Newspaper Page Text
Houston Home Journal
VOL. LXXI. No. 52. ~ " ■ ■ . ■ rrrrrr^- —... - —i»
PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY GA.. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 24, 1942 * ESTABLISHED 1870
Roving Reporter
Checks Oldest I
Christmas Gifts
In Chicago, a roving reporter for
a daily newspaper was given the as
signment to go out and ask various
persons what were the oldest pres
ents they had saved from past
Christmas holidays.
What he learned from a young mu
sician was that when he was 12
years old his parents gave him a
red, white and blue decorated snare
drum. That very drum started him
on his professional music career.
The musician said it was more than
“just a gift” for it had influenced
his whole life.
Then the roving reporter asked a
housewife what gift she had saved :
from her early days. She replied
that it was a doll given by her
mother. Since her mother is dead,
she keeps it in her memory for it
has great sentimental value.
Another woman, a ‘‘collection cor-,
respondent,” told the reporter that j
when she was eight years old an!
aunt gave her a doll. She, too, as 1
a titling remembrance of her aunt,
has kept the doll even though little
of the original remains, having had
to replace its head and clothes. It
still retains its charm, she said.
Another young man, a cutter by
trade, was stopped and asked what
he had saved. He said that the
Christmas following the death of
his mother, his father gave him her
ring. He had it made over to fit
his finger and has worn it ever
since. He has hopes of passing it
on to a child of his own.
Gay Christmas Plants
Will Appeal to Mother
Here is a suggestion for the young
men and ladies, around 10 or 15,
who have been saving their money
for mother’s Christmas present, yet
don’t ki.uw what to get for her:
Get her a Christmas plant!
She’ll enjoy it as much as any
of the many others. Of all the
Christmas plants,
ly reflects the sea
a son of the year
(almost as much
of color.
Other red flowers are popular, too,
but not as easily obtainable as the
pleasant poinset
poinsettia set it
an attractive
and tie a little ....iw
red ribbon with a bow on it. That
will put the “finishing touch” to a
Christmas gift that is different.
Here Is a Festive
Hard Sauce to Go
With Yule Pudding
Even the tasty hard sauce now
comes to the table in a gala dress,
for instance hete are these holiday
nar d sauce pinwheels to serve with
your favorite steamed pudding.
Hard Sauce Pinwheels
% cup butter.
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
% teaspoon grated lemon rind
% tablespoon ci. am
2 teaspoons orange juice
teaspoon grated orange rind
Orange food coloring
Oream butter until soft and grad-
Uully beat in sugar. Divide mix
totfe in half and add cream and grat
ae lemon rind to one portion and
the orange juice and rind to the
°ther portion. Add food coloring to
of ange flavored portion to tint a del
■cate orange. Spread lemon flavored
P° r tion on a cold damp cloth and
s P r ead orange mixture over it. Roll
tor jelly roll and place in refrig
rator. When hard, cut in slices and
** rve with steamed puddings or
mince pi e .
School for Santa
Last year at Buffalo, N. Y-, a,
ai Bht school to train raw recruits |
mto a crop of finished Santa Clauses j
was opened. The time may coma ;
when every jovial, red-garbed street ’
c °rner bell-ringer’s whiskers mask
a Bachelor of Santa Claus Psychol-,
°gy.
i,/* C . rhe bells on Christmas Day
2 heir old , familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeal
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
And thought how. as the day had come,
* i belfries of all Christendom
rind rolled along
I he unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
TiU, ringing, swinging on its way,
i he world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
1 he cannon thundered in the South
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
1 ft was as if an earthquake rent
i The hearth-stones of a continent,
j And made forlorn
j The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
■jv'l ‘n despair I bowed my head;
T here is no peace on earth,” I said;
“tor hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
Cod is not dead: nor doth He sleep!
I he Wrong shall fail,
? he Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Henry U adsworth Longfellow,
I It Happened |
| On Christmas Day |
smmiimimiiiiiiiiiiimimmimiiiimiin
Ironically enough, several strange
and important war activities have
taken place on Christmas day.
