This page is all about Christmas it’s the time of year that we enjoy with our families,friends and our colleagues.
This page has a Selfadvocatenet.com Christmas Message 2023 as well.
Also is some music videos and puzzles trivia about Christmas here on this page enjoy. Countdown to Christmas 2023 clock click below
Countdown to Christmas 2023 clock
Selfadvocatenet.com Christmas Message 2023
Premier’s statement on Christmas
Victoria Sunday, December 24, 2023 7:30 AM
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Christmas
Prime Minister Trudeau’s message on Christmas
“For Christians, it’s also a time to celebrate the birth of Christ and the values he embodied – values like compassion, kindness, and hope. And while the story of Christ is being celebrated by Christians tonight, these values are universal. The holiday season is an opportunity for us all to bring comfort, joy, and light to those who need it most. So, let’s love our neighbours as we love ourselves, and find strength in our differences. Let’s give back and extend a helping hand to those who’ve fallen on hard times. And let’s share the warmth of the season with those who are spending the holidays alone this year. That is not just the true spirit of Christmas – it is also the true spirit of Canada.
“Whether you’re continuing family traditions passed on from one generation to the next or embarking on new ones, whether you’re hosting a big family gathering or celebrating with a few close friends, I hope your holidays are filled with good cheer, great company, and hope for the year ahead.
“To our brave members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the first responders who work around-the-clock to keep us safe, and the volunteers who give up their time to make someone else’s Christmas merry and bright: Thank you. You embody the eternal message and timeless truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
“Once again, from my family to yours, merry Christmas. Let’s carry the spirit of the holidays into the new year, and let’s find new ways to make our communities, our country, and our world a brighter place, for everyone, in 2024.”
This on Justin Trudeau website go to the link here
Transcript
“Many of the festivals of the great religions of the world are celebrated with a special meal.
“A chance for family and friends to come together across generations; the act of sharing food adding to conviviality and togetherness.
“For some, faith will be uppermost in their hearts.
“For others, it will be the joy of fellowship and the giving of presents. It is also a time when we remember those who are no longer with us and think also of those whose work of caring for others continues, even on this special day.
“This care and compassion we show to others is one of the themes of the Christmas story, especially when Mary and Joseph were offered shelter in their hour of need by strangers, as they waited for Jesus to be born.
“Over this past year my heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another – going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do: at work and at home; within and across communities.
“My wife and I were delighted when hundreds of representatives of that selfless army of people – volunteers who serve their communities in so many ways and with such distinction – were able to join us in Westminster Abbey for the coronation earlier this year.
“They are an essential backbone of our society. Their presence meant so much to us both and emphasised the meaning of coronation itself: above all, a call to us all to serve one another; to love and care for all.
“Service also lies at the heart of the Christmas story – the birth of Jesus who came to serve the whole world, showing us by his own example how to love our neighbour as ourselves.
“Throughout the year, my family have witnessed how people of all ages are making a difference to their communities.
“This is all the more important at a time of real hardship for many, when we need to build on existing ways to support others less fortunate than ourselves.
“Because out of God’s providence we are blessed with much, and it is incumbent on us to use this wisely.
“However, service to others is but one way of honouring the whole of creation which, after all, is a manifestation of the divine. This is a belief shared by all religions.
“To care for this creation is a responsibility owned by people of all faiths and of none. We care for the Earth for the sake of our children’s children.
“During my lifetime I have been so pleased to see a growing awareness of how we must protect the Earth and our natural world as the one home which we all share.
“I find great inspiration now from the way so many people recognise this – as does the Christmas story, which tells us that angels brought the message of hope first to shepherds. These were people who lived simply amongst others of God’s creatures. Those close to nature were privileged that night.
“And at a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the World, I pray that we can also do all in our power to protect each other. The words of Jesus seem more than ever relevant: ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’
“Such values are universal, drawing together our Abrahamic family of religions, and other belief systems, across the Commonwealth and wider world.
“They remind us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of our neighbours, and to seek their good as we would our own.
“So on this Christmas Day, my heart and my thanks go to all who are serving one another; all who are caring for our common home; and all who see and seek the good of others, not least the friend we do not yet know. In this way, we bring out the best in ourselves.
