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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1932-12-22, Page 3fihurs,, December 22, •.1922 THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES PAGE THREE Christmas F ancien Falling as it does on a Sunday th s year, Christmas enjoys a little be ter hope than when it falls on a Sat- mrday. For, had it fallen on a Saturday, etre could' expect dire things to hap - Ten during the coming: year, say the arcient seers and prophets. Indeed, Sunday is one of the best. :days on which Christmas could fall. For then all is :quiet and peaceful— a happy and prosperous omen. But it is not only the day of the -week, according to the astrologers, 'that decides the coming year. There its .an ancient tome in ;which it is:. 'written, "The wise and cunning mas -tors ire astrology have found that :men may' see and mark the weather of a holy Christmas . night, how the -whole year shall be in its working .and doing.;' • Thus, . if Christmas day be dark, the cows will give much milk; if light the hens will lay well: Plenty -of wind in the early hours of the ,day means- that the "beastes and cat- tle" are going to have a bad time of At. A clear Christmas day with plenty -of sunshine presages a year of peace; 'but -if clouds gather towards sunset it betoken much illness in the spring and autumn, while a high wind at sunset signifies that- death will cme mong lc'y ages and lordes," If Christ- areas day brings thunder, a severe. winter is certain, but a sunny Box- ing day is something to be devoutly frayed for. It betokens a good fin- ancial year for us; or, as the old saying runs; "Then gold shall be -easy to get among the English." But superstitions cluster round Yuletide as thickly as bees round a lhoney-pot. If your Christmas is "really a merry one, and you get play- ing games or dancing or junketing about in the evening, let it be all done by the light of the fire. All ,candle light, gaslight, or even elec- tric light, is most fatal on such an -occasion; and if -you do not put them out before you begin your revels you will live to rue the day. Also every- -body in the house should wish three -wishes during the evening. A log fire gives great potency to this part. o fthe proceedings. If you can .get a nice gnarled and knotted log, put it on the ball or dining room fire, and when it has burned up well, each :member of the household should sit in solemn silence before it and wish three times, and then they will get what they desire. • Christmas eve is a dreary dread 'occasion. All the ghosts in existen- ce (especially ghosts of suicides), all -witcl'ies and hobgoblins are about, :eager - to work what 'mischief they may before the hour of midnight strikes; and so just before twelve you should open as many doors and 'windows as you can, in case any have anade their way into yotir house, that they may be expelled. Married nien must be careful in -choosing the holly for their home ‹lecoration, for if smooth leaves pre- ionclerate, the • wife will be mistress for the next twelve months; if Trickly, she will. play second fiddle to her spouse. But, whatever you do, .allow no new leather in any form to enter your house during Christmas week, for it is sure to bring ill -luck with it. If you would protect your house roni. fire,' keep the, charred remnant •of this year's yulelog to light its suc- cessor next Christmas; and while it. its burning see that no person with tare feet or a squint, enters - and, above all, no flat-footed, woman. Of course, the first thing 'brought indoors ` on Christmas day must be something green; and the first per- •son to enter must be a male—even a tom -cat, it is aid, can be relied upon to bring luck with 'him; while any- one who draws water from a well on 'Christmas morning draws good for- tune for his family. If a cricket chirps on your hearth on the fateful day, you may look ,'forward to the corning year without a fear; for of all luck bringers at Yuletide the cricket is king. Many keep their ears open on -Christmas night for the crowing of the code,/ for when "the bird of dawning singeth all night long, no spirits dare stir' abroad during the oMeetAlissAfary Christmas" "Are we sizzling with girls in Miss Lamrnerton's fishion- able boarding school told pretty Maryas she packed her doodads in- to a week -end bag. "Imagine going to a Christmas party in a specially, chartered aeroplane. Who's ` the se- cret admirer . who arranged : it?" "Dad, I guess," Mary' told them. "Christmas Eve is my birthday and he always thinks up some perfectly ducky surprise for meX "Well, while you're joy -riding through the clouds," said one of the girls, `just think of us old-fashioned girls burnping along snow -clogged roads in stupid old straight eights:' Outside there was the steadythun- der of an aeroplane ,approaching, All the girls rushed to the window. The ship circled .about in the frosty air once or twice and then glided to the snow-covered campus. "Happy landing!" cried the girls as Mary Christmas, flushed with ex- citement, tripped down the stairs. She ran out of the dormitory and ov- er to the aeroplane near which a young man was standing. "Why, Phil!" exclaimed Miss Christmas,. "I didn't know you were a pilot," "The instructor at the lying field doesn't think so either, but I thought you might take a chance and travel the air route with me to Tom's Christmas house party. That's why I' sent you that unsigned telegram" "You think it's quite safer' "All I can say, Mary, is that your life is in my hands." "Well, it was certainly sweet of you, but—" she glanced swiftly over her shoulder at the girls waving from the window. "—all right, I'll go." "I knew - youwould," laughed Phil a she helped her into the cockpit of the aeroplane. "By the way, my deadly rival, George Fanning, will be at the party. He just got back from Alaska a few days ago." "How nice! I will be glad to see him again." "Not too glad, I hope," grumbled Phil, remembering his time-honored. "friendly enemy" competition . with. George for Mary's affections. In a moment he had the engine started and, waving to the girls, Mary Christmas was off. x, 4, ,, Now • and then, as they sped through •the bracing winter air, she looked over the side of the car. 