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Charities: Help Harry Help Others

Help Harry Help Others (H.H.H.O.) is a charity close to Birmingham City’s heart and worthy of any support it gets.

Harry Moseley was a remarkable young lad who whilst battling an inoperable brain tumour, was inspired to make a difference to all people with brain cancer when a friend of his who also had a brain tumour became very ill. Within the space of just over two years, Harry had organised and attended nearly 100 events to raise money for and awareness of brain cancer. He touched the hearts of the nation with his efforts and helped change the lives of everyone he met. You can read his story here.

Please help H.H.H.O. in any way you can. You can donate to them below.

Georgina Moseley explains how Help Harry Help Others started.

Help Harry Help Others logo featuring Harry Moseley.

About Help Harry Help Others

From Harry Moseley’s mom Georgina, and founder / C.E.O. of Help Harry Help Others:

“I understand personally how a diagnosis of cancer can impact your life. Endless hospital appointments or stays in hospital, normal family routines disrupted and for lots of people the huge financial implications that such an illness inflicts – especially for home owners and those having to leave employment due to their own illness or becoming a carer for a loved one… and that’s without the emotional stress of such a journey.

That’s exactly why Help Harry Help Others has become its own charity and is structured so that we can offer every inch of practical support right in the heart of the community. We ensure our services are accessible, there is somewhere to go when you are having a bad day, and that we have advisors at our centres that offer support in all areas that you may need because of the life-changing circumstances Cancer inflicts.

Here at Help Harry Help Others we want to support you too! Please take a look at our services and if you need extra help do contact us so that we can support you and you can then focus on what’s really important – each other!”

Georgina Moseley during the Danceathon in celebration of Harry’s Heavenley 24th birthday on 21/02/2024.

Their is a Just Giving page about it here if you want to donate towards it.

Their Mission

(1) To offer cancer patients and their families and friends any support that is needed outside of treatment, all from under one roof.

(2) In a home-from-home environment they offer time, empathy, urgency and understanding and help you tackle all the practical, financial and emotional challenges you face.

(3) Their service is here for patients, carers, family, friends and work colleagues. Cancer impacts everybody, so they are here for everyone.

(4) No one should feel isolated or face Cancer alone. They offer accessible support in the heart of the community to adults and children affected by ANY type of Cancer.

All of the services they offer are free.

What Makes Them Unique

(1) No appointments are required. Just drop in and be guaranteed support.

(2) No referrals are required. You can reach out for immediate support yourself.

(3) A reactive service. They understand you need help NOW.

(4) No Postcode lottery. if your affected by cancer and can get to them, they can help with the rest.

(5) Time is the most precious gift of all. Whether you are an adult or a child, Help Harry Help Others makes time to support you, whatever type of cancer you are affected by.

However you are affected they are there to support you.

How They Help

(1) Drop in Cancer Support. They offer grants through their HelpCOPE fund to those who are suffering financial hardship and also run a Drop in Cancer Support Centre via their HelpCARE fund.

(2) Finding a Cure. Help Harry Help Others is unique in its efforts to not only help find a cure for brain cancer via their HelpCURE fund, but also in helping adults and children who are affected by ANY cancer.

(3) Free On Site Services. The centre offers over 17 free services on site and supports adults and children with every inch of support they may need outside of treatment.

Help Harry Help Others support the mental well-being of cancer patients, family members, carers, work colleagues and friends.

Click here to meet their trustees, ambassadors, staff, service providers and volunteers.

Click here to see all the services they offer.

Donate

You can donate to Help Harry Help Others by clicking here.

Address

Registered Office:

8 Midland Croft

East Meadway

Birmingham

B33 0AW

Telephone

Enquiries: 0121 783 5407

E-Mail

Enquiries: enquiries@hhho.org.uk

Opening Hours

Monday: 9am – 5pm

Tuesday: 9am – 5pm

Wednesday: 9am – 5pm

Thursday: 9am – 5pm

Friday: 9am – 5pm

The above article was sourced from the Help Harry Help Others website and is subject to change.

Blog Posts

Charities: Sands.

Charities: Frankie And Zoe Do Sober For October For Sands.

Mental Health: I Am A Domestic Violence Survivor By Paul Hibbert.

Notes And Links

Help Harry Help Others – The image shown at the top of this page is the copyright of Help Harry Help Others and comes from their official website.

Help Harry Help Others on Facebook.

Help Harry Help Others on Twitter.

Help Harry Help Others on Instagram.

Help Harry Help Others on YouTube.

Help Harry Help Others featured in Blues News on 22/09/2023.

Charities

Certain charities have helped me in my life in one way or another or have meant something to me somehow and some mean something to me through family members and their involvement with them.

Although I do believe that charity begins at home and the need to take care of yourself and one’s family first is very important before caring for others, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help others if we can but we should NEVER be guilt-tripped into doing so. Only donate an amount of money you feel comfortable with, even if it is just pennies and don’t be forced into donating on a monthly Direct Debit plan by anyone. If you would rather just put money in a collection box, etc. then do so or just visit a charity shop instead and then you can choose what you want to spend and maybe get yourself a bargain in the process.

I have seen different sides to charities (not all good) and many make a lot of money for the fat cats in charge. I do not support that at all. If you feel that way too then it shouldn’t stop you from helping them though as there are many ways to help without being concerned who your money is going to. Volunteering your time to them is just as precious as is sharing their cause on social media, etc. (if you agree with the reason behind a certain charity) is helping too. I have done volunteer work for some charities which have helped my confidence regarding my mental health and helped me learn new things.

Different charities mean different things to different people. Most of the ones mentioned on this page are the ones relevant to things in my life and are what I feel are worthy of my support albeit my money and/or my time.

You can read more about these in my Decades section and in my blog posts below.

About Chariities

A charity or charitable organisation is an organisation whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).

The legal definition of a charity (and of a charitable organisation) varies between countries and in some instances regions of the country. The regulation, the tax treatment, and how charity law affects charitable organisations also vary. Charitable organisations may not use any of their funds to profit individual persons or entities. However, some charitable organisations have come under scrutiny for spending a disproportionate amount of their income to pay the salaries of their leadership.

Financial figures (e.g. tax refund, revenue from fundraising, revenue from the sale of goods and services or revenue from investment) are indicators to assess the financial sustainability of a charity, especially to charity evaluators. This information can impact a charity’s reputation with donors and societies, and thus the charity’s financial gains.

Charities often depend partly on donations from businesses. Such donations to the charities represent a major form of corporate philanthropy.

To meet the exempt organisational test requirements, a charity has to be exclusively organised and operated. To receive and pass the exemption test, a charity must follow the public interest and all exempt income should be for the public interest. For example, in many countries of the Commonwealth, charities must demonstrate that they provide a public benefit.

The History Of Charities

Early Systems

Until the mid-18th century, charity was mainly distributed through religious structures (such as the English Poor Laws of 1601), almshouses, and bequests from the rich. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam incorporated significant charitable elements from their very beginnings and alms-giving has a long tradition in Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Charities provided education, health, housing, and even prisons. Almshouses were established throughout Europe in the Early Middle Ages to provide a place of residence for the poor, old, and distressed people. King Athelstan of England (reigned 924 – 939) founded the first recorded almshouse in York in the 10th century.

Enlightenment Charity

During the Enlightenment era, charitable and philanthropic activity among voluntary associations and affluent benefactors became a widespread cultural practice. Societies, gentlemen’s clubs, and mutual associations began to flourish in England, with the upper classes increasingly adopting a philanthropic attitude toward the disadvantaged. In England, this new social activism led to the establishment of charitable organisations, which proliferated from the middle of the 18th century.

This emerging upper-class trend for benevolence resulted in the incorporation of the first charitable organisations. Appalled by the number of abandoned children living on the streets of London, Captain Thomas Coram set up the Foundling Hospital in 1741 to care for these unwanted orphans in Lamb’s Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury. The idea of a hospital for less fortunate children has continued up to now but it is most commonly referred to as a care home. This institution, the world’s first of its kind, served as the precedent for incorporated associational charities in general.

Another notable philanthropist of the Enlightenment era, Jonas Hanway, established The Marine Society in 1756 as the first seafarers’ charity, aiming to aid the recruitment of men into the navy. By 1763, the Society had enlisted over 10,000 men, and an Act of Parliament incorporated it in 1772. Hanway also played a key role in founding the Magdalen Hospital to rehabilitate prostitutes. These organisations were funded by subscriptions and operated as voluntary associations. They raised public awareness about their activities through the emerging popular press and generally enjoyed high social regard. Some charities received state recognition in the form of a royal charter.

Charities also began to take on campaigning roles, championing causes and lobbying the government for legislative changes. This included organised campaigns against the mistreatment of animals and children, as well as the successful campaign in the early 19th century to end the slave trade throughout the British Empire and its extensive sphere of influence. However, this process was quite lengthy, concluding when Saudi Arabia abolished slavery in 1962.

