Santa's Busy, But He Has Plenty of Help
Fven though Santa is some
times pictured as traveling by
'■ocket or by jet plane, his fav
or te mode of transportation
still seems to be the famous
reindeer-drawn sleigh. The
only wonder is that he can re
mam as jolly as he tradition
ally is. when he has to cover
the world in one night, deliv
ering gifts by the billions
Perhaps the explanation
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may be found in the number
of helpers he has, and also in
the fact that Christmas Eve is
not his only day for delivering
gifts.
St. Nicholas, a real bishop,
was the first “Santa.” M a n y
legends grew up around h i
name, and many centuries af-i
ter his death on December 6,
about 342 A D., he was hon
ored as a friend to the young.
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December 6 became “Chil
dren's Day,” and St. Nicholas,
traveling by horse, brought
gifts to reward children for
good behavior.
Although Santa has to a
large extent replaced St. Nich
olas. in some European coun
tries children still await the
arrival of the bishop on the
night of December 5, and set
out shoes filled with hay and
carrots for his horse.
In Scandinavian and some
other countries, Santa gets an
assist from St. Lucy, who is
responsible for the distribu
Garving Tips For
Your Holiday Feast
Carving the holiday bird —
whether it be a duck, turkey,
goose or a partridge (in a pear
tree) — is a happy task.
And when it is done with
skill, flair and a fine set of
carving tools, it is practically
an art.
Here are some tips from the
makers of Ekco and Flint cut
lery that will help the head of
the family do the carving
chores in true Lord of the Ma
nor fashion.
The all-important beginning
is a good set of knives with
fine hollow-ground steel blades
and long-lasting Pakkawood
handles—an unusual gift idea
for Dad. A long-bladed roast
slicer carves fowl best. You
will also need a long-handled
fork with two tines.
The secret to successful bird
carving is a sharp knife, ap
plied to one side at a time.
Here’s how:
First, insert the fork firmly
through the center of the wish
bone. Place the platter so t h e
legs of the bird are to your
right. Start by carving the
leg nearest you.
Mane a vertical cut on each
side of the second joint of the
leg where it is attached to the
body by skin. Bend the entire
leg downward toward the plat
ter, exposing the ball socket
connecting the leg to the body.
With the point o fthe slicer, cut
through the socket and con
necting skin and remove the
leg.
Next, cut off the wing near
est you. Place the roast slicer
parallel to the wing: then
move the handle of the knife
out about 15 degrees and cut
by pushing the knife forward.
To slice the breast meat,
place the blade at the tap of
the breastbone. Push the knife
downward and forward t o w
ard the wing socket. For the
second slice, move the handle
of the knife a degree closer to
the body of the bird. Repeat
the same for a 11 consecutive
slices.
When you have finished one
side of the bird, turn to the
other side and carve it the
same way.
tion of gifts on her day, De
cember 13.
Christmas comes after
Christmas to many homes in
France and French Canada,
where the old tradition of giv
ing gifts to children on New
Year’s Day is observed. There's
a resemblance to Christmas in
the placing of gifts beside the
fireplace, often in stockings.
Even then, the Santa season
isn't finished. Many Spanish
children expect the Three
Kings to bring them gifts on
Epiphany, January 6. They,
too, set out shoes filled with
; straw and grain for the horses
the Kings ride.
Whatever the gift - giving
date, Santa has a host of help
ers to lighten his load. In ad
dition to St. Lucy, Scandina
vian countries have the Tom
tar, little gray-bearded men
who are said to hide gifts for
boys and girls on Christmas
Eve. The Christ Child or Krist
kind brings the gifts in many
countries.
In Italy the traditional gift
giver is Befana, sometimes de
scribed as a benevolent fairy
and sometimes as a witch.
Legend says that she misdi
rected the Magi or that she
refused shelter to the holy
family. Now she goes around
the world, in repentance, seek
ing the Christ Child and do
ing good to children on Christ
mas Eve.
KINGLY GIFTS
The gold, frankincense and
myrrh presented to the Christ
Child by the Three Kings were
more than mere signs of
wealth. Each had a special
meaning.