'FSanta Claus will travel with his reindeer this year. There's plenty of show;" she said• to Phil, but her words were drowned in the drone of the motor. All of a sudden the aeroplane dip- ped, towards the . ground. Phil was working madly at the joystick, but could not seem to lift the ship. The frightened girl looked 'over the side again at the white ground whihc they were now rapidly approaching. The pilot shutoff the motor. "I'll make a safe landing in that clear- ing!" he cried. And sure enough, 'lie did, The trembling Mary jumped out of ethe aeroplane when it stopped, happy to feel terra firma under her feet. "Now what do we do?" she asked Phil. "I guess we'll have to wait until I can get this thing working properly:" "But. there's no one around here, and ' coming year." In parts , of Devon and Cornwall the superstition still lingers that "at' midnight on Christ- mas; eve the cattle fall on- bended knees in their stalls in adoration of the infant 'Christ." And some there are who declare that, at the "witch- ing hour," cattle have the gift of speech, and hold converse. which no eavesdropper must listen to unless he wishes harm to befall -him. For the maiden who wishes to know her matrimonial fate, Christ- mas offers more facilities than any other season of the year. If, for ex- ample, she wants her husband -to -be to reveal himself in her dreams, she has only to eat the egg of a black hen on Christmas' eve, and any fears or hesitation she may be troubled With will soon be dispelled when on- ce her head is cosily ,pillowed. If she wishes to snake the spelt as potent as possible, she will boil the egg hard, remove the yolk, and after she has filled up the cavity with common or table salt, will eat egg, shell, salt and; all. If she does not dream of her lover then it will cer- tainly not be the hen's fault. heeekw "Hop right in with me," said Santa Claus, "I'm going to ehatJparty myself, See, I have presents for everybody." As she spoke she heard' the tinkle of Christmas bells in the distance. The sound increased. "Maybe it's a sleigh," she said. She ran towards the bells and was amazed to see Santa Claus himself appear in a sleigh drawn by four reindeer. "What can I do for you, my child?"' he asked Mary, in a deep, pleasant voice as he alighted. Mary explained. her predicament and .pointed to the aeroplane, "Well, you, hop right . in with me" Santa said, "I am going to' that par- ty myself. See, I' have presents in niy sled for everybody." Phil: growled he would. -wait -and repair the motor and Mary Christ- mas=feeling that this was even more exciting than aeroplaning, rode off with Santa Claus to the party. "Who in the world can he be?" she asked herself as Santa merrily shouted, "Hi, Viven! Hi, Blixen!" as they' drove .over the snow. "Olt, please- tell me who you are," pleaded Mary, as they rode on their. way to the tune of the bells tinkling on the reindeer harness. Santa Claus merely laughed. "Un= til midnight," he said, "I will be just Santa, after that, who knows? I may even turn out - to be an old friend of yours." "Your voice is certainly very fam- iliar," Mary told loin. "But I just can't imagine and by the way, where did you get your four rein- deer. Didn't steal then from the zoo, I hope?" "No, indeed." "And wasn't it stupid of Phil not to come along with us? The party will probably be over •by the time he gets. there." Mary Clu-istmas could have sworn she heard Santa whisper: "I hope so!" but the wind was whistling so she couldn't be sure. And just when she was about to ask him, they ar- rived at ,their. destination. . Santa helped. Mary out of the sleigh. "Now, not a word about meeting me, my dear," he cautioned,. "I will be back on the stroke of mid- night. I have to make a couple of other calls.". The girl promised silence. Mr. Claus whipped up his reindeer and was. off. "It's all like some fantastic dream" she told herself, as she went into the house. The -gay affair was in full swing. But inside she saw neither Phil' Ed- ginton nor George Fanning, the boy she had expected to meet again for the first Hine in a year. When mid- night approached, Mary became wor- ried . about Phil's absence. She suggested sending out a res- cue .party after him. But the others laughed at her, said there was no danger -he'd appear. And when she asked about George Canning they laughed again, • told her that George would come, too, at the proper time. Just as the clock was striking twelve there was a noise outside, 'ex- cited shouts and then in stalked not one Santa Claus, but TWO,! They looked exactly alike. Their bags of presents came down off their backs as they stood there arguing in a very unChristmas-like spirit. And then their masks