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PAGE 12A Fun trivia about Christmas Who started Christmas cards? Christmas cards began with cards drawn by children of bib lical scenes and messages like Happy Hobdays and “I promise to be good.” The first commer cial card was printed in 1846 with a picture of a family cele brating a Christmas dinner in the center and on each side were pictures of charitable acts of feed- M ing and ,-WT cloth ing t h cCyT'\ poor. John Calqott “ mad 6 the j cards which ' bore * the message ‘A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to d You.” Only 1,000 were print- \ ed. Where did the idea for fruitcakes come from ? The Romans first made fruit cake with raisins, pine nut, pomegranate seeds and barley mash. The ingredients have changed somewhat over the years, but the fruitcake remains an enduring symbol of Christmas. Who started the tradition of gift giving? Gifts were given as good luck symbols and house were deco rated with greenery in early Roman festivals. Although early Christians did not approve of this “pagan” Yitual, they did approve of giving gifts as the giving of gifts by the Magi or wisemen who brought gifts to the Christ child. By the middle ages gift giving became widely accepted. One popular gift in the 19th and 20th centuries was fruit, nuts and candy. Another popu lar gift was stuffed animals, particularly the Teddy Bear introduced in the early 1900’s and named for “Teddy” Roosevelt. Why are lights and lighted trees so popular at Marble Masters jjM'jjffl “Kitchen & Bath Specialist” pRHIVi ■HBH PINNACLE PIONEER Cultured Marble by Marble Master www.marblemasters.com cultured Marble v 1105 N. Davis Drive • Warner Robins • 929-2766 J CO 03 CO i/■. -3 --w.~ ... a**pstfj J rgnaxn 'xxtmu* Ksawaj vaßMmu wmrwrej ?ss«K, 1.14 I MTIIjU iJ I The Jameson Inn Now through 12/31/02 \ t>r Double *J Wm 'fax Call tor further information 987-5060 igh CDs COMING DUE? w Want More Interest? fpLi How’s 8.00% JheMoneyjpeej Try ours! a *»y MEREST ANNUAL ANNUAL MINIMUM [ ACUUSTOBfI- EFFECTIVE INTEREST AMOUNT * Two Locations to Serve You TODAYI ™ Y ' ELP THE MONEY TREE 1 Year 6.72 6.50 $500.00 3380 Ho None Avenue 2 Years 7.04 6.80 $500.00 Macon, Georgia 31206 4 Years I 8.00 7.70 SSOO-Oo] wa^R^lffilOM Debentures: These are fixed rates tor these terms. SSOO minimum investment. Compare our interest rates with bank interest rates 42 Georgia locations. . T>> f, , ,v; Ask about our limited penalty for earty withdrawal. WH^MtTn?HT:I.II?FAJd.I.Id!H7T»I7T«n3HMM THE MONEY TREE OAILY SI.OO - I $2,500 SIO,OOO $50,000 PoCLOOO Of GEORGIA, Inc. BALANCE $2,499 '59,999 '549,999 '599,999 over INVESTMENT CENTER annual 114 S. Broad St* effective 5.39 5.65 5.92 6.18 6.45 Bainbrldge GA 39817 JffikS! TOLL FREE INTEREST 5.25 5.50 5.75 6.00 6.25 1-877-468-7878 JJ2L-I —i 1 I Marvin Hall. Executive Director Demand Notes are similar to passbook savings accounts. Deposit or www.themonevtreeinc.com withdraw any time. No penalties. * Compounded daily based on a 365 day year IS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES COMMISSIONER OF THE STATE OF GEORG SECURITIES COMMISSIONER BY ACCEPTING REGISTRATION, DOES NOT IN ANY WAY ENDORSE OR RECOMMEND THE PURCHASE OF ANY OF THESE SECURITIES. THESE SECURITIES ARE NEITHER BANK DEPOSITS NOR BANK OBLIGATIONS AND ARE NOT INSURED BY THE FDIC Christmas? Very early Christmas (ever green) trees were decorated with candles which proved to be a dangerous practice. In the very late 1800’s Ralph Morris, a telephone employee, took home a string of lights used on one of the early switchboards and put •jSRtSi t rations. President Calvin Coolidge started the E} a n n u a 1 f National U Christmas tree lighting ' IjHHN ceremony on the White House lawn back in 1923. Early Christmas trees were decorated with real fruit and flowers as well as with bghted candles. Some of the fruits were quite heavy. German glass blowers made glass balls to go in the place of the heavy fruits. Many other decorations were made at home. Popped corn was strung together on thread and used for garlands on early trees. Where did the term “Merry Christmas” come from? When the term first began, the word “merry” meant blessed and peaceful, so the phrase meant “Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas.” Why do people kiss under the mistletoe? Around the New Year, Celtic priests, who were called Druids, would collect mistletoe from a holy oak tree to offer as a sacri fice to the gods. At the same time, some of the mistletoe would be hung up for people who had disagreements could stand under it and kiss to sym bolize the end to their differ ences. Why do people think Santa Claus lives at the North Pole? Cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a cartoon back in 1882 gM. showing Santa Claus J sitting on a box which rjragjlf' was addressed _ “Christmas Box I|||Pohr 1882, St. Nicholas, North Pole.” Nast ' 'Wgfc. must have figured that the North Pole was a good spot for Santa to live. Why do people hang stock ings on the mantle? No one knows for sure, but the tradition could have come from the legend of the three girls with no doweiy (gifts to give to the family of the man the girl was to marry). The girls hung the stockings they wore by the fire to dry. When St. Nicholas threw bags of gold down the chimney, they landed in the stockings. In Holland, St. Nicholas is said to have placed gifts in the wooden shoes of the children. them on his home Christmas V tree for deco- *4 l tmm • l ‘ t-<- ~ s It YOU SAID THE NICEST THINGS ABOUT US... service or b@on inore plecsssd wHh «a„* » * , o service otti, i* sovino chio t w* I ..a. 1 Nick Patel Perry Houston Jiornc A World of Opportunity 7“ v ** M. A, ■ /.v waiting at^ytGTC^^ I Reßint *k Fane B*M | WIHTEB QTB.^BECINS^AN^ 1-75 • Exit 149 • Bvron ’ www.brannenford.com 1 478.956.4007 OLD FASHIONED SERVICE The Way Service Was Meant To Be "Tall Phil" Brannen likes to think BIG when it comes to his customers. He believes that customer service means dealing with people on a first name basis; and, as he likes to say "earn their friendship and their business for a lifetime." Tall Phil’s service department is well on its way to meeting that goal. "Our customers like the fact that we appreciate their time and their trust,” says Tall Phil. "Like everything else around here, customer satisfaction is a BIG deal." 1 Jennifer Ftuker Macon rf bought my car from another dealer but hated the service department there. Someone told me about Brannen Ford, so I came in for an oi change and tire rotation. Not only cfid they amaze me with how quick and sincere they were, I saw the same car on the lot that I had just bought for SBOO less. Brannen Ford... a lesson wel learned. u; ' I HOW, vdjfijf • , imnin ff, m firlßfa ' Denise Renfroe Fort Valley DECEMBER 24,2002