“I wish you a Christmas of ‘peace on Earth and goodwill to all’, today and always.”
Pop Francis his Christmas Day message 2023
Transcript
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Merry Christmas!
The eyes and the hearts of Christians throughout the world turn to Bethlehem; in these days, it is a place of sorrow and silence, yet it was there that the long-awaited message was first proclaimed: “To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:11). Those words spoken by the angel in the heavens above Bethlehem are also spoken to us. We are full of hope and trust as we realize that the Lord has been born for us; that the eternal Word of the Father, the infinite God, has made his home among us. He became flesh; he came “to dwell among us” (Jn 1:14). This is the good news that changed the course of history!
The message of Bethlehem is indeed “good news of great joy” (Lk 2:10). What kind of joy? Not the passing happiness of this world, not the glee of entertainment but a joy that is “great” because it makes us great. For today, all of us, with all our shortcomings, embrace the sure promise of an unprecedented gift: the hope of being born for heaven. Yes, Jesus our brother has come to make his Father our Father; a small child, he reveals to us the tender love of God, and much more. He, the Only-Begotten Son of the Father, gives us “power to become children of God” (Jn 1:12). This is the joy that consoles hearts, renews hope and bestows peace. It is the joy of the Holy Spirit: the joy born of being God’s beloved sons and daughters.
Brothers and sisters, today in Bethlehem, amid the deep shadows covering the land, an undying flame has been lighted. Today the world’s darkness has been overcome by the light of God, which “enlightens every man and woman” (Jn 1:9). Brothers and sisters, let us exult in this gift of grace! Rejoice, you who have lost confidence in your certitudes, for you are not alone: Christ is born for you! Rejoice, you who have abandoned all hope, for God offers you his outstretched hand; he does not point a finger at you, but offers you his little baby hand, in order to set you free from your fears, to relieve you of your burdens and to show you that, in his eyes, you are more valuable than anything else. Rejoice, you who find no peace of heart, for the ancient prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled for your sake: “a child has been born for us, a son given to us, and he is named… Prince of Peace” (9:6). Scripture reveals that his peace, his kingdom, “will have no end” (9:7).
In the Scriptures, the Prince of Peace is opposed by the “Prince of this world” (Jn 12:31), who, by sowing the seeds of death, plots against the Lord, “the lover of life” (cf. Wis 11:26). We see this played out in Bethlehem, where the birth of the Saviour is followed by the slaughter of the innocents. How many innocents are being slaughtered in our world! In their mothers’ wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war. They are the little Jesuses of today, these little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war.
To say “yes” to the Prince of Peace, then, means saying “no” to war, to every war and to do so with courage, to the very mindset of war, an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly. This is what war is: an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly. To say “no” to war means saying “no” to weaponry. The human heart is weak and impulsive; if we find instruments of death in our hands, sooner or later we will use them. And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise? Today, as at the time of Herod, the evil that opposes God’s light hatches its plots in the shadows of hypocrisy and concealment. How much violence and killing takes place amid deafening silence, unbeknownst to many! People, who desire not weapons but bread, who struggle to make ends meet and desire only peace, have no idea how many public funds are being spent on arms. Yet that is something they ought to know! It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet-strings of war.
Isaiah, who prophesied the Prince of Peace, looked forward to a day when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation”, a day when men “will not learn war any more”, but instead “beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” (2:4). With God’s help, let us make every effort to work for the coming of that day!
May it come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those peoples. I embrace them all, particularly the Christian communities of Gaza, the parish of Gaza, and the entire Holy Land. My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of 7 October last, and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage. I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid. May there be an end to the fueling of violence and hatred. And may the Palestinian question come to be resolved through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community. Brothers and sisters, let us pray for peace in Palestine and in Israel.
My thoughts turn likewise to the people of war-torn Syria, and to those of long-suffering Yemen. I think too of the beloved Lebanese people, and I pray that political and social stability will soon be attained.
Contemplating the Baby Jesus, I implore peace for Ukraine. Let us renew our spiritual and human closeness to its embattled people, so that through the support of each of us, they may feel the concrete reality of God’s love.
May the day of definitive peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan draw near. May it be advanced by the pursuit of humanitarian initiatives, by the return of refugees to their homes in legality and security, and by reciprocal respect for religious traditions and the places of worship of each community.
