Milica and Justin, the Editor and Publisher (respectively) of SCAtoday.net, would like to wish you and yours a happy holiday season, whichever of the various holidays you choose to celebrate.

Genevieve reports that Their Excellencies Otto and Lisabetta of Atenveldt Do Hereby Formally Challenge The Known World To A Contest Extraordinaire: the 8th Olde World Bardic Festival at the 2009 Estrella War.

Former history teacher Jay O'Dell looks at the origins of some of our favorite Christmas traditions in an article for the Huntington, West Virginia Herald-Dispatch.

In the village of Kfar halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, children learn about Israel of 2,000 years ago and the Hanukkah story with the help of historic re-enactors. The village also features activities for kids such as harvesting olives and making oil.

On her blog Nan Hawthorne's Booking the Middle Ages, Nan discusses a study by certain publishers of whether women readers of historical fiction will buy book narrated by male characters.

Fool's 12th Night is coming soon! Fun, foolishness and frivolity a plenty. Come try your hand at Glukhaus, Kubb or other period (and non period) board and card games. Enter contests for the best silly song, most unusual use of bells, most creative use of motley and help choose the new Queen or King of Fools! End your day of fun with a feast that will be foolish as well! (Please advise the autocrat of any dietary restrictions.)

I would like to invite all who are interested and available to a fight practice that does not fall as per our normal schedule. On Monday 29 December 2008 I have arranged to use Lake Street Armouries.

It is once more time for Myrtleholt's annual Celtic New Year Feast! Hogmanay is here again! We will again be serving many wonderful dishes; and yes Haggis of course. There will be good food, entertainment, music, good friends, games and lords wash those knees for the famous "Bonnie Knees" contest....and the VERY BEST THING WILL BE ..... A NEW TIME.... since it is the middle of WINTER and we have had SNOW and all that nasty stuff we realize it is hard for many to come so far ...SO...we will be SERVING DINNER AT 4:00 in the afternoon, giving our guests the choice to leave early or stay and visit as they wish.

Selviergard will be hosting their annual collegium on Feb 21, 2009 at the Mat-Su College in Wasilla. This will be a free event, but donations are accepted.

The Barony of Thor's Mountain Presents: Black Gryphon: Canterbury Tales February 13-15, 2008 Fall Creek Falls State Park, Pikeville, TN 2009 Village Camp Rd., Pikeville, TN 37367

I am pleased and excited to announce the 2009 Meridian Heraldic Symposium will be hosted by the Barony of Thor's Mountain in conjunction with their event Black Gryphon, to be held Feb. 13-15, 2009 at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Pikeville, TN. Please, join me in appreciation of the Barony of Thor's Mountain for their great kindness and willingness to serve the Kingdom of Meridies and the heraldic community by hosting the Heraldic Symposium.

The Barony of the Steppes, Kingdom of Ansteorra, held its annual Christmas Party at Populace Friday, December 19, 2008 at the home of Master Robin of Gilwell and Mistress Serena Lascelles.

With the great success we had last month (61 total people) we were looking for the next date and we have it! Next weekend December 27, 2008.

As winter once again flows over the land, snow and ice engulf our kingdom. However, down in the valley, the people have gathered to celebrate Twelfth Night. Inspired by the arms of Her Highness, along with the usual Twelfth Night courts, there will be a masked ball with a blue and silver theme. As dancing many times gets lost at the end of the evening, our ball will be midafternoon, before court. For those more martially inclined, there will be fencing and fighting also available (fighters, in order to use the indoor space, we need to protect the gymnasium floor- please be prepared). And, if that was not enough to fill your day- there will always be merchants, dayboard, youth activities and, most important, socializing with friends.

Once again, the Shire of the Northern Outpost is proud to offer you a surefire cure for those winter blues... a full day of melee madness! Come enjoy our fantastic indoor site, with plenty of room for melee maneuvers (including combat archery), a full slate of classes for the day, space for fencing, and a wonderful dayboard. Contact the autocrat with any dietary concerns.

Greetings to the Nobles throughout the great and mighty Gryphon Lands of Artemisia. The populace of the Shire of Silver Keep is eagerly anticipating the winter snows to give way to the warmer winds. As it is still a ways off till the warmer weather could be had, we've something else to throw off the doldrums of winter and we invite you to come celebrate our Shire's birthday at Birthday Bash XXIII.

Marine archaeologists, led by a Scottish royal, are searching the silt of Tobermory Bay near Scotland's Isle of Mull for the wreck of a Spanish Armada ship reputed to have carried a hoard of treasure.

You've heard of "Bowling for Dollars?" In England, it's battling for cheese, a publicity stunt to determine who claims bragging rights for the best bleu cheese between representatives of France's Saint Agur and Britain's Stilton.

A medieval mystery has been solved with the discovery by the Time Team of Bishop’s Palace at Ross-on-Wye, England. The location of the famed palace has been lost for over 300 years.

Lady Áine de Lacy has posted two albums of photos from recent events in the Kingdom of the West.

Dame Anita de Challis, SCA Internal Publicity Deputy for Estrella War XXV, reports on A&S activities scheduled for the upcoming War.

Michael Dudley of Timeless Photography reports that he has posted an album of photos from the recent Stargate Yule event in the Kingdom of Ansteorra.

Archaeologists have discovered a 3rd century Roman battlefield near Göttingen in Lower Saxony, Germany which may rewrite the history of the Roman army in the country.

The Barony of L'Isle du Dragon Dormant would like to extend a joyous invitation to all residents of the East Kingdom and beyond to their fair shores on the 7th day of the month of March, AS XLIII, where Her Royal Majesty of the East, Alethea Eastriding, will be in attendance to witness the festivities of the day.

At the recent Wiesenfeuer Yule event, Their Majesties of the Kingdom of Ansteorra announced Their wish to elevate Duchess Vanessa de Verona to the Order of the Pelican.

Master Godfrey von Rheinfels reports that he has posted an album of photos from the recent 25th Anniversary event in the Barony of the Sundragon (Kingdom of Atenveldt).

500 years after the Inquisition expelled many Moors from Spain, DNA proves that their "genetic legacy" is still strong, according to Professor Mark Jobling, of the University of Leicester.

An Iron Age torc, valued at UK£350,000, is one of the highlights of this year's archaeological discoveries in the UK. The necklace was found near Newark in Nottinghamshire. (photos)

THLord Stefan li Rous has published updates to Stefan's Florilegium for December 2009.

Fans of the cancelled HBO series Rome may have something to celebrate. Producer Bruno Heller would like to "produce a theatrical wrap-up" to the series.