One which many of the British
and German soldiers of the last
World war remember is the strange
Christmas day that took place on
the 1914 front. The World war was
definitely on, but for a short time,
on Christmas day, there was a pe
riod of peace on earth between the
fighting soldiers.
In the Flanders sector, German
and British soldiers ceased firing
by mutual agreement, and went over
to each other’s trenches and dugouts
to spend the day in feasting and
celebration.
A very important military event
in colonial American history also
took place on Christmas day. George
Washington, leading his brave, but
weather-beaten army of 2,400 men
across the Delaware, captured the
city of Trenton, N. J., which British
and Hessian troops were then oc
cupying. Over 1,500 enemy troops
were captured in the surprise
march.
Decorate Christmas Tree
1,300 Feet Under Ground
About ten years ago, in Ishpe
ming, Mich., timber haulers were on
their way to a mine to put up ■
some trussing, found a small Christ
mas tree on the side of the road
which had probably fallen from a
truck.
One of the men picked up the tree
and threw it on top of the timber.
At the mine the tree was sent down
1,300 feet into the mine. One of the
miners picked it up, put it on thei
side of the passageway. At lunch
time some of the miners decorated
the tree with bits of paper from
their lunch kits.
“Let’s do this every year,” one
of them suggested.
Since then a small Christmas tree
is set up in that Michigan mine pas
sageway. And not only the miners,
but their guests, gather ’round the
tree at 6 a. m., exchange gifts and
indulge in small talk for about a
half hour before starting their shift.
American Spirit Is Noted
In Tots’ Homemade Toys
I
With a typical American wartime!
spirit, the people of the nation have*
started to manufacture many of
their own Christmas toys.
For instance, in those shops where,
bits of wood are left from repair!
work, such lumber remnants canj
be used for the building of toys.]
Smoothly sawed off pieces make fine;
building blocks.
Spools and wooden cigar boxes j
come in for use as toys, too. The]
boxes can be made into trains, and,
spools can be used as wheels for j
them. Spools can even be strung
together for beads, or lined up fox
imitation trains to be drawn along,
the floor by the baby.
W Ten per cent of your income
Bpi in War Bonds will help to
SQr 8 build the planes and tanks
that will insure defeat of Hit- j
ijM ter and his Axis partners. 1
The false gu destinies of dictator
brought/un:dld a sorely
humanity, /j)\ I \ \\ "X,"
Despite thc/iauntin'g shadows of war, the
abiding'joy of Christmas isl felri throughout 'the world.
Star of Bcthlchem«hines|as it did almost
two thousand years /ago, its ray/ reaching bravely
/through th</ dread darkness of ignorance and fear.
In own community we liave felt the hot\
breath of war. But Christmas, 1942,Wings renewed hope !
to those who/ha vej suffcrecl most! Since that^greatest
of all days, when the Virgin Mother brought forth a I
the /manger at| Bethlehem! mcn\have found !
comfort and solace in the annual miracle of Christmas.
/ Those of uswhojlive in Ismail \owns We able\o
/see mor/clearl/the suffering caused by war\We havev
a friendly, personal interest inj each other. The spirit '
of neighborly /love and djevotion has eased 'many a
saddened heart; the helping hand has Wen extended
cheerfully when the road ahead seemed impassable.
j This whi:h has recorded community
tidings hotly and sad, washes for\each of you
a.Christmas/of faith and h )pe—a Christmas rich with
the loyalty/of friends'and graced with a kill measure
Joi happiness. \ \
I We SPIRirV
THERE will be many shadow* clouding our Christmas Day this year; but—
Christmas is important! It comes at the dose oi the old year binding up the
wounds ol bitterness, making fast the moorings ol friendship, renewing the
promise oi peace and good will, invoking the magic of memories.
Christmas is the children's feast; has the Master not said that what we do unto
the least of His little ones we do also unto Him? It is twenty centuries since there
was no room for Him in the inn and many children have neither a bed nor place
of safety these nights. For these, wo give our efforts, our bundles, and our prayers.
| In America, the children must not lose their faith in Santa Claus, The best
explanation regarding Santa Claus and the Christmas Spirit I have ever been
offered or able to figure out for myself, is the one that was given to me by my
mother on that fateful day when I accidentally caught a delivery hoy entering
the house bearing an ill-concealed rocking horse.
