Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22
Gee @@@9@@ Ss98@sG GGSSD@DEO0


course the trees are We'll cared for. and
no one is allowed To break the branches.
The holly for the market Is gathered and
sent out in cases. usually bringing about
s. per case. Some idea of its popularity
as a Christmas decoration can be- gained
from the fact that last year in New York
city one dealer alone reports the sale az
coo crates. AT one time an effort was
made to substitute holly pine for christ
mas trees. but owing 10 itS stiff leaves II
never became popular.
one OF the fads of recent years is for
the young people to go out and gather
Christmas greens in autOmohiles-eY"n to
bring home the tree IN this manner. ana
just before Christmas II is no uncommon
sight i'll the country to see man chop
ping down pine tree while heNy of
girls are gathering holly and laurel and
piling it into the automobile Last year one
OF the finest churches in northern city
was decorated fer Christmas 10y he
young girls of families who owned auto
mobiles The girls gathered the green's
themselves-the young men did the deco
rating. The money heretofore used To pay
decorator was turned over 10 the girls.
who used IL to aid poor families in hav-
ing better Christmas dinner than usual
Mistletoe becomes scarcers ana more
expensive in the United States each
year. although ii hourishes To such an
at one time gave orders Ia have every
particle of il destroyed. This rais,d such
"A protest among the French florists thai
the order was not carried out. II flour
isheS in rampant luXurianre along the
road between Paris and Fontanhleau.
and In one place for a mile or two the
great poplars have fairly had their lives
squeezed out by the branches of this
green parasite clinging t. them. Thus
part of the road is known Lovers De
light. from the fact that the Traveller is
always under the mstletoe' The Eng
lish species of the plant is perhaps the
most beautiful, but the genuine article
Is rarely seen in this country. The Amer
lean supply comes from the southern
states and abounds in large quantities in
the Dismal swamp OF Virginia. It's
branches are more symmetrical than
the imported variety, but In" berries
smaller and less transparent.
Club moss and crows foot are
used for wreaths and rope decoration.
Tops OF scrub pines were introduced a
few years ago for the finishing of places
The cycaS leaves or victory palms ar"
much used in church decoration and come
from the West Indies.
Among the flowers the poinsettia-that
exquisite scarlet flower which was drag
ged from the Mexican swamps hy the
American florist and cultivated-is, per
haps the most popular, and baskets of
this mixed with white heather and ferns
are considered smart presents for ihi.
Christmas. American beauty roses are
always in demand at the holiday season
Each year some new fad is offered
some fresh novelty appears Ia swell the
number of our Christmas greens. for
no other land can boast of such long
list. and we walk through the mar
kets at Christmas time II seems that the
glory Of Lebanon" has descended among
us.
SO We have the rose, the holly. the
laurel. the mistletoe. the pine tree ana
the ivy-all Christmas embems. myth
ical perhaps in their meaning, but still
remembrances of the birth of the Savior
of mankind. and when at the happy
Christmas time We deck our homes in
garlands let us not in our merriment for
get that ii is being done in honor of
Him from whom cometh every good
and perfect gift"