How they do it in Finland… Whacky Xmas fun around the world

Xmas is tomorrow, so here are some fun facts from around the globe, including a variety of unpronounceable ways to say ‘Happy Xmas’!

Happy Christmas! (Britain)

Christmas was once illegal in Britain! In 1647, English military and political leader Oliver Cromwell considered feasting and general merry-making (getting drunk) on a holy day was inappropriate and immoral. It remained illegal for 13 years, until his party lost power in 1660.

Medieval Britain’s gluttony is well known. One celebration featured a nine-foot pie, with filling that included four geese, two rabbits, four wild ducks, two woodcocks, six snipes, four partridges, two neats' tongues, two curlews, six pigeons, and seven blackbirds. Yummy?

Srozhdestvom Kristovym! (The Ukraine)

The Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner table is set with two tablecloths: one for the living members of the family, and one for ancestors who have passed. It is believed that if ancestors are acknowledged and shown respect, they will bring good fortune to the family.

Christmas trees in the Ukraine are traditionally decorated with an artificial spider and web, as a spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

Kala Christouyenna! (Greece)

At Christmas time, according to Greek legend, creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes come out and wreak havoc around town. It is said they are apparently repelled by the stench of a burning shoe or salt. Other traditions to keep the Kallikantzaroi at bay include hanging a pig's jawbone by the door, and maintaining a fire to stop them sneaking down the chimney. On a larger scale, the local priest may go from home to home, sprinkling holy water, or he may throw a cross into water.

Some Greeks do not use Christmas trees or give presents at Christmas.

Hyvaa joulua! (Finland) and God Jul! (Sweden)

The twelve days of Christmas are decreed by law to be days of civil peace in Finland and Sweden. Crimes committed during this time may be punished with a harsher sentence than normal.

Nollaig chridheil huibh! (Scotland)

Christmas can be a sombre time in some Scottish homes. Historians theorise that this is because Christmas is considered to be a Catholic celebration. Scottish Presbyterians tend to reserve their celebration for New Years, which is known as Hogmanay.

Gledelig Jul or God Jul! (Norway)

After the Christmas Eve dinner and gift-giving in Norway, all the brooms in the house are hidden, as it was once believed that witches and mischievous spirits would steal them to ride.

Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! (The Netherlands)

Before bed on Christmas eve in the Netherlands, children leave out their shoes, hoping Saint Nicholas will fill them with candy.

Buone Feste Natalizie (Italy)

Italian legend says a nice witch named La Befana was sweeping her floors when the Three Wise Men stopped in and asked her to come and see the baby Jesus. She said, ‘No I’m too busy.’ Later, she changed her mind but it was too late. It’s now said that every Christmas Eve, she rides on her broomstick looking for the holy child. On the way, she pops down chimneys to deliver toys to children.

Gr8 Xpect8ions

After an afternoon of Christmas pressie snatch-and-grab on the weekend, I got to thinking about presents and our expectations.

I’ve asked around, and can confirm that I’m not the only one who whimpers a succession of ‘oh…wow. Thanks…’ as I open my gifts. From the ball of string I once received from my father to the Décor storage containers I received from my partner last year, it seems like Christmas-gift-receiving is fraught with disappointment.

We can’t hold it against the present buyer though. It’s hard to find a unique and special present for someone year after year. Of course, there is a solution *blatant product plug*! If you need a fun and practical present for the chick in your life, GRLmobile has a really cool range of phones, broadband and fashmo to check out. Most of our products come with an included gift, like full-sized perfumes, hair stylers and other neat stuff, making them the perfect gift for Xmas, birthdays, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Best thing is that nearly all of them are under $100.

We sell our phones, broadband and prepaid top-ups at stacks of retailers, including Australia Post, Myer, Target, Dick Smith, Crazy John’s or GRLmobile.com, and we’ve just discounted a bunch of products just in time for Xmas.

Xpect8ions met, Xcitement guaranteed!

(Pictured is GRLmobile's Style+Dial: Nokia 2680 + FREE Hair Styler ONLY $79! and TxTribe: One Touch Tribe + FREE GRLmobile reusable foldable shopper bag, notebook with phone pocket & txting Chick-tionary ONLY $149!)

Kid Sister: Ain't so little no more.

Growing up in suburban Chicago, Melissa Young lived through the financial struggle so common in the American ghettos. To help her get through the hard times, she wrote raps. In October 2005, she began performing at local dance parties under the alias Kid Sister and was quickly signed to Kanye West’s DJ’s record label.

Kanye featured on her first single, Pro Nails, which met with rave reviews. In 2008, this gorgeous African American, Native American, and Caucasian rapper was nominated for Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the prestigious B.E.T. Awards. That’s no small feat for someone who’s only been on the scene for three years!

Kid Sister’s freaky-fresh sound is born from an inherent confidence. Classed alongside Janelle Monae and Santogold as the new wave of female hip hop, she understands that the key to musical innovation is to be unique. ‘It’s okay to be weird’ she says. ‘It’s okay to be smart and strong, and decisive, I think that’s how we look at things.’

