Christmas wishes messages

There are good signs for the retail industry in the US. It all started with the holiday seasons when the retail industry witnessed a huge turnout of buyers. And then came Christmas. Reports have surfaced that the sales have been bumper this year.

This only shows that with the economy on the road of recovery people are more interested in spending money on buying gifts. According to experts, since the recession crippled the US economy retailers have been having a difficult time. But now it appears that things are changing for good.

The last-minute gift buying was a huge success with hundreds of thousands of people flocking the shops to purchase gifts for their family members, friends and beloved ones. Going by the shopping on this Christmas it can be said with surety that the economy is for sure on road to recovery.

According to industry insiders, this has been the best Christmas sales in the last 2 years. It is understood that more shopping to take place with last-minute gift buyers yet to overcrowd malls and market areas. With most stores open, chances are that the sales would reach its peak. It has turned out to the busiest sales season in at least three years.

General Manager Mark Whiting said: “We’ve had a very, very good holiday shopping season. We’re substantially ahead of last year, and that really started on Black Friday, when many of our retailers had last year’s (sales) numbers starting at 2 or 3 p.m.”

There were many last-minute shoppers. Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, was one among many who visited the shop. He said: “There are some real steep reductions. I thought that inventories are such they wouldn’t have to discount that much in the end. But I guess they’re taking advantage of the last-minute shoppers and getting them through the door.”

Some great quotes

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. Roy L. Smith

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year – and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority. W.J. Cameron

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. Burton Hillis

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. Laura Ingalls Wilder

May peace be your gift for this Christmas and the blessing of the Almighty be with you and the world to help us all make this world a better place. To make it a Christmas day everyday of the year. Kurt Avish

Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself. Norman Wesley Brooks

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing. It makes no noise at all. But softly gives itself away. Eva Logue

(source:khabrein.info)

Santa Tracker From NORAD to Begin on Christmas Eve

NORAD's Santa Tracker will start to track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, providing children from all over the world the latest position, images, and videos of the journey of Santa and the presents he is bringing.

Although the tracker has yet to start, the NORAD Santa Tracker website has been posting news, videos, updates from the North Pole, and fun activities in the Kids’ Countdown Village since the beginning of December in seven languages: English, Chinese, Dutch, Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese.

This year, NORAD will track Santa with radar, satellites, Santa Cams, and even fighter jets.

The website will also show images and videos to children to see Santa and his reindeer fly on Christmas Eve through medium captured through Santa Cams, which are “ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed” digital cameras pre-positioned at various locations around the world.

In addition to following Santa through Santa Cams, the website allows children to track Santa’s flight in Google Earth. This new feature allows children to receive detailed information on his current location with vivid graphics, and to naturally learn more about world geography based on Santa’s trip across the globe.

NORAD, the joint U.S. and Canadian military center in charge of monitoring and defending North American air space, and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), have been tracking Santa’s flight for more than half a century. However, NORAD's tracker is undoubtedly more technologically advanced, as children used to call CONAD’s hotline to ask about Santa’s location.

Public holidays in Russia

Public holidays in Russia

The following is the list of official public holidays recognized by the Government of Russia. On these days, government offices, embassies and some shops, are closed. If the date of observance falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday will be a day off in lieu of the holiday.

Official holidays

New Year holidays and Christmas

New Year is the first on the calendar and in popularity. new year holidays (Новогодние каникулы Novogodnie kanikuly) in Russia last for 10 calendar days from the 1st of January until the 10th. Currently the New Year is a bigger holiday than Christmas (Рождество Rozhdestvo) in Russia. Since 1992 Christmas has been openly observed in Russia and now the New Year's celebration usually flows into the celebration of the Russian Orthodox Christmas. Russian Christmas comes two weeks later than in other countries, on January 7. This difference is due to the Russian Orthodox Church following the

Defender of the Fatherland Day

On 23 February, during the Defender of the Fatherland Day (День защитника Отечества Den zashchitnika Otechestva) Russia honors those who are presently serving in the Armed Forces and those who have served in the past. During the era of the Soviet Union, it was called the Red Army Day or the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy (celebrating the day of the first mass draft of the Red Army in Petrograd and Moscow or of the first combat action against the invading German forces).

International Women's Day

Every 8 March (Восьмое марта Vosmoe marta), the United Nations declares this day as the International Women's Day to celebrate women and the accomplishments they have made to society. Other than in the former Soviet republics, it is not celebrated much throughout the world. It is traditional on this holiday to present women with gifts and flowers to express appreciation for their work, love and devotion. It can be regarded as the equivalent of Mother's Day combined with some aspects of Valentine's Day. Thus, nowadays Russian women hardly ever recollect that this holiday originated as a day of rebellion of women struggling for equal rights with men. This day was very special to the Russians in the 1940s.

Spring and Labour Day

In the former Soviet Union, 1 May was International Workers' Day and was celebrated with huge parades in cities like Moscow. Though the celebrations are low key nowadays, several groups march on that day to protest grievances the workers have. Several communist states (Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam) still hold this day as an official occasion with a military parade and columns of weapons and workers.

Victory Day

May 9th, Russia celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany, while remembering those who died in order to achieve it. On 9 May 1945 (by Moscow time) the German military surrendered to the Soviet Union and the Allies of World War II in Berlin (Karlshorst). A military parade is held in Moscow to celebrate the day. Victory Day (День Победы Den Pobedy) is by far one of the biggest Russian holidays. It commemorates those who died in WWII and pays tribute to survivors and veterans. Flowers and wreaths are laid on wartime graves and special parties and concerts are organized for veterans. In the evening there is a firework display. A huge military parade, hosted by the President of the Russian Federation, is annually organized in Moscow on Red Square. Similar parades are organized in all major Russian cities.

Russia Day

Russia Day (День России Den Rossii) is a holiday, somewhat similar to independence day, celebrated on June 12th. On this day, in 1990, Russian parliament formally declared Russian sovereignty over Russia (RSFSR). The holiday was officially established in 1992. Initially it was named Day of the Adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation, on 1 February 2002 it was officially renamed to Russia Day (in 1998 Boris Yeltsin offered this name socially). There exist a misconception in Russian society, that this holiday also called Russia Independence Day, but it never had such a name in official documents. According to the survey of Levada Center in May 2009, 44% of the respondents named the holiday as Independence Day of Russia.

Unity Day

Unity Day (День народного единства Den narodnogo edinstva) was first celebrated on November 4, 2005, commemorates the popular uprising led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky which ejected the Polish invaders from Moscow in November of 1612, and more generally the end of the Time of Troubles and foreign intervention in Russia. The event was marked by a public holiday which was held in Russia on October 22 (Old Style) from 1649 till 1917. Its name alludes to the idea that all the classes of Russian society willingly united to preserve Russian statehood when its demise seemed inevitable, even though there was neither Tsar nor Patriarch to guide them. Most observers view this as an attempted replacement to counter Communist demonstrations on November 7 holiday, which marked the anniversary of the October Revolution. Recently a film 1612 was made to explain to the Russian audiences the history behind the new holiday. National Unity Day is also known as Consolidation Day (as an alternative translation), which people in Russia celebrate on November 3 - November 4.

Regional public holidays

Muslim regions

Kurban Bayram

Uraza Bayram

Popular holidays which are not public holidays

New Year according to Julian Calendar on January 14

Tatiana Day on January 25

Valentine's Day

Maslenitsa (a week before the Great Lent)

Easter

Cosmonautics Day on April 12

Radio Day on May 7

Ivan Kupala Day on July 7

Day of Conception on September 12

(source