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)
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Malheur Home Telephone Company
the Christmas
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and warmest wishes to all our friends
Twilight Cafe and Lounge
NYSSA CARL
IMPLEMENT
CO
BARCLAY
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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
*