? Christmas
. draper
With most
sincere hopes
that peace and
happiness be
with us all
Many thanks.
ID TOWNSON AUTO CO.
When Families Gather, It's Christmas!
Through the years, the
ways of celebrating Christ
mas have taken on many
different forms.
Today's Christmas tree Is
apt to be plastic or alumi
num, rather than nature's
own ftr, spruce or pine. The
glow of tiny beeswax candles
on a tree is only a memory,
replaced now by strings of
twinkling electric lights.
Jolly Santa, once trans
ported only by reindeer
drawn sleigh, may now ar
rive by helicopter or Jet plane.
But In spite of changes, the
essence of the season, the
basic spirit of Christmas,
stays the same.
Christmastide is, above all.
a time for togetherness and
rejoicing. And a modern
Christmas, Just like an old
fashioned Christmas, calls
for gatherings of family and
friends, with much merri
ment, fun and feasting.
Right now in this commu
nity, families are celebrating
the holiday with Just such
gatherings, such merriment,
fun and feasting. . ..
Like families ?f yesteryear,
they celebrate with gifts and
greens, with the warmth of
f glowing hearth and the
gleam of a lighted tree, with
stockings hung by the ehh?
ney with care and even with
candles, though thesebectan
brightly from candleholders
rather than from th*U*?.
All these ways ofcelebrst
ing are part of the legend
and lore of Christmas.
Exchanging Oifts
Exchanging gifts at Christ
mas Is one of the most time
honored of customs, and toys,
dolls and games for the chU
dren have always ranked
high on the gifts list
In the not-so-long-ago,
however. Int one Important
present - a doll for allttte
girl, perhaps, and a toy ac
cordion for her brother-was
all that youngsters might ex
nect at Christmas.
Though Santa Is more
bountiful nowadays, the gifts
he brings are like those of
yesteryear In at least one
way They reflect the lnter
2S and fashions of their
times. , . .
Dolls, yesterday and today,
dress in the favorite styles
of the moment. Toys, too,
show the influence of current
events.
Toy racing cars, for in
stance, came in with the au
tomobile, while today more
complex types of wheel toys
take advantage of modern
technological developments.
Using Greens
Use of greens and garlands
to decorate for a festive sea
son goes back a tho^and
years before the blrthof
Christ. The custom began
with the ancient Egyptians.
Many of the traditions of
pagan festivals were later
merged with the celebration
of Christmas, and evergreens,
because they stay SSree
throughout the year, came to
be regarded as the Christmas
symbol of eternal life.
Decorating the Tree
Many ancient legends as
sociate trees with ^^tmas.
One Is that on the first Holy
Night, all the trees of the
forest blossomed and bore
frThe idea of adorning the
Christmas tree with oma
ments may have started with
an attempt to create the ef
fect of snow on the branches.
Strings of popcorn and tufts
of cotton were used.
Lighting the Tree
Martin Luther started the
custom of lighting the tree,
legend says.
To symbolize stars glowing
forth on a snow-fMed win
ter's night, he placed "8^
candles on his family s tra
ditional Christmas tree.
Buriung the Log
Today's fireplaces, though
smaller In scale than those
of yesteryear, symbolise at
Christmas the age-old cus
tom of burning the log.
The Yule log was adapted
to Christmas celebrations
from the Scandinavian prac
tice of hnttdlng huge bonfires
at the winter solstice. Fire
represented the spring sun,
soon to return.
Hanging Stockings
St. Nicholas, so legend says,
secretly gave gifts of gold for
the dowries of poor spinsters.
He tossed the gold down a,
chimney on Christmas fiva,
and on one occasion the gift
landed in a stocking hung by
the fireplace to dry.
A tangerine or an orange
In the toe of a stocking has
come to be symbolic of the
gifts of gold.
ABOUT GREENS
Many Christmas greens
used today were once pagan
symbols. Flowers and leafy
boughs were used In Roman
rites. The Saxons used holly,
ivy and bay In their religious
observances.
Greetings
The calm and quiet reaches every comer of this
snow-covered landscape to remind us of the
beautiful peace that is ours to share at Christmas time. And so
we greet you and yours with best wishes for a wonderful holi
day season . . . and heartfelt thanks to our dear friends and
neighbors for your continued patronage, loyal trust, support.
Smoky Mtn. Gas, Inc.
LAD (CHRISTMAS f DINGS
May the peace and joy which radiates from the heart of the
Holy Child, fill you and yours with the wonder and splendor of this
Blessed Season. And may the miracle of His coming be an inspiration
and comfort to you always. Best wishes for a joyous Christmas.
MURPHY POWER BOARD
I
Murphy, N. C.
Santa Claus
Has Origins
In America
Hear them? They're sleigh
bells ? and we all know what
that means! Santa's here,
and with him arrives one of
the oldest, happiest, and
best loved traditions of the
Christmas season.
Today, of course, it Just
wouldn't be Christmas with
out Santa Claus, but It Is
Interesting to ponder just
where the Jolly old gent got
his start, and it might be sur
prising to learn that it was
n't really the North Pole.
