Newspaper Page Text
lIE^MK'nVHSMSHViKTnHB'BSSr
ZA P[T73fi|77K9|Wl I j
Bj n\iIIIV[IM.IIMw^SA
M wßi. fkmri ,y g^v
Hi
I greetings
I
Warm wishes for a fine old- «&•§!*
fashioned Christmas!
Pewoj CluwtliM 0(i Ccwwmc
I *—-
Warm Wishes
* WVT* s ‘ jV
H A wish that your Christmas blooms
with happiness, love and caring.
MEDUSA CEMENT
»
ay
sf holidays ring
f/ with (hr
spirit that is the heart of
* Christmas! Sincere thanks.
ANDREW HARDWARE
Trnf.U fl/S?
| WALKER, FOSTER RHODES. & EMPLOYEES:
VWIKER-RHODES
,ir yf \ TRACTOR COMPANY
j
& 1 C)
CSCW INC
Santa's A Beloved Symbol of Season
The jovial, genial figure of
Santa Claus has had many
names, and many origins
throughout history. For over
1,700 years a Santa-figure
has been said to visit in most
regions of the globe and cer
tainly no Christmas would
be complete without the
tradition of this cheery gift
giver.
The American Santa has
his origin in the person of
Saint Nicholas, Bishop of
Myra in Lycia, Asia Minor.
Nicholas lived in the early
part of the Fourth century
and was known for his good
■•deeds and gifts for the
needy. After his death, he
became the symbol of good
ness in Christian history.
Old-Fashioned Christmas Holds Appeal
This is the time of year
when our thoughts travel
backward in time, to Christ
mases of recent memory, or
perhaps to Christmases of
long ago.
For even though most of
us have never celebrated an
old-fashioned Christmas, its
memory is lovingly per
petuated through song and
art.
“Dashing through the
snow, in a one-horse open
sleigh,” sing youngsters
whose only acquaintance
with a horse may be through
television.
Choirs sing, “God rest ye
merry, gentlemen,” bring
ing to mind scenes of Vic
torian England at Christ
mastime, when carolers
gathered beneath lanterns.
J Nostalgic Christmas cards
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1979
Numerous trades and pro
fessions took the kindly
bishop as their patron and
soon his role expanded to
that of gift-giver. When
Dutch settlers brought the
legend of Saint Nicholas to
America, the name “San
Nicholaas” then became
Santa Claus.
Two centuries later, Cle
ment Moore’s poem. “A
Visit From Saint Nicho
las,” made Santa’s popu
larity soar, and changed his
appearance. Originally
thought to resemble the
gaunt Saint Nicholas,
Moore’s work describes
Santa as the small and
stocky character we know
today —a bearded man
recall such scenes to us with
fond artistry.
Today’s tree glitters with
bright baubles, but we speak
wistfully of the old-fash
ioned tree, strung with pop
corn and cranberries, by the
children’s hands. And, in the
good old days, Dad and the
youngsters would have
chopped down the tree
themselves, and brought it
triumphantly' home on
Junior’s sled.
In days gone by, the
stockings really were hung
by the chimney with care
and, in the fireplace, logs
would be crackling away
with cheery warmth.
The sounds of Christmas
were very special in those
days. Sleighbells had their
own magical music and
church bells called out to the
faithful with a joyous peal.
But, most of all, Christ
mas was a time for laugh
ter. The laughter of chil
dren skating merrily across
a pond or neighbors ex
changing greetings of the
season as their sleighs
passed.
Perhaps no other era sym
bolizes the spirit of Christ
mas so well as the Victorian
era, however.
No doubt the popularity
of Dickens’ stories have
helped perpetuate this image
of Victorian England, mer
rily celebrating the holiday
season. The exchange of
gifts and cards were an im
portant part of the Victori
an Christmas, as was the
holiday feast.
There was much visiting
back and forth among fam
ily and friends, in horse
drawn coaches that wended
their way along snowy
thoroughfares.
Couples kissed under the
iNii
with sleigh and reindeer,
bringing gifts and good
cheer to all.
What about the reindeer?
It is thought that Saint
Nicholas traveled through
the cold, northern regions
on the wings of the rapid
North Wind. In these cold
er, sparser areas, reindeer
are the sole means of trans
portation. Hence, Santa’s
association with sleigh and
his eight antlered friends.
Today, the legend of San
ta remains alive as children
place treats and stockings
out on Christmas Eve with
the belief that Santa will re
ward them if they have been
good during the preceding
year.
mistletoe and children ex
claimed delightedly at the
arrival of the blazing plum
pudding at holiday tables.
All these activities cre
ated a tradition of revelry
and plenty that still influ
ences us to this day.
But, though the externals
have changed greatly we
now go off to Grandma’s in
the family car instead of a
sleigh we still celebrate
Christmas in the same spirit
of joy and generosity that
characterized Dickens'
England and the America of
yesteryear.
Joyful carols are still part
of every Christmas today, as
are gifts lovingly chosen and
holiday dishes that have
been painstakingly pre
pared.
Whatever the era, Christ
mas is still Christmas ... a
season of love and laughter
that transcends both space
and time.
y ** V V * *.»* * *V* o * /
* h VfR # * Hoorah for Frosty! Hoorah
**«* |P
CIAUSSEN PAVING COMPANY
PERRY, GEORGIA
IT'S TIME TO
WISH YOU A
HAPPY
NEW. S
YEAR!f
A New Year’s Wish
Let us be joyous, with
hope that springs from faith
that we and all mankind can
work toward a new year
with "goodwill to all.”
Let us work. And let us
pray to that Great Spirit,
Father of all, that He will
guide us along our path, al
ways.
For, as Charles Dana
wrote to Virginia seventy
four years ago:
"The most real things in
the world are those that
neither children nor men can
see ... Only faith, fancy,
poetry, love, romance can
push aside that (curtain and
view) and picture the super
nal beauty and glory be
yond . . .”
y •/ i ’ 1* .\W
I 1 \ H y I,j
■ IfVf|ff“- :! .' """-Hy
one of the joys
of Christmas
With little people like Ingrid around, the spirit
of Christmas lasts all year. She's faith, hope,
love and trust in the future.
We, at this insurance agency, and everyone
at Grange Mutual want to share this holiday
season with you, your family and Ingrid.
Joy to the world!
Beavers Ins. Agency
1017 JERNIGAN ST. lipMji|r
P.O. BOX DRAWER R
PERRY 31069
V PHONE: 987 1832
The Season When The
Animals Could Talk
A charming legend has it
that animals were given the
gift of speech at midnight
during the holy season. Ac
cording to the tradition, the
cock would crow, “Christus
MOSS
DISCOUNT PHARMACY
1107 Morningside Dr. 987-5441
i
PAGE 9-C
nalus est,” (Christ is born)
the ox would reply, "Übi?"
(Where?) the lamb would
answer, “Bethlehem” and
the ass would bray,
"Eamus!” . . . (let us go!)