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Show t . THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1967 PLEASANT GROVE REVIEW, PLEASANT GROVE, UTAH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1967 irUo. ir, nrnstrmas &meaaL$ s i.i n u: FOLK HUM K For Icelanders, Christmas Eve Is the holiest nlht of the the holiday season. Tradition says, however, that Uon ralh th & modern rus-many rus-many years ago elves, dwarfs tom, Swedish people still r mL and other little folks prance'd ,tra'w and woS Kur? to and danced about the streets hang on their Christmas trees on the night before Christmas. nunas iru s. ttnMKWIHIKmilWIIIWtMWWMMillllW I Merry wishes and ! T rami 8 I Merry holiday L? 8 many friends and customers who let jus be of service throughout the year. : GUMTHER'S AMERICAN FORK - S)KattMnmJUttttltt!raut t -V "With,, customers tor opportunity to wishes to you Pleasant Groye Currying in Straw While "carrying In the Christ nine tfrnu," (.. n holiday "" thanks to our - - - I I B their generous consideration, we take this extend the season's greetings and good and yours for holiday joy and happiness. v A GROVE FINANCE American Fork and urooa Vft In churches and homes, In city stru ts and stores, across the countryside the spirit of Christmas spreads Us Joy and Its contentment. Soon now, the la-t-mlnute hustle and bustle will give way to the highest moment of holiday celebration. It's a time for fun and feasting, feast-ing, a time for llKht-hearted laughter and heartfelt prayer, a time when friendships are renewed and family ties are strengthened. Throunhout this community, and Indeed throughout all the communities where Christmas is celebrated, t,he spirit of the .season finds expression in Innumerable ways among them, the gladness of glft-KivIng, the merriment of parties, the happiness of . hearth and home and, above all, the solemn hush of midnight, traditionally the symbolic time for heralding the Ulrth of Christ. From the holly wreath on the door to the packages under the tree, from the gaily decorated deco-rated windows of stores to the manger scenes In the churches, the customs of Christmas contribute to the meaning- of the Day-Just as early Christian leaders meant that holiday customs should. ' - When Christmas first began to be observed on December 25th. churchmen welcomed the .1 . idea of Incorporating ceremonies and traditions from earlier (iiving Gifts Since the Wise Men gave of their treasures to the Christ Child, giving has been part of the tradition of Christmas. The Idea of gifts as homage dates from even earlier times, when kings demanded special tribute from their subjects during holiday seasons. Thus the Wise Men, in offering precious pre-cious gifts of gold, frankincense frankin-cense and myrrh, expressed their reverence for the newborn new-born King of mankind. Oivlfig to celebrate a happy time was a familiar part of many pagan festivals. The Romans honored Saturn, Sat-urn, their god of agriculture, with a winter festival called the Saturnalia. During this Joyous feast, they exchanged gifts wax candles, clay dolls and various 'trinkets: " When these pagan customs of exchanging gifts were transferred trans-ferred to the celebration of the birth of Christ, church leaders added a new idea; selfless giving. Through the ages, giving to help the less fortunate has been a special tradition of Christmas. Sending Greetings The personal exchange of good wishes at holiday tlma is r a custom that's older, probably, prob-ably, than Christmas itself. In ancient winter festivals the renewal of the earth at the coming of spring was linked with the renewal...Dlfrlend- ships. Though greetings and Chrlstmar have long been associated, as-sociated, the printed greeting card is a relative newcomer to the Yule scene Introduced -little more than a century ago. i Nowadays, Christmas greeting "' cards go out by the billions, ' carrying their messages of "happy holiday" and "best wishes." In the glad tradition of sending greetingstloday's edK tion of this newspaper presents pre-sents the special greetings of local merchants, as they, express ex-press their good wishes and gratitude to customers and 'friends enuina aDnreciation to-otfr- beliefs into the celebration. They thought that people would feel closer to the new religion if former ways and rituals were not abolished, but Instead united with the new rites to honor the birth of Christ. Today, nearly everyone celebrates Christmas because Christmas Christ-mas belongs to everyone. For the Christian believer, Christmas is cherished as a religious re-ligious holiday of paramount importance, and as a time meant for Joy and festivity, too. For people of many different faiths. Christmas is beloved as a happy holiday, a secular celebration