Internet Romance Gone Bad

You’ve heard stories of successful internet romances and then there are the horror stories of deception and in some cases tragedy.

How can you avoid this kind of incident to your internet romance?

It’s easy for people to disguise themselves over the internet. It’s not a unique story of a woman flying to meet a man. She's out of her own territory and trapped.

What can you do to assure this scenario doesn’t happen to you?... Read rest of Article

Christmas caroling party

Most people have filled their calendars for the holidays, but if you enjoy singing, then you may still have time to organize a Christmas caroling party. It could be a great chance to invite that guy you've been too shy to approach. Maybe you’ve just started dating a special someone or you and your lover are looking for a different way to celebrate the holiday season.

A Christmas caroling party can be a great way to spend more time together without the pressure of an official date. Just make sure your new love can actually sing or the evening will be disastrous.

==Where to start==

Make a list of people you know who enjoy singing and who would be fun to spend the evening with. A good place to start is your church choir and other church choirs.

Call your fellow carolers for an impromptu neighborhood caroling.

For a festive look, ask guests to wear red and green. If this isn't possible, then at least dress in holiday hats, scarves and don't forget to wear gloves. If you live in a warm climate, you can adjust your apparel to still be festive.

Purchase actual sheet music or a book of carols for each caroler or borrow hymn books from your church.

Map out your route. Now that everyone has the music and attire, you're ready to carol. If you can squeeze in a practice before heading out.

==A progressive Christmas caroling party==

This one will take more time to plan, but can still be done on between now and Christmas if you're willing to put in the effort.

To make things more interesting and fun, enlist the help of your carolers and those on your caroling route to host a progressive party. This can be very simple and be nothing more than a warm drink or other refreshment and one hors d’oeuvres or holiday cookies.

An added benefit of doing a progressive party is with each home you visit of your carolers, you can add another singing voice to your group or at the very least visit with each other’s family.

If you don’t live in town, but are in the country, then hook up a trailer, add some bales of hay and combine a hay ride with your caroling. Just be sure and call ahead of those on your route to make sure they’re home. If you don’t have access to a hayride, then create a caravan of carolers and stop at each home. Sing long enough to give everyone time to open their doors.
If strolling through a neighborhood, then continue to sing as you walk to create the ambiance of traditional caroling.

==Last Home On Route==

The last stop in your caroling route will be your home. Have someone assist you in preparing this final party destination. You'll want to serve your guests with beverages and finger foods. You can also have the carolers' families bring their leftovers and combine for a fun finale to an entertaining evening.

==The spirit of Christmas==

Just remember, this parfy is to be fun and festive. If it becomes too involved in the planning stages or begins to get away from you and you’re stressing out over the details, then reign it back in and make it simple. You can easily get three or four friends together and strike out on a spontaneous caroling trek, just make sure your neighbors are home.

Merry Christmas!

Heart Symbol for Romance

The heart is probably the most recognized symbol for romance and love. It's been a long held ideology that our emotions come from our heart. We even have catch phrases using heart as a metaphor for how our emotions are conveyed:

♥ Speak from your heart

♥ Put your heart into it

♥ Heartfelt

♥ Heartless

♥ Breaking my heart

♥ Cold heart

♥ Heart of stone

♥ Heart on his sleeve

So just how did the symbol for the heart become something other than the actual shape of the human heart? There are several theories about this unique symbol.

==Magic==

During the time of alchemists, the heart symbol was used and accepted as the symbol for romance and love. These masters of chemistry and magic used heart symbols in their spells. Certain rituals also utilized this symbol in an effort to strength love relationships.

==Christianity==

The Sacred Heart of Christ is well documented and used within the Roman Catholic Church. The symbol is one of divine love, compassion and good will. Within this emblem of religion is also the message of divine truth. So the heart symbol becomes the purest form of expression for love. All kinds of love. It was cemented into the church’s symbolism sometime in the 1600s. This was when Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque received a vision. In this moment of enlightenment, the shape of a heart inside a crown of thorns was revealed to her.

==Ancient Egypt==

The heart is also symbolic of the soul. In ancient Egypt, the heart was removed from the dead and weighed on a scale in balance to the Feather of Ma’at, Maat, or Mayet, (pronounced, (Muh-aht) Egyptian goddess of truth, balance, justice, law, and mortality. This symbol represented the judging the dead and determining if the person's heart was lighter than the fabled feather. If it was, then the soul was deemed worthy enough to cross over into paradise. (No documentation exists about the results of this weighing in only that it was a death ritual.)

==Playing cards==

In the 15th century, the suits for playing cards were created and the heart was used as one of the four suits, clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts. The color red was used to symbolize blood.

==Human anatomy==

Others believe the shape depicts several female anatomical attributes. It’s further believed that the symbolism was created during a time when there was male dominance in the world. This gives the symbolism a very different meaning and removes it from love into lust.

==Silphium seed==

In Cyrene, located in ancient Greece (7th century BC) now present-day Lybia, the silphium plant was abundant and a big commodity for the city. While it was marketed as a spice and seasoning, it was also used as an herbal method of birth control. This enormous fennel type plant, which is now extinct, had seeds that were heart-shaped. It was so important to the Cyrene economy that the coins minted by the city depicted a heart-shaped seed of the silphium plant with a double outline around the heart.

==Swans==

The mating ritual of swans has long been depicted in various romantic symbolism. When their long necks arch so they can butt heads, the shape formed is that of a perfectly formed heart.

==Hearts are an expression of romance==The heart symbol for romance seems to be ancient. The heart shape we use in so many everyday expressions of love and romance will no doubt remain an emblem to convey those emotions.

For more romance articles visit Sally at Romance Examiner.