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< 11 The Meaning of Christmas By The Rev. SMITH L. LAIN Editor, FINDINGS Author, “Prayer,” in the NEW BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE The Episcopal Chureh Center New York, N. Y. Cuhristmas is the time when . . . IFe moke appraximateiy 75 per cent of our yearly profit*. The time roughly between Thanksgiving and (.hri*tma* it our busiest season in the store. Easter is busy, too, but nothing like Christmas. — a retail merchant » • « My wife and I think mostly about the kids. IT'e had lots of fun when we were growing up, and we want our kids to have fun, too. Sure, we may go a little overboard on toys and all that sort of thing, but what the heck? Christmas is for kids, isn’t it? — a young father • * * H e really go all out on music. Last year we hired a brass quar tet to accompany the boys’ choir. The congregation really loved it. The only trouble is that this year we’ll have to come up with something even Isetter or they’ll think we are slipping. — a church organist » * • People think they are celebrating an historical event. But they really aren’t, you know. ,Yo one knows the exact date of Jesus' birth. The primitive church didn’t even celebrate (.hristmas. Eventually the church settled on Decemlser 25th as a war to baptise an alreailr popular, pagan holiday to celebrate the fact that the depth of winter leas over and the days were getting longer again. — a historian • • * Some of us get leave. !Sext Christmas I’ll be home, I hope. It's a time when everylwwly should be home. — a serviceman overseas • * • I get tired. The kids are on vacation. I have a thousantl and one things to do — 500 cards to address, a half-dozen parties to go to. gifts for the children and Rob, a dinner party for Rob’s boss and his snoots wife, get the tree and decorate it. — a suburban housewife People at Christmas time arc kind of funny, kind of sad, kind of lonesome. Some are really happy no matter what reasons. Are these people really facing up to what Christmas is really all about? I wonder. I have a copy of the Revised Standard V'ersion of the Bible on my desk, and so I opened it and began to look through it. remembering what these people had said about Christmas. Here are some of the passages 1 found. I found an expression of the wonder and humility of a mother expecting her first child, but a child unlike others: And Mary said. “Mr soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in Cod mr Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all •_ . generations wlH cell me blessedt For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name . . .” (Luke 1:46-49) I found the simple, moving story of Christ’s birth: “And Joseph also went up from Calilee, from the city of !Sasa- reth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he seas of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:4-7) And further on I found the joyous message of the angels to the shepherds on the hillside outside Bethlehem: "... I bring you gtxtd news of great joy which will come to all people; for to rou is born this dar ... A Savior, who is Christ the lAtrd." (Luke 2:11-12) But perhaps, most important of all, I found the story of Christ’s life, a life which changed the history of the world and of the relationships between men. He said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." “Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.” “Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh." “Blessed are you when men hate you. and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil on account of the Son of man.' Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for be hold, your reicard is great in heaven ...” (Luke 6:20-23) And further on: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Mess those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also . . .” (Luke 6:27-29) For the message of Christmas is not just the familiar and beautiful story of the birth of Christ and of its meaning for mankind. Christmas is the time when we remember the prom ise fulfilled by the Man who was bom on Christmas. The people I have quoted — people not unlike many of us — have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas because they have forgotten the promise of Christmas. The truth of Christmas and the renewal of our belief in the real message of Christmas lies both in our understanding of the simple and at the same time awesome fact of Christ’s birth and in our realization of the intimate and immediate way the fulfilled life of Christ touched and touches our lives. As we celebrate His Birth, we pause to study the true meaning of Christmas. Best of the season to you and your family. Natiomride Mutual las. Co. SOI N. Brood Bt Mu Hamoa 8SS-M72 When Families Gather, It’s Christmas! Through the years, the ways of celebrating Christ mas have taken on many different formsv Today’s Christmas tree is apt to be plastic or alumi num, rather than nature’s own fir, spruce or pine. The glow of tiny beeswax candles on a tree is only a memory, replaced now by strings of twinkling electric lights. Jolly Santa, once trans ported only by reindeer- drawn sleigh, may now ar rive by helicopter or Jet plane. But in spite of changes, the essence of the season, the basic spirit of Christmas, stays the same. Christmastide is, above all, a time for togetherness and rejoicing. And a modern Christmas, just like an old- fashioned Christmas, calls for gatherings of family and friends, with much merri ment, fun and feasting. Right