Newspaper Page Text
Christmas
Greetings
Section
. .A/®.-
H’/uv! the Puritans reached New England, they brought with
them their dislike for any observance of Christmas and levied
fines on those who dared to celebrate the holiday. It was not
until the nineteenth century (after many German and Irish im
migrants had arrived) that holiday celebrations really became <
popular in that part of the country
In the Southern colonies, in
Virginia, for example, there
were gay gatherings of families
and friends, with bountiful
feasts and gala ballsby candle
light. The aristocratic planta
tion owners carried on many
of the holiday traditions that
had prevailed for centuries in
the home country. Often the
slaves were not required to
work as long as the yule log
burned.
The Moravians who made
homes in eastern colonies, be
cause of religious persecution
in the Old World, continued
their unusual customs. On
Christmas Eve, carrying
X ' 1/ *
I
j '•'/^W 5 '- ।
I Silent Night I
r , . T , •
Christmas comes, and renews the glorious g
S inspiration of that Holy Night long g
S ago. To all, we wish a holiday season rich g
in many joys and blessings. g
I I
Lk B|b
* bO^oWU i
I sa x - MB $
I ofewW i
j •? - 5
I MALCOLM THOMAS |
| INSURANCE AGENCY«
! !
■ £ I
S A )n the holiday spirit Wi&f JB 1
5 t ti e take time out to thank y Mr y^B S
» our customers for their *jr 1 AvxX® V
S loyalty, friendship and B ■ Jm
ill Ik 8
$ patronage throughout the g '» K / ||f '//>
year. It's always our '\ 1
5 joy to serve! 11 Ai S
s y. AmNI / !
a /TaS SRiKiß^^i
5 - it J ^ UllJk f MF!
i % \ 14KMRI 1
5 BSsl^j
5 / i r Pa/iU
' ' Jr X'A BSH' * !
J STANDARD OIL CO. i
5 .1. C. BAGLEY, Aijent |
lighted candles and singing a
Christmas hymn, they marched
into a stable, thus recalling
Christ’s humble birthplace. In
our Southwest people of Span
ish and Mexican ancestry
staged old holiday plays such
as "Los Pastores” and "Las
Posadas", brought here from
Spain via Old Mexico. Scan
dinavian settlers in the Middle
West, cherished their native tra
ditions as have their descend
ants. Therefore, our American
Christmas obervance is a most
interesting and unusual one;
for it includes varied customs
from faraway lands.
o
Ha
Yule Greens
Set Scene
For Festivity
From the welcoming wreath
on the door to the Christmas
tree glowing with lights and
bedecked with packages, from
the cheery poinsettia plant on
the mantel or table to the sprig
of mistletoe with its promises
of kisses and laughter, greens
and plants set the scene for
holiday enjoyment.
Many of the greens now used
for Christmas decorations
once adorned pagan rites, and
were credited by the ancients
with certain mystical powers
and virtues.
Today, using greens has be
come holiday custom, regard
less of religious or symbolic
significance.
* ♦ *
About Trees
Perhaps the most common
use of holiday greens is seen
in the lively, decorated Christ
mas tree found in many homes
at this time of year.
There are many legends con
cerning the origin of Christ
mas trees. One belief is that
the first Christmas tree was a
palm tree brought from Egypt.
The 12 parts of the palm were
supposed to represent the 12
apostles, according to the edi
tors of the Encyclopedia Amer
icana.
The use of pine and cedar
Yule trees is generally thought
to be of German derivation.
The introduction of the ever
green Christmas tree came to
English-speaking peoples after
the marriage of Victoria of
England to the German prince,
Albert.
* * ♦
Mistletoe Magic
Ancient followers of the
Druid religion were the first to
regard mistletoe as a sacred
plant, say the editors of The
New Book of Knowledge. They
supposed it to have panacean
virtues in warding off every
thing from witches to disease.
Each year, about the time
Christmas is celebrated today,
there was a ceremonial rite in
which Druid priests, using a
golden sickle, cut the mistletoe
leaves from the “sacred oak”
and distributed them amongst
the people.