Let us not forget the tensions and conflicts that trouble the region of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.
May the day draw near when fraternal bonds will be consolidated on the Korean peninsula by undertaking processes of dialogue and reconciliation capable of creating the conditions for lasting peace.
May the Son of God, who became a lowly Child, inspire political authorities and all persons of good will in the Americas to devise suitable ways to resolve social and political conflicts, to combat forms of poverty that offend the dignity of persons, to reduce inequality and to address the troubling phenomenon of migration movements.
From the manger, the Child Jesus asks us to be the voice of those who have no voice. The voice of the innocent children who have died for lack of bread and water; the voice of those who cannot find work or who have lost their jobs; the voice of those forced to flee their lands in search of a better future, risking their lives in grueling journeys and prey to unscrupulous traffickers.
Brothers and sisters, we are approaching the season of grace and hope that is the Jubilee, due to begin a year from now. May this time of preparation for the Holy Year be an opportunity for the conversion of hearts, for the rejection of war and the embrace of peace, and for joyfully responding to the Lord’s call, in the words of Isaiah’s prophecy, “to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (61:1).
Those words were fulfilled in Jesus (cf. Lk 4:18), who is born today in Bethlehem. Let us welcome him! Let us open our hearts to him, who is the Saviour, the Prince of Peace!
Why is Christmas Day on the 25th December?
Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God.
The name ‘Christmas’ comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The ‘Christ-Mass’ service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.
Christmas is now celebrated by people around the world, whether they are Christians or not. It’s a time when family and friends come together and remember the good things they have. People, and especially children, also like Christmas as it’s a time when you give and receive presents!
This is on a website called why Christmas.com go to the link here
What exactly is Christmas all about?
Winter Celebrations – Easy explanations for English language learners
This on website Called IcebreakerIdeas.com Christmas Trivia go to the link here
This on website has Christmas facts others Christmas stuff check it out WhyChristmas.com go to the link here
This is website called Free KIDS Crafts go to the link here Christmas craft free downloads check it out Christmas
This on website the JigsawPuzzle.com go to the link see Christmas and New Nears jigsaw puzzles do online free a lot of fun check it out click here
This on website called Christmas Jigsaw Puzzles Online free jigsaw puzzles go to the link here
Here is Christmas Recipes from a site called All Recipes.com go to the link here enjoy
Christmas Recipes 2023 Section
Martha Collison’s Snowman Christmas cake
Ingredients
For the fruitcake:
300g raisins
200g currants
300g sultanas
250g dates, roughly chopped
150g prunes, roughly chopped
150g dried apricots, roughly chopped
50g mixed peel
5 tbsp brandy, or preferred spirit, plus extra for feeding
Zest and juice 1 large orange
300g butter, at room temperature
300g dark brown soft sugar
4 large eggs
3 tbsp milk
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
100g ground almonds
150g blanched whole almonds, roughly chopped
For the cinnamon cake:
90g plain flour
100g caster sugar
40g butter
¾ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 medium egg, at room temperature
40ml milk, at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Buttercream:
50g unsalted butter, softened
100g icing sugar
1 tbsp rum (optional)
To decorate:
2kg white fondant icing
750g white marzipan
75g smooth apricot jam
Black, orange and red ready coloured fondant, or food colourings to colour the white fondant
Method
1. The day before baking your cake, mix all the dried fruits and mixed peel together in a large bowl and pour over the brandy, orange zest and juice. Place in the fridge overnight to soak in.
2. Preheat the oven to 150°C, gas mark 2 and line a round 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, allowing a few centimetres to stick out at the top.
3. Beat together the butter and dark brown sugar by hand or in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Crack in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk.
4. Once combined, add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground almonds and chopped nuts then mix until just combined. Stir in the presoaked fruit and any soaking liquid and mix until all the fruit is well incorporated.
5. Spoon the mixture into the lined cake tin. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 2 hours 45 minutes – 3 hours, rotating halfway through the cooking time to ensure an even bake, and covering it with foil if it looks too dark. Test to see if the cake is baked by inserting a skewer into the centre. A few crumbs should stick to it, but no raw mixture should be present.
6. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin, before turning out, piercing it all over with a skewer and feeding with brandy. Wrap tightly in parchment and foil and leave in a cool dark place, feeding every few weeks, until ready to decorate.
7. To make the cinnamon spiced cake, preheat the oven to 170oC, gas mark 3 and grease a few holes of a mini muffin tin with butter and line a 11cm loose-based sandwich tin with baking parchment.
8. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and cinnamon using the paddle attachment. Mix on a low speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. You shouldn’t see any large lumps of butter. You could use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour and sugar if you don’t have a stand mixer.
9. In a small jug, use a fork to blend the egg, milk and vanilla bean paste together. Add the mixture a little at a time into the bowl, beating until it is all combined. Keep beating for a few minutes more, until the mixture is uniform and smooth with no lumps. Pour the mixture into the sandwich tin and fill two or three holes in the muffin tray with a spoonful of mixture.
10. Bake the 11cm cake for 20 minutes or until risen and golden, and bake the muffins for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
11. Make the buttercream by beating the butter, gradually beating in the icing sugar with an electric whisk until it is light and fluffy. Lightly cover the 11cm cake and muffins with the buttercream and chill until needed.
12. Warm the apricot jam, then brush over the fruit cake. Roll out the marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar and cut a circle large enough to cover the cake. Place on top of the cake and smooth the marzipan down, then trim away any excess. Roll out ¾ of the white fondant and repeat the process above, brushing the marzipan with jam.
13. Roll out the remaining fondant and use to cover the 11cm cake. Roll out some black fondant and cover the muffin to look like a top hat.
14. Use the remaining coloured fondant to create eyes, buttons, a red scarf and an orange carrot nose for the snowman, applying them to the cake using a small amount of water or left over jam.
This recipe is on website called waitrose.com go to the link here
Cranberry-Orange Roast Ducklings
Chrismas Dinner
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 3 hours + standing YIELD: 10 servings.
- 2 domestic ducklings (4 to 5 pounds each)
- 2 medium navel oranges, quartered
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, divided
- 4 cups orange juice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
- 2/3 cup orange marmalade
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Pierce duckling skin all over with a fork. Place 4 orange quarters, 1 sprig of rosemary and 1/4 cup cranberries in each duckling cavity; tie drumsticks together. Place on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up.
- 2. In a bowl, mix orange juice, broth, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger. Refrigerate 1/2 cup for glaze. Pour 1 cup over ducklings; sprinkle with remaining cranberries. Cover and bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake 1-1/2 hours longer, basting frequently with remaining orange juice mixture. (Drain fat from pan as it accumulates.)
- 3. Mix marmalade and reserved orange juice mixture; spread over ducklings. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thigh reads 180°, 30-40 minutes. Discard oranges, rosemary and cranberries from cavities. Let ducklings stand 10 minutes before carving.
Your Ultimate Recipes Christmas Guide!
This is Safety Tips for Safe Holidays
This area is for Christmas karaoke fun with it and free
This is from a site called karaoke-version.com go to the link here or can click on the picture
This is from a site called Singing-Bell.com to go to the link here or click on the picture below
50 Best Christmas Karaoke Songs (Free
Here is also a free Christmas radio station online for free to check them out enjoy
TuneIN holiday Christmas stations go to the link here
This is from the internetradio.com website Christmas Stations go to the link here
This from radio station iheartradio.ca Christmas stations go to the link here
These are quotes happy holidays to everyone in 2023
Elmo & Patsy – Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer
Do They Know it’s Christmas ~ Band-Aid 1984?
Wham! – Last Christmas (Official Video)
Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You (Official Music Video)
Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song” (1961)
Johnny Mathis – It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (from Home for Christmas)
Bryan Adams – Christmas Time (Official Video)
Santa Claus is Comin’ (In a Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train) (Audio) (Pseudo Video)
Rockin’ This Christmas
John Lennon – So this is Christmas
Christmas Vacation Theme Song
Lindsey Buckingham – Holiday Road (Official Music Video)
Perry Como – The Twelve Days of Christmas
Bing Crosby & David Bowie – “The Little Drummer Boy (Peace On Earth)”
Bing Crosby – Silent Night
Bing Crosby – Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas Song)
