The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-12-21


surprising gifts they would seem to
some-a soap-rOse, an artihcial HOVER
Knitted lace, Christmas cake, or
sausage or cheese. Most of them nave
verses attached, written in curious me-
ter. Not until six o'clock IN the eve
ming are the doors open for the fes-
tivity Of the trees. Tonight the horses
and cows of the German farmers have
peculiar gifts. It Is said that the cat
tie kneel on Christmas eve and say
few animal prayers. 1t Is very
great sin to listen to their cOnVersa-
ton, else it would be recorded nere'
If reindeer could talk on Christmas
eve, the ones that pull the faln'iy
sleighs of the Lapps Of Lapland' "hat
wouldn't they tell of long Journeys over
ice and snow for days before Cnrlst-
mas in order to have their masters
and the children at church on Chrlst-
mas morning! Miles over the sno"
come the people Of the North TO near
the familiar mOnotoned message Oh
the birth of the Christchild from tnelr
pastors. There is no lightness IN tnls
ceremony, nor any gifts for the chill
dren. nor gay music The tent or nut
homes are filled with guests tor tue
Christmas holidays, SO full that there
Is no room for evergreens or canuies'
They take their Christmas with races
as solemn as mummieS and make the
attendant ceremonies as unjoyful as
possible. Marriages are performed DUR
ing the season, children are sent TO
school for few weeks, babies are
christened, the dead are buried, ana
LIQUOR is sent around with lavishness.
This is Christmas for the Lapps. VINO
will change with them?
Norway outside of Lapland mas a
more joyous time Of it. Norwegian
children have Christmas trees ana nt-
tie gifts that are hidden In out-of-the-
way corners for them to find. Every
bird in Norway must know of an ap-
preaching Christmas, for the boys ana
girls tie oats and corn on the trees,
the fences, the tops Of houses ana
barns, and on high poles they erect IN
their yards so that the birds may feast
with them. What chattering there
must be in Norway on Christmas morn
ing! After a day Of feasting ana
church services, little boys with white
nantes and star-shaped lanterns, car
rying dolls to represent the Virgin
Mary and the Christchild, sing carols
in the homes. Strolling musicians
serenade at twilight.
To be clean for Christmas Is the
problem that haunts the Swedish
housewife. For days she scours and
scrubs and washes. Not a piece or
trimming or furniture is left unpol-
ished. All dirt is sinful, and must not
be tolerated at this holy season. While
the cleaning is going on, there Is the
baking of Christmas breads, ring
shaped, that must dry under the
beams for a week or two, and the
brewing of spiced drinks. A wine that
he Swedish women make with al
monds and spices is an aromatic quaft
with q holiday smell. Never can there
be a proper Christmas in Sweden with
out homemade cheeses, especially the
sweet ones made ot boiled sweet milk
and nodded Enthusiastically. Santa Claus
appears in person to Swedish children
and distributes his sled of gifts. When
he has disappeared as mysteriously as
he came, they join hands and sing
Christmas jingles until they work up
fine appetite for Christmas mush,
an indispensable sweet-rice boiled a
long time In milk with cinnamon and
sugar. with blanched almonds for fla
vor, to be eaten with cream. Christ
mas fish in Sweden has the same share
of responsibility that rare roast beef
has In England. 1t is buried for days
in wood ashes, then boiled and served
with hot milk. Sled parties of forty
or fifty sleds each go to church on
Christmas morning, with the ringing
of long rows of sleigh bells and festive
trappings. The day itself is one of
.,eace and quiet. But on the next day
the fun begins, and continues until all
their four holidays are over-Christ-
mas, the day after, the twelfth day,
md the twentieth. The ceremony of
untrimming the tree is as much Of a
erolic as its decoration. There are no
mouse green's to take down, because
his is their sign Of mourning. but
there are flowers If they can be OBJ
tained-