Santa Claus typifies the Christmas Spirit: the mothers and fathers, those be
whiskered gentlemen in the stores (who puzzle lots of boys and girls by being
so numerous), the delivery boys, and all oi us who support and participate in the
campaign oi spreading cheer, we are the life blood and sustaining power of the
Christmas Spirit
The children of today must have their toys this Christmas: and we must be
extra-careful that no child has occasion to lose his faith in Santa Claus. There
are plenty of sleds and drums, dolis and painted carts and Christmas trees to go i
around: but it is up to Santa's helpers to see that every child in the land is
remembered.
And we grown-ups must have our Christmas, 100. For when we oul-grew our
toys we set this day aside to reunite our families and strengthen the bonds of
friendship.
■'-/fP "Yet In thy dark streets shiueth '^7
I \ The everlasting Light; */ V-r 'n
A The hopes and fears of all the years j i-r J
j Axe met in thee tonight." I
i Christmas Stories
Revealed by History
Fortunately, the “idea” in the
minds of some to tell the truth to
1 the kiddies—that there isn’t a San
-1 ta Claus—isn’t catching on as well
i as they hoped.
Everybody—and this includes the
; kids—enjoys a good story, especial
i ly around the Christmas season.
1 Down through the years have come
many beautiful stories, jammed
j with the kindness of the best in hu
' manity. It is from such stories that
many of our Christmas customs
have come. For the observance of
| such customs the United States is
indebted to many lands. Palestine,
Egypt, Turkey, Italy, Germany,
England and Holland all have done
their bit to contribute to our added
\ enjoyment of Christmas customs
\ and traditions. To the Holy Land,
I more than any other, all civiliza
tion is indebted for the matchless 1
1
I history of the Christ child.
One writer who has investigated |
the observance of the birth of the I
; Christ Child has noticed one curi-!
ous fact. That is, Christmas was j
not among the earliest festivals of ]
I the church. Irenaeus and Tertul-,
Han, early church fathers, omitted j
it from the list of feasts. According |
i to what Origen noticed in the Bible, |
only sinners, not saints, celebrated
j their birthday.
It was in the year 200 A. D. that
I evidence of the feast of Christmas
, was first noted. This was in Egypt.
' And it wasn’t until years afterwards
< that December 25 was decided upon
j as being the date for the celebra
; tion of Christ’s birthday. During
that time Christmas was celebrated
on various days, one of the dates !
being as late as May 20. Eight hun
dred years after the first feast of
Christmas, church authorities used
the term Christes Maessi, from
which comes the English word
Christmas. This was in 1038 J
For a great number of people, a
house not decorated with Christmas
greens would be dull indeed. One
expert has pointed out, though, that
there need be no fear that there
ever will be a shortage of the greens
peculiar to the various sections of
this nation if proper care is taken
in collecting the greenery.
' But as it is today, wanton de
struction in the collection of the
Yuletide decorations, so thoughtful
ly placed for our use by Mother
Nature, has brought about a dan
ger that we might not have some of
1 the greens we are so accustomed to.
There is a danger that the Ameri-I
I can holly, in southern Atlantic coast
states, and the laurel plants of the
mountainous country of the East,'
will both face extermination unless '
some organized method of harvest-!
ing is brought about.
Three other Christmas decorative 1
plants that are rapidly disappearing
because of new, and increased de
j mand, are the winterberry, the
ground pine, and the bittersweet.
To a large extent these plants can
be saved if the nation turns to the
use of evergreen boughs, such as
| cedar, pine, hemlock and spruce.
For a touch of color, artificial red
berries could well be used.
The story of our over commercial
ization is always connected with the
background of the dissipation of our
native plant life without regard to
future stock. Some form of protec
tive law has to be put into effect to
protect the quickly disappearing
greenery. Restriction or prohibition
in certain areas seems to be the
coming necessity to save them.
