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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1954-12-22, Page 3enctc� all 0111411 1ll8301110e ,,,,. Christmas Cards How They Started N. .Christmas cards are so much a p: -1, of the modern Yule sea- son that one seldom stops to won- der how the idea originated and by whom, This simple idea of wishing your friends a Merry Christmas brought honor and knighthood to the originator, Henry Cole, a middleclass Englishman. Cole mailed his cards on a De- cember clay in 1840. The cards depicted a Victorian family as- sembled at the festive hoard and the traditional Christmas custom of giving to the poor. They also bore a now -classic greeting: "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." He had a thousand of the cards struck off by a lithograph, They were such a success that plain Henry Cole' subsequently became Sir Henry Cole. The cards we send today, howe ever, a far cry from those mail- ed by Cole, The cards you send and receive this year will be de- signed by famous names in con- temporary art. A Canadian shopping for cards this year may select scenes paint- ed by such famous people as Win- ston Churchill, Britain's prime minister and famed amateur ar- tist, and Grandma Moses, one of America's most famous artists. The demand for cards is so great that many companies spend their entire time in design- ing and producing them for the holiday season. How to Take Care Of Xmas Gift Plants With the approach of the Christmas holidays many of us will receive plants for gifts. Into our homes may come a gay poinsettia, a jolly little 'Jerusa- lem Cherry, a festive azalea, a cyclamen with its fluky orchid - like blossoms, or any one of sev- eral others. If we have a friend who has separated a treasured Christmas Cactus this year, we may even get one of these fa- vorites. Where .do these plants come from? we ask. What kind of care should each one have) The poinsettia was discovered in 1828 growing wild in a Mexi- can valley by a man named J. R. Poinsett, who was minister plenipotentiary to Mexico. He was so delighted with it, he sent roots to Bertrams' garden in Philadelphia. Later Professor Graham of the Botanical Gar - dents at Edinburgh named it for the discoverer. This symbol of Yuletide deco- ration is of the Splurge family, cousin to the Crown of Thorns plant some people raise in their homes, and to the familiar Snow on the Mountain in our gardens. Its other nameis Painted Leaf, Tilateeoiis 'blossoms" are not - flowers, b u t simply colored bracts writes Millicent Taylor, Garden Editor of the Christian Science Monitor. Its tropical origin tells us that it likes warmth, sun, n0 drafts, It will appreciate tepid spray- ing of the leaves (not the color- ed bracts) every day or two, In. warm climates where It grows outdoors (Hawaii, Florida) it is a,handsome shrub from two to 10' feet high. The Jerusalem Cherry is not a cherry at all, but a cousin of the eggplant and the "Irish" po- tato. A native Of the Old World — probably Madeira — it has been naturalized in Florida and other subtropical climates,')t is sensitive .to dry air, to gas, and to heat. It must havea cool room, 60 degrees, sun, and likes a daily syringing of its leaves. The azalea comes to us from eastern Asia -- China, Japan, Korea - and some varieties are native- to North America, The word is Greek for dry, from the mistalcen notion once held that the pleat liked dry sites. Its shallow roots, in fact, mean that it needs regular watering. Give it e south window, but also cool- ness — 45 degrees at night, 55 by day, It likes acid soid, and is a member of the Heath family. Our cyclamen originally came from the Mediterranean regions Its ancestors may have origi- nated in Greece or Syria, flow- ering in spring as they do there still. Its name in the Greek, Kyklamir-os, was known in an- cient times,' and describes its roundness, the,whorlof its basal stems, It is fond of sunlight, but must be cool, and moist' -- a mem- ber of the primrose family, Water it from the bottom, gen. erously, but don't let it get seg. gy. The Christmas Cactus isn't a cactus at all, and should not have cactus treatment. It grows wild in the Amazon valley, perching high up In the crotches of hard- wood trees like an orchid, You may have discovered, as I have, that it flowers best when used as a hanging plant. Its fountain of. crablike leaves and fuchsia -like blossoms show off to best advan- tage from on high. It likes manure water during December and January, and a drink of tepid water every third day. It appreciates a syringing of its leaves daily, or at least week- ly, like an eastern or western exposure, and a temperature of 60 to 70. Overwatering makes it drop its buds, and it also objects to drafts. Christmas Was Against The Law The Puritan government Of England outlawed Christmas in 1643. With the restoration of the Stuarts Christmas customs and traditions were revived, but Christmas never regained its. former prestige in England. It is Observed religiously in the churches and as a day for family reunions and social gath- erings, in contrast to the lavish feasting and boisterous merry- making of olden time. Merry -making and gift -giving come in for their share- howev- er, on December 26 which is Box- ing Day. The origin of Boxing Day antedates Christmas and can be traced to the custom of gift -giving during the Roman festival 01 Saturnalia. In