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In this issue of Polite Society Magazine, we want to share with you the enchantment of the winter season when its darkening days give way to the magic of sparkling frosty snow and the nearness of family and friends.

About Polite Society

A Proper Introduction

DEC12 Issue: From The Editors

"Magic"
by Jacque Crosswell Watene
[ READ ARTICLE ] For as long as there has been written history, and perhaps even further back in time, people all the world over have celebrated the winter season. Thousands of years before the biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ, civilizations carefully watched and meticulously tracked the Sun's place in the sky in relation to Earth…
[ read more ]

DEC12 Issue: Through Your Eyes

"Through Your Eyes"
by Polite Society Readers
[ READ ARTICLE ] Answers to our monthly question, written solely by our readers…
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DEC12 Issue: Variations on a Theme

"The Spirit of the Season"
by Brittany Knotts
[ READ ARTICLE ] The last months of the year mean different things to different people. Some love them for the reprieve from the heat they usher in, while some dislike them for the very same reason. Some look forward to them for the feasts, and some enjoy them, because they mean an extended break from studies. But for me, they're about…
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DEC12 Issue: Abundant Living

"Home & Hearth Magic"
by Kari Cadenhead
[ READ ARTICLE ] Recently I found a tutorial on how to create your own fairy wings. I chuckled as I read the disclaimer, "Your house will be full of glitter. But that's okay. Because now your house is magical instead of messy." Immediately I envisioned our carpets, animals, toys, and food coated in a fine dust of glitter…
[ read more ]

DEC12 Issue: Culinary Fare

"A Mother's Magic Touch"
by Elizabeth Ellenbecker
[ READ ARTICLE ] It is a dark and cold winter evening. A tired woman hovers in front of her stove, as she resolves to remember the very same concoction her mother once used on her. Light the flame…
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DEC12 Issue: In The Community

"The Heart of the Season"
by Sue E. Peterson
[ READ ARTICLE ] We grow up and misplace the magic of Christmas. We work to create magic for our loved ones, but sacrifice it for ourselves in the name of maturity, sensibility, and adult reality. We try to see the holiday through the eyes of the innocent, but the sparkle dims as we rush, wrap, bake, trim, spend, and fret…
[ read more ]

DEC12 Issue: Etiquette

"The Grandest Gift Giving"
by Nanette Steimle
[ READ ARTICLE ] When I had my third baby, my friends decided to throw me a baby shower, even though there weren't many baby items I needed. I didn't really expect much, I just felt honored they were going to so much trouble for my family and me. I didn't expect that anyone would be able to come up with many ideas for gifts…
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DEC12 Issue: Polite Society Feature

"Oh du fröhliche"
by Kerstin Engelhart
[ READ ARTICLE ] It would be my pleasure to invite you into my home this December night to join my family and me as we celebrate with a few German Christmas traditions. It is the first Advent of the Advent period. On our table in the living room is our Adventskranz…
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DEC12 Issue: Language, Literature & Romanticism

"Goethe's The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
by Amy Carpenter
[ READ ARTICLE ] It is every housewife's dream: a special word that, when uttered in a commanding voice, will magically clean the entire house. This dream has been fulfilled in part. Though we have yet to discoverer that magic word that will make all our problems disappear, we do have seemingly magical devices that help us get the mundane, time-eating chores of everyday life done…
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DEC12 Issue: Art History

"A Total Work of Art"
by Peri Musser
[ READ ARTICLE ] In the sweeping landscape of Bavaria, Germany lies "Schloss Neuschwanstein,"(or "Neuschwanstein Castle"), a Romanesque Revival palace commissioned by the famous King Ludwig II (1864-1886), also known as "The Fairy Tale King." Its commanding beauty and intricate detail are nothing short of idyllic, and the influence it has had, as well as the influence of the creator himself, is far from trivial…
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DEC12 Issue: People of Note

"Hans Christian Andersen"
by Novan Komintas
[ READ ARTICLE ] Hans Christian Andersen remains one of the most beloved writers in the world. A true artist of the written word, he has produced numerous novels, poems, short stories, comedies, and travel memoirs throughout his years. And even among such contemporaries as Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and dear friend Charles Dickens, his writings remain a magnificent display of creativity, emotion, and delight…
[ read more ]

DEC12 Issue: Lost & Found

"The Magic of Family Traditions"
by Marnie Parker
[ READ ARTICLE ] I love the musical, Fiddler on the Roof. The story unfolds as Tevye, the father of five daughters, attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while outside influences threaten to encroach upon their lives. He must cope with both the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters…
[ read more ]

DEC12 Issue: Perspective

"The Magic of Christmas"
by Penny Orland
[ READ ARTICLE ] "Grandma," a little voice asked, "can you talk Santa into bringing me a video camera?" I smiled. The younger generation sure is a lot smarter. I can barely answer a call on my cell phone, and forget it if another call comes in while I'm talking to someone else. At my grandson's age, eight years old, I was still playing with dolls…
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DEC12 Issue: Just For Fun

"Gifting the Wrapping"
by Jessica Ceason
[ READ ARTICLE ] Over the varied volume of chatter, I heard the bell on the front door jingle, and another guest rushed in with an armful of bags and boxes. She placed her packages among the array of gifts already stacked on the floor and then joined the rest of the party…
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DEC12 Issue: Poetry

"Magical Winter Poetry"
[ READ ARTICLE ] Read our frosty collection of Magical Poetry…
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DEC12 Issue: Music

"The Myth, Magic, and Music of Wagner's Ring Cycle"
by Amy Carpenter
[ READ ARTICLE ] A woman in flowing clothes stands before a crowd of cowering people. Her powerful voice is heavy with sweeping judgment and sorrowful wisdom. The man she loves, the man who unwittingly betrayed her, lies dead on a pile of logs beside a river, and she grips the torch that will set him aflame…
[ read more ]

DEC12 Issue: Travel at Home and Abroad

"Germany - A Country of Comfort"
by Jessica Ceason
[ READ ARTICLE ] To say I was nervous when the plane touched down is a vast understatement of the feelings I had about being moved from the United States of America to a country in Europe with a reputation as being nothing but rigid and historically terrifying. Truth is, once you touch down, you're greeted by the ideal that if you extend respect, you'll receive respect, which will make your stay quite pleasant…
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DEC12 Issue: Inspiring People

"Every Ten Years"
by Marnie Parker
[ READ ARTICLE ] ArticleTeaserSnippet…
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DEC12 Issue: In Our Library

"Magical Selections"
by Traci G. Lee
[ READ ARTICLE ] The winter season conjures images of snowfall and warm fireplaces. What better way to spend the chilly winter months than with a novel or two, as you sip hot cocoa and cider and imagine worlds beyond your own? The purpose of literature is to take us places — it is a magical medium that seems especially fitting during winter, a time period that feels magical on its own…
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DEC12 Issue: Literary Circle

"Magic Beyond the Pages"
by Traci G. Lee
[ READ ARTICLE ] Every generation is defined by a story that takes them beyond the real world. Our daily lives become interrupted by these tales and give way to our wildest dreams. For fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, it is not uncommon to be so deeply attached to any one of the seven books…
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DEC12 Issue: Credits

"Credits and Special Thanks"
[ READ ARTICLE ] [ read more ]

"Things are possible during December's darkening days that are not even dreamt of at other spokes of the Wheel of the Year. We should use this magic as a vehicle for deepening our awareness of the world around us..."

-Montague Whitsel