Joyeux Noel!

Wishing you and yours a
Merry Christmas.    

Visit us after Christmas to stock up on Lunagirl Images for winter crafts and art projects!

For the Winter Solstice

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring
Then we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

- Oliver Herford

Today marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere).  It is also the point in the Wheel of the Year when the days begin to lengthen again, when the Sun is "reborn" and starts to strengthen.  Although today is the beginning of winter, it is also the day we shift from increasing darkness to increasing light. 

Long before Christianity came to Europe, the ancient people there celebrated in December at the Winter Equinox (sometime around December 20-24), because although that is the darkest time of the year, it is also the time when days start getting LONGER again rather than shorter! They lit fires and candles to symbolically strengthen the sun's fire, and they decorated with the evergreens that magically survived through the winter.  The Romans likewise held their greatest celebrations this time of year.  This season has for thousands of years been a time of joy and celebration, and a festival of light.

P.S.  Remember to put out food for the birds this time of year, especially when there is snow on the ground.  Enjoy the season, and if the cold gets you down, remember that Spring is getting closer every day! 

Victorian Christmas Punch & Eggnog

In an 1847 letter, Charles Dickens gave the following recipe for Christmas Punch:

Peel into a very common basin (which may be broken in case of accident, without damage to the owner’s peace or pocket) the rinds of three lemons, cut very thin and with as little as possible of the white coating between the peel and the fruit, attached.

Add a double handful of lump sugar (good measure), a pint of good old rum, and a large wine-glass of good old brandy—if it be not a large claret glass, say two.

Set this on fire, by filling a warm silver spoon with the spirit, lighting the contents at a wax taper, and pouring them gently in. Let it burn three or four minutes at least, stirring it from time to time. Then extinguish it by covering the basin with a tray, which will immediately put out the flame.

Then squeeze in the juice of the three lemons, and add a quart of boiling water. Stir the whole well, cover it up for five minutes, and stir again.

I came across this authentic recipe from that most renowned of Victorian writers, and thought I would share.  For more detailed instructions, visit http://historicalfoods.com/christmas-punch-recipe  (Historical Foods is a fascinating site to explore).   Please note that the instructions do include the warning to be sure to use a HEAT-PROOF PUNCHBOWL AND GLASSES.  They might also include a reminder not to drink and drive after this festive concoction of sugar, citrus, rum and brandy!

And a Victorian Christmas would not be complete without eggnog (it was noted by an Englishman in 1866 that, “Christmas is not properly observed unless you brew egg nog for all comers; everybody calls on everybody else; and each call is celebrated by a solemn egg-nogging …"), so here is your link to Victorian-era recipes for authentic home-made eggnog: http://historicalfoods.com/egg-nog-recipe.

Mistletoe Lore & Traditions

Mistletoe has been considered a magical plant at least since Roman times, when it was part of the Saturnalia festivals held at the winter solstice. It was sacred to the ancient peoples of Europe, especially the Celtic Druids, who gathered it at both the Summer and Winter solstices. Its ability to stay green through the cold dark winter made it a symbol of renewal and "life-giving" power.

There are two kinds of mistletoe: One is the European plant known to the ancients, found in apple and oak trees. The kind Americans know as a Christmas decoration is native to the eastern United States. Both have poisonous white berries.


The Name Mistletoe
The name for this plant in Celtic languages is “all-heal” for its supposed abilities to cure diseases, make humans and animals fertile, protect against poisons, and bring good luck. However, the English name “mistle-toe” (from Anglo-Saxon) translates as “dung-on-twig”! (Mistletoe seeds are spread when birds eat the berries and then.... well, sit awhile in oak trees...).

Kissing Under the Mistletoe

In Norse myth, when the god Balder was struck down by an arrow made of mistletoe, his mother Freya cried tears of white berries. She brought her son back to life and promised her kiss of blessing to anyone who rested beneath mistletoe.At least since the Middle Ages mistletoe has been hung in doorways to ward off evil spirits (it seems ghosts are especially active at the seasonal transitional festivals such as Yule). It was sometimes used year-round to protect houses against lightning.