The Enlightenment era also witnessed a growing philosophical debate between those advocating for state intervention and those believing that private charities should provide welfare. The political economist, Reverend Thomas Malthus (1766 – 1834), criticized poor relief for paupers on economic and moral grounds and proposed leaving charity entirely to the private sector. His views became highly influential and informed the Victorian laissez-faire attitude toward state intervention for the poor.

The Foundling Hospital, Lamb’s Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, London.

This is an early print of the Foundling Hospital, built in 1741. The word foundling means a small child and children and babies in baskets were dropped off and left on the doorstep to be collected by nurses.

The building has since been demolished.

Charity during the Enlightenment era by Antoine-Alexandre Morel.

This painting was created on the 1st of January, 1800. The artist was born in 1765 and died in 1829.

Growth During The 19th Century

During the 19th century, a profusion of charitable organisations emerged to alleviate the awful conditions of the working class in the slums. The Labourer’s Friend Society, chaired by Lord Shaftesbury in the United Kingdom in 1830, aimed to improve working-class conditions. It promoted, for example, the allotment of land to labourers for cottage husbandry, which later became the allotment movement. In 1844, it became the first Model Dwellings Company – one of a group of organisations that sought to improve the housing conditions of the working classes by building new homes for them, all the while receiving a competitive rate of return on any investment. This was one of the first housing associations, a philanthropic endeavour that flourished in the second half of the nineteenth century, brought about by the growth of the middle class. Later associations included the Peabody Trust (originating in 1862) and the Guinness Trust (founded in 1890). The principle of philanthropic intention with capitalist return was given the label five per cent philanthropy.

There was strong growth in municipal charities. The Brougham Commission led to the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which reorganised multiple local charities by incorporating them into single entities under supervision from the local government.

Charities at the time, including the Charity Organisation Society (established in 1869), tended to discriminate between the deserving poor, who would be provided with suitable relief, and the underserving or improvident poor, who were regarded as the cause of their woes due to their idleness. Charities tended to oppose the provision of welfare by the state, due to the perceived demoralising effect. Although minimal state involvement was the dominant philosophy of the period, there was still significant government involvement in the form of statutory regulation and even limited funding.

Philanthropy became a very fashionable activity among the expanding middle classes in Britain and America. Octavia Hill (1838 – 1912) and John Ruskin (1819 – 1900) were important forces behind the development of social housing, and Andrew Carnegie (1835 – 1919) exemplified the large-scale philanthropy of the newly rich in industrialised America. In Gospel of Wealth (1889), Carnegie wrote about the responsibilities of great wealth and the importance of social justice. He established public libraries throughout English-speaking countries and contributed large sums to schools and universities. A little over ten years after his retirement, Carnegie had given away over 90% of his fortune.

Towards the end of the 19th century, with the advent of New Liberalism and the innovative work of Charles Booth in documenting working-class life in London, attitudes towards poverty began to change. This led to the first social-liberal welfare reforms, including the provision of old-age pensions and free school meals.

A Puck magazine cartoon by Louis Dalrymple of Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropy.

This cartoon was published in New York City. U.S.A. in 1903.

Growth Since 1901

During the 20th century, charities such as Oxfam (established in 1947), Care International, and Amnesty International expanded greatly, becoming large, multinational non-governmental organisations with very large budgets.

Growth Since The 21st Century

With the advent of the Internet, charities established a presence on online social media platforms and began initiatives such as cyber-based humanitarian crowdfunding, exemplified by platforms like GoFundMe. Another notable charity is Beyond the Crisis. This organisation distributes food and resources to housing communities and homeless shelters in the United States. It was founded by young philanthropists Camden and Colton Francis.

By Jurisdiction

Australia

The definition of charity in Australia is derived from English common law, originally from the Charitable Uses Act 1601, and then through several centuries of case law based upon it. In 2002, the federal government initiated an inquiry into the definition of a charity. The inquiry proposed a statutory definition of a charity, based on the principles developed through case law. This led to the Charities Bill 2003, which included limitations on the involvement of charities in political campaigning, an unwelcome departure from the case law as perceived by many charities. The government appointed a Board of Taxation inquiry to consult with charities on the bill. However, due to widespread criticism from charities, the government abandoned the bill.

Subsequently, the government introduced the Extension of Charitable Purpose Act 2004. This act did not attempt to codify the definition of a charitable purpose but rather aimed to clarify that certain purposes were charitable, resolving legal doubts surrounding their charitable status. Among these purposes were childcare, self-help groups, and closed/contemplative religious orders.

To publicly raise funds, a charity in Australia must register in each Australian jurisdiction in which it intends to raise funds. For example, in Queensland, charities must register with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading. Additionally, any charity fundraising online must obtain approval from every Australian jurisdiction that mandates such approval. Currently, these jurisdictions include New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. Numerous Australian charities have appealed to federal, state, and territory governments to establish uniform legislation enabling charities registered in one state or territory to raise funds in all other Australian jurisdictions.

The Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (A.C.N.C.) commenced operations in December 2012. It regulates approximately 56,000 non-profit organisations with tax-exempt status, along with around 600,000 other N.P.O.’s in total, seeking to standardise state-based fund-raising laws.

A Public Benevolent Institution (P.B.I.) is a specific type of charity with its primary purpose being to alleviate suffering in the community, whether due to poverty, sickness, or disability. Examples of institutions that might qualify include hospices, providers of subsidised housing, and certain not-for-profit aged care services.

Canada

France

Most French charities are registered under a type of legal entity for non-profit N.G.O’s. This statute is extremely common in France for any type of group that wants to be institutionalised such as sports clubs, book clubs, support groups etc. It is very easy to set up and requires very little documentation. However, for an organisation under the statute to be considered a charity, it has to file with the authorities to come under the label of N.G.O. acting for the public interest. This label gives the N.G.O. some tax exemptions.

Hungary

In Hungary, charities are referred to as Public benefit organisations. The term was introduced on the 1st of January, 1997 through the Act on Public Benefit Organisations.

India

Under Indian law, legal entities such as charitable organisations, corporations, and managing bodies have been given the status of legal persons with legal rights, such as the right to sue and be sued, and the right to own and transfer property. Indian charities with this status include Terna Public Charitable Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

Ireland

In Ireland, the Charities Act (2009) legislated the establishment of a Charities Regulatory Authority, and the Charities Regulator was subsequently created via a ministerial order in 2014. This was the first legal framework for charity registration in Ireland. The Charities Regulator maintains a database of organisations that have been granted charitable tax exemption (a list previously maintained by the Revenue Commissioners). Such organisations would have a C.H.Y. number from the Revenue Commissioners, a C.R.O. number from the Companies Registration Office, and a charity number from the Charities Regulator.

The Irish Nonprofits Database was created by the Irish Nonprofits Knowledge Exchange (I.N.K.Ex.) to serve as a repository for regulatory and voluntarily disclosed information about Irish public-benefit nonprofits.

Nigeria

Charitable organisations in Nigeria are registerable under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020. Under the law, the Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigeria, being the official Nigerian Corporate Registry, is empowered to maintain and regulate the formation, operation, and dissolution of charitable organisations in Nigeria. Charities in Nigeria are exempted under §25(c) of the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA) Cap. C21 LFN 2004 (as amended), which exempts from income tax corporate organisations engaged wholly in ecclesiastical, charitable, or educational activities. Similarly, §3 of the Value Added Tax Act (V.A.T.A.) Cap. V1 LFN 2004 (as amended), and the 1st Schedule to the V.A.T.A. on exempted Goods and Services goods zero-rates goods and services purchased by any ecclesiastical, charitable, or educational institutions in furtherance of their charitable mandates.

Poland

A public benefit organisation is a term used in Polish law. It was introduced on the 1st of January, 2004 by the statute on public good activity and volunteering. Charitable organisations of public good are allowed to receive 1% of income tax from individuals, making them tax-deductible organisations. To receive such status, an organisation has to be a non-governmental organisation, with political parties and trade unions not qualifying. The organisation must also be involved in specific activities related to the public good as described by the law, and it should demonstrate sufficient transparency in its activities, governance, and finances. Moreover, data has shown that this evidence is pertinent and sensible.

Polish charities with this status include Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, K.A.R.T.A. Center, the Institute of Public Affairs, the Silesian Fantasy Club, the Polish Historical Society, and the Polish chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Singapore

The legal framework in Singapore is regulated by the Singapore Charities Act (Chapter 37). Charities in Singapore must be registered with the Charities Directorate of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. One can also find specific organisations that are members of the National Council of Social Service (N.C.S.S.), which is operated by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Ukraine

The legislation governing charitable activities and the process of obtaining charitable organisation status is regulated by Ukraine’s Civil Code and the Law of Ukraine on Charitable Activities and Charitable Organisations.

