CHRISTMAS EDITION
Mistletoe Outlived
Sinister Meaning
Mistletoe, once usfd as a weapon
of death, ia now almost a universal
symbol at love and peace.
According to Norse mythology,
there was a god named Balder,
who personified the stpi. Loki, an
other god, plotted to destroy Balder.
Beider’s mother, when she first
learned of Loki’s intentions to kill
her son. obtained a promise from
all living things that they would not
harm Balder. Al) agreed, but the
mistletoe, so it was with a mistle
toe arrow that Loki Induced Bald
er’s blind brother, Hoder, to kill
the sun god. (
Higher powers intervened, how
ever, and Balder was restored to
life. The mistletoe was placed
under Frigga’s care, and the
mother of Baida saw that it was
never again used to do barm.
The custom of giving a kiss of
love or peace beneath the mistletoe
is an assurance that will never
again be used as an instrument
of evil.
MAMA’S LITTLE HELPER
DU JUOJN, Hi. dP)—Four-year
old Patricia Jackson was picked
by chance from among 24 children
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We of the Steinberg Dept. Store wish to thank
our customers for their continuous support in the
past and it is our wish that we may be able to serve
you in the years to come-
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
STEINBERG'S DEPARTMENT STORE
PHONE 2871 ERWIN, N. C.
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B many new wNS
you whose we hope Jm
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cheerful
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Santa ClauS, JrtJiana,
Received famous fame
Christmas Cve, 1882.
Although many towns have names
directly or indirectly associated
with Christmas, there is but one
town named Santa Claus, in Indi
ana.
Except for a lucky break, the
town would have had another name
and hence would not have enjoyed
the annual fame that it gathers
around the Yuletide season.
The original intention to name
the town Santa Fe fell through
when the officials at Washington
suggested that the town be named
something else, since there was al
ready a Santa Fe in New Mexico.
On Christmas Eve, in 1882, the
citizens held a mass meeting to se
lect another name, but every one
proposed was discarded for one rea
son or another. The meeting was
about to break up when Santa
Claus, making his yearly visits in
the neighborhood, strode in to get
warm. He was in costume and his
arrival put one name in every
mind.
And so the town was named
Santa Claus.
to draw the second award from a
) hopper containing some 67,500
II VERR mt
fiROUMHD
THE WORLD 1
Long before history was recorded
the Persians discovered sugar cane
and made sweetmeats an impor
tant part of their New Year celebra
tion, These pagan Persians also
made human, sacrifices on the eve
of the New Year in the belief that
their barren fields would be ferti
lized by the gods.
It. ancient China it was a custom
to make visits shortly after the New
Year'had begun. Hilarity reigned
supreme in old India and Babylon,
where celebration of the first day of
a New Year was a very wild affair.
The superstitious people believed
that during their frolicsome celebra
tions the pagan gods were asleep,
else conveniently away from home.
The Japanese always used holly
for decorations at New Year's. It is
an old belief that “the prick of the
thorr.s on the leaves would scare
away devils.” The emperor’s first
bath, Hatsumizy, taken early New
Year morning, was called a “reli
gious rite of cleansing and purifica
tion performed by the ruler to bring
peace and prosperity to Japan and
his people.”
Smart children in Belgium gather
keys to every room in the house on
New Year’s eve, and then lock the
elders In their rooms on New Year’s
morning, refusing to release-them
until promised a portion of sweets.
YOU’RE ALL DONE, DAD . . . i'
The old man, having served his
time and done his duty during
19S1, is ready for rest and re
tirement. Young 1952, however,
eager and ready for the fray, is
reaching out to take the cake—
or is It pie? Happy New Year*
anyway.
“Booster Day” tickets. She drew a
ticket that had been turned in by
her mother, Mrs. Henry \ Jackson.
-H»“ *n*
THE DAILY RECORD. DUNN. H. a
CONTRIBUTION
Joel Poinsett,
U.S. Statesman,
Noted tor Flower
Although he was a brilliant states
man, and the friend of four Ameri
can presidvits, Joel Roberts Poin
sett is famous chiefly because he
introduced the M<V lean plant
known as the "Painted Leaf, of
“Mexican Fire Plant” into the
United States.
Poinsett, then U.S. ambassador
to Mexico, called the plant -to the
attention of American botanists
and- grew the plant himself as a
hobby at his South Carolina .home,
after he left Mexico.
The plant grew heavily In Amer
\ican favor—especially popular at
iristmas time—and was renamed
poinsettia, in honor of the min who
brought It to this country.
Contrary to popular impression,
the flaming red" bracts of the poin
settia are not flowers, but leaves,
and It is for these bracts that the
plants are grown.
