Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-12-25
The Country Home

BY MRS. w. I'll. l'ELTON

Christmas
If this article goes in on time you
will have made ready to eat your
Xmas dinner and distributed your
Xmas gifts.
For twenty-five long years that
| have come and gone, you and L have
had some correspondence concerning
Xmas days.
! 1t would be interesting to call to
mind some of the notable things that
have happened in nearly a quarter
of a century of friendship and cor
dial relations, but that is impossi-
BILE at this writing
I am going to write you some
thing of the history of Xmas, it's
beginning and why it has continu-
ously been observed as holiday
time for centuries. We may learn
something together ON the subject
| that is new to me or to you.
The first certain traces of Xmas
is recorded in 180-192, Ammo Domini
Emperor Diocletian was informed
that a company of Christians were
the birthday. of Jesus, and he set
fire to the, building in which they
were assembled and all persisted in
the building. Some Christians held
the festival in the spring, others in
January and conformity with the
feast of the Epiphany
| Christmas from the fifth to the
eighth century gathered around it
other festivals, partly old and partly
new Something like Xmas cycle
Many things conspired to make the
twenty-fifth of December the gem
Morsemen held their yule feasts
That is where we get the "yuletide."
me custom of decorating churches
with holly is very ancient one, but
the custom OF feasts and frolic was
not in favor with the earlier Chris
tians.
The Christmas tree seems to have
nala
1t is. noteworthy that the Xmas
tree and pendant toys was distinctly
The vista Of Santa Claus is said to
belong to the birthday of St. Nicho-
las. In the Roman Catholic church
three masses are performed on Xmas
gay, one at midnight, one at day
It is also one of the chief festi-
walls in the Anglo-Catholic church.
The Greek church does the same.
me Lutheran church and most
communlons adopted the general Gus
The greater part of Christendom
1t is also kept as a social holiday
with complete cessation of business.
IN England there has long been
custom to fix UP what is known as a
Christmas box-with a small gift of
money for servants, such as post
men, tradesmen's messenger, etc,
etc, and they call the day after
Christmas, Boxing day"
Christmas cards, which are sold
nT1C Hrt1N IF1os
season, are regarded as souvenirs
and expressions of good will. This
| invention is traceable to Sir Henry
Cole, in the year 1886. - -
Immense beauty and artistic eff
feet have shown the progress made
! in these Christmas cards.
An immense trade has grown up,
with artists, engravers, lithograph-
ers and pri.-ters. The passage of
these Christmas cards through the
mails often congests them.
Down at the root of all these
things is the tribute the civilized
world pays to the name of Christ
wherever these tributes are chroni-
cled in any community, in foreign
lands or the islands of the sea, it is
equivalent 20 a recognition of the
birthday of Christ-the Saviour of
! the world.
70 my mind it is one of the very
strongest proofs of the validity of
In my childhood there were no
Christmas cards-and no Christmas
| trees. l lived in the country and 1t
was a season of rest from field work
"a time for good eating and neigh
borly visiting and home made toys
for little country children.
I have no doubt but l was as de-
lighted with a little pound cake, all
my own, and a homemade whistle
that my fathers fingers could fash
ion out of small limb of a hickory
tree, where the bark would slip, as
any of the modern children who are
sour and disappoince-s if they are not
crowded with all sorts of bought
toys and gimcracks, paid for at
| the store. I always had some
thrips and seven pences given to me,
but as my father had store and 1
could get all that 1 was allowed to
have, free gratis for nothing, the
little silver coins did not bother me
enough to remember what I did with
them. vi
The time I enjoyed most was
generally before day, when the col
some bonfires and popping things,
like gun shots, to make a noise with.
Then they circled around the big
house door to catch Christmas gifts.
They always went away jolly, if not
entirely satisfied. The colored men,
they belonged to different masters,
generally rememb ered to bring the
little girl at the "big house" all sorts
of nuts-chestnuts and chinkapins,
and such like. / never relished any
thing more in my life than a meal
on Christmas day down at Black
Mammy's house, where she had good
things spread on her table, and Un-
Gle Sam, her husband, who generally
came only Saturday nights, could
stay four Or five days and be as
happy as big sunflower.
1 could carry tobacco from the big
house, as my present, and nanny
and l were always giving something
nice to one another. Happy days
were they, and sweet to remember
Now to one and all of the dear coun-
try home readers wish you the best
Christmas of all your lives, and
may the Lord bless you, in basket
and In store. until Christmas of
1921. -