The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

{ ! { In Bethlehem, it's the rainy season. . In Hawaii, Santa Claus mightSarrive by boat, and Christmas could be celebrated on a sunny beach. In Australia, Christmas. is a time for pic- nicking -- it's summer "down under." Even in Northern lands, De- cember 25th does not always provide the pleasures of a "white Christmas." "In spite of the varying climes where Christmas is observed, and in spite of the frequent shortage of ice and snow at the appropriate time, the tradi- tional image of Christmas is, and probably always will be,. a wintry, snowy landscape celebrated in song and story, pictured in countless paint- ings. The countryside under a blanket of snow, the hillside drifted deep in white, the trees bent down with snow or crys- tal-bright with ice, the lakes, rivers and streams gleaming in ice-covered magnificence these are favorite themes in holiday lore, and favorite dreams for all those who spend Christmas cozily among the conveniences of modern cen- trally-heated buildings and modern transportation. The "winter wonderland" of ice and snow has been a fre- quent source of inspiration for artists. There's a wealth of 'inter landscape paintings that, although not directly as- sociated with Christmas, seem to set the mood and reflect the spirit of the season. In 16th and 17th' century Holland, for instance, a whole tradition of landscape paint- ing was devoted solely to de- picting winter scenes -- some- Artistic Views Reflec what unusual since the winter weather of Holland is not es- pecially cold For admirers of art and white Christmases alike, one of the definitive painters of winter scenes is Hendrik Av- ercamp. Perhaps because he devoted his artistic talents exclusively to the winter landscape, Aver- camp's paintings capture to perfection both the beauties and pleasures of winter. Bare branches of trees etch their patterns against expanses of ice, In contrast with the cozy cottages and, on the ice, the merry skaters, for an ideal blending of the cold weather and warm spirit of a winter holiday. Of Avercamp's personal his- tory, little 1s known. Records show that he was baptized in Amsterdam in January 1585, and buried at Kampen in 1634. His painting was influenced by the Flemish landscape tra- dition and particularly by Pie- ter Bruegel the Elder a painter whose fascination with the winter scene did much to hape his landscape style The snow-covered hillsides seen in the work of the elder Pieter Bruegel contrast strangely with the flat, icy ter- rain of his native Holland. The explanation is to be found in travels which took him to mountainous lands. Bruegel became a master in the Antwerp painters' guild in 1551, and shortly afterward journeyed to France and Italy, says the Grolier Book of Art. In 1554 he returned trom Rome to the Netherlands, re- crossing the Alps on his way i JRA TS ETA Hlctration fram the Borneo: Aves PORT PERRY STAR -- CHRISTMAS EDITION 1973 -- 17 HE t 'Winter Wonderland' BECAUSE CHRISTMAS IS TRADITIONALLY A WINTER WONDERLAND. Painting. such as "Winter Scene" by ihe Flemish artist Hendrik Avercamp seem to capture the mood and reflect the spirit of the holiday ~ciason. \vercamp devoted his talents to depicting thie winter Landscapes of Holland. This painting, which is in the Rijhs Museum, Amsterdam, appears in the Grolier Book of Art, a H-volume encyclopedia. Italy made an nmmense mm- pression on him, as reflected in the drawings he made at the time. More than the "contempor- ary" Italian art, those moun- tainous vistas influenced his landscape style and ulti- mately inspired Avercamp and other Flemish painters of the The mountains and scenery ot eyer-wonderful winter scene Scholars Study Source of Star Shining in East "There shall come forth a Star" -- Numbers 24:17. In this Old Testament . prophecy by Balaam, was a real star meant, or does "Star" refer to a great per- son? For centuries, Biblical scholars have considered this question. Many believe that the prophecy led the wise men to watch for and follow the "star in the east," of which St. Matthew wrote in his story of the Nativity. +. The star itself is the source of many theories. Perhaps the best of all is that it was In Holland Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Rudolph would cause no ex- citement in the Netherlands, where children believe that a horse pulls St. Nicholas' sleigh. The great horse is named Sleipner, and the Dutch chil- dren fill their wooden shoes with hay for him. This gives him energy to get St. Nick to every house. In Panama Children in Panama par- ticipate in midnight mass on Christmas Eve by caroling to an accompaniment of casta- nets and tamborines ANGEL WITH CENSER, at- tributed to Giuseppe Sam- martino. Polychromed ter- racotta, wood, fabric, tow and wire and silver-gilt, 15" high: Italian (Neapolitan) 2nd half of 18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Loretta H. Howard. a miraculous appearance and as such needs no explana- tion. ; However, astronomers through the ages have sought to connect the star seen by the wise men with other re- ported celestial objects -- a comet, perhaps, or an espe- ~ cially brilliant star that only appears at long intervals. Still another theory sug- gests that the star may have been a configuration or 'grouping of planets. In 1604, the German astronomer Jo- hannes Kepler theorized that Jupiter, Saturn and Mars might have occurred In such a configuration at about the time of Christ's birth. The fact that the star and the visit of the wise men were described only by St. Matthew has led to still an- other question. Did only the wise men see the star? That they were so privi- leged is sometimes explained by the legend that the wise men were astrologers whose special interest helped them to notice the unusual brll- liance of the three planets grouped together, With most sincere hopes that peace and happiness be with us all. Many thanks, H appy holidays! Hope they're packed with spirited, fun times and lots of special Christmas cheer. FERGUSSON'S LUCKY DOLLAR GREENBANK (uectings . Hearty greetings are * sent your way for the May the joys of this HI Christmas season rekindle cherished memories, and fill your heart with great happiness. W. Frank Real Estate merriest Christmas! BRIGNALL'S PORT PERRY AREA AMBULANCE y+ i Mav? 11 4 ¥ : all the bounty, ¥/ of Christmas blessings be yours. BRUTON'S DRUG STORE MERRY THUETIAS With sincere wishes for a memorable holiday season goes our thanks for your friendship and trust. VALERIE BUTT H. Keith Ltd. Realtor