| DECEMBER 26. 1940 I V i' g BEST WISHES ^ s ^^tt.t{%n^ 1 il i " ^ 'M\ !? AND THE BEST OF I LUCK DURING 1941! f| Our Christmas wouldn't be com- $ plete unless we'd availed ourselves & ?{f of this opportunity to extend to M 5? you our sincere wishes for a truly @ I f Merry Christmas and for a Heal- j thy, Happy, Prosperous New Year! I 9 I | Parkway Company i & m V"?ll 1 ^i|p I || ?$ltelm} ^ 1(940 ^ I 1 | IN THIS HAPPY MONTH AND I | DURING THE COMING YEAR # 4 ? A May aJL tho joy you could wish for yourself M hp yours during this happy season and dur- W SSjj? ing the New Year ahead. We hope we may S? be privileged to serve you throughout the |j| ?? coming year of 1941. M M MORETZ BROS. ELECTRICAL CO. S ^ All Kinds of Electrical Appliances ^ 1 In grateful appreciation, we take this opportunity of telling you at this time how much we enjoy your friendship and resultant patronage, and to sincerely wish for you and every member of the family A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR PREVETTE'S MEN'S SHOP R. F. MeDADE, Manager Business comes where it is invited and stays where it is well treated. , ? WATAUGA INSURANCE AGENCY All Kinds of Insurance We Are G}ad to Serve You E. A. GAULTNEY GORDON H. WINKLER Northwestern Bank Building BOONE, N. C. WATAUGA DEMOCRAT?EVER Christmas Season Celebrated Before s Christ IV'as Born V Strange as ii seem?, the Christ- ^ mas season was celebrated long be- } fore Cnrist was bcrr. Of course, it | wasn't eal'ted Christmas then, but ! . many religious and pagan ceremo- jx nics were held during the Christmas , period. ' This period is celebrated by the Jews as the Festival of Lights or 1 Dedication. According to Jewish iiisrory, a large force of Maccabees I defeated an army of Syrians in 155 B. C. The victors began the work j of purifying the desolate Jerusalem, completing their task on December j 25. The Jews have celebrated the eight days previous to December 25 _ ever since that time. _ The proximity of Christmas to the winter solstice caused many pagan ,, ceremonies to be held during that . period. In Scandinavian countries, great fires were kindled in the middle of December to defy the Frost J King. Centuries before this, the ancient J Druids of England observed this season in their roofless temples. I Torches blazed as strange ceremo- I nies were performed, dealing with the cutting of the mistletoe. j Several accepted Christmas customs of today originated with the j eld Roman celebration of Saturnalia. The higher class of free Ro mans exchanged presents with their lrier.ds. Inside houses, candles were lit and the rooms and hail adorned with laurel and green trees. These festivals in honor of the god Saturnus were started before the earliest recorded history of that " great empire. The pagans celcbrat- 1 cd from December 1? to 24 in honor of their sun god. Among the slaves 1 and lo-.ver classes, the celebration " was transformed into unrestrained orgies. Even the ancient Egyptians celebrated the Midwinter festival. Near t the end of December they rejoiced i over the birth of Horus, son of the god Isis. The last religious celebration to be held on Christmas day appeared in the middle of the Fourth century, ,A. D. At this time various dates assigned to the birth of Christ were examined; and the Catholic church in Rome proclaimed December 25 i to be Christmas. It's Easv to Select j A Christmas Tree That Holds Needles TF YOUR Christmas tree shed its * needles early iast winter, you I probably had the wrong kind of tree | All trees will drop their leaves aft- I er they are cut and stored ill a warm room, but some kinds hold their leaves far longer than others. Trees used most commonly on I Christmas are Hie spruces, fir, hemlock, pine and redcedars. Spruces are the least desirable of all evergreens because they are the i first to shod their SWOML needles. A spruce gjjiy ear. be^ identified ^ needles will prick The idea! Christmas tree is the fir. It resembles the spruce except