Word: holdes
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...drive to Grandma's, or go to the movies. But however they spend Christmas Day - "the feast of Christmas" on the Christian liturgical calendar - one way most Americans don't celebrate it is by going to church. While demand for Christmas Eve celebrations is so high that some churches hold as many as five or six different services on the 24th of December, most Protestant churches are closed on the actual religious holiday. For most Christians, Christmas is a day for family, not faith. (See the top 10 religion stories...
When did Christmas Eve displace Christmas Day as the time for Christians to observe one of the two holiest days in the church year? Some traditions, including Catholics and Anglicans, hold midnight masses on the Saturday before Easter to usher in that holiday. But everyone still shows up the next morning for the traditional Easter celebration, just as Christmas Day remains a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics, who are likely to be found in church the day after attending a Midnight Mass. By contrast, the Christmas service everyone thinks of as "traditional" is the Service of Lessons...
...Service of Lessons and Carols eventually spread to the United States, where it became particularly popular in mainline Protestant churches. No similar format for Christmas Day ever took hold. Some Evangelical churches that personalize the figure of Jesus may also hold services on Christmas Day, but are a blend of traditional worship and birthday celebration, with songs like "Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus" and even birthday cake...
...fact that Hollywood sells us an enhanced version of romance should come as no surprise, of course. But does that portrayal reflect a pre-existing expectation that film buffs hold or does it instill it? As part of their research, Dr Holmes' team had around 130 student volunteers watch the 2001 romantic comedy Serendipity, while another group of the same size watched a David Lynch drama. Viewers of the romantic comedy were found to be more likely to believe in fate and destiny. It was a small study confined to one region, but, Dr Holmes argues, "it does give...
...always reminded us that it was important to stand up for your rights, and regardless of who you are and where you come from, to hold your head up high with dignity and respect." - On what she learned from her father (California Journal...