The Newtown bee., 1880-12-15
Christmas Proverbs.
"Christmas comes but once a year

-'CnfIStlnaS cOIie5 Dub cbCe ycafs
 This is 8 glorious, hearty old proverb, full of generosity and permission to go to the full lengths enjoyment. If the children scream more loudly than usual with delight-if the boys and girls dance and frolic wildly; or paterfamilias purchases present which is little too extravagant-never mind it, for once; Christmas comes but CT ee year." Forget and forgive, go d folks, and we will forget and forgive in turn.
 Christmas is talked of so long that it comes at last."
 This is an old Norman French pro- verb: "On tant erie Noel que enffn Il esl venu." 1t is another cheerful pro- verb, fuil Of the spirit of the season, meaning that, whatever trouble or dark ness may intervene, light and Joy, will come at last. It Is the same as "lt's long lane that has no turning" or A last day is the eve of 8 feast day" Per haps it may have the suspicion of an old superstition, thas if we only hammer and weary awsy at anything long enough. we bring it to pass. So then
 ''Talk of it ere summers past,
 Christmas is sure to come at last-'
 e Alter Christmas comes Lent"
 This is German: Mach weihnachten komme fasten." This is warning and solemn proverb, something like, " It is dark under the lamp" However, as the Danes say, Ambolat CT ikke rad for en good forhammer"-the anvil does not fear good sledge hammer, and he who has held 8 glorious feast-tide finds so much rational pleasure in |. season of sobriety and quite joy.
 "The bow can not be always bent;
 Past Christmas comes the sober LeHt."
 A green Christmas makes & fat churchyard."
 A Danish proverb: "En gran Jaul givvn ct fed Kirkegaarn." This is merely the old sanitary and weather theory that unreasonable weather is unhealthy. When i5 is warm in winter in.prudent people expose themselves to | the damp. unhealthy air, or become inn patient of too much warm covering, and are caught in a :" cold snap, to their sorrow" In the old times when most people dwelt in badly-waTmed, badly constructed houses, such changes in the weather were of much greater signifi- canoe than at present.
 "An old bit of truthful rule A Christmas green, churchyard tulL" Closely allied to this, but without its | terrible warning, we have the German i proverb!
 iSt daS Wetter um Welhnacht gellnd, | So treut sich Mann, Weib und Kind" Which, in English, means: els the weather at Christmas mild, It is joy to man, and wife, and child.
 "Christmas is good time to bleed l horses in." This was an old supersti- tion, and was closely followed. The horses were run up and down until in a sweat and then bled. As Tusser sings |" Ere Christmas be passed, let horses to be lei | blood;
 For many purpose it doth them much good. "A green Christmas, white Easter" ! Gruene Weihnacht, weisse Ostern." German, of course. The same ha: another form:
 "Weihnacht in klee, Ostern in schnee." l "If Christmas be in clover, Easter with snow'll be heaped over."
 And the same people say: {" Ist da: wetter um Weihnacht gelind, so w8br 1 die KBlte gewoehnlicl Iapge bis Freuh | jahr hinein.n "When the weather i: mild at Christmas cold weather last into spring." All of which proverb! receive important modification wher