Merry Christmas !

Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

 

There's no stopping it now, Peteski

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How much it costs to decorate big for Christmas in the US

Over-the-top holiday decorating certainly extends beyond the US, yet American homeowners tend to take a different tack, focusing less on cohesive neighbourhood displays and more on wildly individual spectacles that attract hordes of visitors. These displays sometimes take decades to curate, with cumulative investments reaching well into the hundreds of thousands. 

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Lesser-Known Christmas Characters

Created as department store marketing tools, many of these seasonal figures became beloved holiday traditions.

 

Funny, Creative, and Outstanding Christmas Trees

A bunch of people shared their awesome Christmas trees that are lovingly decorated, themed, or cleverly cobbled out of things they already had. 

You can see 50 examples of Christmas trees that might make you rethink yours at Bored Panda. 

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Why Women Suffer More Holiday Stress

It doesn't take much imagination to understand why women suffer more from 'holiday stress.' 

 Despite the progress women have made in the paid workforce, they still carry the bulk of domestic duties, including the tasks of merry-making.

 Of course there is no quick fix to change the well-entrenched gender norms and expectations. Nor will a few brandy eggnogs permanently alleviate anxiety. 

However, given stress is ultimately created by the way we process and interact with our environment, a few simple shifts in mindset can help to keep stress from hihjacking your holiday spirit.

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Xanax

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There was once a time when people dressed up as Christmas trees

During Edwardian times, dressing up as a Christmas tree was a similar trend to that of people wearing ugly Christmas sweaters today. The only difference is that these Christmas tree costumes were way cooler and far more creative.

 

A pair of Italian sheepdogs have helped protect a flock of Christmas turkeys.

Farmer George Ford, from Blagdon, uses two Maremma sheepdogs - Bear and Holly - between August and December to guard his 600 free range turkeys.

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The tree is up, J. Holmes

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The Altai band - Jingle Bells (mongolian version)

 

 The Altai people live in Mongolia, China, and Russia. Here's Altai Kai (Altai Band) from the Altai Republic within Russia. For more than twenty years, the group has performed traditional music and favorite popular songs with traditional instruments, such as the stringed topshur. 

Their vocals come from the haunting throat singing found among the cultures of Central Asia. 

 Altai Kai recorded this version of "Jingle Bells" that begins with unfamiliar sounds, but soon becomes a clearly recognizable adaptation of the classic Christmas carol. 

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The lights are up, John Thatcher

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8 Magical Facts About ‘The Nutcracker’

Every holiday season, hordes of people who barely ever think about ballet show up to watch their local dance company perform a magical tale complete with evil mice, dancing desserts, and the most dazzling anthropomorphic blizzard that ever existed. It’s The Nutcracker, composed by Russia’s Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky—of Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty fame—and for many people, Christmas isn’t really Christmas without it.

 Here are eight facts about its origins and legacy.

 

The Tree is Up

Photo by Vanesa Pandzic/Cropix

 

Tissues at the ready...Meagan Daley, Alex Middlemass, Martin McManus and Missy the dog in the advert for Charlie's Bar.

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The lights are up , M. Tomaš

Advent Zagreb brings joy and warmth to the winter days once again!

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Seasonal depression, Alyson Bowen

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Before Photoshop was available, people got very creative in making their holiday and Christmas greeting cards.

Check out a festive collection of personalized Christmas cards from the mid-20th century designed to make the recipient laugh, at Bored Panda.

 

Hundreds of Sick Children Are Transported to a Christmas Wonderland Thanks to Photoshop Artists

Every year, photographers and Photoshop artists come together to bring the magic of the holidays to sick children across the world. The heART Project is a collaboration between award-winning Australian photographer Karen Alsop from Story Art and a group of volunteer photographers from across the globe. This year, the group visited children in the United States and Australia and brought a little Christmas joy to families struggling with childhood health challenges. 

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Taking Christmas card photos can be difficult for a multitude of reasons.

Back in 2015, Andrew Leigh, a member of Australia's House of Representatives, his wife Gweneth, and his three sons stood for family portraits. What they didn't see was their youngest, Zachary, had had enough. 

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