now in this commu nity, families are celebrating the holiday with just such gatherings, such merriment fun and feasting. Like families of yesteryear, they celebrate with gifts and greens, with the warmth of a glowing hearth and the gleam of a lighted tree, with stockings hung by the chim ney with care and even with candles, though these beckon brightly from candleholders rather than from the tree. All these ways of celebrat ing are part of the legend and lore of Christmas. Exchanging Gifts Exchanging gifts at Christ mas is one of the most time- honored of customs, and toys, dolls and games for the chil dren have always ranked high on the gifts list. In the not-so-long-ago, however, just one important present — a doll for a little girl, perhaps, and a toy ac cordion for her brother—was all that youngsters might ex pect at Christmas. Though Santa is more bountiful nowadays, the gifts he brings are like those of yesteryear in at least one way. They reflect the inter ests and fashions of their times. Dolls, yesterday and today, dress in the favorite styles of the moment. Toys, too, show the influence of current events. Toy racing cars, for in stance, came in with the au tomobile, while today more complex types of wheel toys take advantage of modem technological developments. Vsinff Greens Use of greens and garlands to decorate for a festive sea son goes back a thousand years before the birth of Christ. The custom began with the ancient Egyptians. Many of the traditions of pagan festivals were later merged with the celebration of Christmas, and evergreens, because they stay green throughout the year, came to be regarded as the Christmas symbol of eternal life. Decorating the Tree Many ancient legends as sociate trees with Christmas. One is that on the first Holy Night, all the trees of the forest blossomed and bore fruit. The idea of adorning the Christmas tree with orna ments may have started with an attempt to create the ef fect of snow on the branches. Strings of popcorn and tufts of cotton were used. Lighting the Tree Martin Luther started the custom of lighting the tree, legend says. To symbolize stars glowing forth on a snow-filled win ter’s night, he placed lighted C candles on his family’s tra ditional Christmas tree. Burning the Log Today’s fireplaces, though smaller in scale than those of yesteryear, symbolize at Christmas the age-old cus tom of burning the log. The Yule log was adapted to Christmas celebrations from the Scandinavian prac tice of building huge bonfires at the winter solstice. Fire represented the spring sun, soon to return. A PART OF TRADITION Zurich, Switzerland, has long been noted for its beautiful bells. Every Christmas Eve, the Zurich bells ring out loud and clear, call ing families to church. Ringing around the world, bells are a part of the tradition of Christmas. This tame tradition is repeated in thous ands of cities, where chimes and bells ring out at midnight from the steeples and spires of the across the ages and X r ite to the sights as church ■ights well as the sounds of the holiday season. They are a popular decora tion and are used as ornaments on trees. Christmas is Love The age-old Christmas story is in effect a divine pageant played to the music of carols and based on the theme of supernal love. The theme is changeless because love is eternal — the only eternal quality possessed by mortal man. So — Christmas is the one day in the year when love in aU its greatness and beauty and power, and in all its sim plicity rules the world. THE CRECHE The creche is the oldest and most significant symbol of Christ mas, first created by St. Francis in the Middle Ages. The creche, a tableau of Mary, Joseph and others around the crib of Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem, is often built for display at Christ mas. Custom In Austria A charming Christmas custom in Austria is to decorate a tree for birds. Decorations are edible, consist mostly of suet rings. all the * bounty, ^ , blessings * n of Christmas If ^ be vours. *“<l to* rr,e/i‘ e<t BURRIS- HARRISON “Your Friendly Furniture Store” fisassfisj Y Hanging Stockings St. Nicholas, so legend says, secretly gave gifts of gold tor the dowries of poor spinsters. He tossed the gold down a chimney on Christmas Eve, and on one occasion the gift landed in a stocking hung by the fireplace to dry. A tangerine or an orange in the toe of a stocking has come to be symbolic of the gifts of gold. ABOUT GREENS Many Christmas greens used today were once pagan symbols. Flowers and leafy boughs were used in Roman rites. The Saxons used holly, ivy and bay in their religious observances. TRADITIONALLY, CHRISTMAS IS A FAMILY DAY. An old- fashioned Christmas, pictured above in an illustration created especially for the enjoyment of the readers of this newspaper, had much in common with a modem Christmas — gifts, greens, trees, flowers and, of course, a happy family gathering. isX» BEST WISHES FOR C^arolers sing, candles gleam, children laugh. It's Merry Christmas time...time to greet our friends with every good wish for a happy holiday. May your Christmastide be filled with many joys and rich in the blessings of love and peace. Z - p* •V s "' I 5 Citizens Federal Savings And LoafrAssociation ►- \ -V. / >/• I ‘V !> vw *> :T ©id -fashioned ways of warm cordiality have a special meaning at Christmas. In this old-time spirit, we wish you holiday joy, ever-new, rich in the blessings of home, family, friends. Merry Christmas! OJNTON-NEWBERRY NATURAL CAS AUTHORITY 8SB-1M8 ***********