Christian liturgy December 26 Is observed as the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian mar- tyr, and during the centuries when journeymen and appren- tices were in the habit of levy- ing upon their masters' custom- ers, "Christmas Boxes" were col- lected on St. Stephen's day. Wrote Famous Poem For Family Only Dr. Clement Clarke Moore was ashamed of his famous poem, "Night Before Christmas" and would not acknowledge that he 'wrote it for more than 20 years. Today, the poem which be- gins— 'Twas the night before Christ- mas when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse:— is one of the most beloved of all Christmas writings. Dr. Moore was an aloof pro- fessor of Greeltnd Oriental lit- erature in the Episcopal Semin- ary in. New York,.He wrote the poen on Christmas Eve 1822 and read it to his seven children. He had not planned for the poem to go further than his own family, but a relative who was visiting the Moores put a copy in her diary. The next year the relative's father sent it to s newspaper. Other newspapers printed the jingles and they quickly became known all over the country. The dignified Dr, Moore was ember, rassed and considered it beneath „ a 'man of his scholastic stenciing to be the author of children's jingles. Twenty-two ,v ears later,how. ever, he finally publicly amitted authorship of the ji . "'es and it was published in book form un- der his name for the ,first time. 0 milippipr; 01111 ��► ��►�I�jjl11�C4.•�,' it :► ' Ir'>►'', 1111111h 111 wIttlig ll 111111 l►t q i 1II, Jvl Ili til !lII !'�jl► jI SII jl�i III����ijj llllilllll 1l_"e11111l.1s1 �I . 111 j mmtlili w u+uuieii� How Rudolph Rose To Popularity That reindeer is becoming a tradition. Once upon a time there was a reindeer with a built-in flash- light bulb for a nose. YOu know, Rudolph, the red -nosed reindeer. From a small beginning in 1938, the little animal with the built- in beacon has become as famil- iar as Humpty-Dumpty and Cin- derella to youngsters every- where. First invented as a sales give- away promotion for Montgomery Ward by Robert L. May, Rudolph was featured in many free book- lets before he became associated with Christmas. Songwriter Johnny Marks liked the title "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Rein- deer," so he wrote a song about it. He was so sure he had a suc- cess that he started his own pub- lishing company, using "Ru- dolph° as his first release. Gene Autry made the initial record. ing, and that one record sold 2,000,000 copies. Last year, .there were 16 dif- ferent recording of the song for sale, ranging from boogie-woogie by Sugar Chile Robinson to Bing Crosby, and cowboy singers. Christmas Candles An Old Tradition 'To learn your luck for the year they say, Burn a bayberry dip on Christ- mas day. If the flame burn bright and the light shines clear, Good luck will be yours through the year." This old verse is beloved In many lands around the world and is said to be one of the reasons that candles in homes are tradi- tional around the world. The custom is believed to have started in Ireland. As the Irish put it: "Who knows, on some Christmas Eve, Jesus and Mary and Joseph may come again, not to Palestine, but to the Holy Isle on the fartherest edge of Eur- ope." And it is the custom that the candle can only be snuffed by one named Mary. Their first use for Christman is not recorded in the annals of any nation, but that the "Christ Child Candle," burled in the window an Christmas Eve is, ac- cording to an old legend, placed there to light His;, way if He makes an early visitation and in atonement for the night of His birth wheii there was no room for Him:* Nativity Play With Local Scene Don't Lot Fire Spoil Your Christmas The average Christman .tree can go up in smOke In only a minute Or so and that doesn't leave much time to call for help. A live tree with roote packed In a bucket of earth ie the safest. Be sure and keep the dirt mete - tamed. A small tree is safer than a large one and festive trim- mings can make +gyp what is lack - Ing In size. Don't use lighted candles. (This may seem an unnecessary precaution in this day of electrie lights, but lighted candles con- tribute to tragic fires every year.) Cheek the wiring for the tree to see that it's not frayed and is in perfect condition. The switch for turning off and on electric lights should be at some distance from the tree. Don't plug or un- plug lights beneath the tree. Don't leave tree light on when it isn't necessary and especially when the family is away from home. From time to time, check over the tree to gee if needles near the lights are turning brown. If they have, move the lights, Watch the calendar. N e w Year's is the day for the tree to go down. If you should extend the time, don't leave the lights on the tree for more than a half hour at a time. Placa the tree well away from stoves, radiators, and other sourc- es of heat. When you smoke, stay away from the tree. Also be sure that the tree is secured in such a way that it cannot fall. Do not put It near a doorway where It might block an avenue of escape, should a tare occur. "Gloria In Excelsis Deo"—Classic example of the Christmas Crib is this detail from the Praesepe, or Manger, which is erected each year in the apartments of Pope Pius XII, In Vatican City. Carefully detailed, the figures are scaled in size to those of St. Joseph and the Madonna, which are about one