The gold was a sign they
accepted Him as their king;
frankincense was given as a
symbol of his deity; and myrrh
as a prophecy of His death.
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D HOTEL
Mr. and Mrs. James Smith
PALMER
Myles Hyland JJ
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The scene is set for gladness
and cheer... so we send our brightest
wishes with a happy
“Thank you” for allowing us to serve yoi
TEELANO’S
COUNTRY STORE
WALT AND VIVIAN
Wasilla
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WALT BRIGGS FUEL
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Birth of Christ
Man’s Big Moment
Practically everyone knows
the notation “B.C.” following
dates means “before Christ.”
How about “A.D.”? This nota
tion means “in the year of our
Lord” and was first affixed by
Charles III of Germany who
began attaching the symbolism
to the years of his reign in
879.
The system of retroactively
dating the years prior to the
Saviour’s birth and dedicating
the succeeding years to His
Greater Glory was invented,
along with the Christian era,
by a monk about 532 A.D.
The Christian era begins on
January 1 in the middle of the
fourth year of the 194th Olym
piad, the 753rd year of the
building of Rome and in 4714
of the Julian Period.
The Julian period, invented
by Joseph Scaliger, about 1583
A. D., was devised by multiply
ing the lunar cycle 19, solar
cycle 28 and the Roman indica
tion 15.
Centuries before, about 4,000
B. C., the Egyptians devised a
calendar based on the Mun
dane era of Alexander, estima
ting the “beginning” to be
about 5502 B.C.
Candles Are Associated
With Superstitions
Candles today are purely dec
orative — atop the birthday
cake, on the festive family
table, and in the churches.
Man’s source of light is elec
tricity.
While traditionally associa
ted with religious worship, can
iles are also the source of
some superstitions. A blue
flame, for instance, was once
oelieved to signify there was
a ghost in the house. A spark
from a candle was supposed to
ndicate that the person sitting
nearest the candle would soon
■eceive an important letter.
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3l the joyous Christmas
season, ve greet you with our
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BONITA’S BEAUTY SHOP
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BONITA ft MARIE
745-3434 Palmer
1 f Ilow is the season of deep delight
2 as dear ones gather to celebrate the Christmas
J Holiday. May yours be a merry one!
VIRGINIA’S HOTEL COFFEE SHOP
Virginia & Walt
CHRISTMAS, PRIMARILY RELIGIOUS
HOLIDAY, HAS PLACE FOR SAHTA
Christmas would be happier
if we could do something about
the few folks here and there
who object to Santa Claus.
There are some.
Christmas is primarily a reli
gious holiday, the most import
ant holiday of all, marking the
birth of the Child Jesus.
Santa Claus is for children,
the unspoiled, hopeful young
sters for whom life becomes a
fairy tale during this holiday
season. They will come to
know the true meaning of
Christmas and they will, in
time come to understand t h e
role Santa plays in the holiday
observance.
Christmas might be happier
for all if those who object to
Santa could be urged to take
his place for a while. A red
suit and beard would not be
I necessary. It could be accom
plished merely by seeing to it
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that the under-privileged, the
needy and the unfortunate in
some way received a measure
of good will and kindness dur
ing the Christmas season.
Anyone who has the h°art
can borrow a page from San
ta’s book.
MISTLETOE
Some believe the ancient
Druids gave mystical signifi
cance to the mistletoe be
cause it grows high among
the branches of oak trees,
touching neither heaven nor
earth. It was believed to be
immune, therefore, to the
malignant influence of evil
spirits.
The Druids, from Gaul, set
tled in the northwest sec
tion of France now known as
Brittany. The mistletoe is
still popular in France, where
it is called "gui."
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festivity fills the air
all about us...
spirits soar and the
mood is joyful as Christmas
is greeted once more.
Happily, we participate in
the celebration to let
each and every one of you know
how wonderful a year you’ve
made it possible for us to have,
and how very much we appreciate
your loyalty and friendship.
Vincent M. S. Mume M. £>.
VINCE & MYRT JESSIE ELAYNE
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