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the story of the nativity from the gospel of st luke chapter n 120 1 and it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from caesar augustus that all the world should be taxed 2 and this taxing was first made when cyrenius was governor of syria 3 and all went to be taxed every one into his own city 4 and joseph also went up from galilee out of the city of nazareth into judea unto the city of david which is called bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of david 5 to be taxed with mary his espoused wife being great with child 6 and so it was that while they were there the days were accomplished that she should be delivered 7 and she brought forth her firstborn sonand wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn ftrv as 1 i v- n a 8 and there were in the same country shepherds abiding m the field keeping watch over their flocks by night 9 and lo the angel of the lord came upon them and the glory of the lord shone around them and they were sore afraid 10 and the angel said unto them fear not for behold i bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to all people 11 for unto you is born this day in the city of david a saviour which is christ the lord 12 and this shall be a sign unto you ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger 13 and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising god and saying 14 glory to god in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men 15 and it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven the shepherds said one to another let us now go even unto bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass ivhich the lord hath made known unto us 16 and they came with haste and found mary and joseph and the babe lying in a manger 17 and when they had seen it they made known asroad the saying which was told them concerning this child 18 and all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds 19 but mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart 20 and the shepherds returned glorifying and praising god for all the thingthat they had heard and seen as it iscs told unto them two men gave silent night to the world the words of that famous carol silent night holy night will ring this christmas in many dif ferent corners of the earth in the mountain town of oberndorf aus tria however they will probably ring clearer and more distinctly for it was here some 141 years ago that the carol was sung for the first time the background story of this famous song beg jis on a sad note for that night of december 23 1881 father joseph mohr the parish priest and his friend franz xavier gruber schoolmaster and church organist had made a de pressing discovery that mice had eaten away the bellows of the church organ and there would be no music for christmas services storm lifts as the two men were making their way through the wind and snowswept streets of the village it is said the storm suddenly lifted and suddenly all was serene fa ther mohr looked up to the snowy peaks and clear skies and mut tered to himself silent night holy night all is calm all is bright immediately gruber repeated the words and both men were struck with the same idea the beginning of a christmas carol the two hurried on to the school masters house and there for the rest of night worked diligently on a melody and suitable verses re membering that there would be no organ music they kept the melody simple one that could be played easily on a guitar holiday music there was music that christ mas in oberndorf after all for father mohr and franz gruber led the villagers in the first pub lic singing ol what has become perhaps the bestloved of all christmas carols the organ that wouldnt play also figured in the popularization of the oberndorf carol the song became traditional in the obern dorf region but in the year 1830 when an organ builder came to fix the organ he heard the song me morized it and carried it across the mountains and to the world one year after the organ build er memorized the song and car ried it with him from town to town and village to village the carol was included in presentation of a musical festival in leipzig ger many great orchestras and great singers discovered the song and in the ensuing years it has become a part of our christmas heritage father mohr never lived to see the greatness the song would achieve he died in 1848 and his parishoners had to pay for the burial of the poor but dedicated priest gruber the schoolmaster lived 15 years longer but also died poor and obscure perhaps per haps not aware that the world would always be thankful for silent night holy night hawaiian holiday although many hawaiians have seen ice only as frozen in mechanical refrigerators the trees used by the islanders for christmas decorations are painted white to simulate snow christmas dinner is usually a private feast for the family openhouse hospitality is rath er difficult at christmas be cause hawaiians arc always ready for a party and if fam ilies didnt close their doors for the holiday the home would be invaded by happy hordes of hungry guests seeking food and drink new england tofs had toys in 1880 old sturbridgo village mass is known about the country for its annnal muster day but this re created new england town of 150 years ago also comes in for atten tion at christmas because of a unique collection of early amer ican toys in ihe early 1880s christmas was just anotrer day unless it happened to fall on a sunday