The name Santa Claus, it
self, is an American deriva
tion of the name St. Nicho
las, an early fourth century
bishop in Asia Minor, accord
ing to the editors of the En
cyclopedia International.
Santa was first brought to
this country by the early
Dutch settlers, who called
him Sinterklaas. These Dutch
burghers portrayed him as a
merry old man, sometimes
even with a wife they called
Molly Orietje.
Santa also looked a little
different then, and he wore
a wide-brimmed black hat,
short Dutch breeches, and
smoked a long clay pipe.
Later, the British brought
their own Father Christmas
to America ? a happy, roly
poly Falstafllan figure.
Inevitably, Sinterklaas and
Father Christmas became
one. Add to this the Norwe
gian's Krlss Krlngle, with his
sleigh and reindeer, and the
picture is nearly complete.
It was finally the task of
American artists and writers
to create an Image of Santa
Claus such as we know today.
Washington Irving, among
others, contributed to the
concept of Santa as a Jolly
holiday figure, while Clement
Moore, In his famous "Visit
from St. Nicholas" ("Twas
the Night Before Christ
mas") , added to the concept.
However, the notion of
Santa Claus which really
captured the Imagination of
young and old alike was
drawn by the American car
toonist Thomas Ngst in IMS.
Yes, that's Santa all right,
with his fur-trimmed suit,
shiny black boots and long
white beard. Just the way
we've always known him ?
or so It seems.
Merrily,"Bells
Are Ringing
For Holiday
Ringing across the ages
and around the world,
bells are part of the tradi
tions of Christmas.
Zurich. Switzerland, has
long been noted for its
beautiful bells, say the ed
itors of the New Book of
Knowledge
Every Christmas Eve.
the Zurich bells ring out
loud and clear, calling
families to church
This same tradition is
repeated in thousands of
other cities, where chimes
and bells ring out at mid
night from the steeples
and spires of churches.
Bells contribute to the
sights as well as the
sounds of the holiday sea
son. They are a popular
decoration and are used as
ornaments on trees.
Tradition has it that
bells Inspired Clement C.
Moore to write his famous
poem, "A Visit from St.
Nicholas." The Inspiration
came from listening to the
merry jingle of bells on
his horses' harness, as he
drove along on a frosty
winter night.
Yesteryear's Customs
Live At Yuletide
Candles and carols, trees
and treats, gifts and greens
? and Santa Claus, of course.
Wherever Christmas Is cele
brated, these symbols seem
to appear.
In the modern era of rapid
communication, there is a
growing uniformity in the
ways that people everywhere
choose to mark the holiday.
Yesteryear's customs, how
ever, still have their place in
modern celebrations. Ifg a
case of "the more things
change, the more they stay
the same," as countries, com
munities and individuals
seek to cherish and preserve
their own special holiday tra
ditions.
Some of these traditions
as treasured in memory o
kept alive In holiday ritual
are compiled in the follow
ing paragraphs, according U
Information from the editor
of Encyclopedia Internation
al.
ESTABLISHING CRIB
Though legend says tha
St. Francis of Assist first In
troduced the Christmas crib
In the 13th century, history
records that the first manger
scene was created by Pope
Liberius in 354 AT).
Murphy, N. C.
We Join thoee who
?tog out tho prni?>? of
this Joyful ?oaaon. and thank
you for your trust and good wilL
E. C. MOORE CO.
The Dodge Boys
* ft xi 31
in the spirit of this
boautiful season, wo
oxtond sincere
gratitude for their
kindness and
DOXOL GAS OF MURPHY
MIDNIGHT
MASS
You art cordially invited to
attend "Christ's Mass",
at 12 p.m., Dac. 24th.
Coma tarly and join in tha
4 singing of your favorite
corals, from 11:30 p.m.
to Midnito. A social
hour twill follow tha
Midnito Ssrvicos!
Your Catholic Friends and Neighbors wish you
and yours a Holy and a Happy Christmas, and
God's favor throughout the coming New Year!
ST. WILLIAM'S CATHOLIC CHUtCH!
?0=1??DK1?S
True blessings of
Christmas arise
from that first
wondrous Hoi>
Night, one
may the>
be yours
Thanks
>)
YOUR
THRIFTEE DISCOUNT
STORE
Santa is
i. coming
fiyour way
* with
!r Plenty
of jolly
good
wishes
foryour
holiday,
and thanks.
Merry Christmas
HAYESVILLE AUTO PARTS
We
)take this
opportunity
to wish
every one
of you
a truly
beautiful
holiday. We enjoy
serving you.
Mm
Cfoii&tihw
GARRETT'S BEAUTY SHOP
MurphyTN.C.
% 'Twas the I\(ight
Before Christinas.
Time for us to say
thank you to our many friends,
wishing them all "Merry Christmas"!
ROGERS ELECTRIC
_ COMPANY
Wllow Street ~Murphy,N.C.