Women Rule Christmas 1885
A picture of a beautiful
woman on a current Christ-j
mas card would seem inap-|
propria te to many. But fem
inine enjoyed great
popularity in Christmas
cards wring the late 1880’s.
Until 1880, children and
elderly women were most
often pictured. Or, if adult
young women did appear,
they were shown as “tenders
of the hearth,” with their
husbands, children or pets.
Later, classic Greek and
Roman feminine figures were
used to convey ideals of feel
ing and beauty.
Artists of the Royal Acad
emy in London began the
new fashion for using con
temporary women in their
Christmas card illustrations
in 1881. One of the earliest of
these was designed by W. F.
Yeames and showed a richly- ■
gowned'young woman asleep
in a chair, with winged cu
pids in a golden cage.
In 1885, fashion figures of
elegant women were a typi- 1
cal subject of Christmas 1
cards. An example is a Louis *
Prang card from the Nor-'
cross Historical Collection.
Mr. Prang, who published
the best-known early greet
ing cards in the U.S., con
ducted a Christmas card
competition. The SI,OOO first
World-wide, It's Merry Christmastime!
Yuletide Customs Spread Around Globe
Mistletoe, Santa Claus, letters to Santa, Christmas customs
galore where did they all begin?
The customs of Christmas come from many lands and
many eras. They evolve from pagan ceremonies into Chris
tian rituals. And they stretch from West to East, from North
to South, as each country contributes something special and
traditional to the celebrations of the holiday.
When seasonal gaiety rings out in Canada, the merriment
is echoed in Mexico. When North or South Americans gather
for Christmas festivities, the people of Sweden are doing the
same and so are the peoples of Holland and France and
Italy and Spain and countless other European countries.
In the far East, Christian communities spread the customs
of Christmas, which mingle with the year-end ceremonies
>bserved by those of other faiths.
That the legend and lore of Christmas knows no boundaries
is illustrated in the following round-up of Yuletide customs,
based on information provided by the editors of the Encyclo
pedia International.
In England
From the north of England
comes .the happy custom of
the kisging bough. A large
hoop, twined with greens, is
decorated with apples and
candles. And in the center
there’s mistletoe—signal for
exchanging kisses.
In Austria
‘GutftOm of writing letters
to Santa Claus may have be
gun in Austria, where, long
ago, It was an Advent tradi
tion for children to write let
ters containing lists of what
they’d like to receive on St.
Nicholas’ Day.
In Brazil
Brazilian lore and legend
says that Three King’s Day
is a time for poetry contests.
Verses accompanied by gui
tars are featured.
* * *
In Chile
Unique among Christmas
customs in Chile is a grand
fiesta that centers around
horse racing.
1 to be jolly. ..and to share with
neighbors and friends the **.
!| merriment of Christmas. To ***'*"' *
all, “Happy Holiday”! jJJ I
iLjßjaSr' JS&jSjk ! y B*#*
t W, Jm*J 141 Mi J Al
m .*# - ilt/m ia. vTSffl 1 ' ((l1 rTn^l %
/ i ml*
m wm ;jJ 'll l BmPBIB ml Mil i
/Wfowmimn
fw» M 'SB
$ „ 3ffis\ > •• • r P.Cnl ißHfc
w —>- —-*• 11,11 ««* p
**' tOB .W*"”** '•"■'«*:.• ««*•»
«****'
i Veneer Company
I And Emnlovees
L_ ___
I iPsPyi ■!
1 H| : :S|p|n|i| WFJzm i V :
• r kSj! 'mBm IS •
P Vi?-, 1 ' J
wWW«3SSii«S ’5 : '
o
m
APPEALING FAMILY GROUP IS SUBJECT of the 1885 Louis
Prang Christmas card shown hero. Illustration of the mother
marks trend of 1880’s greeting eards, which often pictured attrac
tive ycung women. This card is from the Norcross Historical
Collection.
prize was won by Elihu Ved
der, a well-known American
artist.
The model for his success
ful illustration was his wife,
and the inscription read, in
part, “Thy own wish wish I
In Switzerland
A Swiss custom that dates
back to the Middle Ages is
to start the New Year free
of debts. December 6th, the
feast of St. Nicholas of Myra,
the first Santa Claps, is the
day set to meet all monetary
obligations such as rents and
mortgages.
In Venezuela
Hallaca, a native Venezue
lan dish, is an awaited deli
cacy during the Christmas
season. It is made of corn
meal with pork and chicken
stuffing and numerous other
ingredients, and then wrap
ped in plantain leaves to
form a type of pie.
* * *
In Argentina
It’s a mid-summer Christ
mas in Argentina, and the
traditional feast is generally
served outdoors. Rosebuds
and jasmine deck the table,
which has as edible center
piece a whole roast suckling
Pig.
thee in every place.”
Later Christmas cards de
picted women as fashion
plates, sportswomen, cyclists
and, in general, growing par
ticipants in the life of their
times.
In Italy
From Italy comes a most
poetic addition to Christmas
lore. For three weeks during
the Christmas season, chil
dren traditionally go from
place to place reciting Christ
mas poems. They expect coins
in return, to buy holiday
goodies.
In Sweden
An ancient custom that is
still observed in some Swed
ish households today is that
of “dipping bread into the
pot.” Each person dips a
piece of bread into pork and
sausage drippings and eats it
for good luck.
In Holland
For St. Nicholas season, it’s
traditional in Holland to
make flat cakes called Klass
jes. Once exclusively made in
the form of the bishop, St.
Nicholas, Klassjes now take
any form of bird, beast or
fish.
In France
At Salers in central France,
old-time tradition calls for a
king and queen to rule over
Christmas festivities. Rulers
pay for the privilege, since
they are “elected” by bidding
at an auction held on the
church steps.
In Germany
A procession which blends
pagan and Christmas cus
toms is part of the legend
and lore of the holiday in
Ruppin, Germany. A rider on
a white horse, symbolizing
the horse ot the pagan god
Wotan, leads the parade. He
is followed by Father Christ
mas, who is decked with rib
bons and carries candy and
fruit.
Greetings - --•
llow us this moment, to send our sincere and hearty thanks
and best wishes to all our friends and neighbors, whom we have served with
pleasure and pride throughout the year. May the best of holidays be yours.
The Herald Staff
jr?fe ~>v < Jim ]
If fe S^^fedri
greet you, and wish you all the best the
holidays can bring. A very merry Christmas, everyone! H |
We thank you, our customers, for your friendly patronage... Jl'
serving you is our pleasure, and an enduring privilege. ft |
• “.r~ r
PHTHISIC'S SUPER MARKET
r- ’ ' •-;»’ .' \ . %• .-. .’^’ /v‘* ; -. .-V- .W - *•'• •T* .'• *'* ' •^4'. v -~-* *J*S^£' vs*