as the austere puritans did not ob serve the holiday but children of the day were like children of ev ery period and every country they did have toys and play things most of the toys of the day ot course were probably handmade carefully and painstakingly by parents most of them were made of wood although some were tin probably made and old by the local tinsmith the collection of toys at old siurbridgc village include minia ture furniture pieces doll beds wooden rocking horses and even a pair of ice skates examination of the toys of these early american children indicates that just as christmas hasnt changed neither has the chil drens prefeezca fa toys holiday stockings we cannot be definitely sore how the custom of hanging stockings at christmas began bat almost certainly it is as sociated with st nicholas according to one story st nicholas dropped some money down the chimney of a poor but proud nobleman and the money fell into stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry other writers credit the cus tom of hanging stockings to the fact that the hollanders be lieved st nicholas rode a horse on his giftgiving trips and ac cordingly they would put out their wooden shoes filled with carrots or other treats for the horse day dreaming christ mas eve finds veteran singer- actor dennis day asleep on the job of filling yule stockings actually dennis apparently nev er got any farther than putting up one or two stockings oh well may be the real santa will wake mm up when he slides down the chimney the foinsettla here are some fingertip rec ommendations for proper care of the poinsettia that popular house plant of the christmas season 1 keep the plant in a sun ny window avoiding both drafts and heat a temperature of 70 degrees is best 2 examine the soil frequent ly at least twice a day and keep it moist when the soil he- gins to dry out apply enough water to wet it to the bottom christmas is time for remembering while it is not true of course that christmas is for children no other season or holiday brings to both young and old such vivid memories of earlier happier times christmas is certainly a happy time for the young there is a sparkle and sweetness to the christmas season that time can not dim within our heart when the snow falls and the winter winds blow cold against the frosted panes there is warmth and contentment in the glow of a hearth fire and it is a luxury for children of all ages to close the eyes and call back joyful hap py scenes that are so deeply treas ured they can never be forgotten wrapping the gift is important job while half ot the fun of givin gifts is in the wrapping the giver should exercise care to be cer tain that the package does justice to the gift itself plan your wrap ping program carefully here are some helpful suggestions 1 do your gift wrapping on a solid surface 2 measure wrapping paper be fore cutting 3 fold corners carefully and fasten them securely 4 make bow separately then tie or attach to package with clear tape 5 be sure ribbon matches col ors in wrapping paper 6 dont use dainty designs or pastel colors for a mans gift 7 dont use wrapping paper featuring big designs to wrap small packages simple rules will help keep your tree fresh here are some things you should remember before relying too much on any fireproofing ma terials to protect your christmas tree 1 there is no substitute for a fresh tree 2 nothing protects and pre serves a tree better than water so for a safe christmas buy a fresh tree and see that it has enough water to keep it fresh waiting until the last minute to purchase your tree doesnt assure that it will be fresh as you have no way of knowing how long the tree has been cut and drying out on the sales lot shop early for your tree be sure that it is still fresh and moist then keep rt in plenty of water while ft is to use a question why do we have christmas it is now the season of christmas 1j59 years since the prince of peace was born in the fulfillment of prophecy to reject a crown of gold and life of splendor for 33 dedicated years and a crown of thorns because he came as a leader and teacher of men there ivere those who devoted unceasing efforts to degrade and destroy him yet in quiet godlike manner he walked in the valley of men teaching the fundamental principles of life and truth by both parable and example because he lifted the eyes of mankind above the mean ingless values of worldly power and earthly riches he sinned against plunderers and tyrants and for this he was cruci fied because he called out m pain for the forgiveness of those who had tortured h2 and nailed his body to a cross between two thieves he set the highest example of the golden rule because he came ivith divine direction to lead mankind unto salvation he is with us always because of his example and sacrifice the tyrants and plunderers who seek to conquer and enslave are eventually set aside and relegated to oblivion while the lessons of his divine teachings remain forever showing the way toward peace on earth good will to men because he is always with it is fitting that we ob serve the christmas the anniversary of his birth in the hope that on this new christmas the hearts of men everywhere will open up to receive his most wondrous message the legend of saint nicholas is of course centuries old and began in europe the story had its beginning in the semitropical city of patara turkey where st nicholas was born and where he lived and died until after his death when his remains were taken by italian sailors