foot in height. Manger Scene Comes Alive -- Story of the Birth of the Ci rist Child is reverently re-enacted in the village of Rivisondoli, Italy, annually during the Christmas season on the night of the Feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 6. This was the traditional date to celebrate Christmas until the Fourth Century, when the celebration was assigned to Dec. ,25. In the re-enactment pictured above, the Infant is the son of a real carpenter, as was the Holy Child. Joseph is played by a 60 -year-old shepherd, and a 29 -year-old women plays the Madonna. • Christmas Manger Is Italy's Cherished Gift to the World WAVALTANSCOMPAMEMGMEMMi In France it's the "Creche," in Spain the `Nacimiento," in Germany the "Krippe" and In English-speaking lands "The Crib." But, by whatever name et is known, the representation of the stable in Bethlehem on that first Christmas Night originated in Italy. St. Francis of Assisi is said to have constructed the first Praesepe, or Manger, about the year 1223 in the little village of Greccio, near Assisi. Over the centuries, the Crib was adopted by peoples of other countries in southern Europe, and then its use spread to Germany and England. Pageants came into being, their purpose to vividly present the story of the Nativity at a time when written accounts were scarce, and the majority of people illiterate. To this day some villages in Italy present the ages -old story on January 6th, Feast of the Epiphany, when tradition says that the Magi, bearing gifts, came to adore the Infant. Pictured at left and below is the First Christmas as seen by Italian crafts- men, actors and artists. "The Holy Night" — Virgin and Child, principals of the most joyful moment In the drama of Christianity, form the radiant focal point of 15th Century artist Antonio Correggio's famous painting. "The Holy Night." The original hangs in Dresden, Germany. Round about 1930 Henri Ohoon, well-known French author and playwright, founded a small act- ing group called "Les Compag- none des Deux". Rehearsing 1s the evenings and playing mostly at week -ends, the company pet. formed mainly religious playa. Their acting was simple and imp tensly sincere: amateur in the best sense of the word .— using the theatre as an extension OR their Christian faith. Since they played in Church halls as well as in Paris theatres their scenery and effects were of the simplest and their plays, te0, had something of that simplle- ity.' Gheon himself wrote one oft the most famous Of these ..g. "Christmas in the Market Place," The pk is the Nativity Story acted out by a group of roving gypsy players on a cold Christ- mas hristmas Eve and its modern setting and idiomatic language make the story live anew whilst main- taining the balance between the racy simplicity of the gypsy family- and their personal inter- pretation of their great subject. At the Crest Theatre under the, direction of Basil Coleman we are promised an imaginative pro. duction with a Toronto street - scene as its setting, and carol - singing in which the audience will be invited to join, A cast headed by Barbara Chile Gott, Donald Davis, Amelia Hall and Eric House will include 10 - year -old David Sniderman, who has recently been highly praised for his radio and television work. The play open on Tues., Dec. 14 and there will be performanc- es on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night, On December 28th, Frances Hyland .and Murray Davis (who has been in England for some weeks) rejoin the company to play Beauty and the Beast in Nicholas Stuart Gray's gay ver - skin of the old fairy tale, Big Cities Copied Small . Town idea It was a small town that first thought of lighting an outdoor community Christmas tree. Four communities are believ- ed to have thought of the idea about the same time - as early as 1913. Two of them, McDonald and Germantown, were in Pen- nsylvania. Salem, Ore., decorated a large Sitka spruce Riverside, Calif., illuminated a large ever- green, an Aracuria. The first national Christmas tree was in 1924 and was spon- sored by the American Forestry association, The event is now televised every year. Two of the most spectacular outdoor displays are at the White House and Rockefeller Centre, The New York display is pos- sibly the most elaborate in the world. But it was the small towns that ,first thpught of the idea. Today, nearly every commun- ity in the land has some kind of Christmas : decorations. Many communities string colored lights across the streetand decorate light posts with evergreens. Many suspend bells and stat at street intersections and have, dazzling community trees. All Tire World Lovas A Simla Cared The most beloved carol of the many that are sung M • all mite of the world is "Silent talent" that simple and tender German song. Tts origin was was unknown for many .years. Recent research, however. disclosed that it e'cs written by Joseple Mohr, an as. sistant priest in Oberndorf in South Gf rmany. The melody was composed by a schoolmaster, Franz Gruber. The poet and the composer were part of the choir that sang the carol for the first time on Christmas Eve to the Oberndorf church in 1818. The night It was sung the small church's organ was out of order and the choir sane to the accompaniment of a guitar. Since then the carol has been sung to the tune of almost evere musical instrument in the worir and in the languages of nr'erh • all men. ..r