. .. and one of our happiest holiday
traditions is wishing you and yours a season
filled with merriment and good cheer.
745-3344
BROWN’S SHOP
ELSIE BROWN
Palmer
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MAIN OFFICE-PALMER
Phone 745-3840
BRANCH OFFICE-ANCHORAGE
704 4th Avenue
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J^t’s Christmastime, and here comes Santa with a sleighful of oui
.. ..rmeflt holiday greetings to all of you whose friendship and good will
we cherish. With genuine appreciation of your hind patronage and friendly
good will* we extend our sincere thanhs and Lest wishes for every
happiness during the holiday season. A very merry Christmas to all!
One Holiday Has Many Rituals
Though Christmas comes but
mce a year, there is certainly
no one and only way to cele
>rate it. In addition to the
many customs that are gen
erally shared — lights, bells,
trees, gifts, Santa, prayer and
feasting — the special ways of
observing the holiday a r e as
aried and numerous as the
communities and families in
volved.
Often the history and cul
ture of a community is the in
spiration for the way it cele
brates Christmas. In other
cases the “customs” are con
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sciously developed, in an effort
to express the spirit of the
season. It doesn’t take long
for these community projects
to become well-loved, even
‘•old-fashioned" traditions.
Volumes could be filled with
an account of interesting com
munity Christmases, each of
them different. A few are sum
marized below.
Feature of the Christmas
season at Putney, Vt.. is “San
ta’s Land, U.S.A.” Santa greets
his friends here in one of his
homes-away-f r o m home —
since the North Pole must be
considered his official resi
dence.
The building is set against
a background of pine trees, in
t h e foothills of Vermont’s
Green mountains. The large
letters “S. C." on the chimney
identify it as Santa’s residence.
Carol sings are a traditional
part of the holiday season in
New Orleans. Many of them
are held across the street from
St. Louis cathedral. This his
toric cathedral in t h e French
Quarter is a focal point for the
community’s religious observ
ances of Christmas.
Here youthful carolers from
a private elmentary school,
La Petite Ecole, convene to
s;ng the familiar songs, in both
French and English.
Important part of the holi
day season in California is the
famous ceremony of “Christ
mas Tree Lane” at Altadena.
Huge deodar cedars border a
public throughfare in this city,
and at Christmas it is trans
formed into "Christmas Tree
Lane.” The trees are lit with
thousands of bulbs, turned on
at dusk on Christmas Eve, and
motorists celebrate the spec
tacle by driving slowly along
the lane.
The tall, graceful deodars
were brought to California by
Captain Frederick J. Wood
bury who, while visiting in
India, saw them growing on
the slopes of the Himalayas.
- He returned with deodar seeds,
which he planted on his ranch.
In 1885 his sons transplanted
the young trees along what
was then the principal road
way to the Woodbury ranch.
“Richmond — City of Can.
dlelight” has been the Christ
mas theme for Richmond, Va.,
for the past five years.
Taking the cue from Colon
ial Williamsburg, R i c h m o nd
sought to initiate the rebirth
of an old-fashioned Christmas
tradition by urging residents
and organizations to “place an
electric candle in every win
I dow.”
i n l snapping area presents
; triple cardies in evergreen
bases set in the median strip;
1 from the windows of the gov
| ernor’s mansion and the capi
! tol glow' electric candles; in
coming planes are greeted with
candles at the airport; virtual
ly every building in the city
cooperates.
In French - Canadian homes,
one of the highlights of Christ
mas is the ‘■Reveillon,” a mid
dle-of-the-night family feast,
for adults. The meal is served
after the return from midnight
mass but the preparations start
many w'eeks ahead.
Much of the food for the
feast, nowadays, centers
around turkey and trimmings.
But the traditional dishes, in
cluding goose with nut stuff
ing, and such specialties as
“tourtieres,” or spicy pork pies,
are still prepared for the Rev
eillon.
Community caroling in Han
over, Va., for the past 10 years
has been provided by a group
of actors from Barksdale thea
tre and friends.
Moving about the town in
red costumes and carrying
lighted candles, the carolers
concentrate on houses with
children and elderly people.
They approach the houses
singing “Jingle Bells,” render
two more carols, and move
away singing “We Wish You
A Merry Christmas.”
Indian, Spanish and Ameri
can cultures all contribute to
the ways of celebrating Christ
mas in New Mexico.
“Prayer dances” performed
by the Indians unite their an
cient ceremonials with their
present Christianity. Follow
ing midnight mass on Christ
mas Eve, they hold four days
of prayer dances. At Taos
Pueblo, Indians conduct a “pro
cession of torches” during
Christmas week.
The candles known as lum
inarias are a Spanish contribu
tion. Put up early in December,
they are used to outline walls
of houses and stores, as well as
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PAGEAN FEASTS
ARE SOURCE
OF CUSTOMS
Most of the customs now as
sociated with Christmas were
orginally pagan or non-Chris
tian, according to The Ency
clopedia Americana. Saturna
lia, a Roman feast celebrated
in mid-December, provided the
model for many of the merry
making customs of Christmas.
From this celebration, for ex
ample, were derived the elab
orate feasting, the giving of
gifts and the burning of cand
les.
Lights also played an impor
tant part in most winter sol
stice festivals. An obscure fig
ure in the early mythologies
of the East emerged as a sun
god. From the 1st century
B.C. this figure Mithras, was
adopted by an increasing num
ber of Roman soldiers and
others. Mithras’ greatest fes
tival was that of the winter
solstice, the time when the god
began to return to his wor
shippers.
In the 5th century the West
ern church ordered a feast cele
brating the birth of the Savior
to be observed on the day of
the Mithraic rites of the birth
of the sun and at the close of
the Saturnalia.
Among the German and Cel
tic tribes the winter solstice
was considered an important
point of the year and to com
memorate the return of the sun
they held their chief festival
of the Yule, which like other
of the Yule, which, like other
pagan celebrations, became
adapted to Christmas.
The Teutonic Yule feast also
provided customs for the
Christmas festivities, such as
the Yule log and wassail bowl
Candlemaking Among
Oldest Professions
Candlemaking is one of Un
world's oldest professions. An
ton Will, a German immi
grant, was one of the first
candlemakers in the United
States. He made candles over
a kitchen stove in Syracuse.
New York, about 1855, founded
a firm which now makes can
dles for the Vatican.
Another American firm once
fashioned candles in the like
ness of Lillian Russell and also
made the world’s biggest wax
lights, an 18-foot memorial
vandle lighted once a year at
singer Enrico Caruso's tomb in
Italy.
WINTER SOLSTICE
Today’s Yule Log, other
Christmas fires, even our tree
lights, are thought by some to
hark back to the days when
our remote ancestors built
huge fires during the brief
daylight of the Winter solstice
because they feared the waning
sun might darken forever.
When the days began to grow
longer, there were great cele
brations by these ancients,
who felt that their earthly
fires had helped revive the sun.
curbs and driveways.
Then there is the ceremony
of the posada. For nine days,
the story of the Nativity and
the holy family’s search for
shelter is acted out by church
es. hotels, social groups and
families.
And, along with all the fes
tive and religious observances
uf Christmas in New Mexico,
it’s certain that the American
contribution, jolly old Santa
Claus, is well remembered.
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•njoyed tht opportunity to Mrvo you.
Our h tarty thankil
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Cottle's Comer
BENNY & JERRY
376-3120 Wttillt