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Decembo' 1997
Christmas Legends
St. Boniface and the Christmas Tree
by Charlotte Langley
A popular legend of the origin of the
Christmas tree involves Saint Boniface. In
the 8th century, he was trying to convert
the pagan Germans over to the worship of
Christ. One Christmas Eve in the great
forest, he was shocked to come upon a
ceremony of human sacrifice taking place
at the foot of the sacred oak tree of Odin at
Geismar. Seizing an ax, he hit the tree
with a great blow, which was knocked over
by a great wind. The people were amazed,
and won over to Christianity, but felt lost
without the symbol of their tree. St
Boniface pointed to a thin fir tree and told
them to take that as their sign. Christ was
the bringer of life “evergreen” and the fir
tree became His symbol. (Source: The
Christmas Almanac by Gerald and Patricia
Del Re)
The First Christmas Tree Lot
by Shelley Schreiber
Until the early 19th century, a Christmas
tree was only available to those who went
to the woods and cut it down themselves or
by those rich enough to pay someone else
to do it. A woodsman named Mark Carr
was the first to make buying holiday trees
a business. Bom among the foothills of the
Catskill Mountains, he had heard of the
festivities that occurred in New York City.
In December, 1851, he loaded a couple of
sleds with trees cut down from around his
home and proceeded to the comer of
Greenwich and Vesey streets where he
rented a strip of the sidewalk for a mere
silver dollar. Customers flocked to his
corner. Since then, “hundreds of
thousands of trees are yearly sold from
Mark Carr’s old corner” and from
thousands of other corners around the
world. (Source: The Christmas Almanac
by Gerald and Patricia Del Re)
HAVE HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER
HOLIDAYS - AND MANY MORE NEW
YEARS
By Cathy Annas
The holidays are fiin-filled parties, family get-togethers, and special times with
friends. There are myths about alcohol and driving that can translate into behaviors
with detrimental results. Learning the facts can mean the difference between life and
death during the holidays and throughout the year.
Myth: “Drinking coffee sobers me up.”
Fact: Coffee cannot rid your system of alcohol. It just makes you a nervous, wide
awake drunk. Only time reverses impairment.
Myth: “I always stay away from the hard stuff.”
Fact: Alcohol is alcohol. Beer has the same effect as straight scotch. One 12-ounce
beer has as much alcohol as a 1.5-ounce shot of whiskey or a 4-5-ounce glass of wine.
Myth: “I’m bigger so I can handle my liquor better.”
Fact: Size is only one factor in how much you can drink. Metabolism, amount of rest,
and food intake all play a part in how you handle liquor. Impairment can begin with
the first drink.
Myth: “All I have to do is splash my face with cold water.”
Fact: Splash all you like. You can even take a cold shower. It may make you cleaner,
but it won’t sober you up or make you a safe driver.
(Taken from Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, PREVENTION WORKS.)
AAA Potomac’s Holiday Fruit Punch
1/2 c. grapefruit juice
1 c. apple juice
1/4 c. orange juice
1/21. ground ginger
1/21. ciimamon
Dash ground cloves
Mix all ingredients together and serve over ice or blend with 8 to 10 ice cubes for a
frothy drink.
Serves 4.
Alcohol does not have to be a prerequisite to getting in the holiday spirit Have a
happy and safe holiday.
December 15-17:
December 17:
Januaiy 5:
January 6:
January 7:
January 13:
January 19:
mes TO Z£H£HU^
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
MCE 10