With big, fat beats plus weird electro sounds, her rhymes are melodic and off-beat, laid over a bed of deep bass lines. But there is an element of fun in all her songs. ‘I’m trying to take the cheesiness out of professional music. Everyone is so full of themselves, with the egos, and it’s so silly! I think only a woman can do that! A woman is going to be the one to put a new face to things because with you men – and I love you all, so much – but with all the egos, come on! It kinda has to be a woman to make that pivotal change.’

Despite her tough upbringing, she’s a big fashion fan. She says, ‘I’m a tomboy that loves to shop.’ And what store does she love the most? GRLmobile’s original retailer, Target! ‘[It’s] my favorite place!’ she says, ‘You can find me here several days out of the week. Target is so addictive!

GRLinsider Xclusiv! If you’ve got a GRLmobile Prepaid mobile phone account, you can download Kid Sister’s hot hit Right Hand Hi now from GRLmobile.com/Insider. Just enter the promo code we texted you. Or call 1300 GRL GRL if you’ve lost it. For more info, or to hear some of Kid Sister’s killer tracks, check out http://www.myspace.com/kidsister.

Mwah mwah

From MissGRLmo

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Is Miss GRLmo the next Layne Beachley? Um… no.

The GRLmobile team drove down to Torquay on the weekend to join the fun at Play It Safe By The Water Surfing For Girls presented by GRLmobile and Oakley.

Threatened with a dark and stormy day, we were stoked to find sunshine beaming down from a blue sky. There were stacks of girls already there, and the music was pumping thanks to the Oakley Rolling O Lab’s massive sound system. But I was not there to dance. Ever-ready to give anything a go in the name of a good story, I was there to surf!

Having never surfed before, I was told with almost a laugh that the GRLmobile surfboard – a DHD Steph Gilmore Pro design – was totally inappropriate for my skill level. It was suggested I start out on a “G board”, which turned out to be a foamy beginners’ longboard. I asked for a pink one and renamed it the “GRL board”. Close enough.

Far from my city-wardrobe staples of silk dresses and pencil skirts, wetsuits are like something from another world. I pulled a muscle in my behind trying to put it on. Once in, I slipped my GRLmobile rashie over the top, grabbed my board and made down to the beach to join the beginners’ group. We learned the basics of surfing, including water safety and rescues. Then we had a few practice runs of how to stand up on your board. It all seemed very achievable, but I knew once we hit the waves, it would all go out the window.

To my surprise, I actually stood up on the first wave I caught! It was a great feeling. With the wind blowing past me, I declared myself a professional surfer. I bounced through the breaks to catch my second thrill. Turns out my glory was short lived. On my second wave, my arms were too weak to lift me into a stand. Too many warm-ups perhaps? I did manage to stand up a second time. But I ate wave more times than I’d like to admit.

Out of the water, we met up with our GRLmobile Ambassador, Nikki Van Dijk (pictured). She was fresh from winning 2nd place in the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles. She was such an awesome chick, and we were in awe of her surf-star physique! Seven-time world champ Layne Beachley was also there (she's pictured above, surfing in the dark wetsuit), and she signed some t-shirts just for us! We interviewed both girls for GRLtv – keep a lookout for the video, which will be uploaded soon!

I went home rather salty, crusty and rusty, but with a smile on my face. Although the fitness level required to surf is perhaps slightly beyond my capabilities, the rush you get when you’re cruising on a wave makes it 100% worthwhile. I’ll be surfing again at the earliest possible opportunity and I’d encourage any GRL to give it a go.

Thanks to the Play It Safe By The Water Surfing for Girls team especially Max, Liam and Girv from Surfing Victoria for the sweet experience.

Lots of Red Bulls and Lots of smiles :: Managing Fashion Week with Miro Kubicek

If you’ve got enough acclaim or the right accreditation, you’ll have no problem getting into the right shows at fashion week. If you don’t, you have absolutely no chance …unless you know Miro.

Dressed in his signature silver suit, kitted with a Secret Service headset and armed with a troop of impeccably polished minions, Miro Kubicek is ready to take a fashion bullet for anyone important enough. Just ask Anna Wintour, the notoriously supercilious editor of American Vogue, who he saved from an increasingly aggressive legion of paparazzi at the last New York Fashion Week. ‘She joked with me and she smiled a lot… maybe she liked what she saw’, comments Miro with a charming lack of modesty.

Russian-born Miro grew up in socialist Czechoslovakia, but fled to West Germany at the age of 14 where he slept under a bridge by night and studied during the day (he now has a Masters in Economics). He started modelling – underwear – part-time, before six months of compulsory military training lead him into personal security. He immigrated to Australia with $1,000 in his pocket and no English. These experiences set him on course for his career in high-end security and VIP wrangling, an area he is beginning to monopolise in the Australian fashion scene.

Miro’s company, MIRo HoUSE is the guest management agency of choice for many Australian and international designers including Toni Maticevski, Collette Dinnigan, Max Azria and Calvin Klein. From greeting guests and ushering the right butts to the right seats, to consoling the damaged egos of those condemned to the back bleachers, Miro is fast becoming the undisputed king of fashion’s front-of-house.

Our own Fashion Maverick caught up with Miro backstage at the Collette Dinnigan SS10 show in Paris, where he posed for photos and filled her in on what he’s been doing lately.

Mwah mwah

From MissGRLmo

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