The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 23, 1944, Page 21

e SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1944 ind th ¢ heat of Cuc istmas Ar of Icel: e World Their destroyer may be_far out on ut these naval officers didn’t g0 by unobserved. Even their grim “tin can” has a holiday ap- pearance with o wreath and evergreen sprays. Above: Am bers of the famous Kach scouts sit down to their 1943 Christmas dinner in Northern Burma. The wrkey. was dropped by planes. Rig American doughboys in Naple Italy, as they bargained for Yule Above: Two members of the WAC, celebrating their first Christmas in_England, enlist the aid of a G. I. to help pass time. Below: Nurses and pa- tients in an Iceland hospital worked together to decorate this cheery ward. o i | Nicholas of Myra, who lived in the This marine, stationed in North Ire-'| Santa Claus trekked all over Guadal- land, made sure of his traditional | canal island on Christmas day to see Christmas dinner, whether the quarter- | that none of his boys were passed up. ‘master keeps his promise of a turkey | He's near the end of his trip judging dinner or not. from his light pack. - IT HAPPENED ON CHRISTMAS DAY |and celebration A very important in color American took place on Christmas George Washington, leading irave, but weather-beaten army of Ironically enough, several strange|2400 men across the Delaware, cap- znd important war activities have|tured the city of Trenton, N. J., * tlaken plaee on Christmas Day which British " One which many of the British|were then occupyini snd German soldiers of the last|enemy troops were ca World War remember | > march. 5 t e e SPRINKLED WITH WINE military event history also Day. Over 1,500 ptured in the t time, TEé Was a per- Zenicans of Bosnia burn their Yule between the|logs a day later than the rest of Europe. Just before sunrise the fa- sector, German | ther drags the log into the home. As ¥, ond British sold) ceased firing | he enters the door he is doused with by mutual agreement, and went e. The log itself is sprinkled with g over to each other’s trenches and,kernels of corn to assure the family dugouts to spend the day in feasting a bountiful crop in summer, but for on Christmas Day, tr icd of peace on eart {ighting soldiers. In the - Flanders his and Hessian troops| / GREAT CHRISTMAS | ~ CAROLS WORK OF | INSPIRED CLERGY| Since that first Christmas when | the angels sang “Glory to Gou in the Highest,” music has been a vital| part of the holiday season, schools, | churches and homes ring with joy ous hymns and songs. The first] | singing of carols'in the streets, we | are told, was in the year 1224. | When we think of Christmas we | !think of the Christmas cards of houses almost puried in snow, candles burning in windows, and carolers grouped | around a doorway, singing with all their hearts to the distant peal of | church bells. Christmas must h.\\v‘ been picturesque in those days, no | automobiles whizzing by, just the| merry jingle of sleigh bells. “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” was written in 1730 by Charles Wes- | |ley, youger brother of John Wesley who founded the Methodist denomi- nation, but was not published until 185 Inspiration for the poem came to Wesley as he walked to church one Christmas morning Bishop Phillip Brooks, rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Philadel- a, was asked by his Sunday School children to write a Christmas song, so in 1868 he produced “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.” After writing the hymn, he went to the church organist and asked him to furnish the tune. The organist,; Lewis H. Redner, says the air came to him in a Christmas dream, and | it was finished for the next day’s| services. Origin of “Silent Night” | But most beloved of all Christmas | . | music is “Silent Night, Holy Night,” written, we are told, by Father Jo- gef Mohr, who found himself with-| out means of music for the Christ- mas serviees, because miee had eat- | en the bellows of the church organ. Father Josef was greatly troubled over the calamity, and as ‘he re- turned from administering rites to a dying woman he stood on a hilltop, at midnight, and it came to him that it must have been just such a silent night, that the Christ child was born, so he went home and com- posed