According to Ukrainian law, there are three forms of charitable organisations:

(1) A charitable society is a charitable organisation created by at least two founders and operates based on the charter or statute.

(2) A charitable institution is a type of charitable trust that acts based on the constituent or founding act. This charitable organisation’s founding act defines the assets that one or several founders transfer to achieve the goals of charitable activity, along with any income from such assets. A constituent act of a charitable institution may be contained in a will or testament. The founder or founders of the charitable institution do not participate in the management of such a charitable organisation.

(3) A charitable fund or charitable foundation is a charitable organisation that operates based on the charter, has participants or members, and is managed by them. Participants or members are not obliged to transfer any assets to such an organisation to achieve the goals of charitable activity. A charitable foundation can be created by one or several founders. The assets of a charitable fund can be formed by participants and/or other benefactors.

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is the main registration authority for a charity’s registration and constitution. Individuals and legal entities, except for public authorities and local governments, can be the founders of charitable organisations. Charitable societies and charitable foundations may have, in addition to founders, other participants who have joined them as prescribed by the charters of such charitable associations or charitable foundations. Aliens (non-Ukrainian citizens and legal entities, corporations, or non-governmental organisations) can be the founders and members of philanthropic organisations in Ukraine.

All funds received by a charitable organisation and used for charitable purposes are exempt from taxation, but obtaining non-profit status from the tax authority is necessary.

Legalization is required for international charitable funds to operate in Ukraine.

United Kingdom

Charity law in the UK varies among England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the fundamental principles are the same. Most organisations that are charities are required to be registered with the appropriate regulator for their jurisdiction, but significant exceptions apply so that many organizations are bona fide charities but do not appear on a public register. The registers are maintained by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator for Scotland. The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland maintains a register of charities that have completed formal registration. Organisations applying must meet the specific legal requirements, have filing requirements with their regulator, and are subject to inspection or other forms of review. The oldest charity in the United Kingdom (U.K.) is The King’s School, Canterbury, established in 597 AD.

Charitable organisations, including charitable trusts, are eligible for a complex set of reliefs and exemptions from taxation in the U.K. These include reliefs and exemptions concerning income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, stamp duty land tax, and value-added tax (V.A.T.). These tax exemptions have led to criticisms that private schools can use charitable status as a tax avoidance technique rather than offering a genuine charitable good.

The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 subjects charities to regulation by the Electoral Commission in the run-up to a general election.

England And Wales

Definition

Section 1 of the Charities Act 2011 defines England and Wales for the law of England and Wales A charity means an institution which is established for charitable purposes only and falls to be subject to the control of the High Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction concerning charities.

The Charities Act 2011 provides the following list of charitable purposes:

(1) The prevention or relief of poverty:

(2) The advancement of education.

(3) The advancement of religion.

(4) The advancement of health or the saving of lives.

(5) The advancement of citizenship or community development.

(6) The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science.

(7) The advancement of amateur sport.

(8) The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity.

(9) The advancement of environmental protection or improvement.

(10) The relief of those in need, because of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.

(11) The advancement of animal welfare.

(12) The promotion of the efficiency of the armed forces of the Crown or of the police, fire and rescue services or ambulance services.

(13) Other purposes currently recognised as charitable and any new charitable purposes which are similar to another charitable purpose.

A charity must also provide a public benefit.

Before the Charities Act 2006, which introduced the definition now contained in the 2011 Act, the definition of charity arose from a list of charitable purposes in the Charitable Uses Act 1601 (also known as the Statute of Elizabeth), which had been interpreted and expanded into a considerable body of case law. In Commissioners for Special Purposes of Income Tax v. Pemsel (1891), Lord McNaughten identified four categories of charity which could be extracted from the Charitable Uses Act and which were the accepted definition of charity before the Charities Act 2006:

(1) The relief of poverty,

(2) The advancement of education,

(3) The advancement of religion.

(4) Other purposes considered beneficial to the community.

Charities in England and Wales, such as Age UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (R.S.P.B.) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (R.S.P.C.A.) must comply with the 2011 Act regulating matters such as charity reports and accounts and fundraising.

Structures

As of 2011, there are several types of legal structures for a charity in England and Wales:

(1) Unincorporated association.

(2) Trust.

(3) Company limited by guarantee.

(4) Another incorporation, such as by royal charter.

(5) Charitable incorporated organisation.

The unincorporated association is the most common form of organisation within the voluntary sector in England and Wales. This is essentially a contractual arrangement between individuals who have agreed to come together to form an organization for a particular purpose. An unincorporated association will normally have a constitution or set of rules as its governing document, which will deal with matters such as the appointment of office bearers and the rules governing membership. The organisation is not, however, a separate legal entity, so it cannot initiate legal action, borrow money, or enter into contracts in its name. Its officers can be personally liable if the charity is sued or has debts.

A trust is essentially a relationship among three parties which are the donor of some assets, the trustees who hold the assets, and the beneficiaries (those eligible to benefit from the charity). When the trust has charitable purposes and is a charity, the trust is known as a charitable trust. The governing document is the trust deed or declaration of trust, which comes into operation once signed by all the trustees. The main disadvantage of a trust is that, like an unincorporated association, it lacks a separate legal entity, and the trustees must themselves own property and enter into contracts. The trustees are also liable if the charity is sued or incurs liability.

A company limited by guarantee is a private limited company where members’ liability is limited. A guarantee company does not have a share capital, but instead has members who are guarantors rather than shareholders. If the company is wound up, the members agree to pay a nominal sum, which can be as little as £1. A company limited by guarantee is a useful structure for a charity where trustees need limited liability protection. Moreover, the charity has a legal personality and can enter into contracts, such as employment contracts, in its name.

A small number of charities are incorporated by royal charter, which is a document that creates a corporation with legal personality (or, in some cases, transforms a charity incorporated as a company into a charity incorporated by royal charter). The charter must be approved by the Privy Council before receiving royal assent. While the nature of the charity will vary depending on the clauses enacted, a royal charter generally offers a charity the same limited liability as a company and the ability to enter into contracts.

The Charities Act 2006 introduced a new legal form of incorporation designed specifically for charities. The charitable incorporated organisation (C.I.O.) as powers similar to a company but without the need to register as a company. Becoming a C.I.O. was only made possible in 2013, with staggered introduction dates, with the charities with the highest turnover eligible first.

The term foundation is not commonly used in England and Wales. Occasionally, a charity will use the word as part of its name (e.g., British Heart Foundation), but this has no legal significance and provides no information about the charity’s work or legal structure. The organisation’s structure will fall into one of the types described above.

Registration

Charitable organisations with an income of over £5,000 and subject to the law of England and Wales must register with the Charity Commission for England and Wales unless they are an exempt or excepted charity. For companies, the law of England and Wales will usually apply if the company itself is registered in England and Wales. In other cases, if the governing document doesn’t specify, the law that applies will be the one most connected with the organisation.

When an organisation’s income doesn’t exceed £5,000, it can’t register as a charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. However, it can register as a charity with HM Revenue and Customs (H.M.R.C.) for tax purposes only. With the increase in the mandatory registration level to £5,000 by The Charities Act 2006, smaller charities can rely on H.M.R.C. recognition to demonstrate their charitable purpose and confirm their not-for-profit principles.

Churches with an annual income of less than £100,000 need not register.

Some charities, referred to as exempt charities, aren’t required to register with the Charity Commission and aren’t subject to its supervisory powers. These charities include most universities and national museums, as well as some other educational institutions. Other charities are exempted from the need to register but are still subject to the supervision of the Charity Commission. The regulations on excepted charities were changed by the Charities Act 2006. Many excepted charities are religious charities.

Northern Ireland

The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland was established in 2009 and has received the names and details of over 7,000 organisations in Northern Ireland that have previously been granted charitable status for tax purposes (the deemed list). Compulsory registration of organisations from the deemed list began in December 2013, and it is expected to take three to four years to complete. The new Register of Charities is publicly available on the C.C.N.I. website and contains the details of those organisations that have so far been confirmed by the commission to exist for charitable purposes and the public benefit. The Commission estimates that between 5,000 and 11,500 charitable organisations need to be formally registered in total.

Scotland

The approximately 24,000 charities in Scotland are registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (O.S.C.R.), which also maintains a register of charities online.

United States

In the United States (U.S.), a charitable organisation is an organisation operated for purposes that are beneficial to the public interest. There are different types of charitable organisations. Every U.S. and foreign charity that qualifies as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C.) is considered a private foundation unless it demonstrates to the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) that it falls into another category. Generally, any organisation that is not a private foundation (i.e., it qualifies as something else) is usually a public charity as described in Section 509(a) of the I.R.C.

In addition, a private foundation usually derives its principal funding from an individual, family, corporation, or some other single source, and it is more often than not a grantmaker that does not solicit funds from the public. In contrast, a foundation or public charity generally receives grants from individuals, government, and private foundations. While some public charities engage in grantmaking activities, most conduct direct service or other tax-exempt activities. Foundations that are generally grantmakers (i.e., they use their endowment to make grants to other organisations, which in turn carry out the goals of the foundation indirectly) are usually called grantmaker or non-operating foundations.

