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We hope the holiday season brings you joy and happiness and prosperity for the coming year We would like to thank you for your patronage and hope that we can continue to serve you MOLSONS fivefly 7Z ilxéflx 4A the examiner Tuesday Doc 20 1977 Many Faiths Converge Letters to On Modern Bethlehem Observe Christs Birth It is customary in the United States to celebrate the birth of Jesus on De cember 25th the date ob served by the Roman Cath olic Church and most Prot estant denominations but not all Christian faiths ad here to that date In Bethlehem Christs birthplace the Roman cele bration begins on Christmas Eve December 24th high lighted by the traditional Midnight Mass and contin ues on Christmas Day The Greek Orthodox Church however observes January as Christmas Da mark ing the occasion with simi lar ceremonies January 18th and 19th are the dates for the observance in the Armenian Church The three faiths have their own churches and chapels within the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and each observes Christ mas on its own day with services in the Grotto of the Nativity at the exact spot where it is believed Jesus was born The separate Observances are bolstered by long his tory which ecumenism may find it difficult to erase For centuries the Churches dis puted possession of the sanctuary originally built by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 330 and pre cedence in worshipping there The Greek Catholics took possession of the build ing in 1672 The Roman Catholics have shared it since the mid19th century with the Greeks Armenians have their own chapel and monaster in this city of about 25 00 population Since the different ob servances all involve num bers of celebrants proces sions traffic control and other civic problems the authorities of Bethlehem and the surrounding area would be Just as happy if Christmas were celebrated universally on one day but it is unlikely that such unanimity wil be achieved soon in the face of the in the face of the Churches different tradtions noun Barnumu viewed from on of the higher iNll towers in the city retains many of its ugwoltl iis toms and looks much the way it lltl luring ancient times despite modern whichs which mon through timeless streets Photo courtesy Israeli Government Tourist Office Climate Key to Time of Holy Birth The evidence that the iourney of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethle hem took place in the dry season that is before the onset of winter depends to some extent on what we know about the climate of Palestine today which scholars believe is not very different from what it was during the time of Jesus The annual mean tem perature is pleasant enough 828 degrees Fah renheit with range from high of 112 degrees to low in winter of only 12 degrees While the lowland plains nearer the Mediterranean Sea receive heavy rains from November to April winter in the hills can bring biting frost bitter winds and even snow Nazareth the city of Jesus was town of some note in southern Galilee near the western edge of the fertile plain of Esdra elon This area provides more clues to the time of the journey for scholars who look to the still fertile and wellwatered hills of Galilee and into the less favored hill country of Judea where the cultivation of grains olives and vines tended to give way to the grazing of sheep especially in the dry season So it can also be assumed that the holy Journey was during the dry season by looking to the Bible in which Saint Lukesays that in the same country were shepherds looking over their flocks At this Yuletide season we send our neighbors special message of holi day cheer Merry Xmas 29 Mp SIAIIONEIY 13130 THE MOST FAMOUS RESIDENT in the town of Santa Claus Indiana population 300 is Santa Claus himself who re ceives well over 100000 letters annually from children across the country and around the world As Santa Claus in costume and Jim Yellig out of it 42year career has been devoted to making sure letters are answered Theres something special about Santa Claus in small southern Indiana town where the famous Christmas legend has be come somewhat of an every day reality This town with popula tion of about 300 yearround residents and family of deer is the jolly old gents namesake home Santa Claus Indiana as well as the home of his helpers and the location of his overflow ing mailbox unique landmark at Santa Claus is the US Post Office near the intersection of Indiana highways 162 and 245 and next to the entrance to Santa Claus Land There is nowhere in the world where you can find post office like this one Its architecture is that of stonefronted fairyland castle in design and while the community has but slightly more than 300 year round residents this post office each year is flooded with about four million pieces of mail The bulk of all this mail comes around Christmas time to receive the cherished Santa Claus postmark Still others arrive addressed simply to Santa Claus 47579 Letters addressed to Santa Claus represent the tens of thousands of Chile drcns want lists that foretell visions of Christ mas morning promise cook ies and milk and extend best wishes to Santa Mrs Claus and Rudolph And to the delight of children everywhere all of these let ters receive an answer from Santa Claus This unique ractice dates back to the la 19205 when Robert Ripley opularized the town by fea uring it in an article in his Believe It Or Not column After the article peared mail began to mus room especially letters addressed to Santa Claus Tourists with children a1 so started to arrive and make visits to the post office with their Christmas mail following in the steps of Ripley who also sent his Christmas cards through the office here as proof that there was indeed Santa Claus as verified by the postmark For over 40 years children have met Santa himself played by Raymond Joseph Jim Yellig Besides taking up the role of Santa Claus at the Santa Claus Post Office in the ear ly 19305 Yellig also em barked on project that now involves much of the community of the Santa Claus Ind area He noticed that the incoming letters were being stored away be cause there were too many for the postmaster of the day to answer and took pan in hand along with his wife to make sure children who cared enough about Santa Claus were answered Grattimaa old Swiss tradition On December 6th in Switzerland St Nicholas Day is celebrated Some time before that special event all bakers are up to their elbows in kneading troughs and the work of bringing hundreds of grattimannen to life men made from sweet dough and varying in size Children infected by the festive atmosphere join in the preparation of this old custom with en thusiasm Dough is weighed out then formed into amusing looking figures who later look at you irresistibly through eyes made of big eé¥A raisins and clad in deco rative vests and caps of dough Along with hundreds or identical companions they are shoved into hot oven When done pipe in the corner of their mouth and switch under their arm completes the miniature sculpture The origin of this pastry remains mystery but it is almost certain that the Grattimaa is an imita tion of the old man from the Christmas season Schmultzil who is iden tical to the German Father Christmas and holdover from heathen times 13 4255 Greeting Cards Began During Victorian Era Back in the late 1800s sen ding greeting cards to friends and relatives at Christmas came into vogue for the first time Those early Christmas cards were quite different from the cards you receive in your holiday mail today Many greeting cards during the Vic torian era featured satin fra ingas Popular designs were centered about such subjects as birds animals flowers and children in grownup poses The first Christmas card was designed by John Calcoti Horsley for Sir Henry Cole in 1843 ft read To Uncles Aunts and Cousins merry Christmas and happy New Year to you The illustration featured family celebration with glasses raised in toast Santa Over low 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