The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1879-12-24
CHRISTMAS.


And shakes 1t the ely maids before,
Then hangs the trophy up on high,
Be sure that Christmas tide is nigh.
When Dick comes shivering from the yard
And says the pond is frozen hard,
While from his hat all white with snow
The moisture trickliug drops below,
While carols sound. the night to cheer,
Then Christmas and his train are here.
Once again rings out the joyful
Christmas chimes. Once again is chant
ed through all Ohristendom that first
end sweetest Of pll Ghristmas carols:
"Glory to God in the highest, peace on
earth, and good will unto men T. 1t
needs no herald to proclaim in trumpet
tones that Christmas is here. Long
before the syentinl day has arrived
every one may see for himself the busy
preparations which are being made for
this merriest of all holidays. The de.
lightful hustle everywhere observed; the
air of secrecy lest some anticipatedsu
prise should be discovered: the tell-tale
looks and signs upon the faces of those
who are etgaged III preparing the Christ
mas gifts for the loved ones; the eager
anticipation and undissembled delight
of the children; the rhops crowded with
customers, and the windows decorated
in the gayest manner with holiday gifts;
the streets tnronged with happy,
busting crowd, hurrying to and fro
all these proclaim, palmer than words
can tell, the approach of another Christ
mas. What the year would be without
this merry festival we dare not contem-
plato. Gould anything be drearier than
twelve-month lacking this one day of
universal Joy? This star, which CLEANS
SO brightly amidst the winters gloom,
like that wonderful star in the East
which Lit up humanity's darkness in the
ages long ago when the infant Christ
was born One of the pieasantest re-
fections connected with Christmas is
that it has been celebrated for SO many
generations past with the same eager
mirth and pleasure which characterize it
now.
Who can look back upon the past
| without little thrill of pleasure in
recalling the many beautiful and sacred
rites which belonged to Christmas in
the olden timer
Old customs All, love the sound,
However simple they may be,
Whateer with time hath sanction found
Is welcome and is dear to me.
One of the prettiest of the old customs
was the decking of churches and houses
WITH green branches and garlands.- -
There was the holly, the ivy, green bays
and laurels, and, dearest of all. the sacred
| mistletoe. What a charm, even to this
| day, hangs around the mistletoe bough.
| What q world of romance, of gay Christ.
mas sports, of Christmas love and
Christmas wooing Turk among its green
foliage and ssmilk-white berries p
When the world was younger, mankind
seems to have been in closer sympathy
with nature than now, and that was a
loving care for things not seen, yet de
voutly believed in, which led the Druids
to deck their "houses with evergreens
in December, that the sylvan spirits
might repair to them until a milder
season had renewed the foliage of theil
darling homes" In old church calendars
Christmas eve was styled "Ienaola e1o-
naaatus" churches are decked. An
other of the old Christmas customs,
which is still kept up to some extent,
was the blithe singing of carols in the
streets, the churches and at the home
firesides. To have an abundance Of
4
was esteemed to be as great an accom-.
plishment as it is now to be familiar
with all the best operas and popular
ballads. Southey, in his ''Joan of Arc, >
| thus commentaries soldier who fell
s'upon the plain of Paley::"
In his lords castle dwelt for many year
A well-beloved servants he could sing
Carols for Shrove-tide, or for Candlemas,
Songs for the wassel, and when the boar's
head
| Crown'd with gay garlands and with rosemary
smok'd on the Christmas board.
An old carol ia "Poor Robins AL
manac," 1896, gives US glimpse of the
abundant good cheer which was then
provided for Christmas, and to which
not only friends, but strangers also were
heartily welcomed. Every one kept
open house and open heart at Christmas
then. The great yule-log, which was
always lit with brand preserved from
the last years burning, blazed cheerily
upon the vast hearthstone, and long
tables were spread in the great hall
where master, guest and servants al
dined, and where whoever would might
enter and partake of the bounteous
Christmas feast.
Plum buildings and mince pies belong
especially to Christmas. Every body has
heard the story OF st. Louis, Henri
! Quatre, who wished to regale the Eng-
llsh ambassador at Christmas with his
native plum pudding, dish which all
Frenchmen abhorred. The king pro-
cured most excellent recipe and gave
the minutest directions to his cook az to
preparing and cooking the pudding. =
But, unfortunately, the monarch forgot
the pudding bag, and therefore the plum
pudding was served at his majestys ia.
| BILE in huge tureens, like soup, to the
great amazement of the English guests.
who, however, were too well-bred to
| betray their surprise.
AS for the mince-pie few persons
who now partake of this luscious dish
suspect the deep significance of its in
gradients, or the important part it has
played in history. Nilsson, in his
Travels in England" says: every
family against Christmas makes ia
nous pye, which they call Christmas
pye. It is q great nostrum; the compo-
sition of this party is most learned
mixture of meats tongue, chicken, eggs,
sugar, raisins, lemon and orange peel,
various kinds of spicery," etc.
The quaint old poet. Herrick, sings:
Come guard this night the Christmas pie
That the thiefe, hover 80 ellie,
With his flesh hooks don't come ME
To catch it.
From him who all alone sits there,
Having his eyes still in his care,