The requirements and procedures for forming charitable organisations vary from state to state, as do the registration and filing requirements for charitable organisations that conduct charitable activities, solicit charitable contributions, or hire professional fundraisers. In practice, the detailed definition of a charitable organisation is determined by the requirements of state law where the charitable organisation operates and the requirements for federal tax relief by the I.R.S.

Resources exist to provide information, including rankings, of U.S. charities.

Federal Tax Relief

Federal tax law provides tax benefits to nonprofit organisations recognized as exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C.). The benefits of 501(c)(3) status include exemption from federal income tax as well as eligibility to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. In 2017, there were a total of $281.86 billion in tax-deductible donations by individuals.

To qualify for 501(c)(3) status, most organisations must apply to the I.R.S. for such status.

Several requirements must be met for a charitable organisation to obtain 501(c)(3) status. These include the organisation being organised as a corporation, trust, or unincorporated association. The organisation’s organising document (such as the articles of incorporation, trust documents, or articles of association) must limit its purposes to being charitable and permanently dedicate its assets to charitable purposes. The organisation must refrain from undertaking several other activities, such as participating in the political campaigns of candidates for local, state, or federal office. Additionally, the organisation must ensure that its earnings do not benefit any individual. Most tax-exempt organisations are required to file annual financial reports (I.R.S. Form 990) at the state and federal levels. A tax-exempt organisation’s Form 990 and some other forms are required to be made available for public scrutiny.

The types of charitable organisations that the I.R.S. considers to be organised for the public benefit include those organized for:

(1) Relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged.

(2) Advancement of religion.

(3) Advancement of education or science.

(4) Construction or maintenance of public buildings, monuments, or works.

(5) Lessening the burdens of government.

(6) Lessening neighborhood tensions.

(7) Elimination of prejudice and discrimination.

(8) Defense of human and civil rights secured by law.

(9) Combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency.

Several other organisations may also qualify for exempt status, including those organised for religious, scientific, literary, and educational purposes, as well as those for testing for public safety fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

Criticism

The charity has received criticism. These criticisms include:

(1) Charity only addresses the symptoms of a problem instead of the causes.

(2) Charity is a worse substitute for change that does not fix the fundamental injustices in societal structures and values.

(3) Charity does not provide the best solutions to societal problems.

(4) Charity results in less state funding for essential services because it replaces state services with external institutions at a lower cost.

(5) Charity leads to favouritism instead of fairness.

(6) Tax incentives for donating to charity result in the worsening of social inequalities by reducing state revenue available for social projects and retaining class systems within society.

(7) Inefficient charitable giving, largely due to the splintering of funds that could be better used if pooled together.

(8) Charities misusing their funds.

(9) Charities are more accountable to donors and funders than to the recipients of the charity.

(10) Charities give aid conditionally.

(11) Through eligibility requirements such as sobriety, piety, curfews, participation in job training or parenting courses, cooperation with the police, or identifying the paternity of children, charity models enforce the concept that only those who can prove their moral worth deserve help, motivating citizens to accept exploitative wages or conditions to avoid being subject to the charitable system.

(12) Charity makes rich people and corporations look generous and upholds and legitimises systems that concentrate wealth.

(13) Charity is increasingly privatised and contracted out to the massive nonprofit sector, where organisations compete for grants to address social problems. Donors can protect their money from taxation by storing it in foundations that fund their pet projects, most of which have nothing to do with poor people.

Economist Robert Reich criticised the practice of billionaires giving some of their money to charity, calling it mostly self-serving rubbish. Mathew Snow of the American socialist magazine Jacobin criticised charities for creating an individualised ‘culture of giving’ instead of challenging capitalism’s institutionalised taking.

Charity Fraud

Charity Regulators

Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.

Canada Revenue Agency.

Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

Inland Revenue Department (Hong Kong).

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

United States Internal Revenue Service.

Charity Ribbons

Charity ribbons.

Medical awareness ribbons are used by charities to highlight their cause. The ones above, and more, are mentioned on the Emergency I.D. Australia website.

Click here to see a list of charity ribbons. Be aware that the meanings of colours vary in different countries.

Baby Loss Charities

Sands – Official website. This stillbirth and neonatal death charity operates across the U.K. They support anyone affected by the death of a baby. Working in partnership with health professionals they ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care. They promote improvements in practice and funding research that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives. They depend on the amazing energies of their supporters to raise the vital funds that they need to deliver the wide range of services that they offer.

Blind Charities

Focus Birmingham – Official website. Focus Birmingham is an independent local charity that provides information, advice, support and care for people with visual impairment and complex needs.

Guide Dogs – Official website. They are here to help people with sight loss live the life they choose. Over the years they have developed a wide range of services with and without dogs to support children and adults living with a vision impairment including helping their friends and family. Whoever you are, their expert staff, dedicated volunteers and life-changing dogs are here to help you live actively, independently, and well. They are a charity, almost entirely funded by donations, and they are the world’s largest assistance dog organisation. As world leaders in puppy socialisation and dog training, they are the only organisation to breed and train guide dogs in the U.K. They are also the largest employer of specialists dedicated to helping children and young people overcome the challenges of sight loss.

Royal National Institute Of Blind People – Official website. The R.N.I.B. is the U.K.’s leading sight loss charity. They offer practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers. They raise awareness of the experiences of blind and partially sighted people and campaign for change to make our society more accessible for all. They want to change our world so there are no barriers to people with sight loss.

Cancer Charities

Breast Cancer Now – Official website. However you’re experiencing breast cancer, they have been there for you for over 50 years and are a leading breast cancer charity in the U.K. They work across three main focus areas. These include campaigning for better breast cancer care, raising awareness and educating people through their website and other publications, and supporting the victims of cancer through face-to-face and group meetings, better access to nurses, and a smartphone application.

Breast Cancer U.K. – Official website. They believe there are opportunities to reduce breast cancer rates in the U.K. by at least 30%, saving lives as a result. They give practical advice on how you can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer by making simple changes in your life. A unique aspect of their work focuses on the role played by endocrine-disrupting chemicals in increasing your risk of breast cancer. They work with other organisations to make your voices heard on this issue. They also fund research that they believe could be a game-changer in the field of breast cancer prevention.

Children With Cancer U.K. – Official website. Around 4,200 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the U.K. That’s around 10 children and young people diagnosed with cancer every day in the U.K. They have been working tirelessly since 1988, to fund research and initiatives that support children and their families through their cancer journey.

Help Harry Help Others – Official website. H.H.H.O. is structured so that they can offer every inch of practical Cancer support right in the heart of the community. They ensure their services are accessible, that there is somewhere to go when people affected by Cancer are having a bad day, and that they have advisors at their centres that offer support in all areas that people may need because of the life-changing circumstances that Cancer inflicts.

Macmillan Cancer Support – Official website. Their purpose is to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer, to help them cope and improve their lives better. They provide support in terms of practical help, medical support and nurses, as well as financial assistance and help to victims of cancer and their families. They also work to increase awareness of cancers through information services.

Marie Curie – Official website. They provide expert hospice care and support over the phone, and they push for a better end of life for all by campaigning and sharing research to change the system. They provide care and support to victims of cancer through a U.K.-wide network of hospices. The organisation helps as many as 40,000 people a year throughout the country, by providing care for people, either in a hospice or in the person’s own home. Care can be provided in the day or night, and is provided for free.

Prostate Cancer U.K. – Official website. They aim to prevent men from being killed by prostate cancer by pushing science to focus on improvements in the treatment and diagnosis, as well as the prevention of prostate cancer.

Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – Official website. They are the leading U.K. lung cancer charity dedicated to helping everyone affected by the disease. Since 1990 they have funded millions of pounds of essential lung cancer research, looking for ways to detect the disease as early as possible and save lives. From diagnosis, through treatment, living with the disease and end-of-life care, they support everyone affected by lung cancer. They raise awareness, prevent future generations from getting it and challenge the misconceptions of lung cancer. They do all this so those diagnosed can live well with lung cancer for as long as possible.

Children’s Charities

Barnado’s – Official website. They have been helping hundreds of thousands of children, young people, parents and carers across the U.K. since 1867. At a time when more young people need specialist help with complex issues like sexual abuse, mental health problems and serious violence, their work is more vital than ever.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. – Official website. The N.S.P.C.C. are the U.K.’s leading children’s charity. They have been looking out for children for over 130 years and they couldn’t do it without you. They help prevent child abuse, help rebuild children’s lives and support families.

