Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 46, Number 301, Decatur, Adams County, 22 December 1948 — Page 22

fj 1107 .T- JiMini , WH gi Our Debt The last holiday .of the year holds first place in our hearts, ibut Christmas is like the sun: it shines all around the world for everybody. And had it not been for people across the sea, who first kept Christmas, we would not have in our country the many customs

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which help to make the season such a happj* one. Our Christmas carols have come from the Holy Land itself; the Christmas tree from Germany; Santa Claus from Holland; our stocking hung in the corner from France; our Christmas greetings, yule log, plum, pudding, and mine# pies from England. The i turkey is our o.wn contribution. I While these customs give much . nleasufe for a season, our greati est debt of gratitude is to God, : whose gift of his Son is a source 1 of endless joy, not noly now, but : throughout all eternity.

,s Christmas Music \ By Bach, Handel n For a great many people the mue sic of Bach Handel make diffis 1 cult listening — until Christmas , comes around. Then, suddenly, ev- ” erybody starts singing and humming ! tunes by the two old masters. The reason for this is that both h Bach and Handel were church muj sicians. One of their tasks was to 1 compose songs for church congrega- '• tions to sing. They proved theme selves masters of beautiful, easily t followed melodies in their Christmas music. Our most famous Christmas oratories and carols came from ’ Bach and Handel. ►.: r “How B’-ightly Beams the Morning Star’ was composed by Bach > and his ‘ Christmas Oratorio” con- [ tains the themes of several other r popular chorales. h ■ In almost every town and village J' in America this Christmas a church > choir will render at least a portion £ of George Frederick Handel’s the > ’’Messiah.” When carolers sing ; "Joy to the World” they’ll be sing- > ing part of the “Messiah” too, for J that carol comes from themes found in the great oratorio. Handel also f composed the musical theme of ’ “While Shepherds Watched Their * Flocks.” * It is a strange fact, but both Bach I and Handel were born in 1685. lived > for many years within thirty miles I of each other, and never met. Wet > today, the Christmas music they J wrote is sung by men, women and i children in countless churches of ; many faiths all over the world. i Home-Sick Tailor I ' Cut First Tree I ! To August Imgard, a home-sick ; immigrant tailor, goes the credit for ! introducing the Christmas tree to : America. ’ i [ Imgard came to this country in ■ 1847 to visit his brother in Wooster, ! Ohio. With the prospects of a dis- ' mal Christmas for the first time i away from his native land, August [ decided to bring to his newly adopti ed home all the Christmas spirit ' and festivities he had loved so much i in Wetzlar, Hessia. To his young nephew and niece he would show how Christmas was celebrated in , | the old country. First, he needed a Christmas tree. I This is the way he described how *' i he got it: “I walked up Apple creek, i .., When I got to where the trees i j were I found the water so high I i could not get across. So I walked ! along until I found a tree fallen ;, from bank to bank and crossed on ! ■ that. I cut a tree and carried it to 5 the fallen log. But to get across i; this time I had to tie the tree to my 51 neck and crawl on hands and feet I ■ People looked at me with consider- * able curiousity when I walked 1: through town with my tree.” j' Adept with scissors, Imgard cu. 1 his own paper adornments and a 5 local tinsmith fashioned a shiny t star for the top. s; ‘ Christmas Name 5 For Three Islands > I ? Although Santa Claus doesn’t live 5 i on any of them, there are three is- < lands in the world named Christmas, r One is the largest atoll in the Pa- ? cific ocean. It was discovered ir. ' 1777 by Cook, and annexed by Great | Britain in 1888. The island is about s; 100 miles round 'and less than 100 * people live on it. They earn their < livelihood by cultivating the island's § coconut groves. A Another Christmas island is locat- * ed in the Indian ocean, 200 miles A south of Java. It is 12 miles long * by nine miles wide. Surrounded by « ocean depths of 14,000 feet, its own •' f highest ground reaches more than 2 1,000 feet above sea level. It also j belongs to Great Britain and a few A hundred Chinese, Malays, Javanese, * and a few Europeans are engaged * in the shipping of phosphate of * lime. Christmas island in the Little t Bras d'Or, Nova Scotia, 30 miles * southwest of Sydney, is a tiny fist- * ing island of 1,400 population.

