Let's not Mince Words

Do you like mince pie? Never had it? Mince pies were once known as mincemeat pies. The actual meat is left out of the now completely sweet British Christmas pastry filled with dried fruit. You should give it a try if you want to encourage luck in the New Year.

There's more than mince in mince pie. Eat as much mince pie as you can from the start of Christmas Eve until the end of the Twelfth night to bring heaping amounts of good luck into the New Year!

Put away that knife! An important note to make regarding Christmas food superstitions and mince pie is that cutting it will slice through your luck in the upcoming year. Better to just pick up and bite right into these delectable sweets.

Prefer using a utensil while gaining good luck? Here's another Christmas food superstition that requires a wooden spoon to mix the good luck into your treat.
The Proof is in the Pudding



Traditionally, all people in the household must stir the pudding with a wooden spoon and view the bottom of the bowl three times. Make a wish with each swirl. Even the youngest baby partakes to help to ensure the entire household prosperity in the coming year. Much like wishing on a star, however, you cannot reveal the content of your wish until it comes true.

Finally, a silver coin, a thimble and a ring are dropped into the pudding before serving. Christmas food superstitions dictate that the recipient of the coin on his Christmas dinner plate receives luck, whoever gets the thimble gains in prosperity, and finally the ring represents a wedding in the future.

Speaking of Christmas dinner here are a couple of lucky notes to make for your luck's sake. Make sure you set the table for an even number of people even if you have an odd number of guests (just make sure to round up, not down). Stay at the table until everyone's finished, because leaving early brings bad luck (doesn't that one sound like something your mom made up?).
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Learn the truth behind the Christmas legends of Silent Night!

There are obscure Christmas legends, and then there are the legends almost everyone remembers. Silent Night is a Christmas carol that has evoked a powerful response, and people seem compelled to shroud it with stories and mystery.
The Facts

These are the facts we know for sure about Silent Night despite the various stories surrounding the famous Christmas carol.

--An Austrian priest by the name of Father Josef Mohr composed the original lyrics to Stille Nacht in German.

--An Austrian headmaster, Franz Xavier Gruber, composed the melody, which differed slightly from the version we use today.

--Mohr wrote the song in 1816, but it wasn't performed until Christmas Eve of 1818 at the Nicola-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria.

--Gruber's original melody was written for guitar.
The Myths

Out of these simple facts came many Christmas legends of Silent Night. Including some of these myths and some legends where the truth is simply unknown.

--The organ broke and Gruber and Mohr quickly composed the melody for the song on guitar instead;

Truth: The first mention of this legend doesn't occur until 1909, long after the song's debut.

--The carol was performed to a magnificent reception, but promptly forgotten. In 1825, an organ repairman found the long-lost manuscript and brought it to the attention of the public once more.

Truth: Mohr and Gruber published several versions of the song throughout their lifetimes.

--Mice ate through the organ bellows, necessitating the use of the guitar.

Truth: There is no evidence of this, just like the other organ myth. Some have theorized that Gruber used his guitar just because he was looking for an excuse to play it in church. Unlike many Christmas legends, this one might actually be true.
Silent Night in War

Silent Night has had a profound impact on people around the world, and the Internet gives you access to many soldiers from a variety of battles who found peace in its melody.

The most famous, of course, is the temporary truce shared by German and American soldiers during the Christmas of 1914.

Unlike many Christmas legends, this story has been downplayed, not exaggerated, as years passed. Military officials disliked the truce, and they doubly disliked the fact that soldiers on both sides refused to resume firing at one another for some time afterwards.

But while Silent Night was the song that started soldiers on both sides singing together, the following days saw soldiers playing soccer, exchanging gifts, and meeting behind enemy lines, all in the name of Christmas.

So while many Christmas legends are silly, sentimental, or just plain nonsense, keep in mind that not only are some true, but that they can be the most inspiring of all.