YoungMinds – Official website. The sheer scale of the problem we’re faced with can feel overwhelming. More young people than ever before need support for their mental health and accessing that support quickly can make a critical difference to those young people. Yet, most of the time those young people need to wait. And wait. And wait. When it feels like nothing is there for you when you need it most, you feel alone. For far too many young people, this is their reality. When they need help and can’t get it, it feels like they’re being told they don’t matter. YoungMinds have called their strategy ‘You Matter’ because, ultimately, that is what this is all about.

Mental Health Charities

To read more about Mental Health click here.

Anxiety UK – Official website. They were formed in 1970, by Katharine and Harold Fisher as a result of Katharine’s experience of agoraphobia and her desire to develop support for others similarly affected. Since those early beginnings, they have grown to become a national organisation with an international reach, whilst retaining a user-led ethos – being run by and for those with anxiety. Many of their small seven-strong staff team have their own lived experience and understand the distress, isolation and misery that anxiety can cause. We’re here to help and can support you to find ways to control anxiety instead of it controlling you.

Bipolar UK – Official website. Their mission is to empower everyone affected by bipolar to live well and fulfil their potential.

Birmingham Mind – Official website. Birmingham Mind is the largest independent mental health charity providing services in and beyond the City of Birmingham’s boundaries. Their website shows how they are promoting wellbeing and recovery, providing high-quality support and challenging the stigma of mental distress.

Campain Against Living Miserably – Official website. C.A.L.M. are taking a stand against suicide. That means standing against feeling shit, standing up to stereotypes, and standing together to show life is always worth living. 125 lives are lost every week to suicide. And 75% of all U.K. suicides are male. They exist to change this. They do it by provoking conversation, running life-saving services, and bringing people together so they reject living miserably, get help when they need it and don’t die by suicide. But they can’t do it alone. Stand with them.

Mental Health Foundation – Official website. Their vision is for a world with good mental health for all. They work to prevent mental health problems. Helping people understand, protect and sustain their mental health. They will drive change towards a mentally healthy society for all, and support communities, families and individuals to live mentally healthier lives, with a particular focus on those at greatest risk.

Mind – Official website. Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.

Rethink Mental Illness – Official website. Their vision is for equality, rights, fair treatment and maximum quality of life for all those affected by mental illness, their carers, family and friends. As one of the largest charitable providers of services for people living with mental illness, they are well placed to make a direct impact on the care people receive. But they have a much larger vision too – to transform at every level the way our nation approaches mental illness. Every year, our diverse range of information and support helps tens of thousands of people get through crises, live independently and feel that they do not have to face mental illness alone.

Samaritans – Official website. Whatever you’re facing, a Samaritan will face it with you. Every day, Samaritans volunteers respond to around 10,000 calls for help. They are here, day or night, for anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure. Samaritans are not only for the moment of crisis, they are taking action to prevent the crisis. They give people ways to cope and the skills to be there for others. And they encourage, promote and celebrate those moments of connection between people that can save lives. They offer to listen and support people and communities in times of need. In prisons, schools, hospitals and on the rail network, Samaritans are working with people who are going through a difficult time and training others to do the same. Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, and Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide. That’s why they work tirelessly to reach more people and make suicide prevention a priority.

The Blurt Foundation – Official website. Think of them as the knowing nod. You’ve seen it – a slight bob of the head, often accompanied by a smile. A little movement that says, “I understand”, “I’m listening” and “I’m here for you”. That’s Blurt. They really understand how devastating depression can be. Jobs come to an end, relationships break down and lives can be lost, all through the effect of depression. That’s why the work they do is so important – it not only changes lives but saves them.

Blog Posts

Charities: Frankie And Zoe Do Sober For October For Sands.

Charities: Help Harry Help Others.

Charities: Sands.

Mental Health: I Am A Domestic Violence Survivor By Paul Hibbert.

Notes And Links

Emergency I.D. Australia – The image shown at the top of this page and elsewhere is the copyright of Emergency I.D. Australia. They commenced business in the 2000’s after seeing first-hand a real need for vital information to be immediately accessible to everyone. Emergency ID is always creating new products to cater to a huge variety of needs and to drive the importance of wearing or carrying Emergency I.D. well into the future.

Emergency I.D. Australia on Facebook.

Emergency I.D. Australia on Instagram.

The photo above of the Foundling Hospital, Lamb’s Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, London is in the public domain and came from Wikipedia.

The photo above of charity during the Enlightenment era by Antoine-Alexandre Morel is in the public domain and came from Wikipedia.

The photo above of a Puck magazine cartoon by Louis Dalrymple of Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropy is in the public domain and came from Wikipedia.

Christmas

I have many happy memories over the decades, especially family ones from when I was younger in the 70’s and ’80s and when my kids were younger. Sadly my mental health suffered in my adult years, especially in the 2010’s right up to the start of the 2020’s and it was difficult to enjoy them and love them like I used to but thankfully I can start to LOVE CHRISTMAS again.

For me, Christmas is about being with family and friends. It is enjoying good company and eating, drinking and being merry. It is reminiscing about the happy Christmases of old and remembering people and animals that shared those precious times with us but are no longer here with us. It is about wonderful Christmas trees and the giving and recieving of presents. It is about the beautiful colours that come with it. It is about traditions. It is about listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas films and programmes. It is about the spirit of Christmas and the feeling of peace. It is not just a holiday, it is a state of mind.

Living in the mostly Christian country of England when I was younger (not so much now) and being a former Christian myself I always celebrated Christmas regarding the birth of Jesus Christ.

The older I got, as an atheist, I came to realise the bible just contradicts itself and is full of fictional stories. The date of that birth itself, December the 25th, can’t be agreed upon or proved throughout the centuries (and I’m not bothering to cover all that below) but to be honest I don’t care about the date or what did or didn’t happen on it or if anyone involved with it is real but that is not here or there.

I am someone who tries hard to avoid talking about religion, royalty and politics but it would be impossible to talk about Christmas and not refer to religion regarding what is written below, however, it is written respectfully. As I have always said about religion, as long as it doesn’t involve harm or hatred and is peaceful, I will respect your right to believe whatever you like as long as you respect my right not to believe. Royalty and politics are briefly mentioned as it is hard to avoid them when it is part of Christmas history but mainly I wanted to keep this page interesting and informative about Christmas.

If you are reading this in December then have a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

A Nativity Scene made with Christmas lights.

About Christmas

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, primarily observed on December the 25^th as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it follows the season of Advent (which begins four Sundays before) or the Nativity Fast, and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season organised around it.

The traditional Christmas narrative recounted in the New Testament, known as the Nativity of Jesus, says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, under messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then spread the word.

There are different hypotheses regarding the date of Jesus’ birth and in the early fourth century, the church fixed the date as December the 25th. This corresponds to the traditional date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. It is exactly nine months after the Annunciation on March the 25th, also the date of the spring equinox. Most Christians celebrate on December the 25th in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries worldwide. However, some of the Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December the 25th of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January the 7th in the Gregorian calendar. For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing Jesus’ exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose of celebrating Christmas.

The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, watching Christmas movies, viewing a Nativity play, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, and the Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during Christmas and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. Over the past few centuries, Christmas has had a steadily growing economic effect in many regions of the world.

Etymology

Other Names

In addition to Christmas, the holiday has had various other English names throughout its history. The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as midwinter, or, more rarely, as Nātiuiteð, which comes from the Latin nātīvitās. Nativity, meaning birth, is also from the Latin nātīvitās. In Old English, Gēola (Yule) referred to the period corresponding to December and January, which was eventually equated with Christian Christmas. Noel (also Nowel or Nowell, as in The First Nowell) entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs) meaning birth (day).

Koleda is the traditional Slavic name for Christmas and the period from Christmas to Epiphany or, more generally, to Slavic Christmas-related rituals, some dating to pre-Christian times.

The History Of Christmas

In the 2nd century, the earliest church records indicate that Christians were remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus, an observance that sprang up organically from the authentic devotion of ordinary believers although a set date was not agreed on. Though Christmas did not appear on the lists of festivals given by the early Christian writers Irenaeus and Tertullian, the early Church Fathers John Chrysostom, Augustine of Hippo, and Jerome attested to December the 25th as the date of Christmas toward the end of the fourth century. A passage in Commentary on the Prophet Daniel (AD 204) by Hippolytus of Rome identifies December the 25th as Jesus’s birth date, but this passage is considered a later interpolation.

In the East, the birth of Jesus was celebrated in connection with the Epiphany on January the 6th. This holiday was not primarily about Christ’s birth, but rather his baptism. Christmas was promoted in the East as part of the revival of Orthodox Christianity that followed the death of the pro-Arian Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. The feast was introduced in Constantinople in 379, in Antioch by John Chrysostom towards the end of the fourth century, probably in 388, and in Alexandria in the following century. The Georgian Iadgari demonstrates that Christmas was celebrated in Jerusalem by the sixth century.

Post-Classical History

Christmas played a role in the Arian controversy of the fourth century. After this controversy ran its course, the prominence of the holiday declined for a few centuries.