that gives meaningful expression to universal good will and good cheer. They Go Together- Feasting and Festivity During the Christmas sea- son, merry sounds rine out. pleasing sights greet the eye . and tantalizing aromas fill the air. Good food is as much a part of holiday tradition as bells and carols, greens and gifts. At this festive time, people delight in serving their families fami-lies and friends an abundance of choice foods. The custom probably began with the ancient an-cient winter festivals. In the course of time, naturally natu-rally each nation developed Its own treasured customs' In connection con-nection with the Christmas dinner, say the editors of The New Book of Knowledge. Serving the "Bird" rtr a morion n inMA v, "lefof attracUo turkey.- This--custom -haS-lts origin in the English "Christ- ' mas bird" usually a goose, capon or chicken, rather than a turkey. In medieval times, a large . bird was standard fare at English Eng-lish Christmas dinners among the common people. In castle and manor, however, a "bird" wasn't always the main dish. To the tune of the old carol, "The Boar's Head in Hand I Bear." the boar's head was ' borne to the "table In solemn procession. Then' followed other oth-er courses and what courses! The most lavish of dinners usually us-ually featured a boar's head. i Burning the Log " From a miraculous StaficTa' " tiny candle, gleaming lights have cast a glow over holiday festivities for centuries. Pagan sun-worshippers lit candles and kindled fires at winter'festivals to help the returning re-turning sun gain strength. Traditional for both light and warmth is the blazing Yule log. Like all "Christmas " lights," it has bo,th a religious and -a festive - significance holiday lore. " ":" "" Because legend says that the Christ Child was washed and dressed beside an ash wood fire the people of early Eng land always had Yule logs of ash wood. Ash had a practical aspect, too, because it was the - only gen wood-which would -burn. The Yule log of England and continental Europe was often believed to have mystical powers pow-ers to protect the home. To give-this protection, the Yule log had to be kept burning all through the 12 days of Christmas, Christ-mas, - Later, the "blazing Yule" was . primarily, associated with Iherfeasting: a nd: ' festivity oT the winter holidays. - " - Kinging Hells Among the merry sights and sounds of. Christmas, none is' i merrierlhanthe ringing -of -bells. Since earliest times,, the "pealing of bells has announced important events, both happy and sad. The first use of bells io call . Christians to worship -took place, it's" believed, at Christmas in Italy,about 4QQ AD. . - - Tradition once held that ' Christ was born exactly at jnidnighIn.nied.iYalirliain- church bells tolled sadly during dur-ing the hour before midnight on Christmas Eve. On the stroke of 12, a joyous pealing announced the Miracle of Christmas. Today, church-spire bells -and carillons ring out the glad - tidings- of Christmas. ' Breaking Bread 1 ,. Everywhere, - a widespread use Of. breads and pastries is customary for the Christmas feast. . . ... . ' This has. its. origin in pre-Christian pre-Christian and early-Christian - eeri customs of the agricultural na- tinns nf Eastern Eurnn whprp peasants offered thanksgiving for a good harvest, usually of grain, during the winter season. sea-son. Special holiday cake's were thought to bring good fortune and good health. More directly connected with the religious meaning of the season is the "Christ-bread" traditional in many countries. This is a long cake, and its shape is meant to symbolize the Christ Child wrapped in swaddling clothes. Both mince pie and plum pudding began as national Christmas dishes in England. Like the "Christ-bread," early mince pies were baked in sym- hollc shane an nhlnncr meanf warm wishes for M. S :.( Y-S hit r gftfW i fVx1l-S W IP ' ' LJ fix-" ' Sft 5. s. " ft it - v v y m i 3 v II MX If f n 'II HID 9v f I message .O i U insulins r VHMt ' ' " S t .' warm viihN for a bright ItFlT :,.-.-.Z..'" 4 andinerrholiday season abounding with good cheer; with deep appreciation, we send along ourriuanv lliaukM for vour f liuglil f ill consideration all vear. ir ouriiany fliaiik.H for voiir llioiiliifiil 'oiiil'ralioii all vt'ar.- , Serving .you has I i . ; - 1.--. w 8. $ if w ' came to Bethlehem to worship and . ' rejoice. Today, mankind turns again to the Manger, to find peace and blessings. May your Christmas joys be bountiful. From All of Us at DURFEY'S DRY CLEANERS u. . w , .. . a liright fellowship and jov. And. indeed heen'.oiirldeepesl IDEAL MARKET TED ALLAN n ii x i u ii n z' Guided by a ---w w pleasure, and privilege. OWNER - MANAGER wit ; r Star, the Wise Men , taMM-tmsm- I f i-t . v . l . sr-- as. Ilr L |