Christmas & What It Means To Me

 

Quote.scottishpower.co.uk

Ad

Scottish Power Emergency Cover - Protect Your Home Essentials

Next Time Things Go Wrong You Can Be Sure Help Is At Hand. From As Little As £3.00 pcm. Don't Let An Emergency Ruin Your Day. Protect Your Home Essentials The Whole Year Round.

Indeed

North Yorkshire County Council is hiring for General Teaching Assistants - Northallerton School & Sixth Form College + 38 new Northallerton jobs in Northallerton

13:35

Apply to jobs at North Yorkshire County Council, National Timber Group and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

eBay

🚚 Order update: Dutch (Hugo in 3 Mon...

13:11

Expected: Thu, 09 Dec Hi Jonathan, your order is being posted! Tracking number: L12612111001140673 Track order Go to site Tracking data usually becomes available within a few hours after the order is sent. Your order will be sent to: Jonath

JS

Jonathan Severs

christmas

11:18

Christmas Christmas is one of my favourite times of year. Sending Christmas cards to friends and relatives, getting the Christmas tree out of the loft and decorating it every year (including a star on the top), brightens up the house in our darkest month

eBay

✅ Order confirmed: Dutch (Hugo in 3 Mon...

Sun 13:13

Expected: Thu, 09 Dec. Look out for an update with the delivery confirmation. Thanks for another purchase, Jonathan. Your order is confirmed. We'll let you know when it's on the way. In the meantime, get our app to receive real-time tracking updat

eBay - goldensword2204

We’re expecting your Promotional Handling parcel

Sun 12:18

QUICK and EASY tracking & diversions Download our app Hi Jonathan Severs We're expecting your parcel from Promotional Handling. We'll let you know as soon as we receive it. Your parcel is still with Promotional Handling, however you can sti

eBay

✅ Order confirmed: LITTLE HOUSE ON THE ...

Sun 09:35

Expected: Sat, 18 Dec. Look out for an update with the delivery confirmation. Thanks for another purchase, Jonathan. Your order is confirmed. We'll let you know when it's on the way. In the meantime, get our app to receive real-time tracking upda

Christmas is one of my favourite times of year. Sending Christmas cards to friends and relatives, getting the Christmas tree out of the loft and decorating it every year (including a star on the top), brightens up the house in our darkest month of the year. As a Christian though, what I like most about Christmas is going to Church during Advent and (Covid allowing) going for Midnight Mass at my local Methodist Church. Singing Carols & Christmas songs probably makes Christmas for me - I sing in a local choir, and every year we have a concert (Covid permitting) to raise money for a children's charity -Action For Children https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/. In 2019 we raised over £1500 from donations.

Christmas traditionally starts on December 25th in most countries and lasts for 12 days. It does not finish on Boxing Day so I make a point of playing Christmas songs for the duration of the festival & taking decorations down on 12th night. However, other Christian denominations may celebrate Christmas at different times of year-  (For Oriental Orthodox Christians Christmas starts on January 7th, Armenian Apostolic Church January 6th & Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem January 19th).

As a Christian I do get annoyed that Christmas is flogged to death by retail and the mantra is to spend, spend, spend. Christmas for many can mean new debt in the New Year. You don't have to spend a fortune, and let's be honest, how much will end up going to the tip or Charity shop within 12 months? How about a contribution to a charity or actually buying something that will be long lasting? What Christmas means to me is thinking of others especially those far less fortunate than us. Spending time with family & friends is something that money can't buy. I never tire of the story of the Nativity, how a star appeared and guided three/four Kings to a stable in Bethlehem to pay homage to Baby Jesus in a stable. Above all, what Christmas means to me is Peace & Goodwill to all men & women - regardless of belief, race, gender, age etc.

 

Some Christmas Factoids

 

December 25th was originally chosen for Christmas in Ancient Rome, this date was originally used to celebrate the unconquered sun (Saturnalia Festival

 

In Scandinavia, Yule was celebrated from December 21st- the Winter Solstice. The largest logs would be brought into the home which would burn up to 12 days, they feasted during this time. The Norse belief was that each spark from the fire would bear a new calf or piglet in the new year.

 

Winter feasts were traditional in pagan times, celebrating the end of winter as cattle were slaughtered so they did not need feeding in winter and alcohol had finished fermenting.

 

From 1644 when Britain was a Republic, Christmas was banned until 1660, to help rid England of 'decadence'. Ba Humbug eh?

 

Father Christmas was first seen in England in the Fifteenth Century, his popularity declined until Victorian times when Christmas became centred around children, and Father Christmas became a bringer of presents.

 

I hope you enjoyed reading this,

 

Merry Christmas From Me Everyone!

Arthur Wharton -The World's First Professional Black Footballer

  Image found at:https://abrempongradiogh.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sport-4.bmp, accessed 7.10.2021.

I was inspired by the story of Arthur Wharton, the world's first black professional footballer and thought I would share the story for Black History Month.

Arthur 'Kwame' Wharton  was born in Jamestown, Ghana in 1865, in 1883 he moved to Darlington to train as a Missionary at Cleveland College. He became a professional footballer at the town's football club, playing mostly in goal but also played on the wing. Arthur became known as a goalkeeper with the 'prodigious punch'.He moved onto other clubs in his career including Preston North End, Rotherham & Newcastle & District which later became Newcastle United. In a match between Rotherham & Sheffield Wednesday, he was in goal, and to save a shot, he jumped to the crossbar catching the ball between his legs, causing the three opposition players to collide in a heap in the net.

 

 Not only was Arthur adept on a football pitch, he was a professional athlete, cyclist, cricketer & rugby player. He was the first Official Fastest Man, running 100 yards in 10 seconds straight on 3rd July 1886 at Stamford Bridge, London. ...'He was called “invincible” by one 19th-century newspaper, and a man who, even in the ideological context of Victorian Britain, refused to accept racism lying down. While waiting for an athletics race in his early 20s, he overheard two other competitors calling him the n-word'. “Allow me to give you to understand,” he later recalled telling the pair, “I not only run but do a little boxing when required.” They piped down. He won the race. (Sourced from The Independent Online, found at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/arthur-wharton-darlington-first-black-professional-footballer-b1286187.html accessed 8.10.2021).

After his sporting career he moved to Edlington, Doncaster in 1915 & worked as a haulage hand at Yorkshire Main Colliery. Arthur Wharton joined the Home Guard in The Great War |(date unknown). Sadly Arthur died penniless in 1930 in the Springwell Sanitarium, Balby and was buried in an unmarked grave at Edlington Cemetery. In May 1997, Arthur’s grave was given a headstone after a campaign by anti-racism organisation Football Unites Racism Divides for recognition of his achievements.

This may be considered a very short sporting career by today's standards, but there was no Sky TV, Premiership league or a million pound salary in those days. Football was in it's infancy and hard times were common, particularly in the economic climate of the late 20's and early 30's. Although Arthur Wharton died penniless, his story of overcoming racial barriers in sport have given us a an inspirational legacy that is everlasting, inspiring the likes of Marcus Rashford & Usain Bolt. Statues of Wharton are all over the world, from his native Ghana to the F.A Offices of London. My favourite Memorial to Arthur Wharton is in Darlington on the side of a house - a two story mural.

 

Sources

There are loads of websites with information on Arthur Wharton including these:

 

Arthur Wharton: The First Black Footballer, found at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/roots/2003/10/arthur_wharton.shtml

Arthur Wharton Foundation:, found at: https://arthurwhartonfoundation.org/

Great Lives, A Talk Featuring Viv Anderson talking about Arthur Wharton, you can listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sg13b