♦ ♦ *
Holly in Legend
In the legend and lore of
Christmas, holly has both a
merry and melancholy signi
ficance.
Fairies, so it is said, loved
the holly. They found its leaves
such a comforting shelter that
even after holly was cut from
the trees, they lingered about,
allowing themselves to be car
ried indoors, where they pro
tected the home from evil
spirits.
Later, Christian believers
saw the thorny leaves and
bright red berries of the holly
as symbols of the Crown of
Thorns and the sacrifice which
the Christ Child, grown to
manhood, made on Calvary
Cranberries Are
American Treat
Cranberries are as tradition
al as apple pie. Known to the
Indians as I-bimi, or "bitter
berry”, cranberries were
pounded into a paste called
pemmican, which was used as
poultices on wounds.
Noting the berries to be the
favorite food of cranes, the Pil
grims called them craneberries.
In true American tradition, this
was eventually changed to
cranberries.
Cranes, of course, are un
welcome in cranberry bogs —
but other birds are encouraged.
Bogs are often lined with bird
houses — homes for swallows,
which eat destructive insects.
Along, with the birds, the
bees play a welcome role in
cranberry production. The pol
len is too heavy to be carried
by the wind so bees are neces
sary to pollinate the flowers.
CARD SCENE
By far the most popular
Christmas card illustration is
the Nativity Scene. Next to that
is winter scenes. In recent years
the illustrations of Grandma
Moses have become popular.
I i
I MERRY |
CHRISTMAS™ |
I . I
8 I
Everywhere, joyous voices are $
p singing out the glad tidings of S
M the season. Children smile, and w
S we rejoice in homes filled with / S
$ love, hope and unity.
Trees are trimmed, gay wreaths 3
$ adorn each door.‘Tis Christmas... $
$ and once again that wonderful w
....
M spirit enters every heart. y
M At this magical time, we wish
S you. our good friends, the very
d best of Christmas blessings along 9
with each special joy the holiday $
p has store. Merry Christmas!
। 1
l 1
IFROM ALL THE FOLKS AT §
GEORGIA RUG MILL s
SUMMERVILLE LYERLY W
Festive desserts and traditional drinks are a familiar
part of the Christmas observance.
Turkey on Christmas Day is an American specialty.
Yet no treats are more associated with the holiday than
plum pudding and mince pie.
The original plum pud
ding, tradition says, was
cooked up by an English
hunting party lost in the
woods on Christmas Eve.
It consisted of deer meat
and a mixed variety of
game animals, birds’ eggs,
dried plums, ale, brandy,
sugar and flour.
Mince pie, we are told,
was created by the Puritans
and served with a tiny
figure of the Christ child in
its center. The earliest
known recipe dates to the
reign of James I in the 1 7th
Century — and called for
beef tongue, chopped chick-
en, eggs, raisins, orange
and lemon peelings, sugar
and an assortment of
spices.
Hot punches have al
ways been popular in Eng
land and are regaining
some favor in America.
A mild drink is spiced
tea with cloves, cinnamon
and nutmeg added before
brewing. A bit more glow
ing is mulled cider, sim
mered with spices and
served with floating orange
slivers. And finally, the tra
ditional Tom and Jerry,
spiced brandy, frothy with
egg-
The Summerville News, Thurs., Dec. 21, 1967
■r ■_ ~ | '■ -fEw
I J/v ।
* I
MUSIC LOVERS ... A performance at Lincoln Center’s
Metropolitan Opera House draws throngs of New Yorkers
and visitors during the city's glittering holiday season. Face
of the New York State Theatre is visible, Philharmonic Hall
at right.
IN NE WFOUNDLA ND
The people in Newfound
land fish during Christmas
week. Then, it is customary,
they bring their catch to be sold.
The funds from the fish sale
are contributed to their local
parish.
WHY?
Dr. Clement Clarke Moore
was ashamed of his poem,
very famous, "Night Before
Christmas" and would not
acknowledge that he wrote it
for more than twenty years.
1-C