Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 55, Number 301, Decatur, Adams County, 23 December 1957 — Page 24

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

jf* jf J z l '<v- jT"* Kw [ ust dropping > ,n to w ‘ y ou * _j a full measure °f if i°y s °f holiday season... good health, <■ good lufk, good cheers THE MAIER HIDE & FUR CO. 710 West Monroe Street X/'cnn’A v \j ■ | it t 4MBSHhKjSB& Our sincere thanks for your loyal patronage, and may this holiday season be one that you will always look back on with the greatest of pleasure. MORRISON FARM STORE Your Allis-Chalmers Dealer Decatur, Ind.

■ v ®r 'i// w7>‘-* v •, Wr />' £> r ‘ 10 Ab bwWw?^k y e - It IB ' v, -/ >' Christmas is here and we want to send you, one and all, our ' *»w» - '» " • - best wishes for a wonderful Yuletide. May it bring you all the ■ —: : ———-—— r— ; -■■-' ; "•• "• • • '’' ’ ~ tr> good things of life which you so richly deserve. ? - -\--C~. • * Petrie Oil Service H -~ . - z -

holiday Celebrations In Various Countries Although such things as family dinner and the custom of gift giving are a part of the Christmas observance almost everywhere, this universal holiday is celebrated differently around the world. In the United States, of course, we have the Christmas tree, holly and mistletoe, Santa Claus and Christmas cards. In Italy the shepherds gather in villages on Christmas Eve to play musical Instruments as townsfolks sing sweet Nativity songs. And thousands come from all over the world to attend Mass in St Peter’s in Rome on Christmas Day. Long Celebration In Holland, the land of Old St Nicholas, forerunner of our Santa Claus, it was custom in former years for the Dutch to celebrate for about a month. St Nick scattered his gifts about the floors of Dutch homes as early as December 6. In Greece, decorated trees, greeting cards and the exchanging of gifts mark the observance of the holiday. New Year’s Eve is the time for a really big celebration with dances and parties for both young and old. In Mexico, during the nine days before Christmas, candlelight processions are formed nightly. Called Posadas, which literally means "lodging.” this ritual reenacts the ’ Holy Family's journey to Bethlehem and its difficulty in finding a place to stay. At a prearranged household, the marchers are barred at first, then admitted with rejoicing. Trimmed Tree Broufht To Us by Germans A Christmas tree will be put up in two out of every three American homes this year. Yet the trimmed tree, as we know and use it today, is only about 150 years old in this country. The Pilgrims forbade Christmas celebrations on the grounds they were pagan. A Massachusetts law in 1689 subjected anyone to a fine who observed the day by feasting, refraining from work or in any other manner. It was not until near the end of the American Revolution that the Christmas tree took hold. German homesick for the tradition of their native land, put them up. Magnetic electric-light bulbs and sockets are being made to replace the standard screw type.

V ' - THE DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR. INDIANA

Christmas Giving Joy Is Brought To Disabled Veterans Shopping for Christinas gifts for families at home is no problem for disabled war veterans in the veterans hospitals throughout the country, according to Mrs. Adrain Baker, rehabilitation chairman of 43 unit of the American Legion auxiliary. In nearly every hospital where veterans are under treatment a Christmas gift shop is operated by the auxiliary, stocked with gift articles donated by local and state groups of the nearly one million women organization. “The auxiliary’s gift shop activity is expected to be even larger this year than last year when 219

I - - ZAapllW- f t \ WW |*.li7\. Ji . X. laolidayg bring happy. hour«..» -— . g _ f and may thay bring many to you. The holidays abound in love and good ——— ——— fellowship ...may you have a plentiful share. Tha holiday* bring old friends together...may this pleasura be joyously yours. The holidays are always happier for the glad warmth of greetings given and received...we extend ours to you, most sincerely. 1 •.•. t. ■ . <. •? The Krick-Tyndall Co.

shops were operated at a cost of $365,000,” Mrs. Baker saM. “More than 150,000 sick and disabled veterans were enabled to send gifts home to their families by the gift shop program. In addition to supplying the gift articles to the veterans without charge, the auxiliary wraps and pays the postage on the gifts.’ "The purpose of the shops is to give the hospitalized veterans, many of whom are without funds, a share in the joy qf Christmas giving,” she explained. “The auxiliary always has distributed gifts to the patients in the hospitals at Christmas time, but we found they receive greater enjoyment from sending gifts to others than receiving gifts themselves. From a small beginning in one hospital

a number of years ago, these shops have increased in numbers each year until now they reach nearly all veterans who must spend Christmas in a hospital. "The shops, operated by auxiliary volunteers, are set up in a spare room in the hospital, gaily decorated and with a wide variety of gifts attractively displayed. Patients who can leave their beds come to the shops, many on crutches or in wheel ehalrs, and niake their gift selections. For those confined to bed, auxiliary workers take hospital carts loaded with gift articles to the bedsides, it is a large-scale operation requiring the work of many thousands of -volunteers from among the auxiliary’s nearly one million'members.

SOUTHERN SANTA . . . Reindeer may be line op No’th, but Santa uses other transportation when be makes Ms Southern •wing. At Cypress Gardens. Florida, naturally, he uses sea horses and seals to pull Ms water toboggan. . —■

1 ’ , ■*’/ n ' ‘ *■ ''' F y ’" MONDAY, .DECEMBER 23, 1957