Public domain refers to information and materials that are
considered to be "public property". Nobody owns or controls
public domain information, leaving you free to use it as
you'd like.[1] What this can mean for your Christmas
celebrations depends on your interests but there is a lot of
public domain information for you to use. This article draws
together some of the public domain information that might be
useful for your Christmas celebrations, and suggests how you
might use it.
!! Steps !!
Decorate using public domain Christmas art. Look for public domain
artwork, clip art, images, and photos using your usual search
engine. There are many old-fashioned styles of artwork available for
use and increasingly more artists are sharing their Christmas themed
art for free use.
* Make paper chains or paper snowflakes using public domain images.
* Make Christmas tree decorations using public domain images.
Play or sing public domain Christmas music (songs, hymns, and
instrumental). A quick search online will reveal numerous pieces of
Christmas music available in the public domain that can be played in
public spaces without any copyright repercussions.[2]
* Use public domain Christmas songs for school, church, community
groups, college, or work. Go caroling.
* Examples of public domain Christmas songs include: Angels We Have
Heard on High, Away In a Manger, Deck the Halls, Here We Come
A-Caroling, The First Noel, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,
Jingle Bells, Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Joy to the World, The Twelve
Days of Christmas, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and What Child
is This?[3]
Cook public domain Christmas or holiday recipes. The beauty of
the internet is the easy availability of many recipes from times
past. There are a lot of public domain Christmas recipes. Start
with cookbooks on Project Gutenberg, looking under the seasonal or
holiday cooking sections of the books.
* Look for free recipe ebooks given away on blogs and websites as
well as old publications of recipes. Many of the ebooks take older
public domain information and update it to modern standards.
* Be careful with measurements in older recipes; they can be a lot
less precise than what we're used to nowadays!
Make art and crafts with public domain art and patterns. There are
many amazing crafts and gift ideas that are possible using public
domain art and ideas. Look for old craft books on sites such as
Gutenberg, or do searches online with such terms as "public domain
Christmas craft". Once you've located the public domain information,
use the ideas, images, or patterns creatively, such as in the
following ideas:
* Make your own wrapping paper and cards with public domain images.
* Make Christmas gifts using public domain designs and images. For
example, you could decoupage an old box with public domain images,
frame a self-colored public domain image, or base a totally
updated, modern design on an older public domain design.
* Sew, knit, crochet, hammer, glue, etc., public domain Christmas
craft projects.
Watch public domain Christmas movies. Classic Christmas movies and
cartoons are still enjoyable to this day, even though many of them
are many decades old.
* Download them to your computer, iPod, or iPhone. Public domain
movies can be found on such sites as Babelgum, TV4u,
PublicDomainTorrents, Google Video, In2TV, etc.
* Examples of Christmas movies in the public domain include
"Scrooge" (1935), "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", and the like.
Do an online search and be certain that it is public domain if
you're giving a public showing in a place such as a local park,
etc.
* Another fun use for public domain Christmas movies is to do
amusing voice-overs. Post the voiced over public domain Christmas
movie to YouTube for other people's entertainment; just make sure
it is clever or funny!
Read public domain Christmas stories. Lots of Christmas stories are
in the public domain and are suitable for public readings or for
enjoying at home because they're easy to access online. Project
Gutenberg is a great place to begin,[4] using the search term
"Christmas" and "Christmas stories (or tales)".
* Some stories to look for include O. Henry, _The Gift of the Magi_;
Henry Van Dyke, _The Other Wise Man_; Charles Dickens, "A
Christmas Carol", _Chimes_, and "The Cricket on the Hearth_;
Clement C Moore,_ Twas the Night Before Christmas_; Asa Don
Dickinson and Ada M Skinner, The Children's Book of Christmas
Stories_.[5]
* Don't forget to look for public domain Christmas poems too!
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* Please consider making donations to people who take the time to
collate and maintain public domain resources, should they ask.
They're providing a free service for your benefit and a small
token of appreciation is a lovely gesture during the holiday
season.
* If you love what you find, consider sharing it around by way of
photos online for others to see what you've made, or even by way
of making your own ebook for free distribution.
* Not all items in the public domain are old. Some people choose to
release things they're creating now into the public domain. And
the US government has many public domain items that you might be
able to put to use for Christmas, such as food or tree or plant
images (for example, poinsettias, pines), etc.[6]
!! Warnings !!
* Always check the applicability of the public domain status in the
country you're in. It may not apply or it may be varied in some
way.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Internet access
* Confirmation that materials are in the public domain (check the
site's or source's copyright notice)
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Support the Free Culture Movement
* How to Find Public Domain Materials
* How to Import Old Public Domain Books to wikiHow
* How to Choose a Creative Commons License
* How to Write Your First eBook
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
0 comments:
Post a Comment