Disillusioned Santa
Reveals Everything
In Last Appearance
PHILADELPHIA, PA.-'Tm tired
now. In fact, every year around
this time I’m very tired.” That is
what Santa Claus (a professional i
one though, for the real one doesn’t
ever get tired) had to say recently
as he was taking off his red end
white suit, preparatory to going
home.
As he pulled off his white whiskers
wearily, he continued; ‘‘Besides,
this business of being a jolly old
fellow is highly seasonal work. Just
a couple of weeks’ work in Decem
ber, then something over 11 months’
vacation. It is a good thing I am
an electrician. I’d possibly starve
to death.” (The kids should have
heard such heresy 1)
A few seconds followed whilj he
put on his dark green krtit tie be
fore he continued his slightly weary
[ talk: “It was all right at first and
the pay was good—s 4 for a party
appearance or a club or a lodge. Or
$2 for a private home call. But 1
guess I can’t take it anymore. Any
how, the kids won’t miss me. (Imag
ine that, the kids not missing Santa
Claus!)
Comes next year there will be one
ex-Santa who isn’t filling stockings,
and putting presents under trees,
or telling pop to take it easy with
son’s electric train. That r. ed
Santa will be just sitting in his own
home—not, definitely not, at the
North Pole—listening to the Christ
mas carols on the radio, and wig
gling his toes. For his shoes will
be oft.
Not Santa, but ‘Nisson’
Visits Danish Children
The Danish children do not have
a Santa Claus, but instead a Christ
mas brownie, called "Nisson,” a lit
tle old mart with a long, gray beard
who supposedly lives under the
ground.
The chief features of a Danish
Christmas dinner are roast goose,
rice and apple fritters.
When the storks have left their
nests in autumn, boatloads of coarse
brown crockery in the shape of lit
tle pigs, with a slit in the back, are
brought to Denmark and bought by
the children. They are savings banks
into which the children drop their
pennies. The image is not broken
Modem Toys
Foster Spiri*
Of Fair Pla^
Christmas gifts designed to pro
mote greater use of A\j imaginatioa
among children in the five to eight
year-old group have been planned by
toymakers throughout tne nation.
Encouraging the spirit of inde
pendence and fostering group cre
ative play, the new type toys teach
' the youngsters to think for them
selves.
During the five to eight-year-old.
period when children are making the
transition from babyhood to reality.)
School days begin for them. The;
wise, thoughtful parent selects toys
for them which stimulate group
play. Dull, to those children, are
the toys that obviously teach a les
son. But interesting are the toy#
that teach a lesson under the guise
I of fun and not in the classroom.
Mathematics can be fun if the
youngster applies it to counting
change for customers in his make
believe store at home.
After being in the classroom all
day, children want to release all the
nervous energy within them. Toys
such as tricycles, small scooters and
junior bikes are helpful for the guid
ance of all such young exuberance.
I • ,
Ciu'Lalmab Cards k
; Are Personalized
Through Pictures
Photographic Christmas greeting
cards have been gaining in populari
ty during the past few years.
The possibilities are widespread;
as far as the kind or type you would;
wish to send. There can be group*
pictures, individual pictures, humor
ous ones, big and small types.
Even the greeting itself can be in
cluded with the picture of the per
son or persons through the use of
a large printed card. Humor is in-
I jected into the cards by having a
I Santa Claus drawn on a large back
ground, with a hole left in the spot
where the face should be. Any
young member of the family need
but put his head in through the
hole for the finished effect.
If you are not a good photogra
pher, or have doubts as to whether
you could take such a suitable pic
ture, you should know at least three
1 or four persons who are willing to
take the picture for you.
Santa’s Helpers
These two youngsters, like thou
sands of others, are doing their pari
in helping the Red Cross be Sant#
both here and abroad.
Medieval Rulers Enjoyed
Huge Christmas Dinners
Calculation of the Christian era is
usually credited to Dionysius Kxi
geus in the Sixth century. However,
he was somewhat in error, as it is
believed Jesus was born before what
was January 1, in A. D, 1. The
phrase Anno Domini (year of our
Lord), of which A. D. is the ab
breviation, was believed to have
been first used in 1219.
