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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1954-12-23, Page 7r.rn no lflfi({.JiilffffllltNtairai+�,;,,..: : How to Take Caro 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 fluffy orchid - like blossoms, or any one ,of sev oral 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. E, 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 name is Painted Leaf. The gorgeous '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, no 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 sr 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- -_+r+allitato. A native of the Old World .-- probably Madeira — it has been naturalized in Florida and other subtropical climates. It is sensitive to dry ai'r, to gas, and to heat. It must have a 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 mistaken notion once held that the plant liked dry sites. Its ,;hallow roots, in fact, mean that it needs regular watering. Give it a 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 cane from the Mediterranean regions. is ancestors may have origi- raated In Greece or Syria, flow- ering in spring as they do there still. Its name in the Greek, ISyklaminos, was known in an- cient times, and describes its roundness, the whorl of 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. etrously, but don't let it get sog- 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 r,"1"11.orrJolop0 111111111111," I 11C11(1111t111 llliJl 1;111 „lain 1 4" -VCCW,M1' ;G'r'Xi"`w-iriti,,.�'4000- a'TMi,�k`� 14 "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 C. ; ist 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 Der. 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 woman plays the Madonna. Christmas Manger Is Italy's .Cherished Gift to the Work 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 it 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 Grecclo, 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 fith, 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 Reline 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. wood trees like an orchid. You may have discovered, as 1 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 Cards .H, : w They Started Christmas cards are so much a part of the modern Yule sea. son that one seldom stops to won- der how the ides originated and by whom. This simple idea of wishing your friends a Merry Christmas brought honor and knighthood to the originator, Ilenr', Cole, a middleclass Englishman. Cole mailed his cards on a De• umber day in 1846. The cards depicted a Victorian family as- tembled at the festive board and the traditions] Christmas custom of giving to the poor They also bore a nolo-classic greeting: "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." He hacl a thousand of the yards struck off by. a lithograph. They were such a success that plain lTenry Cole subsequently became Sir Henry Cole. The cards We send today, how- ever, a far cry from those main ed by Cole, The cards you send end receive this year will be de• signed by famous names in coni - temporary art. A Canadian shopping for cards this year may select scenes paint - /SO by such famous people es Win. *on Churchill, Britain's prima 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._ Big Cities foiled Basil . Torn idea • It was a small town that first thought of lighting an outdoor cornnnruity. 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 Pens usylvania. 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. cored by the American Ferestry aeseciation. The event to now televised every year., Two of the most spectaeulsr outdoor displays are at the Whitt* .House and Rockefeller Centre, The New York display is p4x- sibly the most elaborate in the world. But it was the small towns that first thought of the idea. Today, nearly every commun- ity in the land has some hind of Christmas decorations, Many communities string colored lights across the street and decorate light posts with evergreens. Many suspend bells and stare at street intersections and have dazzling community trees. How Rudolph Don 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 recl'nosed reindeer. From a small beginning in 1938, the little animal with the built- in beacon has become as femil. tar 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. lie was so sure he had a suc- cess that he started his own pub. lisping company, using "Ren 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 10 Bing Crosby, and cowboy singers. All The ^/acrid Leves A Simple Carol The most beloved carol of the many that are sung in all parts of the world is "Silent Night" that simple and tender German song. Its origin was unknown for many years. Recent research, however, disclosed that it was written by Joseph Mohr, an as- sistant priest in Oberndorf in South Germany. 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 in the Oberndorf church in 1818. The night it was sung the small church's organ was out of order and the choir sang to the accompaniment of a guitar. Since then the carol has been sung to the tune of almost every musical instrument in the world and in, the languages of nearly all men. Christmas Candleo An Old Tradition "'So learn your luck for the year they say, Barn a bayberry dip on Christ - map day. If the flame burn bright. and the light shines clear, Good luck will be yours though the year'." '.Chis old verse is belived In many lands around the world and is seid to bo one of the reasons that candles in homes are tradis 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 b3' one named Mary. Their first use for Christmas is not recorded in the annals of any nation, but that the "Christ Child Candle," burned in the window on 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 when there was no room for Him. Don't let Fire Spoil Your Christmas The average Christmas 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 roots packed in a bucket of earth is the safest. Be sure and keep the dirt mois- tened. A small tree is safer than a large one and festive trim- mings can make up what is lack- ing in size. Don't use lighted candles, (This may seem an urmeeessary precaution in this day of electric lights, but lighted candles con- tribute to tragic fires every year 9 Check the wiring for the tree to see that it's not frayed and ie. in perfect condition, The switch for turning off and on electric lights should he 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 see if needles near the lights are turning brown. If they have, move the lights. Watch the calendar. N o 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. Place the tree well away from stoves, radiators, and other sour°. 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 fire occur. Wrote Famous Poem Far Family Dilly 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 Greek and Oriental lit- erature in the Episcopal Semin- ary in New York. He wrote the poem 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 a 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 standing to be the author of children's jingles. Twenty-two years later, how- ever, he finally publicly admitted authorship of the jingles and it was published in book lariat un- der his name for the first time, Nativity Play With Local Scene Round about 1080 Henri Gheon, well-known French author and playwright, founded a small act- ing group called "Les Compag- nons des Jou..". Rehearsing in the evenings and playing mostly at week -ends, the company per- formed mainly religious plays, Their acting was simple and in. tensly sincere! amateur in the best sense of the word using • the theatre as an extension of their Christian faith. Since they played in Church halls as well as in Paris theatres, their scenery and effects were of • the simplest and then plays, too, had something of that sintplice ity. Gheon himself wrote one of the most 'famous of these -.- "Christmas 'in the Market ]'lase." The piny is the• Nativity Story acted out by a group of roving gypsy players on a cold Christ mac Eve and its modern setting and Idiomatic language make the story live anew whilst nrain- raining the balance between the racy simplicity of the r,,yl+sy 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 pew duction with •a Toronto strer t - Scene as its setting. and curd - singing in which the audience will be invited to join. A cast headed by Barbara Chit. Cott, Donald Davis Amelia Hall and Eric House wit) tnclunr I0- ycar'old Deviri Snidei•mnn. who leas recently been highly praised for his radio, and teles i inn work, The play ,peri , r, rw+:.. Dee. 14 and there will be performane- es en both C7mniin is Evp ni d Christmas neiit. 00 i:ieres',rber 'ldt.li. Frances Hyland and Murray Davis twhn has leen in England 101 Burne weeks) rejoin the company to play Beauty and the Beast m Nicholas Stuart Gray's gay ver- sion or the old fairy tale.