that its needles are not sharp. The needles stay on the tree for a long time, and became- a golden brown before they finally drop. Needles of a Douglas fir are flat and soft to the touch. This popular tree can be recognized by ex- | amining the cones which have small | appendages on each side. Hemlocks tend to shed their foliage early when kept indoors at a warm temperature. The distinguishing feature of this tree is the two i white lines on the lower side of each ' of its needle-like narrow leaves. I Pines have never been very popu- ! lar as Christmas trees, in spite of the fact they do not shed their needles early. This is probably due to their unsymrnetrical appearance, which does not closely resemble the : conventional Christmas tree. Their ' t longer needles are ! associated ir.clus- i hoods where they grow wild. The foliage is tiny and scalelike, and is prickly to the touch. It grows berries instead of. cones. No matter what kind of Christmas tree you select, it will hold its neodles longer if it is standing in water. Place a little water in the base of your Christmas tree stand, and you will be bothered less with falling needles than you were last year. Basket of Preserves Makes Welcome Gift A gift that anyone will appreciate is a basket of your own preserves. Take a half dozen or so of your prettiest and most delicious ones, tie gay bows of red ribbon around the tops, and put them in a wicker container. Then tie another bow on the handle and insert a card. Good Present Every Icelander is certain of one Christmas gift, a candle. I| Y ^THURSDAY--BOONE, N. C. NOTICE OF SAI..E OF NOTES Pursuant to an order made by the Sate Banking Department, Raleigh. 1. C.. and an order of the trustees of Ijc Rich Mountain Mortgages, we ciil on January II. 1941, at 1 p. m. it the courthouse door of Watauga canty, sell to the highest bidder or cash notes on the following peroos and the amounts Indicated: f. C. Brovm. Mrs. N. C. Brown $110.00 i I. C. Brown, Mrs. N. C. Brown 77.80 C" Brown, Mrs. N. C. Brown 265 00 I. C. Brown, Mrs. N. C. Brown 130.00 I. C. Brown, Mrs. N. C. Brown 450.00 aien. P. Coffey, T. H. Coffey 297.16 P. H. Coftey ._... 344.21 H. Coffey 48.00 ?. H. Coffey _. 48.00 [ H. Coffey 241.00 ?. H. Coffey ...... 584.56 if. Coffey, D. T. lot in Blowing Rock 3,200.00 fohn Johnson, Jas. Watson, D. E. Hartley C1.00 . F. Moore, 60 shares Boone H4wc. Co 2,028.10 I. W. Ashley, J. T. Ashley.... 30.00 farrison Baker W. W. Miller W. S. Ifouck 580.00 foe M. Clarke. Louise C. Marley 245.00 Jlaine Coffey, Judgment O. J. Coffey . 506.55 1. C. Greene, chattle mortgage 2 steers and farm tools 172.82 'ohn A. Johnson, Ella W. Johnson, M. A. Ward 27.00 The right is reserved to reject any ind all bids. RICH MOUNTAIN MORTGAGES W. M. Thomas, Manager. P "IT rrV. All.. * *-j. u.uguuiii, niiy. 1^-iZ-tC Miller's Floral Shoppe ^111 Flowers. Potted Plants, Funera; lesigus. Telegraph delivery service Phono 20 Boone. N". C BOONE DRUG CO. The Bex all Store Ito" ? ' ?l | I CO | IN THE VARIOU f Begin: f The Machinery Ac 5 erty, real and pers< I the case may be, ir I the first day of Jan I At City ai 1 Be 1 > It is urged that all I '" period ? == C. i TAX SI I i Many Happy Of The Christmas would no for us if we failed I sincerest hesS- wishes friends and custome Hollar's G Headquarters for b WANT RHODODENDRON LAUREL STOOLS Must Be Gr Cash paid at mill oi Get in touch D. & P. Pipe TELEPHONE BOONE, N S TOWNSHIPS IN WATAL s on Janua t of 1939, Section 302, requir anal, shall be listed, or listed i i accordance with ownership < uary each year. ltd County Taxi Listed injanuai taxpayers list their property < md avoid the penalty of the 1 D. McN< IPER VISOR, WATAUGA O PAGE SEVEN HE Returns Day i i t be complete .Q extend our to our many rs. rocery ioliday Foods edT , 1VEY AND OR GRUBS een r at pickup, with s Works I : 194 ran* I } JGA COUNTY ? iry I j es that all prop- T tnd assessed, as 4 and value, as of | es Must I ? I iuririg specified law! S eii | OUNTY 1