fell off. One Santa was George Fanning, the oth- er was Phil Edginton! "We both had the same idea," said George. "Sure," said Phil, "I wanted to ask Mary to be my Christmas bride," "And I did too," announced George. Mary Christmas hesitated not a moment, "I guess the man who brought those four reindeer all the wap from Alaska just to surprise me wins," she said. Mary held out her arms to George. Her Santa Claus kissed her. "This is the - best present I could have," said lae—"a Mary Christmas." CHRISTMAS STOCKING Stockings for Santa Claus to fill were more in vogue, and Christmas trees less so, fifty years ago. The latter were reserved chiefly for large gatherings, -such as Sunday School teas, and they were considered very wonderful indeed, though there was a certain charm about the Christmas stocking which could not be dupli- cated •even. by a tree. The stockings held very little of value, but the el- einent of mystery played its part, and the youngsters enjoyed the ex- citement of waking in the night or early morning to pinch the toe of a well-filled socks -and guess what it contained. There was one thing al- most certain to be found in the toe it fitted so nicely—and that was a cornucopia of bright -Colored paper filled with tiny candies. There were nuts and fruit and presents as well, A 25 -cent doll, and horse and cart or a Noah's ark, met the require - vents of the average child, "It is one of my best paintings, but you shall have it at half the cat- alogue price." "How inuch is the catalogue?" � i u Aodf EARLY CHRISTMAS MORNING Four little feet patting on the floor, Two tangled curly heads peeping at the door, ' Hear the merry laughter, happy childish roar, Early Christmas morning. Two little stockings full of sweets and toys, Everything charming for little girls and boys. How could they help then, making such a noise, Early Christmas morning. Down beside the stockings many gifts were spread, Dollies, drum, a cradle anal a brand new sled. "haven't we too many?" little Nellie said Early Christmas morning, Four little bare feet on the sidewalk cold, Two little faces with want and hunger old Peeping through the window where • those gifts unrolled, Early Christmas morning: , "Yes," says John' to Nellie, as he spied the two, "We've too many presents, tell you what we'll do, I'll give half of mine away. Now, dear Nell, will you?" Early Christmas morning. Two little famished ones into house were called, Favours heaped upon them till they stood enthralled, Was not this the angel's song, "Peace, good -will to all!" Early Christmas morning? the ANCIENT YULETIDE Christmas boxes, it is said, had their their origin in old Roman days. At that tittle altars were erected in every village, and money was placed by, the people in a common box. The day following Christmas the money was distributed among the poor. Or- iginally- Jan. 6 was observed as Kinas and four events were celebrated: the birthday of Christ, the appearance of the star which guided the Wise Men, the baptism of Christ and the first miracle. Uniformity of the date on which Christmas is now celebrated by many nations came into existence A: to 428. A father was giving some advice to his song At the end of the lecture Iie said: "Now, nay hay, you understand perfectly what I mean?" "Yes," said the youth. "It boils down to this, doesn't it? If Ido well, it's because of heredity; if I fail, it's my own fault." -4,-% oiI MR. SANTA CLAUS STARTED IN SPAIN 400 YEARS AGO It Was During a War -- Ho1ian4 and Norway Accepted Hina Next ONCE A BISI'-10P For the past few weeks no figure in international affairs has been more prominently displayed than the name "Santa Claus." We all pay homage at this time of the year to the great white -whisker- ed old gentleman, but very few of us know where he comes from, how old he is, where he livds or what coun- tries he visits. : Indeed, it, is to be doubted that Santa himself knows from whence he originates. All this being admitted, suppose we explode the mystery of Santa Claus; suppose wetry and find out the how, where and whyfore of the red -coat- ed. reindeer driver with the cheery smile. To start the story off in typical fairy-tale style, once upon a time someone started a war between Hol- land and Spain. That was back in the year 1568. The war lasted for 180 years. It was natural that druing the war Spanish soldiers should wander all over Holland telling stories of their native land. And among these stories was the one about the Spanish bishop, St. Nicholas. It was told that this bish- op had a very benevolent nature, he worked always among the poor, had a great love for children and took a keen delight in giving them presents. Before very long the Spanish chil- dren 'held feasts in the honor of this saint whose birthday, it was said, was on Dec. 6. Now the Spanish word for- saint is Santa and so it was that the feasts became known as the feast of Santa Nicholas. But in Holland they nick- named Nicholas, and called it Klaas, so that when the story had spread over Holland for many years, and the feast celebrated in that country, it became the feast of Santa Klaas, and is still known in that country to -day where the great children's feast is held on the 6th of December, On the day before that date, the children are told that a great ship of toys from Spain is on its way to Holland and when it - arrives the Spanish bishop, Santa Klaas, dressed in his scarlet robes and his mitre on his head, stands on the front of the