the words to our famous Christmas hymn. Then, of course, it needed music, s0 he went to his old schoolmaster | Franz Gruber. And so Franz played his guitar and Father Josef sang a Christmas hymn that will never die. Few think of this lovely hymn without remembering how we watch- | ed our radio dial at Christmas time | for its rendition by one of the most beloved of singers, Madame Schu- { mann-Heink. | | Oh, those were days of simplicity, [when rectors casting about for suit- | able Christmas programs turned po- ets, and organists turned composers |'to furnish the music, music that | goes on forever. | They would, indeed, be gratified if | they could hear our present Christ- | mas day programs, pouring out of a |little cabinet in the corner, their | labors of love have come a long way {from that steel guitar and a gentle | voice replacing a nibbled bellows, ;U\(‘_v'd be surprised to learn their | | flock now does its Christmas shop- | ping to their inspirational tunes. ST. NICK | " ATTENTION FOR GIFTS, The stocking custom is said to| | have started with St. Nicholas, orig- | | inal of Santa Ciaus, a Greek bishop, | | fourth century. He was both gen- | erous and shy, and hated to be| | thanked for the presents he was continpally making to those in need. i Once he climbed to a roof top and | | dropped a purse of gold down the | chimney so that he would not be seen. The money, instead of falling | | in the fire, lodged in a child’s stock- | ing that had been hung up to dry on ! the mantelpiece. His act became known, and there- | after whenever unexpected gifts | were attributed to St. Nicholas, e DECORATIVE SHADOWS 1 and make it “spill” backward to- ward the wall. clear-glass Christmas lamps, either bunched in a bowl or concealed | from view behind the bowl, create the lovely shadow patterns pictured. | The shadows may be tinted by add- |ing one or more larger lamps of contrasting color. X " Yule Happiness || | i } Wi A locomotive, railway gun and lank-in-transit—all made of wood— delight the heart of this young man. pictures you see on|s SHIED FROM icame from unknown sources they | To achieve a colorful decorative | j effect, take a bowl of pine branches | '§ THE DAILY slid into his Santa Claus suit with a 'groan. It had been a long, hard day and the tch from seven o'clock to nine remained before the big department store would close. eated on his throne, he glanced r \edly down the long line ap- proaching him. It was then that he saw her. The sight made him choke with emotion and his voice trem- bled when he spoke to the young- sters. Her turn came at last and he took her on his knee as he had done the other: “What's your name, little girl?” he asked in his gruffest voice Michael Parke “Marianne Parker,” she answered softly “What would you like for Christ- mas?” The answer was given instantly. “A doll and a carriage and . uh Tovs | - ” Marianne hesitated and pok- ed a finger in Santa’s padded stom- ach * . is it real?” she asked. ALASKA EMPIRE — JUNEAU, ALASKA ! out a release. As the days passed he Suddenly she burst into tears. He longed to tear off his false whiskers and tell her tRat everything would be all right now But instead he said, “What's the matter, Mari- anne?’ “Lwant my daddy to come home,” she sobbed. “I want that more than a doll or anything.” “Well, that's a pretty large order,” said Santa, “but I'll see what I can | do.” Out in the brisk night air Michael Parker regretted having fought with | Wilson. The incident paraded across | his memory, as it had a thousand | times in the past few weeks. After | months of studying and planning, he had gone to Wilson, the plant man- ager, with a scheme that was sure- | fire for speeding up plane produc- tion. Wilson was brusque. “You stick to your engineering,” he said, “I'l worry about production.” After telling Wilson, among ml\(‘l“ things, that he was the plant’s bu;-\ gest bottleneck, Parker angrily went home. | Bitter and restless, he had gone | away three weeks ago, telling Elsie, | his wife, that he was out to get a | real job | But no one would take him with- | out a recase. As the days passed he | longed intensely to be with his fam- | ily again but pride would not let him return a failure. Finally, funds run- | ning low, he took the job as Santa | Claus for the Christmas helidays. Snow was