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Child is born unto you and his name is Emmanuel Christmas derived from Old English Cristes Maesse the Mass of Christ The typical North American Christmas combines customs and traditions the tree Santa lights mistletoe gift giving caroling and card sending brought to tins country by settlers from Europe of these customs arc directly related to the birth of Christ and stem from church religious observances Others though have a basil In oik customs some present n before the birth of Christ Christians did not the birthday of Jesus is a holiday festival as it is known today for several hundred years after He was bom The Rev Cyril Martindalc Catholic historian has written that such festivals were rejected by early Christians because thc were associated with pagan rituals Later the celebration of Christmas was Introduced to counteract the pagan est of the Sun God held in Home about December The word Christmas is derived from the Old English Cristes Maesse l the mass of Christ and v is first called by that name in 1038 An explanation of why Christmas iSSometlmeswrlltcnXmas Greek equivalent of the ch sound and the letter is taken to represent the word Christ Christmas was a seasonal In Europe from the sixth century on Dutch settlers brought the tradition of St Nicholas to America In the nth century Thlsv tradition was the forerunner of Santa St Nicholas was the was said to hive given three dowcrless maiden sisters his my thus making them One version of the story is that the youngest after her had each received a purse dropped down the chimney successive nights hung her stocking in the fireplace hoping for her gift She received it on the third night St Nicholas became he patron saint of children or had In Europe St Nicholas became a figure on white horse or donkey who wore robes of the bishop and sometimes tarried a bunch of twigs in one hand to punish naughty child bag of presents In the other r good children Tht evolution of this gift giver into Santa in eludes aspects of athcr Christmas j folk figure long known in Northern He wore a red robe trim in while fur was jovial enjoyed merry making and encouraged kis sing under the mistletoe Washington Irving the author described the St Nicholas of the Dutch settlers in 1809 and made him i popular figure in America The description of Santa Claus and reindeer in Clement Moore poem The Night Before Christ imprinted an image on the public in of Santa as a jovial hearty giftgiver riding through the in his sleigh Christmas cards can warm up hearts Greeting cirds as we know them to celebrated New Year as time of centuries it t until the day date back hut nature s Romans that people began widely exchanging the traditions that ted to them go back the of 1 written greetings with artistic design thousands of years which evolved into Day Until that time the only people whose Ancient for example While Christmas I as been celebrated friends received i Christmas Top left This is reproduction of the first the needy The card bore tin now classic granting- A printed Christmas card It ms designed 1843 by John Merry Christmas and a Happy Mew Year to You and is It the Card Museum into three panels the main Top right fence and joy this Chnstrnas tide the showing adults at a family party raiting wine glases in a message of this card area aat The panels on either showed two of the oldest Bottom left and right New Year cards printed in Canada of Christinas feeding the hungry sod m the late century greeting were those who could read and write and could afford to pay a to deliver their sentiments This was to change by the mid century By then many people were learning to read and write through free public schooling Thousands of people were earning money on jobs provided by the invention of machines during the Industrial Revolution The printing press had been invented and was being perfected The Christmas lard With the passage of the Penny Post age Act in England 1B40 which allowed anyone to send letter an where for a penny the price of mailing letters was finally within the reach of almost everyone With all these social developments the custom of exchanging Christmas cards became popular InlBtf the first commercially printed Christmas card was created It was designed by artist John for lxmdon bust ncssman Henry Cole The original Christmas card was divided into three panels with the main showing adults at a party raising wine glasses a toast The panels on either side showed two of the oldest traditions of Christmas feeding the hungry and clothing the needy The card bore the now classic greeting A Merry Christmas and a New Year to You Original specimens of the first Christmas card are now extremely rare and valuable Only a dozen are known to exist Two of these including the most perfect one In existence lit has never been used are pari of the card Hallmark Historical Collection Within a few years printing companies in England were producing Christinas cards By 1R75 Christinas Cards had come into their own in both North America cards evolved as the years passed During Great Depression many people sent cards instead if gifts because money wis scare One card depicted i re marking This isn I what I like to send am I being poor a crime but perhaps I have a million bucks to send to sou next lime When World War 11 came Christmas cards became very patriotic Special cards were created for servicemen overseas and showed Santa holding the flag Across he miles and Missing You sentiments expressed the sombre reality of the dav Modern jrds In Hallmark reprinted the first prayer said from space by the Apollo fl astronauts on Christmas Tins picturesinic card showed an from the surface of the moon In the 1970 contemporary cards showed Santa jogging and playing tennis These cards were specifically designed for people swept up in the fit Today the line of is cards in eludes hundreds finely crafted cards featuring innovative designs and processes Consumers can choose from boxed cards with festive Peanuts and Betsy Hark signs to popular favorites such us Nor man Rockwell and Currier ami Ives The Artist series boxed cards includes works by Frank baker Alex McLaren Clarence Gag and many others This consider what sending a Christmas card can do It can warm a heart tight up a face tickle a funny bone surprise renew a friend create priceless memories and start a tradition The creche In history and in legend The creche a representation in miniature of the manger in which Christ was born com tiny figures of the Holy an gels the adoring Magi even the animals Inch were present is a familiar sight under the Christmas tree wlwre It commands a place of honor during the Christmas season Trad it nails crib remains empty until Christmas arrives which time the mink figure of the Christ Child is lovingly placed within it The original creche is believed by many to have been set up by St Francis of In the sear St trancis arranged a the Holy in a grotto In the Italian hill town of With it white ox and a donkey both or whom represented animals present at the Nativity at either side of the creche the midnight mass was celebrated on Christmas tve at in situated above the crib Tht creche In Italian is still most popular in Italy its country of origin Each year in and Naples children construct of cardboard and populate them with inexpensive clay figures bought in the market typical Neapolitan might porale a hill with the sacred grotto below a liny hut some trees dirt path or two winding toward a cave and perhaps a stream the latter formed with pieces of glittering glass Landscaping would done with moss Rejoicing angels and the star which guided the Three Wise Men lich Men to would be suspended by nearly invisible threads and the crib would be carefully padded with real straw So much for the simple creche Many more were created in the course of time One example was large enough to till an entire room Fins creche represented the main square of a village which was bordered by various large edifices including a domed cathedral in the porch of which the crib was set up Some creches made in N iples boasted classical temples or the remains thereof Usually the figures which were incorporated Into the scene would be dressed In com temporary rather than Biblical garb pro viding a fascinating view of the fashions cur rent when the creche was created The animals most likely to be found in a creche arc the donkey and ox mentioned above and the cow the goat the horse Fach of these animals has i legend connected with it Both the donkey and he goal were noisy disturbing the peaceful sleep of the Holy In fanl I- or this reason both the donkey was not permitted ever to have off spring and the goal was doomed to carry throughout history the opprobrium of having a voice no human could Imd pleasant The horse loo was punished- for selfishly eating the bay which had been laid down for the Christ Child to sleep upon he was doomed always to be the of man and never to be satisfied no matter how much he ate The ox on the other hand generously gave its hay to Christ s bedding as well as winning the Infant Jesus with his breath And Iheeow as i token of its devotion gave her newly horn calf is an offering to the Child Both ox and cow were rewarded by the Madonna who promised them that they would always enjoy their food so much that they would chew it a second time tab Mil Child seen I tare late eternity TIM tie Madonna of llemiUty to by the iwh century si la the of IV Mssesm