Image provided by: Nyssa Public Library; Nyssa, OR
About Nyssa gate city journal. (Nyssa, Or.) 1937-199? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1967)
THIKSDAY, DIX F MHl l< ZI, 1'167 THE NYSSA GATE CITY JOURNAL, NYSSA, OREGON PAGE THIRTEEN SPIRIT Of CHRISTMAS SPREADS GOOD WILL AND GOOD CHEER ( joining to you thia Yulrlidr urr our warmed lioliiluy greetings and good witliea for a joyous season. PRUYN'S ÀUTO REPAIR In churches and homes, in city streets and stores, across the countryside--the spirit of Christmas spreads Its joy and its contentment. Soon now, the last-minute hustle and bustle will give way to the highest moments of holiday celebration. It’s a time for fun and feasting, a time for light-hearted laugh ter and heartfelt prayer, a time when friendships are renewed and family ties are strength ened. Throughout tills community, and indeed throughout all the communities where Christmas is celebrated, the spirit of the season finds expression in in numerable ways--among them, the gladness of gift-giving, the merriment of parties, the hap piness of hearth and home and, above all, the solemn hush of midnight, traditionally the sym bolic time for heralding the Birth of Christ. From the holly wreath on the door to the packages under the tree, from the gaily decorated windows of stores to the man ger scenes in the churches, the customs of Christmas con tribute to the meaning of the day--just as early Christian leaders meant that holidaycus toms should. When Christmas first began to be observed on December 25th, churchmen welcomed the idea of incorporating cere monies and traditions from earlier beliefs into the cele bration. They thought that people would feej 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 cele brates Christmas because Christmas belongs toeveryone. For the Christian believer, Christmas is cherished as a 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 cele bration that gives meaningful expression to universal good will and good cheer. Giving Gifts renewal of friendships. Though greetings andChrist- rnas tiave long be< n associated, the printed greeting card is a relative newcomer to the Yule scene--introduced little more than a century ago. Nowadays, Christmas greeting cards go out by the billioos, carrying their messages of “happy holiday” and "best wishes.” In the glad tradition of sending greetings, today’s edition of this newspaper presents the special greetings of local merchants, Sending Greeting» as they express their good Perhaps even more than the wishes and gratitude to custom ers and friends. giving of gifts, the sending of Burning the Log Christmas greetings symbol izes the seasonal spirit of good From a miraculous Star to a will. The personal exchange of tiny candle, gleaming lights good wishes at holiday time is have cast a glow over holiday a custom that’s older, probably, festivities for centuries. Pagan sun-worshippers lit than Christmas itself. In an cient winter festivals the re candles and kindled fires at newal of the earth at the coming winter festivals to help the re of spring was linked with the turning sun gain strength. with a winter festival called the Saturnalia. Lkiring this joyous feast, they exchanged gifts -wax candles, clay dolls and various trinkets. When these pagan customs of exchanging gifts were trans ferred to the celebration of the birth of Christ, church leaders added a new idea; selfless giv ing. Through the ages, giving Io help the less fortunate lias been a special tradition of Christmas. Every Chriatmaa candle beam» the light of the Star that ahone over Bethlehem the night when Chriat was born. May the holy, blessed meaning of that Birth be reflected in this Christmas season, for you. IF/ io ’ m Pelsnickle? Z MERRY CHRISTMAS ■ (j TO ALL! PELSNICKLE "rewarded” naughty children at Christmas, says legend. Here, he’s pictured as he appears in the Doll Library. e ve good wishes galore for everyone at Christmas1 And if our wishes come true, you II enjoy the merriest holiday seoson ever. Cascade Natural Gas Corp 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 pre cious gifts of gold, frankin cense and myrrh, expressed their reverence for the new born King of mankind. Giving to celebrate a happy time was a familiar part of many pagan festivals. The Romans honored Sat urn, their god of agriculture, Traditional for both light and warmth Is the blazing Yule log. Like all “Christmas lights,” it has both a religious and a festive significance in holiday lore. Because legend says that the Christ Child was washed and dressed beside an ash wood fire, the people of early England always had Yule logs of ash Ash had a practical wood, aspect, too, because it was the only green wood which would burn. The Yule log of England and continental Europe was often believed io have mystical pow ers to protect the home. To give this protection, the Yule log had to be kept burning all through the 12 days of Christ mas. Later, the “blazing Yule” was primarily associated with the feasting and festivity of the winter holidays. A MERRY CHRISTMAS < It'» the happy season. time to rejoice in flood fellowship and in the spirit of the first Noel. To our patrons we extend a hearty Thank You. Where there are dolls, there’s the spirit ofChristmas. In the Pryor International Doll Library at Greenwich, Conn., there are more than 8,000 doUs, and naturally, many of them suggest Christmas in a very special way--from creche figures that symbolize the religious meaning of the holiday to a jolly Santa doll who wrinkles his dried-apple face in a smile that sums up all the joys of the season. From a Christmas-season point of view, one of the most interesting dolls is a fig ure representing “Pelsnickle.” Though little known to mod ern celebrants, Pelsnickle holds an important place in holiday lore. According to legend, he accompanied St. Nicholas as his servant and, (Continued On Page 14) V A 1 ' f • f L* Jj’** 1 1 J**" 1 ry* 1 - MI □cT I ft¿-fl? j B* 1 j Rl III ■ ■! » EAST SIDE MARKET j U/ishinq you Malheur Home Telephone Company the Christmas asu/ yew www/ fit atftwtttf tu 6^4€UH/lÿ y™ ■ and warmest wishes to all our friends Twilight Cafe and Lounge NYSSA CARL IMPLEMENT CO BARCLAY t Í earns Happy holidays to you and yours! We send warm wishes by the heartful, with the hope that the joys of the season may long endure. MICHAEL'S PHARMACY CHUCK, MARLENE and EMPLOYEES *
