist called the Jews as they awaited the arrival of the Messiah.

Because the Gloria is a prayer/song of joy, it is suppressed during Advent and is not heard until the vigil Mass of Christmas Eve. The return of Gloria in mass excites me a lot. We chant and it is a real celebration signifying the Nativity of the child Jesus. The decorations, the songs all make the liturgy very special for me.

Christmas Vigil Mass – Fr. Innocent Abonyi's pastoral Diary — *I love this section which is in nearly every church*

2. The food

Of course, I love food in case you were wondering. Christmas has been blamed for getting us to overeat because many families at least in Africa will outdo themselves. This is our excuse to overeat without raising eyebrows. The food is not different from the normal but it is just that it is in plenty. But again it is a festivity so we shouldn’t be surprised. In our household, our mother is the main chef of the day and it doesn’t matter whether 2 people showed up for Christmas that year, she will cook everything there is. There is always too much food but all that said and done, I love the food even when I am left immobile for a while.

Christmas family dinner traditional African food | Food, African food, Family dinner — *Most lunch tables here in Africa will look something close to this*

3. The Holidays

This is a perfect time to go slow on the hustle and bustle of life. We take off some time to breathe, put our legs up, sleep longer and not worry about a meeting or clients. It may be for a few days but it is worth it. I know this is not for everyone but at least for the most majority, it is a constant. People are able to catch up with family and some even get the opportunity to check on their parents. I love the holidays. If there is a vacation in there, the better.

4. Play dress up

The young girl in me still looks forward to dressing up for Christmas. When we were still younger, Christmas translated to a new dress, but now that we are older we look forward to being smartly dressed even if the dress is not new. I love to watch the glee on children’s faces as they show up for mass on Christmas day. It is always evident that they have a new ensemble and would like the whole world to know it. Christmas dress-up is pure joy.

Buy Girls Princess Cinderella Belle Aurora Jasmine Dress Up Costume Halloween Fancy Dress with Accessories Online in Turkey. 234053186

5. Christmas songs

Christmas songs are always taken out at the end of the year but they never grow old. I love to listen to Christmas songs. They are nostalgic and carry with them very many memories from the old good times. These songs are the ones that always usher us into December and I love them.

Bonus; Christmas decorations

Like I said in the beginning, 5 is too limiting so I had to throw in a bonus one. There is a tree that we used to cut while we were young, I don’t know the English name but most Ugandans know ‘akakomera’. It also doubled as a fence in many homes before concrete walls robbed us of the joy of community. These days we have modern Christmas trees that can be re-used and don’t leave a whole mess like the other one but it still does not beat the original tree. There is something about this Christmas decor that adds to the hype of the season. Decorating as a family also gives quality time to catch up.

Replanting Cut Trees - Can You Replant A Cut Christmas Tree

What are the 5 things you love about Christmas?

My Christmas wishlist for 2021

December 2, 2021

As promised, I had to play catch up and this is the blog meant for today. This #Blogmas has to be done no matter what. So how about we begin with wishlists.

The Christmas season is known for giving and receiving gifts. The hustle and bustle of the season can sometimes obscure the reasons for the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas and honestly as one grows it requires one to be intentional in order to keep this tradition as it could grow tired. So here is my Christmas wishlist. If I received all of them, hooray!!!! How awesome this would be! If I receive even one I would be elated. 2021 has not been very kind, but I am determined to end it with a bang.

1. Bookshelf Desk

Half my time I am writing, reading, or doing both so I have been obsessing over a perfect bookshelf desk that can have us both (the books and the writer). COVID19 came with so many things including longer work-from-home sessions. This is would be a perfect fit.

Solid Wood Desk Bookshelf Combination, Study Table – Mr Nanyang — *See perfection*

2. Watch

Rose Gold Boyfriend Watch Bracelet Set | Claire's — *Rose Gold Bracelet watch set*

I am the kind of girl who will wear the same watch for years. I have had this silver watch for close to 5 years and on one fateful day, I got on this motorcycle one early Monday morning, and 10 minutes into our ride we were on the ground kissing the dust. No, no bones were broken, just a bruised pinky finger and knee but my lovely watch paid the price. The screen cracked but I continued to wear it for the next 8 months. 2 weeks ago the crack caved. So this has got to appear on my wishlist. It is something I have to get

3. Centonomy 101

Centonomy 101 is a 12-week online Personal Financial Management program with the February intake starting on 15th February 2022. It is a dream course I have always wanted to do for a while now. This course helps one learn how to manage their money and debt, how investments work, and how to protect their money. The tuition fee for Centonomy 101 is now Kes 41,500 (Inclusive of 16% VAT and the registration fee of Kes 1,500)

4. Perfume collection

KSA - 10 Best Women's Perfumes Women Perfume Set, Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Narciso, Yves Saint Laurent | 7/24

Can we spoil this little girl? I love to smell good, and a good perfume collection is a sure happy charm for me. I will not be rigid on the labels, but a good scent perfume collection will pass

5. Boots

My girl Joy, I will follow in your footsteps for this. Did I mention this is my last item? No need to get overwhelmed. Every girl has staples in their wardrobe and comfortable shoes are a must-have for me. Since Canvas shoes are overflowing in this household, let us try boots this time.

YOUYEDIAN Boots Women 2018 Autumn Ankle Boots For Women Thin Heel Zipper Casual Female Shoes Leather Boots Botas Mujer|Ankle Boots| - AliExpress — *Wow*

I really love all the items I’ve rounded up in My Christmas Wish List for 2021 and I hope you can also borrow some ideas for yourself, friends, or family. If you end up grabbing an item in this post for yourself, be sure to leave a comment below!