T»
i-nildren on Hatteras Island
°y a Double Christmas
v,uakl£K L. WEST
rodanthe, n. C. (*_Chiist
*us weans two things to the chil
5*“ of Hatteras Island—Sant;
Omus and Old Buck, a kind oi
wmne anti-Santa.
That’s because the kids, and ole
folks too, celebrate two Christ
Biajces, old and new.
Old! Christmas here is unique
Tailing on Jan. 5. Some other parti
«f the world celebrate on Jan. 6—
the Epiphany or Twelfth Day oI
Christmas.
Clouded History
History clouds the origin of the
local festivities, although twe
theories seem to predominate. One
relates the celebration to the
arrival of the Three Wise Men at
file manger of Christ. The other
stems from the loss of 11 days
v&fin Great Britain and the
American colonies shifted from
the Julian to the Gregorian calen
dar in 1752.
Islanders let the “mainlandfers”
wonder about the origin. They,
themselves, dimiss it as of no con
sequence. “We .celebrate . Old
Christmas on Jan. 5 because, that
was the date our fathers ambilieir
fathers celebrated,’’ one said.
I
Old Buck can’t point with too
. much certainty to his ancestory,
. either.
i Danish legend boasts a similar
: character — a bull who hides most
of the year but appears at a holt*
i day time.
Old Buck in Replica
The modern day celebration of
i Old Christmas here features a big
; oyster roast, a square dance and
■ entertainment at the community
house. A canvas and barrel stave
replica of Old Buck the bull ap
pears during the evening. Adults
distribute gifts for the children
and the children vie for a chance
to ride Old Buck.
As misty as the origin of the
celebration is the origin of habita
tion on Hatteras island itself. It is
believed that its first inhabitants
were crews of 18th Century sailing,
vessels lost in the “Graveyard of
the Atlantic,” as this treacherous
coastline is known. The inland's
written records date from the
middle of the 1700s.
Nothing decorates a Christmas
package more prettily than to
tie pihe cones under;the ribbon
bow on top of a package.
i
WISHES
TO THOSE WE HAVE SERVED
DURING THE PAST YEAR, THANK
YOU FOR YOUR PATRONAGE
Lila, Nyda, Phyllis
Archie, Klock, Curly, Sully
Tony’s Place
UMAK# •• -• - ••
«•.. ■■■..;.■> ■■ : :.• ► •. ■
Christmas Book Buyers
Go For The Best Sellers
By W. Hv ROGERS
Associated Press Arts Editor
The books that sell the best a
Christinas time sell, the best at al
other times, too.
Of course, there are the peren
nial exceptions: Dickens’ “Christ
mas Carol” and the Holy Bible
which are especially popular righ
now.
But if you watch best seller list?
you’ll find they don’t change muc>
with the calendar. More books sel
in December, but they are more oj
the same; by and lar ge the genera
buyer makes his choice rather or
popularity than on timeliness.
Out of Tune
That may mean for instance
that some un-Christmassy work:
sell specially well at Christmas
Ail last December, for. instance
fiction best-seller lists were head
ed by Grace Met&lious’ “Peytor
Place.”
But books that do not violate
t the spirit of this particular holiday
l sell, too. A year ago Kathryn
Hulme’s ‘‘The Nun’s Story” topped
- the non-fiction selections, and
• other numbers m demand were
, Bruce Catton and ‘‘Profiles in
1 ‘‘This Hallowed Ground,” by
Courage,” by John F. Kennedy.
; Over the years the same pattern
i has been followed: Popular at one
i season, popular at all.
The most popular book in the
• 20th century, according to Alice
i Payiie ITackett’s “Sixty Years of
Best Sellers,” would have made a
suitable number at any Christmas:
, Charles Monroe Sheldon’s “In His
, Steps.”* Published just 60 years
ago, it has sold perhaos eight mill
, ion copies.
All-time Leaders
The moralizing Elbert’ litibbard’s
rAUE* ii
"A Message to GaJrci^w sold fou**
million copies since publication in
1898. Bufcpn-Omrssler’s: “The Greats
est.:-Story .Even .•.Told*’ aid ‘The
Greatest Bool* Ever Written" have
together sold more than live, mill*
ion copies, though the are leas
than,a (iecade old. A comparable
success wfis, .sepnpd by Jesse. Lyman
Hurlbut’s"The Story of the Bible,7
published m 190-1.
But there have been extraor
dinary successes which did not parr
take of the seasonal religious
mood, Mickey Spillane and Erie
Stanley Gardner are among the top
best sellers of all time and all sea
sons. Erskine Caldwell is invariab
ly popular.
For young people before, dur
ing and after the holiday, there
have been “Heidi,”' “Black Beau
ty,"''^He' Wonderful Wizard of
Oz,”' anir ’the ""Little Colonel”
serfeS thaVseCm 'destined to en
dure in thd nursery add playroom
i’ordecades to come;'
Bfei'd' the Mirror Classifieds
-- T-;-«--■-i.,...
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