Montgomery County sentinel., 1944-12-14

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somewhere and see something" :
preferably to the South where
birds are singing flowers bloom
ing a Bit of green may be seen
and Where one may stay comfort
ably out of doors. Not even the
fact that Mrs. Mocking Bird has
remained here with her mate,
rather than seek a warmer cline,
presaging a mild winter, mas given
us glow. This is only the third
time in fifteen years that our
mocker has had his wife with him
for the entire year. Why is i
that they stand side by side at the
bird-bath to drink water, yet he
will not permit her to have bite
of apple from their basket until
ne has had his fill has he not
heard that the female has come in
to her own and that often the male
of the species now takes the
back seat?
Travel being out of the question
we have spent several days recent
" ia Washington roaming around,
looking Sin shop windows, poking
arolnd book stores and doing a
littlae- just a little shopping.
Most of allg have enjoyed tae
Christmas windows we liked
KIann's best they are not the
most beautiful but they tell tale.
The first scene depicts the. Ma
tivity. The next tells how mistle-
toe became associated with Christ
mas. Found atop giant Oaks by
the Druids who peopled Britain and
Gaul before tne time of Christ, they
thought it heaven sent because it
draws its life from the air, desig
mating purity and love they cut
it with a golden knife during Il
ceremonial rite. "Was there a real
st. Nicholas asks the third win
dow. The scene pictures the Arch
bisnop of Myra in Asia Minor who
devoted himself to the welfare Of
children in the Fourth Century and
who was the remote inspiration
for our modern Santa, Claus,
The next scene shows the origin
of "open house, at Christmas,
when the gl'eat halls ofitlie Saxon
lords We're thrown open to peasant
and noble alike ! all mingling and
exchanging gifts. The fifth win
dow shows; t"Santa's Little Helper.
6'Lohg before Liev Erikssen dis
covered America, in Scandinavia,
the children believed that littla
elf with long white whiskers lived
in the stable andsaw that the birds
and animals were taken care of.
After the Vikings became christ
ians little Jul Tomten' became the
giver oe presents something like
our Santa Of today"
The story with the next scene.
tells of the origin of ornamenting
trees thousand year old legend
has given us this custom The
tale goes that on the night of the
birth Of Christ all trees burst forth
with ripened fruits and blossoming
flowers. Next comes group of
carolers in Merrie Old England
who give us many carols.
The US the most beautiful Of the
16 window scenes is the one de-
picting the cutting of the first
Christmas tree to be covered vita
lights. The story with it goes,
400 years ago Martin Luther
while returning home one beauti-
fully clear cold Christmas eve
lifted his eyes to the sky :.
the thousand of stars seemed to
be clinging to the branches of the
lofty pines by the wayside. That
night a glittsring tree blazing with
star-bright candles was Luther's
gift to his loved ones and his
gift to all the world"
"Do you know that Santa Claus
is truly Americana" is the captiop
on another window the answer is
eyes, he was created by Clement
Moore in 1882 when he wrote The
Night Before Christmas descriD-
ing the gent with'a broad face and
little round belly that shooH
when ne laughed like a bowlful OF
jelly. His eight tiny reindeer, all
named, appeared for the first time
in the poem. 1t was in 1916, that
another American, T. c. Boyd, il
lustrated an edition of the poem,
drew the 8 tiny reindeer and made
Santa really look like peddler
just opening his pack.
Kann's gives the following story
of tne scenes in the last two win
dows: "Santa's workshop nigh.
have been in Timbuctu or deep IN
the Rocky Mountains if Thomas
Mast an American caricaturist, had
neglected to think of Santa's pri-
vate life. He made a full page Of
sketches for Harper's Weekly in