Al0 - Wednesday, December 22, 1982 - North Shore News

CANDLE CAKE

$960
CHRISTMAS COCONUT
TREE CAKE SNOWBALLS
$4 65° $4 25

BASKIN-ROBBINS
ICE CREAM STORE

1327 Marine Or. N.V.
(Next to Canadian Tire)

987-7433

Bring t
Christmas Window

“GATHERING EVERGREENS,” an 1858 engraving
by Winslow Homer, shows the old-time method of
gathering Christmas greens for the home. While the
men at left cut down trees — a practice still followed
by economically minded Canadians — the man and
woman to the right weave wreaths of evergreen,
possibly laurel, holly or mistletoe.

eens <Z oy

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success
thanks
to you

984-9581
860 West 15th St.

amily & enjoy our Special Animated
* Stickers for the Kids x

eam oman eraaaaareaswrenat

Noi too tate for your special order of custom sofa & sofa-beds

Many Gift items from $9.00 up.
NOSTALGIA PLUS — THE WICKER PLACE

1401 Hornby St. 669-2145

2868 W. 4th Ave, 733-1511

Christmas Magazine

Another Christmas. For
the millions of Christians
throughout the world, this is
a season of joyous
celebration as they mark the
birth of their redeemer,
Jesus Christ. Yet it is a
season which holds special
Significance for non-
Christians, as well. For there
is in the air at Christmastime
an infectious sense of peace
and brotherhood, a feeling
which goes beyond the
recognized boundaries of
religion, culture and
geography.

The Christmas celebration
offers a glimmer of light in
the bleakness of December,
when the days are shortest
and the worst of winter's

fies ahead. The
brightness of a blazing
hearth fire, the twinkle of a
Christmas tree's lights, the
brilliance of the sun against a
whitewashed landscape —
these are some of the
elements of Christmastime
that bring light into the
hearts of all men.

OTHER
DECEMBER
FESTIVALS

It is no coincidence that
the celebration of Christ's
birth in Bethichem some two
thousand years ago falls at
the same time of year as the
many festivals of light which
preceded Christianity. Late
December, the moment of
the sun's annual rebirth, has
since primitive days been a
time of great feasting and
prayer. It was a time when

‘ancient peoples, whose lives

were so greatly affected by
the elements, rested from
their labors on the land and
gave thanks for the previous
season's harvest.

One such festival was the
Roman Saturnalia.
Beginning at the winter
solstice, it was a period of
great feasting and
thanksgiving throughout the
whole of the Roman Empire.
With claborate processions,
decorations, gift-giving and
other rituals, this highly
civilized ancient people paid
homage to their diety of
agriculture Satumus, 10
hopes of gaining his favor

For rese
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Split Image

2422 Marine Dr. West Vancouver

FAMILY STYLE BREAKFAST - LUNCH

7am. 2 pm Mon-Fri

FINE CONTINENTAL DINING

6pm

BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY NOW

Closed Tuesday Evenings

rvations phone 926-0415

during the following year's
planting season.

Similar non-Christian
rituals were practiced at the
time of the winter solstice by
the early Vikings, Goths,
Saxons and Druids, and
vestiges of these ancient
solstitial festivals are ap-
parent in our modern-day
celebration of Christmas.

CHRISTIAN
CELEBRATIONS
ESTABLISHED

It was not until the middle
of the fourth century that the
Church of Rome established
December 25 as the date
commemorating the birth of
Christ. And while the exact
birthdate of the Christchild
thas-never been known, the
Church did not select this
date arbitrarily. Since the
winter solstice had always
Signified a time of
celebration and prayer to
pagan gods, it was an op-
portune season of
celebration for Christians
seeking to convert pagan
peoples to their faith.

The Christian celebration
gradually incorporated a
number of traditions which
had formerly been part of
the early non-Christian
festivals of light. © The
decorating of churches with
greenery, for example, did
not take place until the year
601, when Pope Gregory
instructed Augustine of
Canterbury to follow the
non-Christian custom of
decorating temples with
holly, laurel and = other
evergreens.

For Christmas ts a time
to take stock of the good
things in life, the simple
pleasures such as watching a
child's face light up = with
delight at the sight of gaily-
wrapped packages spilling
from beneath a tree. Or, the
warmth of sharing holiday’
cheer with family and
friends, and the comfort of
their company.

Let's hope that next year
wont be different, and that
Chnistmas for many years to
come will blanket the carth
ino a tranquil moment of
peace and brotherhood.

Yam