to bari italy st nicholas traveled little never venturing more than a few miles from his native region it was the goodness and generosity of st nicholas which led him to become the patron saint of many coun tries of all boys and of sailors many legends concerning st nicholas with retelling have become a bit vague and clouded but some things are certain he was a man of wealth he was generous and kind and he was at one time bishop of myra three dowries what is generally believed lo be st nicholas first and bestknown act of kindness was the presentation of dow ries to the three daughters of a poor nobleman accord ing to the story st nicholas learned that the poor girls had decided among themselves that one of them would sell herself into slavery in order that the two others could marry in honor on separate occasions st nich olas tossed three bags of gold into each girls window so that all three were married with honor and in the usual fashion lived happily ever after st nicholas died in 342 after being imprisoned by the roman emperor diocletian and released by the first christian emperor constantine fame spreads it was not until sometime in the 11th century that his fame spread beyond the small province where he was born lived and died seafarers picked up many of the legends and carried them with them to the modern world italian sailors took his bones from the chapel at myra and carried them to italy because the journey was over unusually calm seas the sailors adopted st nicholas as their patron saint the legends of st nicholas were then carried to eng land and eventually to the new world how author washington irving song writer clement clark moore and cartoonist thomas nast created our presentday popular image of santa claus is quite another story before the echoes of the prison siren had died away over the hills jim kennedy was well on his way toward a cher ished freedom and his family where speed had been essential extreme caution became impera tive he kept below the skyline well away from the highway with its occasional cars and searching spotlights away from the farm houses with their barking dogs sloggmg along through the slush and snow with one thought upper most in his mind to spend christmas at home with his wife millie and their two children marian and joe back at the prison they would be certain he was headed for home they might even be wait ing for him when he arrived but there was one thing in his favor at this time of the year the road to his remote cabin was impossi ble for cars and he might get there before they did he slogged on for two days and nights he ate sparingly of the meager food he had filched from the prison tables the weather was not too cold and ho took frfe- ful rests beneath jutting cliffs and abandoned shacks but the over powering desire to reach his home drove him onward insen sible to the discomforts of his travel his mind often returned to his prison life especially did he think of lemaster the guar over his company he held a bit ter consuming hatred for the man always riding him about gift fob hoys selfadjaitlnr caps or the style shown above make ideal gift for boys caps come hi age groops from four year op and are tled for winter wear with ear mnffj ktormtnnd lape and inleiunlng became they arc selfadjsstfng ttsy errw slth the boy ad as be com aeasca afiir asc3 somehow he found the path down to the valley floor prison rules making him toe th mark but ignoring similar in fractions committed by others rules rules the man didnt let him live for rehabilitation but by rules he hoped lemaster would be dead by the time they tooic him back the morning jim stood on the bluff overlooking the little val ley would always remain a bright spot in his memory the tears that gathered in the corners c bis eyes were not the result of cold the lump in his throat was caused by pentup emotion final ly released when he realized he had won through the mists in the valley raised suddenly and the cabin stood out in startling reality smoke poured from the chimney and yellow light splashed from the windows onto the snow somewhat blindly he found the path down to the valley floor the delighted voices of the chil dren came to him through the cloud of snow he kicked up as he rushed to the door and then he had millie in his arms welcome sight there was an interval of si lence and then heartfelt expres sions of joy and pleasure when it had somewhat subsided jim looked around the homey sur roundings were the same as when he left excepting the christmas tree in the corner it was bril liantly lighted and numerous packages and toys clustered around the base he took a step towards it but millie pushed in front of him and reaching toward the tinsel star at the top took down a long en velope for you she said with bright smile what is it he aiked won dering open it and sec it means a merry christmas and a full pardon for you it was the hated voice of lemaster who had come up behind him jim whirled about you here he asked bitterly i knew you wanted to corn home long ago jim i had to report on your behavior and to make sure i could make a good report on you i made you live up to every rule stricuy you ranked as a number one and when the pardons were handed out yours was the first jim had slowly lifted his head as hope sprung anew in him he gazed mistfully into lcmaiters eyes ive had you au wrong cap i thought you was riding m all the time for spite work thats all right forget h xot going to have a merry christ mas with yoj folks a youll is za axj