Warm Climate Yule
Is Quite Colorful
Unlike Christmas in colder
states, the Yule season around
the winter resort of Phoenix,
Arizona and the Valley of the
Sun means no snow but bright
sunny skies. It seems a bit
strange to tourists perhaps, but
local folks do all they can to
prove sunning is more fun
| than shoveling. Special din
| ners, festivals and other activ
| ities add a special flair and
I gaiety to the Phoenix celebra
I t*on
One of the most colorful of
1 all the festivities is the annual
|| Las Pasadas observance by
y Arizonians and Mexicans.
S;: Starting about a week before
Christmas, people representing
; Mary and Joseph re-enact the
f traditional night-time search
for lodgings in Bethlehem.
They go from house to house
if until finally—at the pre-ar
ranged one—they are “taken in
for the night.” Climax of the
Bcelebrations comes when mer
Hrymakers break open the huge
pinata hung from the ceiling
and stuffed with candies and
other goodies. There’s always a
scramble for the prizes — and
lots of fun for all.
Another common scene
around Christmas in Phoenix
comes with the luminarias.
These usually occur on Christ
mas Eve when many people
hold open house. Small paper
bags, partially filled with sand,
and having lighted candles in
the middle, are spaced out to
mark paths to homes. The tra
dition comes from the old Spa
nish custom of lighting the
way for El Nino Perdido, the
lost Christ child, who walks
among the faithful on that
night.
The first “enveloped” greet
ing card was a Christmas card.
Greeting cards were not placed
in envelopes until Rust Craft
Greeting Cards introduced the
card in 1906.
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BOB & RUTH PETERSON
745-3041 Palmer
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VALLEY SERVICE
Gene Webb ft Bert Duff
745-3810 PALMER
QUIET COUNTRY LANDSCAPE COVERED WITH
SNOW is traditional vision of Christmas
cherished by most folks. Even in climes
where snow never falls, dreams of a white
Christmas dance in the heads of young
and old. With a little imagination, Christ
mas is always a winter wonderland.
(rude 1450 Woodcut Was
First Holiday Greeting
i here s quite a story behind
those Christmas greetings
you'll be sending and receiving
by the dozen this holiday sea
son.
Woodcut Was First
The earliest known holiday
greeting was actually a crude
woodcut printed in 1450 in the
thine Valley. Germany.
The card shows the Christ
mas Child standing in the bow
of an ancient galley manned by
angels, with the Holy Mother
seated at the mast. The inscrip
tion reads: “Here I come from
Alexandria and bring many
good years to give generously.
I will give them for almost no
money and have only God’s
love for my reward.”
t irsi English Card
Sir Henry Cole, an English
man, is credited with publish
ing the first “mass produced”
Christmas greeting. In 1843, h
had an artist, John Horsley,
design a Christmas greeting for
him because he was “too busy
to write to his friends at Christ
mas.” The card carried the
message: “A Merry Christmas
and a Happy Neve Year To
You.”
Printed 1000 Copies
Cole had 1000 copies of the
card printed which showed a
friendly family party in prog
ress, the oldsters with raised
wine glasses in a toast to the
person receiving the card.
Although Cole was hailed for
his idea of inventing the Christ
mas card, his greeting met
with severe criticism because
it showed children at the same
Warding Off Witches
Led to Candy Canes
One of the most popular
symbols of the Christmas holi
days, candy canes, began with
an old superstition during the
Middle Ages. Europeans of that
period carried glass canes
filled with colored candies to
distract evil witches.
Belief was that the evil ones
become so interested in sort
ing the candies that casting of
evil spells was forgotten, re
ports the Candy, Chocolate
and Confectionery Institute.
table with wine drinkers.
Unfolded Pastboards
The first cards were unfold
ed pastboards printed in color.
Late in the 1850’s and 60's cards
weie die-stamped with designs
combining ornaments and let
tering. Larger cards became
more popular in the 1880’s.
By then, the idea had been
introduced into the United
States. Louis Prang, a promin
ent Boston lithographer, look
ing for ways to increase his
business, began making Christ
mas cards in 1875.