snip accompanied by a black Moor- ish boy When the ship. docks, Santa and his boy mount big black horses and, laden with toys, travel all over Hol- land distributing them to all worthy children. During the night the horses land on house -tops, and the black boy goes down the chimney. Now, getting back to the eighty - year war, the conflict had amazing results in opening up new channels of trade with other countries. New lands were discovered, and the story travelled swiftly. When it reached Holland, the name Santa Klaas was changed to the Norwegian, Santa Claus, which is the name we in Canada know. ]3ut. the Norwegians refused to accept Santa Claus with the mitre and as a Icader of the church, so they put a pair of fur -lined trousers on him, gave hien a reel cap and all the oth- er things that Santa wears, and pro- ceeded to welcome him into their homes. And Norway is a cold coun- try, so the Norwegians were forced to supply him with a sleigh and rein- deers. They still allowed him to go down the chimney, but in the shuffle the little black boy was lost, so that olcl Santa had to go down himself. How- ever, they gave hint a fir tree in- stead. Then, for religious reasons, they didn't like the feast of the bishop on Dec. 6, so they changed it to the Yule -tide season, or Christmas, Dec. 25th. The story from Norwaytravelled to Denmark, to Germany, to England and, of course, across to. Canada.. Now it is known in most countries of the world: All this is one man's version, any- way. There are a dozen others, but this seems to be quite logical.' Not that it matters a great deal where Santa Claus comes from -sti long as he, comes. I-Ic: "Darling, I'm so happy; I could kiss the whole world." She: "Now we are engaged you trust give up those bahcelor habits!" hat shall we have for miler? �}'y'� mile r Merry Christmas is universal. Its' joy is not confined to any one com- munity, or any one .country, Or any one people. It is celebrated the. whole wide world over: c And he Canada, more thanfifty different nationalities will celebrate Christmas in different ways, each following a national custom -a rite - handed down through the ages, gen- eration after generation, There will be the Italian house- holds where macaroni and spaghetti will appear, and perhaps the fan'tous sweet cakes called brioches, which are often eaten as salad as part of the Christmas menu., Stuffed eels are a Christmas delicacy in Italy, but needless to say they will be rather difficult to get in Canada. Some na- tive fish will be a substitute. The Italians, like the Canadians and the English, must have their roast turkey and roast beef. But they serve vegetables which seldom grace a Canadian table. Broccoli, boiled endive and ravioli, Gnocchi, a de- lightful fritter, are often served with the meat course. The Englishman who has not long been out from the old country will prefer roast beef on his Christmas table to the customary turkey or chicken. Perhaps he will prepare it in the traditional manner by broiling on a spit and garnishing with vegetables, The Irishman will vary this by substituting mutton for beef, while the Australians prefer veal on Xmas day. At the Englishman's dinner, the plum pudding will be a main part of the dinner. It will come blazing with burning brandy from the kitchen to intake a delicious dish, garnished with brandy sauce. And all this will be served amid decorations of ever- green, holly and mistletoe, with the Yule log burning in the grate. And let us not forget the wassail bowl which will find a place on the table—and the nuts and candy. Who wouldn't like to sit down to an Eng- lishman's Christmas dinner? But wait. Look what the Rou- manians will be eating. Bouillabaisei And into it they put a pint each of shrimp, lobster, crab, blue fish and halibut, minced and seasoned, boiled and strained and added to a .half-pint of fresh vegetable essences. Spices of every sort are added, and stars , of toast, and wise men done in mac- aroni are sprinkled on top and re- main just long enough to cook, .and ' the famous dish is ready for the table. Holy would you like that instead of turkey? The Spaniards will have fowl, but not alone. There will be savory stews of lamb with entrees of white meat of turkey and pies and tarts stuffed with the darked portions of the fowl as principal dishes. Aspara- gus done in the traditional Spanish style with mushrooms and poached eggs will also form a part of this delectable menu. And while we're onthe subject of Spain it aright do to remark that Santa Claus was unknown in ancient Spain, and has been adopted into on- ly some of the provinces today. The special gift day is not until the sixth, of January. The Germans in Canada will have. a very plump goose, bolted slowly and then stuffed with apples and dried fruits of every kind — dates,. figs, raisins, apricots and peaches, highly spiced and mixed with but- ter. The bird is served with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, spiced beets and cucumbers. Many dried fish precede the goose, while a very im- portant part of the feast is the brais- ed veal and mushrooms. All this followed of course, by cake, coffee and candy: And so they will -feast, these many nations that make up Canada.Sotrie will feast elaborately, others frugal. a ly-perhaps more of the latter thiS year than ever before. And Canada welcomes all these' '. people on Christmas Day, and hopes that their Christmas will be a merry 000 in their new surroundings. \\