beginning to fall. Last | minute shoppers were thinning out. | He walked aimlessly among them, wondering where he could go, know- | ‘ing that home, tonight.of all nights, was out of the question. ; Suddenly he remembered the | words of a child who had sat on his | knee that afternoon. When Michael, | as Santa Claus, had asked him what he wanted for Christmas he had re- plied, “It doesn’t matter. Even | Christmas doesn’t seem to matter | any more. I just came here to keep | up my mom’s spirit.” He paused. | “There won't be any real Christmas for me until my pop comes home. He’s in Africa, you know.” | All at once Michael Parker real- | ized that he, not Wilson, was the | bottleneck. | With Elsie in his arms he mur- | mured, “I've come back the same | as I left—a fool, a complete fool.” “Well, not a complete fool,” she countered with a smile. “Wilson SERRRREONNDVE Bright iight from | W [t was just what he needed for bls var games. 4 H telegraphed. He wants to know if [ than food — Taurus people never you can be in Monday morning to | grow weary of eating supervise the setting up of your new Gemini-ers—May 22 to June 22— system.” have literary preoccupations. Girl “But how did you know that I'd| would be thrilled by writing materi- be here?” | al, the men by a printing press or a Marianne ran out from her bed- | pen and pencil set. room and threw her arms around his waist. “I told Mother,” she an-|cer—June 23 to July 22—are homey nounced | and would like domestic gifts such An amused twinkle came into|as lounging robes, cocktail sets or Michael Parker's eyes. “Oh, I see. | household equipment. 1 suppose ymlfiskod Santa Claus to | The Leo people—July 23 to August send me home? | “No." I 22—are show-offs. The men go for W] P P X | startling ties no matter what they ‘l“"“k thats strange. Db x| S0 GRS it < Kolie . far some- bt PPl LR g | thing really fancy in jewelry or lac- Marianne giggled. “Daddy,” she | .\ qerwear. o ";"dl"“'t' AR AL ’;\“’U Virgo-ites—August 23 to Septem- ‘;"'\0‘3(\1)0“{ o lb“ ot SV “'."' ber 22—are essentially practical. The unny little mole between your eyes. | yan'really want handkerchlefs, and T couid Doil SERL SHYWRAES." the women want a utility kitchen A il | dsisies, IG F 4 | The Libra men want their hand- S NS o loDlA( | September 23 to October 22—-and at Those born under the sign of Can- | PAGE THREE heart they are exquisites. Scorplon men and women—Octo= ber 23 to November 22--go in for the exotic. The men would be delighted with some chisels and a chunk of granite. The women want to get a kick out of perfume, or some spices. ‘The Sagittarius type—November 23 to December 21—long for a parlor bowling alley. LATE CHRISTMAS There are still millions of Chris- tians who observe January 6 or Jan- uary 7 as Christmas. They allow for the 12 days difference in the old calendar and the new. The Eastern Orthodox observes January 7. In North Carolina one church group observes January 6, as do a nhumber of other sect§. e In Australia, Christmas is cele- brated with picnics and trips to the open. RRRRRIRRIRTRRRS ) GIVETIPS ONWHO WANTS THAT GIFT A New York City astrologer has | devised a novel system of selecting | Christmas gifts. 1t works as well | as any, it seems. | “It's as simple as A, B, C,” said Miss Helen Paul, the astrologer. “If one studies the signs under which | friends and relatives are born, no! one need fear that their gifts will be exchanged after Christmas.” Here's her rating of Christmas satisfaction according to the zodiac: Those born from December 22 to | January 21 are the practical type. | Capicorn is their sign — and they have a yen for leather goods. The Aquarius boys and girls born | from January 22 to February 20— | like the unusual, the Aquarius fe- | males hankering for ankle bracelets, the males want spats. | Those borf under the sign of the | fish—Pisces, February 21 to March 20—would be greatly pleased with | wet goods—wines and liquor, The Aries crowd — March 21 to April 21—go in for smoking. Ash | trays, cigarettes, pipes, tobacco—for | the men. For the women, a box of “personalized” matches, or, a bnghc’ red sweater and cap Taurus Folk Hunger The Taurus people — April 22 to May 21—would ‘like nothing better | KRR RRRRX SRR RPN ORI IR AR ARG F‘ é To All of Our Friends NEW and OLD NO FANCY WORDS FEMMER TRANSFER