French school restores "pagan" Christmas tree
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A disputed Christmas tree is back on display at a French high school near Paris but only after officials declared it a pagan symbol that did not violate the official separation of church and state.
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A Christmas tree carved from 30 tonnes of ice has been erected in Austria and officials hope it won't melt away during a record run of mild weather at the start of winter.Comment
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Renee McDonald remembers the Christmas trees of her youth: spindly, fake and out of a box. They were hard to put up, and they just didn&#39;t smell right.
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TISZAKESZI, Hungary - This summer the cardinals at the Vatican accepted an unusual donation from a Hungarian start-up called KlimaFa: The company said it would plant trees to restore an ancient forest on a denuded island by the Tisza River to offset the Vatican's carbon emissions.
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By Pam Firmin, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.  Mar. 10--BILOXI -- Lutherans working to help rebuild Katrina-damaged homes passed their leadership torch -- wood from a 500-year-old oak tree -- to Jerilyn Dufresne of Milwaukee on Friday.
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By Jannette Pippin, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.  Dec. 18--EMERALD ISLE -- After the gifts have been unwrapped and the tree has come down, stacks of empty boxes and bags of trash remain.
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FOXBOROUGH - It's akin to waking up on Christmas morning and discovering the present you've always dreamed of - but never dared to ask for - is under the tree.
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Around the country, this is the season when cemeteries become homes for many familiesâ second Christmas tree.
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Symbols of Christmas line the echoing hallways and vast rooms of Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman - dozens of Nativity scenes, wreaths and several Christmas trees.
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The health-care products specialist has more than one Christmas gift under the tree.
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New stage lighting brought an extra sparkle to this year's annual nativity play at Priory Woods School.   The school in Middlesbrough, which educates children with special needs, was able to buy the lights thanks to a donation from company Dow Chemicals.
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Faced with the growing tide of imported Christmas trees, Mexico has set a goal of growing its own. It's not so much a nationalistic stance as a tacit acknowledgment that the Christmas tree, once alien to Mexican tradition, is here to stay.
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The use of evergreens as a symbol and celebration of life during Winter Solstice celebrations started in ancient Roman and Egyptian times.
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By Jean Prescott, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.  Dec. 18--BAY ST. LOUIS -- Dressed all in red like Christmas elves -- only taller -- Bay High School Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) students gathered Sunday afternoon to survey their holiday handiwork.
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Two children lit up the Vatican's Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, with shimmering lights reflected in the gold and silver ornaments of the 100-year-old fir.
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A life-sized Nativity scene is seen in front of the obelisk and near the Christmas tree in St. Peter&#39;s Square at the Vatican after the unveiling ceremony, Friday, Dec. 24, 2004.
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They arrived as they do every December: brightly wrapped gifts destined for children at a kindergarten in rural northern France.