THE DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR, INDIANA

Pagan Rites Basis Os Many Customs I- Strange as it may seem, most :• American Christmas customs stem s largely from Pagan rites practiced ■- long before the birth of Christ. • S The custom of exchanging gifts is one of the few that springs from j the Christian era. Christmas can- [. dies, bonfires and Yule logs arise 5 from the heathen festivals observ- . ing the winter solstice, December . 21, when the days begin to lengthen. r That was a time of great rejoicing s for ancient sun worshippers who 5 built bonfires to give strength to the j “winter sun-god.” Pre-Christian Romans ornamented . their homes with green boughs and i flowers for the Feast of Saturnalia . which began December 1£ Druids • gathered mistletoe for that season, while ancient Saxons used holly, , ivy and bay. Modern mistletoe and ! holly wreaths come from those peo- , Pies. . Christmas trees, too, spring from t the ancient German days when Germanic tribes made sacrifices to the ■ sacred oak tree of Odin. When the •missionary St. Boniface traveled to Germany in the Eighth Century and ' saw these celebrations he persuaded the natives to substitute a fir tree for the*oak and to adorn it in a tribute to the Christ-Child. During the Middle Ages the entire Christmas season was celebrated in equal fervor with that now shown on Christmas day. In some lands the celebration lasted from December 24 to January 6—Twelfth Night—and in others from December 21 to February 2. By the year 1644, Christmas in England had become such a wild orgy that the Puritans forbade its celebration by law. Much Family Fun In Group Games “Make it a real family Christmas this year by having Santa pack a few hobby supplies or games into his pack that the whole family can enjoy together." This suggestion comes from E. H. Regnier, a recreation specialist at the University of Illinois. There are many hobbies that can help build companionship between parents and children. Mothers and daughters like jewelry construction and tapestry weaving. Dad and Junior go in for model-making—air-planes, boats, trains and other items of special interest to the male population. , Everyone enjoys operating a printing press. Small presses turn i out newspapers that have a real I professional look. Shellcraft and ' woodborning are hobbies that pro- | duce genuinely useful articles. For family fun, rubber-tipped darts, inI door plastic horseshoes and marble games are excellent. “Christmas is a time of "togetherness," says Regnier. "Let’s capitalize on the situation by starting ! a game or hobby that will encourage the same type of companionship the year around.”

_ , I 111. .-11 l I . ■— I. ■ ■ 11. I I 1 I .1 ■ I ... .1 . 1. ■ ■ XX— — 1 IsßwEm Hl lil CHRIST MAS I IKI KglWßEfl 1 Before our little world goes dashing WEi “ * nto last-minute gift scrambles mH ‘* * j 0 "' ree ’' r ' mni ' n " parties ... » -refll a mnrn ' n R 01 happy surprises ... sSBi |g 4iTmiiflcsi groaning, feast-laden tables ... the EhM ’ hearty greeting of family reunions •• Rin EvM *lO ... we want to lake a minute of lOb vour t * me to K ' ve vou our s ’ nferest liil wishes for a Merry Merry Happy • I I fl 'l emor y • Making Christmas'. Cash Coal Feed & 19 Supply ; * I Jack Holthouae L. A. Holthousb iOS? B H R -im.il ■■■■ ■ a □n hNI - ‘ v IP|

—XXX— I- I I. « I XII 111 « ! 12i3:*a3i»S>kiS;5iS‘.3t3i&3:S.aas;3;as3;5;->:&2:s’.S:Si3’i>>a-5;5.3:3!5.3'.5:5;3:5.K>.3 , .fc * d * ri i * To Our i Many Friends « • A Greeting | ■ w Sincere - ■ g i 5 8 ; ■ A Merry | I zs Christmas * / And Happy s | ft ew Year. « * s I if S * x ? SOUTH END GROCERY * * i Meat—Groceries—Free Delivery « if A *■ 908 Winchester Phone 555 1 M A A A JOYOUS W|K NOEL ® May the star of the r = wise men which shone y 3 ,ro ™ above » reKect iW ‘B down the years bring- 1 1 r ing goodwi,, /A M to all men. II H ill Harman’s ||m Market Sa| 61 s Ad ams Phone 464

A if , L d S* !&•*' \ " H AI if ■; v ft » - ere • Fr Tx u Meri- y 8 ? H Christmas A « a; i f. ft H 'W&. ft if A if 1 A S A MERRY Christmas to each of ou r many friends in this area. And a most n 1 & A g sincere thanks for all considerations I and favors. May the season hold untold « happiness for all. £ H ! i HOMEWOOD GROCERY Ji jj Mr. and Mrs. Bryce Roop & Son A if A if A if A If I 5 ‘ I if i h jwr I 8 z 8 CHRISTMAS greetings are sometimes i if if • taken for granted, hut we want to say I y i; publicly to our many customers and employees WE HOPE YOU HAVE THE * BEST CHRISTMAS EVER. * II DECATUR INDUSTRIES INC. I * I ! * *■ \ j Y \ > I A. .a 1 W’ t 3 \ \tW wi\ / >« // & I I1 ■ f ' ? ' | I .■ I : Hk.. ’xTw *1 I’ v ■ IHI 5 , The light that shone ■ » on Bethlehem still shines « in our hearts today, bringing us joy. • • and faith in His great promise... "peace k * on earth, good will to men .. | Sprague Furniture Store g I

WEDNESDAY, DECEMfIER 22