History of the Winter Festival and Christmas

The United States, as a young nation, gathered traditions from the Old World, especially from Mother England and the United Kingdom. As a colony, British, Dutch and German traditions were intertwined in many colonial American communities beginning with the first traditions of Thanksgiving in remembrance of the first colonists and Native Americans. Christmas and New Year traditions is no exception.


In the British Isles, before Christianity became established, as in Rome and Constantinople. the trappings and basic festivity of what became the Twelve Days of Christmas it was the celebration of the Winter Solstice, a Celtic tradition complete with yule logs, holly, and other decorations and festivities. The modern tradition of a Christmas tree comes from Germany, Tannebaum.

Victorian Era: 1837 to 1901

Queen Victoria

Much has been written about the Victoria Era, a period of history named after Queen Victoria that lasted from 1837 to 1901 in England. It's culture, architecture and fashion extended to America as well. Indeed, it had become an international culture for a time.

It was a part of the Industrial Revolution that jump started Western civilization into the modern world with technology and innovation. Britain and the United States as well as other places in Europe were a part of the beginning of the industrial age. It brought good things and also brought bad things, like child labor. The world was changing and it was occurring quickly in terms of historical events. Science was unraveling mysteries and new discoveries and techniques were part of it in many areas of science that included medicine, archaeology, astronomy, et cetera. It also ushered in a period where people were interested in the paranormal, sometimes fascinated with not just death, but researching life after death.

It was a time of prosperity as well as poverty. Victorian writers wrote about the society, the paranormal, scientific and archaeological discoveries; as well as the series of inventions that took place during that period. Christmas traditional celebration and decorations were boosted during the Victorian era. Hollywood made films about the era with films like "Meet Me in St. Louis". It was during this era that Christmas cards were handmade and stationary companies started printing them for the season.

RECALL: Savage Arms B.MAG .17 Caliber Rifle Bolt

Savage Arms has announced a product safety recall for a limited number of B.MAG .17 WSM rifle bolts. It had been discovered that the bolt on some B.MAG rifles may contact the safety button and push it forward into the “fire” position. Savage has received no reports of accidents due to this problem, but the gunmaker has established a website (savagearms.com/recall/bmagbolt) and a hotline: 844-784-3301 – where customers can identify whether they own an affected firearm. Refrain from using Savage B.MAG rifles until it is determined whether a retrofit is necessary. Only B.MAGs with a serial number below J800928 are included in this recall.

The Christmas Truce of 1914

I just watched the film Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) about the miracle of a Christmas Eve truce of three armies, an historical event. The film was produced in France in 2005, of which has English subtitles. It was well done and I recommend viewing it. One of the actors, Ian Richardson, portraying the bishop, was his last film before his death. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 78^th Academy Awards.

First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving began as part of the religion of the English colonists (who had emigrated to Holland because of religious persecution) called Pilgrims who made thanksgiving prayers a part of their religious ceremonies. It was days of prayer, not just feasting.

Contrary to belief, the first thanksgiving feast with Native Americans occurred by a spontaneous desire to celebrate and give thanks for their lifesaving harvest.The local natives had played a big part in their survival of that first winter in 1620. The colonists had landed in December at the beginning of winter, and although they had provisions, there wasn't any harvest of crops to store. Actually, it was poor planning by the London Stock Company that had financed the expedition to found a settlement.

Landing of the Pilgrims

Weapons of Choice: Savage Model A17

Savage has worked on a rifle that will properly fire the .17 HMR cartridge in a semi-automatic rifle for a little over two years. While the .17 HMR has been around in bolt-action rifles for some time, the modernized so-called 'varmint' ammunition has been an improved cartridge versus the .22 caliber magnum for small game hunting and 100-yard target practice. It is still economical, especially for those who have been using the .223 caliber (5.56mm) for small game hunting rather than using .22 magnum for small game hunting up to the size of boars.

So You Have A Concealed Carry Permit. What About Training?

Citizens of the United States are the only people of a nation with a national constitution written for the People and established rights, liberties and rules for government by the People. Despite in recent decades of politicians ignoring that Constitution and its articles and amendments because of apathy and ignorance towards that Constitution – one amendment to that constitution stands out among other constitutions of other nations: the Second Amendment. It is a simple paragraph that simply states that each citizen is expected to be militia to defend the nation and its constitution against foreign and domestic enemies, and if necessary, to overthrow a government turned to tyranny and who does not abide by the articles and amendments of the Constitution of the United States. The Second Amendment guarantees that each lawful citizen has the right to keep and bear arms.
NOTE: One exception among foreign nations is Switzerland, who has a small standing army for defense purposes and relies upon its citizen militia to be on call in case of national emergency. Every able-bodied citizen undergoes basic training and when completed goes home with necessary combat gear to include a military weapon and expected to practice marksmanship periodically. 

With every right and liberty, especially the Second Amendment, there is responsibility to enact that right effectively, legally, and safely. Liberties and rights demand responsibility; just as the duty and task of each citizen to vote – and do so responsibly.

Today, most states recognize the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, but in order to carry a concealed firearm/weapon, one must apply for a permit that requires a background check, fingerprinting, and, in most cases, a credited handling and safety course for handguns.

Whether required or not, and even if a concealed permit carrier is a military veteran, it would be best to attend a training program or retraining program to refresh and bone-up on skills required for self defense. There are quality schools across the nation, but the one that stands out to meet the above criteria, teaching marksmanship, correct handling, and discipline required for self-defense and combat-type shooting required.

American Hero: Kenneth E. Stumpf

Kenneth E. Stumpf joined the Army from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and by April 25, 1967 was serving as a Specialist Four in Company C, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On that day, near Đức Phổ in the Republic of Vietnam, Stumpf rescued three wounded comrades despite heavy fire and single-handedly disabled an enemy bunker. He was subsequently promoted to Staff Sergeant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle. Stumpf reached the rank of Sergeant Major before retiring from the Army.