CHRISTMAS SECTION AURORA AND THE RURAL DISTRICTS OF NORTH YORK CHRISTMAS SECTION IQOTH YEAR EXPRESSHERALD YEAR NO NEWMARKET MONDAY DECEM8ER 22 1952 SINGLE COPIES CENTS EACH There are almost as many Christ mas legends and superstitions as there nave been Countless customs from the Old World have been absorbed through the centuries Into the celebrations that we participate in today A few however have been passed down from one gen eration to another remaining al ways the same The Indians of Canada for ex ample believe that the deer kneel in prayer each Christmas Eve An early missionary probably is responsible for the idea but it still lingers and wily Indiana have always attempted to catch the deer in the act In England it is believed that the bees express veneration for the nativity by singing in their hives at midnight The bee hives are always adorned with holly sprigs for the season In Europe it was custom for a young girl to creep to the family woodpile on Christmas Eve and pull out the first stick that her hand touched If the stick was a straight one with no knots tradition said that she would have a good husband Farmers in Europe also gave torches to their children and sent them singing into the apple orch ards and the fields- The mice caterpillars and moths were said to flee before the approaching songsters In early Germany it was a be lief that water turned into wind during the hour before midnight on Christmas Eve To our many friends food and loyalty contributed so much to pleasure of every day busi ness we send these greetings for happiness Christmas and prosperity for the coming year BOYD XiV TORONTO OLIVER CHRISTMAS LECTURE Now this is a Christmas tree big brother appears to be tell ing the toddler It grows in the living room only once a year and it always has a lot of nice presents under it St Francis Made First Crib In Cave St Francis of Asstsi is believ ed to liave originated the custom of displaying the Christ Child in a crib at Christmas time He Is reported once to have said to one of his followers I wish to celebrate holy Christ mas night with you In woods near the cloister you will find a cave where we shall ar range a manger filled with hay We shall have an ox and an ass just as at Bethlehem I wish to see how poor and miserable the Infant Saviour became for us So at midnight in the small Italian village of Garcia in the year St Francis and his followers celebrated mass at the cave and sang hymns in honor of the Christ Child Yule Greens Brighten Home A few well placed Christmas greens can do much to bright en a house at Christmas time Properly clipped the branches will never be missed and might improve the looks of the tree from which they are cut Hemlock red cedar juniper yew pitch pine white pine will make suitable material for a spray to decorate a mantle door or a spray for a newel post In pruning however keep in mind the natural appearance of the tree from which you clip branches would like each shining ornament on your Christmas tree to reflect joyous Seasons Greetings and our best wishes for a very Happy Now Year HAMirS DRY GOODS PROPRIETOR HARRY STEPAK AND STAFF RECORDS SHOW YULE CUSTOMS WERE OLD IN FOURTH CENTURY The exact age of the Christmas festival is not known Records show however that the holiday was spoken of in the fourth cen tury as a custom of long stand ing Christmas began as Christs Mass or the Mass of Christ some lime during the fourth century It took that long after the blessed night for the great importance of Christs birth to be realized by the people Until this time it had been the custom of the church to celebrate the anniver saries of deaths rather than births Christs birthday was the first to be made an occasion for feasting The date for the celebration of the Christ Mass was selected by the church So many years had elapsed that the actual date of His birth could only be a matter of conjecture The festival and spirit of Christmas spread through the Christian worlds Pagan customs even as they do today attempted to adapt themselves to the Christ mas season For many years after the origin of Christs Mass the church frowned upon the practice of ex changing gifts during the festi val season Later however the practice was condoned in remem brance of the spirit of the Three Kings of the Orient who had fol lowed ft shining star to the crib of the newborn Christ bringing presents with sense of humility Joel Poinsett US Statesman Brought Flower Although he was a brilliant statesman and the friend of four American presidents Joel Roberts Poinsett is famous chiefly because he introduced the Mexi can plant known as the Painted Leaf or Mexican Fire Plant into the United States Poinsett then US ambassador to Mexico called the plant to the attention of American botanists and grew the plant himself as a hobby at his South Carolina home after he left Mexico The plant grew heavily in American favor especially pop ular at Christmas time and was renamed in honor of the man who brought it to this country Contrary to popular impres sion the flaming red bracts of the are not flowers but leaves and it is for these bracts that the plants are grown It is possible to have variations of either pink or white varieties as well as of the more usual red popular because it carries out the holiday color scheme of rich bright red with a contrast of the dark green of the leaves The beautiful poinsettia almost a must as far as Christmas decorating is concerned is one of the most temperamental of plants The thrives in its native Mexico but elsewhere must be handled carefully per haps pampered slightly How ever the brilliantly colored flow ers it has at Christmas time is reward enough for any efforts needed to make the plant thrive Constant warmth is needed by poinsettias Temperatures should be kept between and de grees during the day and no less than degrees at night Any sudden change in temperature and drafts will cause the plant to drop its leaves Abundant water is also a neces sity but it should be applied but once a day so that the plant may become moderately dry between waterings This permits needed oxygen to reach the roots Try to give the the spot available It is wise to fertilize it occasionally with a good commercial food tab let Holly Superstition It Will Determine Ruler In Household Husbands and wives Atten tion There is an old supersti tion about holly that will interest you It was a belief of the an cients that the first to bring Christmas holly into the house either husband or wife would be the one to rule the household during the ensuing year But dont put too much stock in the belief Like other Christ mas legends the truth might be lost in history The Druids were great admir ers of the holly plant They be lieved that its evergreen leaves attested to the fact that it was never deserted by the sun and was therefore sacred Legends have related how the crown of thorns was plaited from holly The leaves of the plant were white until the Crucifixion after which they turned a deep blood red A holly wreath placed on the door is believed enough to fright en away even the boldest of wit ches your enjoyment of the Holidays be young in spirit and gay in heart And may you have A and A Happy New Year CECIL TAYLOR IMPERIAL STATION aBCiSAFp- MAIN ST AND DAVIS DRIVE ST NICKS SPIRIT It is thought that St Nicholas died about 345 AD and for days following his festival day his genial spirit roamed the earth filling the hearts of mankind with love and generosity He gave the gifts without thought of re turnthe true spirit of St Nicho las and Christmas WARDEN MANAGER AND STAFF AN AGEOLD STORY RETOLD She brought for her first born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling and laid Him In a manger li Swiss Santa Santa plays a very insig nificant part in the celebra tion of Christmas observed most ly on December It is Christ the Christ Child who makes the rounds of Swiss homes on Christmas Eve This radiant Is said to have come from the North trav eling on a fairylike sleigh pulled by reindeer much in the fashion of our Santa brings good Swiss children a beautiful tree and many gifts Like Santa he stresses obedience and admon ishes naughty youngsters tJ The beauty of Christmas has gladdened heart of mankind for centuries and lis glorious story has inspired men of good wilt the world over Our wish today is that you enjoy to the fullest the blessedness the good cheer and the fond memories of this Holiday VETS TAXI Phone 800 AND CHEVROLET AND CARS CHEVROLET TRUCKS FRIG ID AIRE Phone St Newmarket