More Christmas superstitions from times past. In past eras,Christmas wasn't just a time to celebrate, it was a time to ensure good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Maybe these superstitions and omens are just that, but some of them are just plain fun and will give you a good excuse to kiss as often as possible under the mistletoe.

Things to Do for Good Luck and Prosperity

• If you do not give a gift to someone on Christmas Eve you run the risk of being poor.
• Leave a Christmas candle burning in a window all night to bring good luck in the coming year.
• To make your trees fruitful, tie wet bands of straw around their branches on Christmas Eve.
• Never throw holly leaves on a fire.
• Try to eliminate all of your debts before the year ends. Ending the year in debt, means another whole year of debt.
• Don't lend anything to anyone on New Year's Day.
• Don't kiss under the mistletoe after all the berries have dropped off.
• Throw open the doors to the house at midnight on Christmas Eve to let any trapped evil spirits out.
• It is unlucky to do any unnecessary work on Christmas Day.
• It is lucky to kiss under the mistletoe and unlucky deliberately to avoid the opportunity.
• Dance outside around a tree on New Year's Day to ensure luck in love, prosperity and good health for the coming year.
• Eat something leafy and green on New Year's Day. That will bring prosperity during the year, and you won't have to worry about paying bills.

Omens

• If the first visitor at your house on New Year's Day is a man with black hair, that's good luck. If your visitor has red hair that's bad luck.
• Placing a cherry tree branch in water at the beginning of Advent will bring luck if it flowers by Christmas.
• Children born on Christmas day are especially fortunate.

Weather Forecasting

• Whatever the weather is like on each of the twelve days of Christmas, starting on December 26th, is a forecast of what the weather will be like in the corresponding month of the coming year.
• Snow on Christmas Day means Easter will be green.
• If the winds blow on Christmas Day that means good luck.

Robins

Robins were very popular on vintage postcards. A practical explanation is that they represent the Victorian postmen, who wore red tunics. But the legends and superstitions are much more interesting. Robins were said to have brought fire to man. Their breasts are red because the fire scorched the robin's breast. Another legend is that the robin visited the Christ child in his manger in Bethlehem. When he got there the fire was going out and the blessed babe was getting cold. So the robin beat his wings to fan up the fire and while doing so scorched his breast.

Regardless of their association with Christmas, they are a beloved bird and you must never kill one for you will thereafter have bad luck. If you break a robin's eggs, something of your own will break.

Robins can also forecast weather. If a robin sings on top of a bush, there will be warm weather, if it sings from within a bush, it will be rainy.

Here's a Christmas salad you can make to ensure that you have something leafy and green, and mushrooms too at your Christmas dinner table for good luck and health.

4 cups cooked brussels sprouts, halved
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup raw mushrooms, sliced
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
4 drops Tabasco sauce


Toss the tomatoes, mushrooms and brussels together. Shake oil, vinegar, salt, garlic salt and tabasco in a jar to mix very well. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and chill for 24 hours.



Today's desktop wallpaper download is a vintage Christmas postcard, circa early 1900, of two beautiful children dressed in red and carrying holly and a small Christmas tree.

To download: Select the link that best fits your computer monitor. When you see the image in your browser, simply right-click on the link and select "Set as Background". Merry Christmas!

800 X 600   1024 X 768   1280 X 960   1280 X 720

p.s. These images are high resolution and they are BIG! So be patient while the image downloads!