In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas Day was overshadowed by Epiphany, which in Western Christianity focused on the visit of the magi. However, the medieval calendar was dominated by Christmas-related holidays. The forty days before Christmas became the forty days of St. Martin (which began on November the 11th, the feast of St. Martin of Tours), now known as Advent. In Italy, former Saturnalian traditions were attached to Advent. Around the 12th century, these traditions transferred again to the Twelve Days of Christmas (December the 25th to January the 5th). This is a time that appears in the liturgical calendars as Christmastide or Twelve Holy Days.

In 567, the Council of Tours put in place the season of Christmastide, proclaiming the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany as a sacred and festive season, and established the duty of Advent fasting in preparation for the feast. This was done to solve the administrative problem for the Roman Empire as it tried to coordinate the solar Julian calendar with the lunar calendars of its provinces in the east.

The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne was crowned Emperor on Christmas Day in 800. King Edmund the Martyr was anointed on Christmas in 855 and King William I of England was crowned on Christmas Day 1066.

By the High Middle Ages, the holiday had become so prominent that chroniclers routinely noted where various magnates celebrated Christmas. King Richard II of England hosted a Christmas feast in 1377 at which 28 oxen and 300 sheep were eaten. The Yule boar was a common feature of medieval Christmas feasts. Carolling also became popular and was originally performed by a group of dancers who sang. The group was composed of a lead singer and a ring of dancers that provided the chorus. Various writers of the time condemned carolling as lewd, indicating that the unruly traditions of Saturnalia and Yule may have continued in this form. Misrule (drunkenness, promiscuity, gambling) was also an important aspect of the festival. In England, gifts were exchanged on New Year’s Day, and there was a special Christmas ale.

Christmas during the Middle Ages was a public festival that incorporated ivy, holly, and other evergreens. Christmas gift-giving during the Middle Ages was usually between people with legal relationships, such as tenants and landlords. The annual indulgence in eating, dancing, singing, sporting, and card playing escalated in England, and by the 17th century, the Christmas season featured lavish dinners, elaborate masques, and pageants. In 1607, King James I insisted that a play be acted on Christmas night and that the court indulge in games. It was during the Reformation in 16th – 17th-century Europe that many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or Christkindl, and the date of giving gifts changed from December the 6th to Christmas Eve.

The Nativity by unknown.

This beautiful image comes from a 14th-century Missal. It is made from parchment and originates from East Anglia. It is considered a very important manuscript as it is one of the earliest examples of a Missal of an English source.

Sarum Missals were books produced by the Church during the Middle Ages for celebrating Mass throughout the year

The Coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas of 800 by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld.

Modern History

17th And 18th Centuries

Following the Protestant Reformation, many of the new denominations, including the Anglican Church and Lutheran Church, continued to celebrate Christmas. In 1629, the Anglican poet John Milton penned On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity, a poem that has since been read by many during Christmastide. Donald Heinz, a professor at California State University, states that Martin Luther inaugurated a period in which Germany would produce a unique culture of Christmas, much copied in North America. Among the congregations of the Dutch Reformed Church, Christmas was celebrated as one of the principal evangelical feasts.

However, in 17th century England, some groups such as the Puritans strongly condemned the celebration of Christmas, considering it a Catholic invention and the trappings of popery or the rags of the Beast. In contrast, the established Anglican Church pressed for a more elaborate observance of feasts, penitential seasons, and saints’ days. The calendar reform became a major point of tension between the Anglican party and the Puritan party. The Catholic Church also responded, promoting the festival in a more religiously oriented form. King Charles I of England directed his noblemen and gentry to return to their landed estates in midwinter to keep up their old-style Christmas generosity. Following the Parliamentarian victory over Charles I during the English Civil War, England’s Puritan rulers banned Christmas in 1647.

Protests followed as pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities and for weeks Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted royalist slogans. Football, among the sports the Puritans banned on a Sunday, was also used as a rebellious force. When Puritans outlawed Christmas in England in December 1647 the crowd brought out footballs as a symbol of festive misrule. The book, The Vindication of Christmas (London, 1652), argued against the Puritans and makes note of Old English Christmas traditions, dinner, roast apples on the fire, card playing, dances with plow-boys and maidservants, old Father Christmas and carol singing. During the ban, semi-clandestine religious services marking Christ’s birth continued to be held, and people sang carols in secret.

It was restored as a legal holiday in England with the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 when Puritan legislation was declared null and void, with Christmas again freely celebrated in England. Many Calvinist clergymen disapproved of Christmas celebrations. As such, in Scotland, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland discouraged the observance of Christmas, and though James VI commanded its celebration in 1618, church attendance was scant. The Parliament of Scotland officially abolished the observance of Christmas in 1640, claiming that the church had been purged of all superstitious observation of days. Whereas in England, Wales and Ireland Christmas Day is a common law holiday, having been a customary holiday since time immemorial, it was not until 1871 that it was designated a bank holiday in Scotland. The diary of James Woodforde, from the latter half of the 18th century, details the observance of Christmas and celebrations associated with the season over several years.

As in England, Puritans in Colonial America staunchly opposed the observation of Christmas. The Pilgrims of New England pointedly spent their first 25th of December in the New World working normally. Puritans such as Cotton Mather condemned Christmas both because scripture did not mention its observance and because Christmas celebrations of the day often involved boisterous behaviour. Many non-Puritans in New England deplored the loss of the holidays enjoyed by the labouring classes in England. Christmas observance was outlawed in Boston in 1659. The ban on Christmas observance was revoked in 1681 by English governor Edmund Andros, but it was not until the mid-19th century that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in the Boston region.

At the same time, Christian residents of Virginia and New York observed the holiday freely. Pennsylvania Dutch settlers, predominantly Moravian settlers of Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Lititz in Pennsylvania and the Wachovia settlements in North Carolina, were enthusiastic celebrators of Christmas. The Moravians in Bethlehem had the first Christmas trees in America as well as the first Nativity Scenes. Christmas fell out of favour in the United States after the American Revolution, when it was considered an English custom. George Washington attacked Hessian (German) mercenaries on the day after Christmas during the Battle of Trenton on December the 26th, 1776. Christmas was much more popular in Germany than in America at this time.

With the atheistic Cult of Reason in power during the era of Revolutionary France, Christian Christmas religious services were banned and the Three Kings cake was renamed the equality cake under anticlerical government policies.

The Examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas by Josiah King.

This was published after Christmas and reinstated as a holy day in England. It shows the frontispiece to King’s pamphlet The Examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas, published in 1687. He had previously published a pamphlet with a very similar title The Examination and Tryall of Old Father Christmas in 1658 using the same image as the frontispiece.

19th Century

In the early 19th century, Christmas festivities and services became widespread with the rise of the Oxford Movement in the Church of England that emphasised the centrality of Christmas in Christianity and charity to the poor, along with Charles Dickens, Washington Irving, and other authors emphasising family, children, kind-heartedness, gift-giving, and Father Christmas (for Dickens) or Santa Claus (for Irving).

In the early-19th century, writers imagined Tudor-period Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration. In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote the novel A Christmas Carol, which helped revive the spirit of Christmas and seasonal merriment. Its instant popularity played a major role in portraying Christmas as a holiday emphasising family, goodwill, and compassion.

Dickens sought to construct Christmas as a family-centred festival of generosity, linking worship and feasting, within a context of social reconciliation. Superimposing his humanitarian vision of the holiday, in what has been termed Carol Philosophy, Dickens influenced many aspects of Christmas that are celebrated today in Western culture, such as family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games, and a festive generosity of spirit. A prominent phrase from the tale, Merry Christmas, was popularised following the appearance of the story. This coincided with the appearance of the Oxford Movement and the growth of Anglo-Catholicism, which led to a revival in traditional rituals and religious observances.

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem A Visit From St. Nicholas (popularly known by its first line Twas the Night Before Christmas). The poem helped popularise the tradition of exchanging gifts, and seasonal Christmas shopping began to assume economic importance. This also started the cultural conflict between the holiday’s spiritual significance and its associated commercialism which some see as corrupting the holiday. In her 1850 book The First Christmas in New England, Harriet Beecher Stowe includes a character who complains that the true meaning of Christmas was lost in a shopping spree.

While the celebration of Christmas was not yet customary in some regions in the U.S., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow detected a transition state about Christmas in New England in 1856. He stated that the old Puritan feeling prevented it from being a cheerful, hearty holiday, though every year made it more so. In Reading, Pennsylvania, a newspaper remarked in 1861, that “even our Presbyterian friends who have hitherto steadfastly ignored Christmas threw open their church doors and assembled in force to celebrate the anniversary of the Savior’s birth.”