It is possible to have variations
of either pink or white varieties,
as well as of the more usual red,
popular because it carries opt the
holiday color scheme of rich bright
red with a contrast of the- dark
green of the leaves.
The beautiful poinsettia, almost
a "must” as far as Christmas deco
rating is concerned, is one of the
most temperamental of plants.
The poinsettia thrives in its
native Mexico, but elsewhere must
be handled carefully—perhaps pam
pered slightly. However; the bril
liantly colored flowers it has at
Christmas time is reward enough
for any efforts needed to make the
plant thrive.
Constant warmth is needed by
| poinsettias. Temperatures should
be kept between 70 and 80 degrees
i during the day and no less than 65
degrees at night. Any-; iudden
I change in temperature, and drafts
will cause the plant to drbp Its
leaves.
Abundant water is also a neces
sity, but it should be applied but
once a day so that the plant may
become moderately dry between
waterings. This permits needed
oxygen to reach the roots.
Try to give the potnsetti* the
sunniest spot available. It is wise
to fertilize it occasionally with a
good commercial good tablet.
FAIRY TAUES and Christmas
Stories are a Yuletide tradition.
It is thus fitting that the story
which promises to be America’s
most popular and long-lived fairy
tale is related to the Christmas
season.
Once upon a time there was a
reindeer with a built-in flashlight
bulb for a nose. You know, Rudolph,
the red-nosed reindeer. From a
small beginning in 1938, the little
animal with the built-in beacon
has become as familiar as Humpty-
Dumpty and Cinderella to young
sters everywhere.
First invented as a sales give
away promotion for Montgomery
Ward by Robert L. May, Rudolph
was featured in many free booklets
before he become associated with
Christmas. Songwriter Johnny
Marks liked the title “Rudolph, the
Red Nosed Reindeer”, so he wrote
a song about it. He was so sure he
had a success that he started his
own Publishing company, using
“Rudolph” as his first release.
Gene Autry made the initial re
cording, and that one record sold
2,000,000 copies.
Last year, there were 16 different
recordings of the song for sale,
ranging from boogie-woogie by
Sugar Chile Robinson to Bing Cros
by, and cowboy singers.
W your friendship and patronage in the past year!
Bl May the holidays bring you as many happy W
B HIGHT PAINT AND PAPER ||
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Christmas Helps
World's Economy
Many people, with the total ex
ception of children, have come to
believe that Christmas has become
too commercial. In a spiritual sense,
this is true to some extent.
Economically, however, no other
holiday or festive season contrib
utes so much to the welfare of the
world. Christmas has hardly passed
into the new year before thousands
are at work on toys and myriads of
other Christmas specialties for the
next holiday. Each year, as the
lights of Christmas trees twinkle on
a wintry night, how many of us
think of the millions who have
gained employment through the
Christmas shopping industry?
And yet, “too commercial” may
be an overstatement. Is it too
wrong, once a year, to make the
dominate theme one of giving, rath
er than of receiving? Christmas,
and, the spirit of Christmas, has en
dured wars and great chaos through
centuries as a time of joyousness
and happiness, and giving has al
ways been an important part of the
festivities.
The picture of the family united,
with presents opened, and children
wrapped in the joyousness of Child
hood’s greatest emotion is still, and
will remain, the Christmas story.
HOUSE CLEANED OCT
GARY, Ind. im—A burglar liter
ally “cleaned house.” Nicholas G.
Sisamis told police someone stole
$1,101.75 worth of property includ-
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Bible Foretold Future
On New Year for Scots
The early Scots believed that it
was possibie to foretell the events
of a coming year by turning to the
Bible on New Year’s Day.
It was long a custom to place the
sacred book upon a table and open
it at random, placing one finger on
the printed page. The entire chap
ter then was read carefully, with
the belief that the message it car
ried described in some way the
happiness or misery in store for the
person adhering to the practice.
ing cash, war bonds, a fur coat,
clothing, Jewelry, linens and a ra
dio.
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For our many 91
_____ friends we wbhu- •- 1 g
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' ** ,are * ußy *** Ipjß
KELLY'S DEPT. STORE ■
Benson, N. C. fll
Phone 3716 4 |
PAGE THREE
SANTA PANICS ’EM 'M B
SALEM, Mass. UPt—Three
fainted, a boy’s clothes were
off and others lost their shoe*
the mad rush. Citizens of tlw
toric city were not hunting a
—just fighting to get into the
armory, where a chamber of
merce Santa Claus
presents.
MAIL GOES THROUGH =Vj^H
SPARTA, 111. IIP When tnowß
blocks automobile travel, a
carrier, Waldemar Klopper,
on a tractor owner- to JJ£lp
carry out the pledge, “the
must go through.” He makes
rounds riding on -the
drawbar.