"...MERRY CHRISTMAS..." It is interesting to see how many different countries and cultures celebrate CHRISTMAS...and what CHRISTMAS means to them. I come from a GERMAN/RUSSIAN background....GERMANS love to decorate their homes at CHRISTMAS. Many houses will have little wooden frames holding electric candles in their windows, and coloured pictures of paper or plastic which look beautiful from the outside at night. Often too, they will have an 'Adventskranz' - a wreath of leaves with four candles. (Advent - meaning 'coming' - is the 4 week period before Christmas). On each Sunday of Advent, another candle is lit. Most homes will also have little wooden 'cribs' - a small model of the stable where Jesus was born, with Mary, Joseph, Baby JESUS, and animals. At our house we have "kept" a little handcraft of the NATIVITY that our daughter and son made by hand many years ago and bring it out each year and put it on display (a fond memory of our kids when they were little at CHRISTMAS in our home). WHAT DOES CHRISTMAS MEAN TO YOU....? PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS SIGHT...! I wrote a poem about CHRISTMAS on: WWW.POETRY.COM You may go to that sight below and place my name in the search box and SEARCH. My poetry titles will come up. "WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME" is the poem you can read and print in various formats and send also..okay. GOD BLESS YOU ... "MERRY...MERRY CHRISTMAS..." ... We wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR= 2007....! -Harry and Joyce Brotzman Jr.  ¶ 7:51 AM