Printed in M-ulti-Colors
Prang was an expert in the
art of what he called “chromo
lithography” and his work and
Christmas Towns
>Can Be Found In
U.S. Postal Guide
Traces of Christmas can even
be found in Uncle Sam’s Offi
"Santa Claus" and “Christ
“Santa Clause,” and “Christ
mas,” Fla., are a few of the
more familiar post offices
which each year handle floods
of mail from senders wishing
to obtain appropriate Yuletide
postmarks on their greetings,
notes Rust Craft Greeting
Cards. The company estimates
that more than 3xk billion
Christmas cards will be sent
this season.
Congressional Act.
Indiana’s “Santa Claus” it
the only town so designated in
the United States. The privil
ege is reserved to its post off
ice by Congressional Act
There is however, “Santa” in
Idaho, but only one “Christ
mas”—the one in Florida, plus
a “Christmas Cove,” in Main.
Seven Bethlehems
On the other hand, seven
“Bethlehems” answer the sea
sonal roll call. They can be
found in Conneticut, Georgia,
Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland,
New Hampshire and Pennsyl
vania.
There are two “Noels” —
| in Virginia and Missouri.
reputation was well established
throughout Europe. By using
slabs of a particular limestone
found only in Bavaria, he prin
ted pictures in multi-colors, as
many as 32 different shades at
times. He reproduced them so
perfectly that you could scarce
ly tell them from the original
paintings.
Sponsored Art Contests
Prang sponsored an art com
petition to obtain his card de
signs, within five years he was
turning out five million cards
a year, and it wasn’t long be
fore Prang cards trimmed with
silk fringe and lace, also be
came known worldwide.
Although Prang gave up
printing Christmas cards in the
1890's he is credited with es
tablishing in America the joy
of sending and receiving Chris
tmas cards, and is known as
the ‘‘father" of the American
Christmas card.
First American Card
The first American Christ
mas card, however, had beer
printed in 1853, when R. J
Pease, an Albany, N. Y. dry
goods merchant, designed a
| Christmas card which also ser
ved as an advertisement for
his products.
The only known remaining
orginal of the Pease card is
now housed in the Rust Craft
antique greeting card collec
tion.
Christian Visitors Seek Clarch of Nativity
For Three Celebrations of Christmas
Pilgrimage to Bethlehem is
for thousands of Christians
each year the focal point of
the religious observance of
Christmas. Visitors of many
faiths make the trip to Bethle- j
h :n, now a part of Jordan, to !
the Church of the Nativity!
alxive the Grotto of the Nativ- j
ity where Christ was horn. !
The manger so familiar to '■
all who know the Christmas
.-tory was an improvised stable
a cave hewn out of rock,
n< :r the center of the hill town
of Bethlehem.
Christmas is observed three
times at Bethlehem, and for
each observance the Mandel
baum Gate between the Israel
and Arab sectors of Jerusalem
is opened to admit the Chris
tian pilgrims.
Roman Catholic, Greek Or
thodox and Armenian denom
inations share the Church of
the Nativity. Roman Catholic
churches begin the Christmas
celebrations with masses on
Christmas Eve, December 25.
Eastern churches observe
Christ's birth in January. For
the Greek Orthodox churches,
which still follow the old Jul
ian calendar, Holy Night is
January 6, Christmas Day
January 7. Armenian churches
celebrate both Christmas and
Epiphany on January 19.
Those of the Protestant
Hal Chadwick. freelance !
Christmas verse writer for Rust
Craft Greeting Cards, doesn’t
have to go far to find the right
atmosphere in which to work,
he lives in “Noel,” Missouri.
faiths gamer Li Shepherds
fields, the nearby site where,
according to tradition, the
shepherds heard the angel of
the Lord come to tell of the
Nativity.
."e
7*y‘
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In the Spirit
of Christmas
We wish you a Day,,
bright with hope,
rich in the blessings
of the season.
SCHROEDER
INSTRUCTION
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TO WISH YOU
£ a very merry Chistmas. and thank you for >
\ your kindness and loyalty is the purpose j
I of this, our sincere holiday greeting.)
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As an expression of our thanks and good will, we extend
to friends, old and new, our best wishes for a
joyous Christmas and a holiday season filled with good cheer.
GUM'S LAKE VIEW STORE
KEN and FRAN
v 376-3010 Wasilla
MMaMMaai