La Junta tribune., 1917-12-06
STORY or DECEMBER
By sl.rxars4 r. Boyle

name. but the wrong number, Ten
instead Of twelve, or TO use the Lat.
in. December instsad Of Duodecsm-
Der. And 20 Il has no story.
'At first, December had thirty
days. Aftsr while one Of the en-
perors took one away. leaving but
twenty-nins. But whsn Julius
Caesar made the calendar over he
added ON two. thus giving It thirty
one. the number It has had ever
since.
The Romans had very great
feast in this month. 1t was called
the Saturnalia. In honor of Saturn.
and perhaps after n little while we
will talk more about II.
They used to call December the
frosty month. the hoary month. and
the smoky month. The Saxons
named 1t winter month. or holy
month. because in this month Christ
mas comes. And I am sure Il is for
the beautiful holiday that We love
this cold. dreary month.
did you ever stop to think that
those Roman children of whom VIC
have been talking. had no Christ.
mas? You see they couldn't have,
because We celebrate II because the
little Christ child came to earth
then. And you remember that aid
not happen until late in the reign
OF Augustus.
1T Was four or five hundred
years later before they began to
make q holiday OF it.And even then
think they did not keep Christmas
20 we'll as we. What a queer world
II must have been with no Christ
mas. no Santa Claus. and no Christ
mas tree!
Did you ever hear the story Of
the first Christmas tree! don't
know whether II Ia exactly true. But
this is the way II was told to me.
Ono Christmas eve. Martin Luther
was walking TO his home. Martin
Luther Was . good man who lived
In Germany a long time ago. The
night Was cold and frosty. with many
starr IN the sky. He thought he had
never seen stars look SO brisht.
When he got home he tried to tell
his wife and children how pretty the
stars were. but they couldn't seem
to understand. So Luther went out
Into HIS garden and cut a little ever
green tree. He set this up in the
room and fastened tiny candles all
over H. And when he lighted them
they shone like stars.
Perhaps one OF Luthre's nelsh.
bors came In that night. and when
she saw the tree she thought how Il
would please her children. So they
soon had one In their house too.
And the idea spread from one house
to another until there were Christ.
mas trees all over Germany.
When Queeh Victoria OF England
married q German prince he taught
them to have . Christmas tree In the
palace. OF course after the queen
had . tree all the others must too.
So the Christmas tree came to Eng.
land.
The little French boys and girls
havnt had them so long. Not very
many years ago France and Ger.
many had . war. Al Christmas time
the German soldiers we're all m
Paris. They felt sorry 10 be 70 far
from their own little boys and sirls
on Christmas eve. But they thought
they would have something TO re-
mind them OF home. So every SOL
dier who could got little evergreen
tree and fixed II up With candles.
Tho French saw them and were no
pleased that nov every year they
too have Christmas trees.
30 many people from ENGLAND
And from Germany and from France.
have come TO our country 10 live
that OF course we have learned abou,
Christmas trees. And this Is the
reason you and 80 many other little
girls and boys each had n pretty
tree.
1T IL harder to find where Santa
Claus was first seen. One story says
no comes from Russia. because al
ioas time aso . very wealthy man
lived there, who At every Christina.
time used to fiil his sleigh with
Gifts for children who had none
In another country. instead OF
santa ciaus riding In . sleigh drawn
By reindeer. they have . lady rid.
Ing donkey. she is always dressed
In white. with . beautiful golden
crown on her head covered with