OH CHRISTMAS TRUE - Girl Scout Troop 136 watches as a troop member places
a star, the first ornament, on tree they presented the Methodist Church Monday.
Boy Scouts from troop 403 helped plant the live tree. All county Girl Scout Troops
will make decorations for the tree. Scouts hope to decorate the tree each year at
Christmas.
And That Reminds Me
- of the Bicentennial
by Ruth McEichem
More than any other season or
celebration, Christmas renews ties with
the past. The excitement of the small
child stems from happy memories of
last year's magic season. Remembering
Christmases past brings a quieter glow
to the adult and senior citizen.
Ruth Cole Kainen in her "America's
Christmas Heritage", (Funk and
Wagnalls, 1969) writes "Since it began,
Christmas has been a famBy observance
and one intimately connected with the
ceremony of breaking bread together
and feasting....
"No matter how affluent he may
become in late years, every many enjoys
most of the foods he ate when a child,
and never so much as at Christmas time.
Ask him about Christmas, and a faraway
look will come into his eyes as he
describes the Christmas cakes and
breads his mother made."
And so it was with Mr. Clarence
Lytch, Raeford's own remarkable
entrepreneur of four-score and ten
years. The Christmas preparation that
he recalled with most clarity was the
hog-killing time, the delicious sausage
and hams, and yes, the wonderful cakes
that his mother made with real butter
and milk and cream - the products of
the milk cows which the Lytch family
always kept.
"Oh yes, we hung up our stockings at
Chnstoj^s - all oijij'of ui", he recalls.
"They were filled with fruit and candy
and nuts, and maybe one toy. But
mostly, we made our own toys, with
our father's help, in his shop."
Traditionally, the Scots from whom
most of the early settlers hereabouts
were descended, were rather subdued in
their Christmas observances. In fact,
according to Mrs. Kainen. in Scotland
Christmas had been fordbidden
altogether in 1583 in wake of the
Personals
Mrs. Eli Wishart of Lumberton was here
overnight Sunday with her mother, Mrs.
W.E. Freeman.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Johnson spent the
weekend in Winston-Salem as guests of
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Scarboro.
OPEN
EVERY NIGHT
(Excapt Sunday)
Till 8:30
Until Christmas
closed at 6 P.M. on Sat.
3Toe Sugar's
of Raeford
Reformation, and any celebration of the
holiday was under threat of dire
punishment. ISO years later, when the
emigration of Scots to the Cross Creek
settlement began, Christmas probably
had become a very quiet family
celebration.
The coastland settlers to the east and
south of Cumberland, however, were
more festive during the season, in
keeping with their largely English and
German traditions.
The Wilmington Daily Journal on
December 23, 1851, stated "Christmas
is coming~and were it not for the noise
and confusion...the fire crackers, and all
the other unnamed horrors and
abominations, we should be much
inclined to rejoice thereat.
"But whether we rejoice or not" the
writer continues, 'The egg-nog stock
begins to look up. By the by, egg-nog is
a most villainous compound to get sober
on. The getting drunk is rather pleasant
then otherwise-at least so we have been
informed."
Mr. Lytch never had the problem of
sobering up. He noted that neither he
nor his six brothers partook of alcoholic
beverages.
A less happy Christmas is described in
a letter from a Confederate soldier, D.K.
McDuffie, apparently of Quewhifflc, to
his cousin Angus Ray. Written from
; Petersburg, Va. Ctyittm^s, Peqember
25, 1864, it reads in part:
"Angus, we have a dull Christmas as
our rations are very scarce and not the
least social enjoyment in our midst. Our
Company has no boxes from home at
present and we have not as much as
roasted potatoes for Christmas. Still, 1
hope we will all be spared to enjoy good
times hereafter.
"I hope you will enjoy yourself flying
round and driving, though I am
confined at this time." (Perhaps a bit of
wistful envy.) He continues "it's a cold
camp life and a wearysome post.
"I thought 1 would get home to take
Christmas with all of my friends but as
the progress of furlowing is very slow 1
don't think 1 will get home now till
some time in February. Still I hope I
will enjoy myself even then, as 1 hope
you will have your mind made up and
all things ready to give your friends a
general and social party, (in the case of
Matrimony)."
Christmas for McDuffie was a time
for looking to the future-matrimony
and all.
Christmas past, as in Dicksens' classic
tale, is best remembered only when it
portends better things for mankind in
Christmases to come. That really is just
what Christmas is all about.
Holiday Cooking
We will cook your holiday
ham or turkey
or furnish one
We will cook for you
Hams - Turkeys
Dressing - Gravy - Salads
Place orders Cakes " Pies
Now
Telephone 843-5374
at
McNeill's Boarding House
100 N. College St. tod Springs, N.C.
%\\ - -A.\\c,
SAVINGS
UP TO
50%
SALE STARTS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13th
GROUP OF MEN'S SHOES
THOM McAN - DEXTER - VERDE
REDUCED UP TO 50%
THRIFTY
COBBLER
DOWNTOWN SOUTHERN PINES
Op?n Nightly til 8:30 ? Saturdays til 6:00