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Tree Radiates Yule Meaning
The Christmas tree, a uni
versally recognized symbol of
the merriest season, radiates
the meaning of the Christ
mas story.
For many people, the tree
recalls the atmosphere of the
holiday home and thus re
flects the joyful warmth of
the season.
As a religious symbol, the
tree with its lights and
greenery represents both the
story of the garden of Eden
and the belief in Christ as
the "Light of the world. 1 ’
Although only a century
and a half old in America,
the custom of the tree has
a history that is measured
in many centuries. The fore
runner of today’s Christmas
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I CHRISTMAS
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: the joy of the holiday season be
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i now and throughout the year to come. ; ;
Thanks for your kind generosity.
TURPIN
MOTORS
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May the light of love and
understanding that bathed the world
g on the eve of His Birth shine upon you f
and kindle your heart with everlasting joy. Let
us rejoice as we cherish the blessings of this holy season
■ ERWIN-PETITT j
| FUNERAL HOME J
tree was seen in medieval
miracle plays, which were
produced as religious instruc
tion for the illiterate — in
an era when illiteracy was
common and the ability to
read a rarity.
A play about Eve's eating
the forbidden fruit in the
garden of Eden was enacted
with only one prop on stage,
a single, apple-laden fir that
became known as the Para
dise Tree. The play ended
with the promise of the com
ing of Christ and was usually
presented just before Christ
mas.
At about the same time,
people also decorated for the
Christmas season with pyra
mid-shaped frames of light,
symbolizing the birth of
Christ as the Light of the
world
Early efforts to combine
the Paradise Tree and the
Christmas Light pyramid are
recorded in manuscripts from
Germany dating to the 16th
century, collected by the
Hallmark Cards research li
brary.
The first tree was thought
to have been brought to the
United States by Hessian
soldiers during the American
Revolution These homesick
soldiers and other immi
grants carried the tree
throughout the country.
A major setback almost
occurred in Cleveland in
1851 when a pastor decorated
a tree in his home. His
parishioners condemned the
tree as pagan, but relented
after an explanation of its
religious aspects.
Conservation- minded
President Theodore Roose
velt again nearly stamped
out the practice when he
banned trees in the White
House. After one of his sons
sneaked a Christmas tree in
to the White House, a for
ester convinced the President
that thinning helped forests.
The tree that is common
today is a combination of the
religious elements. The ever
green with glass, plastic or
metal balls hanging from it
is the Paradise Tree with its
apples. Lights, tinsel, angels,
a star on top. ornaments and
other "good things” reflect
the Christmas Light.
1752 Calendar
Set Christmas
Date on Dec. 25
We know that our calen
dar today Is a relatively
modem institution. But do
we realize that in earliest
times, Christmas was cele
brated on January 18? It is
still so celebrated by the
Armenian church. Later on,
the date became January 6
— and it was only in 1752,
with the final change to the
Gregorian calendar, that
the rearrangement of dates
placed Christmas Day on
December 25.
Some church people in
England were very indig
nant when this change took
Riace — feeling that some
ow they had been robbed
of 11 days and the corre
sponding wages. Some of
them tried to find out if the
new date were correct by
noting whether or not the
tree called the Glastonbury
Thom (supposedly planted
by Joseph of Arimathea)
would flower on the new
date or the old. Sometimes
the tree bloomed on one day
and sometimes on the oth-
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BO TH ELEMENTS THAT LED TO TODAY’S ( liriMimih tree —
Ute PuradiM- Tree and llie ChriMnm* Liglilx pyramid — are xliown
in llii* antique (.liriMma* card of the I88O'». I In - card wm> pub
lished by Opbacher Brothers of Munich, Germany, and is part of
the Hallmark Cards Historical < .olleclion.
UNICORN TAPESTRY
Many tapestries of the 15th and 16th centuries portrayed
secular themes as well as religious ones. Court and hunt
ing scenes were popular, as in the famous “Hunt of the
Unicorn,” now’ in The Cloisters, New York.
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' asl ^’ B ^ ere •• • mer d eß * *' me °f the year! This is the season
when old friendships are strengthened and new ones are fostered
* by the spirit of good will all about us. Here’s hoping
we may continue the fine association we have enjoyed in the past.
Thanks, friends, and have a wonderful Holiday.
Riegel Textile Corp. ~
Trion Division
An Easy Way to Make
A Christmas Scraphook
Here’s a great idea for
salvaging those used or left
over Christmas gift wraps.
You may use a regular 3-
ring loose-leaf notebook, or
cut cardboard to any size
you like, for the covers. If
you make your covers, you
can punch holes in them
later and put covers and in
side pages together with
left-over Christmas ribbons
(press them smooth first).
Cover notebook or card
board with gift-wrap paper.
You can press used or left
over Christmas wrap paper
smooth with an iron, set on
very low heat. Measure
notebook, taking the height
and width of front and back
covers. Add 1" overlap to all
four sides. Cut out of one
piece of paper, or two if you
use two pieces of cardboard.
Notch the corners. Using
rubber cement, or any
household glue, glue paper
to outside covers of note
book, centering between the
notched corners. Then glue
overlaps to inside of covers.
Measure exact dimensions
of inside covers. Cut out one
piece of gift wrap for each
GIFT-GH ING VARIES
In most European coun
tries. families give presents
either on St. Nicholas’ Day,
December 6, or on Christ
mas Eve, or at Epiphany —
January 6. Only the English
and Americans customarily
choose Christmas Day itself
for gift-giving.
(this could be a contrast
pattern) and cement into
place, covering overlaps.
Select a scene from a
Christmas card and glue to
the center of front cover.
Trim the edges, if you like,
with leftover ribbon, gold
braid, or tape.
For the inside pages, use
your imagination! Group
the Christmas cards you
want to save on the pages,
and glue them to paper
$ _ i
55 CDay the inspiration £ 1
S of faith and love fill j
3 your heart with quiet peace
| and happiness. A joyous Noel to all.
« WOOD'S
? GULF SERVICE
W MS Mt««K «(««.-««. »!*»!«* 1
Giving Gifts
Like greetings, gifts arc
synonymous with Christmas,
as part of a custom that
probably has its beginning in
the Wise Men’s presentation
of gold, frankincense and
myrrh to the Christ Child.
Some researchers trace the
gift-giving tradition to even
earlier. pre-Christian times
During pagan holidays ob
served at about the same time
as the modern Christmas,
ancient Romans and Briton;
exchanged gifts in token of
the season.