The First Congregational Church of Rockford, Illinois, (although of genuine Puritan stock) was preparing for a grand Christmas jubilee, a news correspondent reported in 1864. By 1860, fourteen states including several from New England had adopted Christmas as a legal holiday. In 1875, Louis Prang introduced the Christmas card to Americans. He has been called the father of the American Christmas card. On June the 28th, 1870, Christmas was formally declared a United States federal holiday.

Scrooge’s Third Visitor by John Leech.

This image is from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol published in 1843. It is from one of four hand-coloured etchings included in the first edition. There were also four black and white engravings.

The Queen’s Christmas Tree at Windsor Castle by Joseph Lionel Williams.

This wood engraving print was made for The Illustrated London News, Christmas Number 1848.

A Norwegian Christmas by Adolph Tidemand.

This painting is from 1846.

20th Century

During the First World War and particularly (but not exclusively) in 1914, a series of informal truces took place for Christmas between opposing armies. The truces, which were organised spontaneously by fighting men, ranged from promises not to shoot (shouted at a distance to ease the pressure of war for the day) to friendly socialising, gift-giving and even sport between enemies. These incidents became a well-known and semi-mythologised part of popular memory. They have been described as a symbol of common humanity even in the darkest of situations and used to demonstrate to children the ideals of Christmas.

Up to the 1950’s in the United Kingdom, many Christmas customs were restricted to the upper and middle classes. Most of the population had not yet adopted many Christmas rituals that later became popular, including Christmas trees. Christmas dinner would normally include beef or goose, not turkey as would later be common. Children would get fruit and sweets in their stockings rather than elaborate gifts. The full celebration of a family Christmas with all the trimmings only became widespread with increased prosperity from the 1950’s. National papers were published on Christmas Day until 1912. Post was still delivered on Christmas Day until 1961. League football matches continued in Scotland until the 1970’s while in England they ceased at the end of the 1950’s.

The Christmas Visit by unknown.

This postcard is from circa 1910.

Nativity

The gospels of Luke and Matthew describe Jesus as being born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary. In the Gospel of Luke, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be counted for a census, and Jesus is born there and placed in a manger. Angels proclaim him a saviour for all people, and three shepherds come to adore him. In the Gospel of Matthew, by contrast, three magi follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the king of the Jews. King Herod orders the massacre of all the boys less than two years old in Bethlehem, but the family flees to Egypt and later returns to Nazareth.

Relation To Concurrent Celebrations

Many popular customs associated with Christmas developed independently of the commemoration of Jesus’ birth, with some claiming that certain elements are Christianised and have origins in pre-Christian festivals that were celebrated by pagan populations who were later converted to Christianity. Other scholars reject these claims and affirm that Christmas customs largely developed in a Christian context. The prevailing atmosphere of Christmas has also continually evolved since the holiday’s inception, ranging from a sometimes raucous, drunken, carnival-like state in the Middle Ages, to a tamer family-oriented and children-centered theme introduced in a 19th-century transformation. The celebration of Christmas was banned on more than one occasion within certain groups, such as the Puritans and Jehovah’s Witnesses (who do not celebrate birthdays in general), due to concerns that it was too unbiblical.

Prior to and through the early Christian centuries, winter festivals were the most popular of the year in many European pagan cultures. Reasons included the fact that less agricultural work needed to be done during the winter, as well as an expectation of better weather as spring approached. Celtic winter herbs such as mistletoe and ivy, and the custom of kissing under a mistletoe, are common in modern Christmas celebrations in the English-speaking countries.

The pre-Christian Germanic peoples (including the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse) celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period, yielding modern English yule, today used as a synonym for Christmas. In Germanic language-speaking areas, numerous elements of modern Christmas folk custom and iconography may have originated from Yule, including the Yule log, Yule boar, and the Yule goat. Often leading a ghostly procession through the sky (the Wild Hunt), the long-bearded god Odin is referred to as the Yule one and Yule father in Old Norse texts, while other gods are referred to as Yule beings. On the other hand, as there are no reliable existing references to a Christmas log prior to the 16th century, the burning of the Christmas block may have been an early modern invention by Christians unrelated to the pagan practice.

In eastern Europe also, pre-Christian traditions were incorporated into Christmas celebrations there, an example being the Koleda, which shares parallels with the Christmas carol.

The Nativity of Christ by Herrad of Landsberg.

This 12th-century, medieval illustration is from the Hortus deliciarum.

Observance And Traditions

Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian areas, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan, where Christmas is popular despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the cultural aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations, and Christmas trees. A similar example is in Turkey, being Muslim-majority and with a small number of Christians, where Christmas trees and decorations tend to line public streets during the festival.

Among countries with a strong Christian tradition, a variety of Christmas celebrations have developed that incorporate regional and local cultures.

Read more about Observance And Traditions here and here.

Christmas at the Annunciation Church in Nazareth.

This photo by Dan Hadani, from his collection Collection at the National Library of Israel, was taken on Christmas Eve, 1965.

Decorations

Nativity scenes are known from 10th-century Rome. They were popularised by Saint Francis of Assisi from 1223, quickly spreading across Europe. Different types of decorations developed across the Christian world, dependent on local tradition and available resources, and can vary from simple representations of the crib to far more elaborate sets. Renowned manger scene traditions include the colourful Krakow szopka in Poland, which imitate Krakow’s historical buildings as settings, the elaborate Italian presepi (Neapolitan, Genoese and Bolognese), or the Provencal creches in southern France, using hand-painted terracotta figurines called santons. In certain parts of the world, notably Sicily, living nativity scenes following the tradition of Saint Francis are a popular alternative to static creches. The first commercially produced decorations appeared in Germany in the 1860’s, inspired by paper chains made by children. In countries where a representation of the Nativity scene is very popular, people are encouraged to compete and create the most original or realistic ones. Within some families, the pieces used to make the representation are considered a valuable family heirloom.

The traditional colours of Christmas decorations are red, green, and gold. Red symbolises the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his crucifixion, green symbolises eternal life, and in particular the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter and gold is the first colour associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts of the Magi, symbolising royalty.

The Christmas tree was first used by German Lutherans in the 16th century, with records indicating that a Christmas tree was placed in the Cathedral of Strassburg in 1539, under the leadership of the Protestant Reformer, Martin Bucer. In the United States, these German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them. The Moravians put lighted candles on the trees. When decorating the Christmas tree, many individuals place a star at the top of the tree symbolising the Star of Bethlehem, a fact recorded by The School Journal in 1897. Professor David Albert Jones of Oxford University wrote that in the 19th century, it became popular for people to also use an angel to top the Christmas tree in order to symbolise the angels mentioned in the accounts of the Nativity of Jesus. Aditionally, in the context of a Christian celebration of Christmas, the Christmas tree, being evergreen in colour, is symbolic of Christ, who offers eternal life and the candles or lights on the tree represent the Light of the World. Christian services for family use and public worship have been published for the blessing of a Christmas tree, after it has been erected. The Christmas tree is considered by some as Christianisation of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship. According to eighth-century biographer Æddi Stephanus, Saint Boniface (634 – 709), who was a missionary in Germany, took an ax to an oak tree dedicated to Thor and pointed out a fir tree, which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed to heaven and it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the Trinity. The English language phrase Christmas tree is first recorded in 1835 and represents an importation from the German language.

Since the 16th century, the poinsettia, a native plant from Mexico, has been associated with Christmas carrying the Christian symbolism of the Star of Bethlehem; in that country it is known in Spanish as the Flower of the Holy Night. Other popular holiday plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus.

Other traditional decorations include bells, candles, candy canes, stockings, wreaths, and angels. Both the displaying of wreaths and candles in each window are a more traditional Christmas display. The concentric assortment of leaves, usually from an evergreen, make up Christmas wreaths and are designed to prepare Christians for the Advent season. Candles in each window are meant to demonstrate the fact that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate light of the world.

Christmas lights and banners may be hung along streets, music played from speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places. It is common in many parts of the world for town squares and consumer shopping areas to sponsor and display decorations. Rolls of brightly coloured paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured to wrap gifts. In some countries, Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on the Twelfth Night.

Read more about Decorations here and here.

A typical Neapolitan Nativity scene by unknown.

This Eighteenth-century nativity scene painting is also known as a presepe or presepio and can be found at the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art in Bilbao, Spain.

Local creches are renowned for their ornate decorations and symbolic figurines, often mirroring daily life.

A Christmas tree and presents.

The official White House Christmas tree for 1962 by Robert Knudsen.

The official White House Christmas tree above is in the entrance hall. It is usually located in the Blue Room, this was one of a few instances since 1961 where the tree has been displayed here.

It was presented by President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy at the Christmas Reception on the 12th of December, 1962 at the White House, U.S.A.

The Christ Candle in the centre of an Advent wreath.

This is traditionally lit in many church services. This one is in the chancel of Broadway United Methodist Church, located in New Philadelphia, U.S.A.

The Advent wreath consists of four coloured candles of the same size, arranged around a larger white Christ candle.