Kissing under the mistletoe dates back at least to the Romans, probably because of its association with fertility and luck. Because it was associated with peace, enemies (and warring spouses) would “kiss” or declare a truce under mistletoe.


Victorian Customs

In Victorian England some created a special decoration called a “kissing ball” using evergreens, colorful ribbons and ornaments, finished with a sprig of mistletoe. The kissing ball was hung from the ceiling, and partygoers played kissing games underneath!

Each time a man kisses a woman under the mistletoe, he should pluck one of the berries, and when all the berries are gone the kissing should stop!

If you want those who’ve kissed under the mistletoe to marry, be sure to burn it on the Twelfth Night of Christmas... which is Epiphany, January 6.

To find out about our Holidays image collections from Lunagirl... click here.

Printable Tags from Lunagirl

Great for holiday gifts ~ Print it yourself!

Print our Lunagirl tags whenever you need them onto the papers of your choice.  Available only at Lunagirl.com.

Each sheet is a high-resolution jpg image to download and save so that you can print more copies whenever you need them, onto fine papers, card stock, etc.

These are perfect to add to wrapped gifts, attach to gift baskets or baked goodies for giving, use to create place cards or invitations ... a lovely personal vintage touch for your Christmas. They're also fun for scrapbooks and card making! PURCHASE THEM HERE

Lunagirl Wall Calendars featuring art and vintage photos

We are pleased to offer four beautiful 2012 wall calendars, available for purchase in our Lunagirl Cafepress Gift Shop:  Vintage Beauties featuring lovely Edwardian women, Vintage Bellydance, Bouguereau paintings, and Bouguereau Little Girls paintings. I'm happy to say that they have been pretty popular since we introduced them last year!

Click on the pictures below to go see the listings with all the calendar pages, twelve different images in each of course. (In our cafepress shop you'll also find all types of Lunagirl images on apparel for women men children and babies, as well as journals, tote bags, mugs, magnets & more.)
  

 

Did you know...... about Lunagirl's gift shop?

You can buy Lunagirl shirts, sweatshirts, other clothing, tote bags, baby items, mugs, journals and more by visiting our Lunagirl Shop. Featuring a variety of Victorian Edwardian and vintage images: Halloween and Christmas pictures, antique advertising labels, women, men, fairies and angels, flowers, animals and birds, antique trains and planes, fantasy and steampunk, even beautiful paintings by Van Gogh, Bouguereau and Waterhouse.  And it's at Cafepress, which has all kinds of discount offers and specials this time of year (and throughout the year, really).  Last but not least, you'll also find Lunagirl Calendars for 2012!

Victorian Floral Christmas Cards

The custom of sending Christmas cards began in Victorian London in about 1840, and in 1875 Boston lithographer Louis Prang began publishing Christmas cards in America. The earliest cards usually featured colorful flower blossoms or pictures of birds, children or angels.

We couldn't find out much more about floral cards, except that they were part of the Victorians' (and Victorian-era Americans') love for flowers, and that the early, expensive cards were probably sent by wealthy people.

It was inexpensive holiday penny postcards, somtimes imported from Germany, that were sent by most Americans until WWI.



We think these floral cards are lovely and quaint -- they certainly reflect the "shabby" romantic spirit that so many of our customers like!



While cards featuring caroling children, nativity scenes, holly wreaths, and of course dear old Santa Claus fit our traditional idea of Christmas, these old flower cards are sweet for something different.

You'll find them (and hundreds more holiday images) in our Holidays & Occasions 3CD set -- and with holiday greetings removed in our Victorian Flowers collection, to use as flower pictures in your scrapbooking, card making and art.

New from Lunagirl: Download Packs

I'm trying a new item in our shops: "download packs" of about a hundred images on a certain theme, for $5 each (no shipping, of course).  Our first four are 110 Santa Images, 102 Angel Images, 100 Christmas Children Images, and 100 Halloween Images.  All are available in our etsy shop and also at Lunagirl.com.  After your purchase of the download pack, you will receive your jpg images by a download link in an email.  These are currently sent "by hand" so it's not necessarily instant delivery (like our digital collage sheets at Lunagirl.com) but we're pretty quick!

Visit our download pack page at Lunagirl.com, or our etsy shop.  The first four sets have been quite popular, so watch for more on the way!