CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
Holly - From the Old English word, "holen," holly has been a favourite winter
plant for thousands of years. It was believed that good spirits lived in its
branches and sprigs were taken into homes for luck and prosperty and to keep
away evil spirits. Legend says that holly berries were originally white but
were turned red by Christ's blood, when Christ was made to wear the Crown of
Thorns at his crucifixion.

Ivy - In ancient Rome, ivy was the badge of Bacchus, the god of feasting and
drinking. Because of this pagan association, the early Christian Church would
not allow ivy to be used for decoration. In the Middle Ages, people thought
ivy helped them to recognize witches, and it was said to be a protection
against the deadly plague.

Tinsel - In sixteenth century France there was a secret way of making tinsel
which was called lame. In those days it was not used on Christmas trees but
as decoration on soldiers' uniforms. Despite every attempt by the lame-makers
to keep their secret, it soon leaked out to Germany, where it was used as the
Christmas tree decoration we know as tinsel.

Christmas Ornaments - Originally, decorations were home-made paper flowers,
or apples, biscuits, and sweets. The earliest decorations to be bought came
from Nuremburg in Germany, a city famous for the manufacture of toys. Lauscha
in Germany is famous for its glass ornaments. In 1880, America discovered
Lauscha and F.W. Woolworth went there and bought a few glass Christmas tree
ornaments. Within a day he had sold out so next year he bought more and
within a week they, too, had sold. The year after that be bought 200,000
Lauscha ornaments. During the First World War supplies of ornaments from
Lauscha ceased, so American manufacturers began to make their own ornaments,
developing new techniques that allowed them to turn out as many ornaments in
a minute as could be made in a whole day at Lauscha.

Candles - Legend has it that Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant
Church in Germany in the sixteenth century, was the first person to put
candles on a Christmas tree. Luther was walking home one winter evening when
he looked up and saw the stars twinkling through the branches of the trees.
He was so inspired by the sight that when he arrived home he set up a tree
and decorated it with candles.

Christmas Lights - Three years after Thomas Edison invented the electric
light bulb in 1879, Edward H. Johnson, who worked for Edison's company, had
Christmas tree bulbs especially made for him. He proudly displayed his
electric tree lights at his home on Fifth Avenue, New York City. They caused
a sensation although some years were to pass before mass-manufactured
Christmas tree lights were widely available. In 1903 the Ever-Ready Company
of New York began to make strings of lights, but they were expensive and if
one light went out so did the whole lot. In 1927 the General Electric Company
of America introduced tiny bulbs that would not get too hot, and also if one
bulb went out the others stayed lit.

EARLY TRADITIONS
Saturnalia - Every winter, on 17 December, the people of ancient Rome began a
wild party that lasted seven days. The festival, called Saturnalia, was in
honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture, from whose name we get Saturday.
There were processions through the streets, candles were lit to symbolize the
rebirth of the year, houses were decorated with greenery and presents were
exchanged. Masters gave their slaves gifts, men dressed as women or
masqueraded in the hides of animals. A dried bean was hidden in food and
whoever found it was elected king of the revels. These traditions found their
way to all parts of the Empire, blending with customs that already existed
and influencing the way in which people celebrated the end of the year.

Xmas - X is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ - Xristos - and for
the early Christians, most of whom spoke and wrote Greek, the word signified
"Christ's Mass". As the centuries passed, however, fewer and fewer people
understood ancient Greek. They thought the "X" had some pagan meaning and
that the word "Xmas" showed disrespect.

Yule Log - The Celts believed that the sun stood still for 12 days during the
winter solstice. Our twelve days of Christmas may have started with this
belief. In order for the power of light to conquer the darkness, the Druids
would bless a log, the Yule log, and keep it burning for 12 days. If the log
went out, great misfortune might be brought about. Keeping a small piece to
light the Yule log next winter would ensure that good luck was carried on
from year to year.

Puritans - Seventeenth century Puritans believed that there was no room for
frivolity and merrymaking, and when they came to power in England they
clamped down on all forms of Christmas festivities. In 1644, Parliament
banned Christmas, and soldiers were sent to make sure that shops stayed open,
no decorations were used and no umble pie was eaten. In 1659 New England,
Christmas was banned with the law: "Whosoever shall be found observing any
such day as Christmas...shall pay five shillings as a fine." The ban lasted
for 22 years in some parts of America. In Massachusetts, Christmas was not
made a legal holiday until 1856.

Of course the X is also known as St. Andrew's cross, as seen on the Union Jack of Britain. Time was, too, when people kissed the sign of the X to show their sincerity, thus X as a symbol of a kiss. (and movie buffs no doubt know of the symbolic Xs in Howard Hawks' groundbreaking early gangster film, Scarface). XXX (thirty, the old newspaperman's sign-off)tjoeb};>

I get annoyed from people writing 'Xmas' instead of Christmas. Does it really take enough of effort to write an additional four letter? Yes . . . one, two, three, four. Not the dictionary, but four letters. If you ask me, it is just an issue of pure laziness.

-BoyScout2
Offering Lessons on How To Spell and Count NOT Co-authored by George Bush and Dan Quayle!