http://www.holidaytales.org Fri, 23 May 2008 07:59:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The top 10 movie rentals over the Christmas Holiday season are: Miracle on 34th Street It’s a Wonderful Life The Grinch who Stole Christmas [animated] Elf The Nightmare Before Christmas A Christmas Carol [all versions] A Charlie Brown Christmas White Christmas National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Eight Crazy Nights [Honourary mention goes to the Sound of Music.]  Although my personal favorite that I ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/26/top-ten-christmas-movie-rentals/ Sinterklaas brings Dutch children, family and friends together to celebrate with food, gifts, and good company. December has been one of the most anticipated months for festivities in the Netherlands for centuries. Christmas, when the Dutch specifically celebrate the birth of Christ, the feast of Sinterklaas, or St. Nickolaas, is also ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/26/sinterklaas/ Still longing for the classics? Here are the best selling holiday albums of all times as listed by the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group representing the U.S. recording industry. Christmas Album by Elvis Presley -- [RCA, 1990 reissue] 9 million copies sold Miracles: The Holiday Album by Kenny G ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/26/multi-platinum-holidays/ Sometimes, the holiday season you want-the ones where the kids play quietly by the roaring fire, the date lingers under the mistletoe and the stereo plays a cherished holiday classic-is not the holiday season you get. The kids squabble. The date doesn’t show. The fire goes out. And the one tune ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/26/songs-in-the-key-of-celebration/ The first Christmas Eve according to the New Testament, and the centerpiece of Christian celebrations of Christmas. Now it came about in a those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/25/first-christmas-eve/ This traditional cookie made in Lebanon with press molds, is often eaten during Eid Al-Fitr. Mamoul is not difficult to make, but like all good things it takes time. The first step is done five hours ahead. The special ingredients [orange flower water and mahlab] are worth getting at a ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/25/eid-al-fitr-sweet-treat/ For Muslims the world over, there’s no happier time than Eid al-Fitr, the annual feast that marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan. On Eid al-Fitr, the estimated 5 million Muslims across the country-and hundreds of millions more around the world-celebrate in a major way. It’s one of the ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/24/eid-al-fitr/ The young, happy holiday of Kwanzaa, rooted in ancient African traditions, strengthens bonds among family and friends. Just four decades old, the holiday of Kwanzaa has been growing steadily in popularity; some 18 million African Americans are thought to celebrate the holiday. Founded at a time when the civil rights movement ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/23/kwanzaa/ A Taste of Diwali Sweets are given as gifts and offered during Diwali visits and prayers. Children and adults alike indulge in the desserts like gelabi, gulab jamun and pedus. Below is a recipe for ladoo. There are several different types of this treat; this version uses chickpea flour. Besan Ke Ladoo 4 ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/22/traditional-foods-for-diwali/ From Kenya to Canada, Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains welcome Diwali, the festival of lights, with family gatherings, new clothes and happy hearts. The traditions and symbolic meanings of Diwali are as varied by region as Indian culture itself. Just as India finds strength in its diversity, Diwali has morphed to ... http://www.holidaytales.org/2008/02/22/diwali/