Nativity Play

For the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of the Nativity play is one of the oldest Christmastime traditions, with the first reenactment of the Nativity of Jesus taking place in 1223 A.D. In that year, Francis of Assisi assembled a Nativity scene outside of his church in Italy and children sung Christmas carols celebrating the birth of Jesus. Each year, this grew larger and people travelled from afar to see Francis’ depiction of the Nativity of Jesus that came to feature drama and music. Nativity plays eventually spread throughout all of Europe, where they remain popular. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day church services often came to feature Nativity plays, as did schools and theatres. In France, Germany, Mexico and Spain, Nativity plays are often reenacted outdoors in the streets.

Music And Carols

The earliest extant specifically Christmas hymns appear in fourth-century Rome. Latin hymns such as Veni redemptor gentium, written by Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, were austere statements of the theological doctrine of the Incarnation in opposition to Arianism. Corde natus ex Parentis (Of the Father’s love begotten) by the Spanish poet Prudentius (died 413) is still sung in some churches today. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas Sequence or Prose was introduced in North European monasteries, developing under Bernard of Clairvaux into a sequence of rhymed stanzas. In the 12th century the Parisian monk Adam of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the traditional Christmas carol. Christmas carols in English appear in a 1426 work of John Awdlay who lists twenty-five “caroles of Cristemas”, probably sung by groups of wassailers, who went from house to house.

Christmas Food

A special Christmas family meal is traditionally an important part of the holiday celebration, and the food that is served varies greatly from country to country. Some regions have special meals for Christmas Eve, such as Sicily, where 12 kinds of fish are served. In the United Kingdom and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal usually includes turkey, goose or other large bird, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread, cider or some other alcoholic drink for the adults. Special desserts are also prepared, such as Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas cake, Panettone and a Yule log cake. A traditional Christmas meal in Central Europe features fried carp or other fish.

Christmas Cards

Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting exchanged between friends and family members during the weeks preceding Christmas Day. The traditional greeting reads wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, much like that of the first commercial Christmas card, produced by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843. The custom of sending them has become popular among a wide cross-section of people with the emergence of the modern trend towards exchanging E-cards.

Christmas cards are purchased in considerable quantities and feature artwork, is commercially designed and relevant to the season. The content of the design might relate directly to the Christmas narrative, with depictions of the Nativity of Jesus, or Christian symbols such as the Star of Bethlehem, or a white dove, which can represent both the Holy Spirit and Peace on Earth. Other Christmas cards are more secular and can depict Christmas traditions, mythical figures such as Father Christmas, objects directly associated with Christmas such as candles, holly, and baubles, or a variety of images associated with the season, such as Christmastide activities, snow scenes, and the wildlife of the northern winter.

Some prefer cards with a poem, prayer, or Biblical verse, while others distance themselves from religion with an all-inclusive Season’s greetings.

Christmas Stamps

A number of nations have issued commemorative stamps at Christmastide. Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail Christmas cards, and they are popular with philatelists. These stamps are regular postage stamps, unlike Christmas seals, and are valid for postage year-round. They usually go on sale sometime between early October and early December and are printed in considerable quantities.

Christmas Gifts

The exchanging of gifts is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for retailers and businesses throughout the world. On Christmas, people exchange gifts based on the Christian tradition associated with Saint Nicholas, and the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were given to the baby Jesus by the Magi. The practice of gift giving in the Roman celebration of Saturnalia may have influenced Christian customs, but on the other hand the Christian core dogma of the Incarnation, however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event, because it was the Biblical Magi, together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God through man’s renewed participation in the divine life. However, Thomas J. Talley holds that the Roman Emperor Aurelian placed the alternate festival on December the 25th in order to compete with the growing rate of the Christian Church, which had already been celebrating Christmas on that date first.

Gift-Bearing Figures

Several figures are associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving of gifts. Among these, the best known of these figures today is the red-dressed Father Christmas (more well-known in the United Kingdom although the American term Santa Claus is becoming more popular. Amongst many names around the world, he is known as Pere Noel, Joulupukki, Babbo Natale, Ded Moroz and tomte. The Scandinavian tomte (also called nisse) is sometimes depicted as a gnome instead of Santa Claus.

The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas). Nicholas was a 4th-century Greek bishop of Myra, a city in the Roman province of Lycia, whose ruins are 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from modern Demre in southwest Turkey. Among other saintly attributes, he was noted for the care of children, generosity, and the giving of gifts. His feast day, December the 6th, came to be celebrated in many countries with the giving of gifts.

Saint Nicholas traditionally appeared in bishop’s attire, accompanied by helpers, inquiring about the behaviour of children during the past year before deciding whether they deserved a gift or not. By the 13th century, Saint Nicholas was well known in the Netherlands, and the practice of gift-giving in his name spread to other parts of central and southern Europe. At the Reformation in 16th- and 17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or Christkindl, corrupted in English to Kris Kringle, and the date of giving gifts changed from December the 6th to Christmas Eve.

The modern popular image of Father Christmas, however, was created in the United States, and in particular in New York. The transformation was accomplished with the aid of notable contributors including Washington Irving and the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840 – 1902). Following the American Revolutionary War, some of the inhabitants of New York City sought out symbols of the city’s non-English past. New York had originally been established as the Dutch colonial town of New Amsterdam and the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition was reinvented as Saint Nicholas.

Current tradition in several Latin American countries (such as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that while Father Christmas makes the toys, he then gives them to Baby Jesus, who is the one who delivers them to the children’s homes, a reconciliation between traditional religious beliefs and the iconography of Santa Claus imported from the United States.

In South Tyrol (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the Christkind (Jezisek in Czech, Jezuska in Hungarian and Jezisko in Slovak) brings the presents. Greek children get their presents from Saint Basil on New Year’s Eve, the eve of that saint’s liturgical feast. The German St. Nikolaus is not identical to the Weihnachtsmann (who is the German version of Father Christmas). St. Nikolaus wears a bishop’s dress and still brings small gifts (usually candies, nuts, and fruits) on December the 6th and is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht. Although many parents around the world routinely teach their children about Father Christmas and other gift bringers, some have come to reject this practice, considering it deceptive.

Multiple gift-giver figures exist in Poland, varying between regions and individual families. St Nicholas (Swiety Mikolaj) dominates Central and North-East areas, the Starman (Gwiazdor) is most common in Greater Poland, Baby Jesus (Dzieciątko) is unique to Upper Silesia, with the Little Star (Gwiazdka) and the Little Angel (Aniołek) being common in the South and the South-East. Grandfather Frost (Dziadek Mroz) is less commonly accepted in some areas of Eastern Poland. It is worth noting that across all of Poland, St Nicholas is the gift giver on Saint Nicholas Day on December the 6th.

You can read a well-known poem about St. Nicholas here.

Read more about Gift-Bearing Figures here.

Saint Nicholas.

Blog Posts

Blue Peter: An Advent Crown For Christmas.

Books: A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens.

Christmas: A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens – Screen Versions.

Christmas: Nostalgic Christmas Adverts.

Jokes: Christmas Jokes.

Music: Christmas Music.

Poetry: A Visit From St. Nicholas By Clement Clarke Moore.

Poetry: Harley Davidson Christmas Poem By Unknown.

Links

Liliboas on iStock. The image shown at the top of this page of a Christmas tree and presents is the copyright of Liliboas. You can find more great work from the photographer Lili and lots more free stock photos at iStock.

The image above of a nativity scene made with Christmas lights is the copyright of Wikipedia user Crumpled Fire. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0 ).

The image above of the Nativity by unknown comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of the Coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas of 800 by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of the Examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas by Josiah King comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of the Queen’s Christmas Tree at Windsor Castle by Joseph Lionel Williams comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of a Norwegian Christmas by Adolph Tidemand comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of the Christmas visit by unknown comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of the Nativity of Christ by Herrad of Landsberg comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of Christmas at the Annunciation Church in Nazareth is the copyright of Wikipedia user Israel Press and Photo Agency. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0 ).

The image above of a typical Neapolitan Nativity scene by unknown comes from the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0 ).

The image above of the official White House Christmas tree for 1962 by Robert Knudsen comes from the Kennedy Library via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of the Christ Candle in the centre of an Advent wreath is the copyright of Wikipedia user PFAStudent. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 ).

The image above of children in Oklahoma reenact a Nativity play is the copyright of Wikipedia user Wesley Fryer. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0 ).

The image above of Christmas carolers in Jersey is copyright of Wikipedia user Man vyi and is in the public domain.

The image above of a Christmas dinner setting is the copyright of Wikipedia user Austin McGee. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0 ).

The image above of a Christmas postcard with Father Christmas and some of his reindeer by unknown comes via Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

The image above of Christmas gifts under a Christmas tree is the copyright of Wikipedia user Kelvin Kay. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0 ).

The image above of Saint Nicholas is the copyright of Wikipedia user CrazyPhunk. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 ).

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