CHRISTMAS 



1370 



CHRISTY 



HRISTMAS, kris'mas, the day cele- 

 brated in all Christian countries as the day of 

 the birth of Christ, "the Prince of Peace," "the 

 King of Kings." That day, by common con- 

 sent December 25, is marked by special re- 

 ligious services in various churches, by chari- 

 table deeds, the exchange of gifts, and by 

 merry-making and rejoicing. It is on that day, 

 as Longfellow wrote, that we hear Christmas 

 bells 



Their old familiar carols play, 



And wild and sweet 



The words repeat 

 Of peace on earth, good-will to men ! 



The time when the Christmas festival was 

 first observed is not definitely known. It is 

 spoken of in the beginning of the third century 

 by Clement of Alexandria, and Chrysostom 

 speaks of it in the latter part of the fourth 

 century as a custom of long standing. Other 

 dates were often celebrated as the day of the 

 Nativity, but finally December 25 was uni- 

 versally adopted; there is no evidence that 

 the date is absolutely correct. But exactness 

 on those points is now not so important as 

 the "spirit of Christmas," the spirit of giving, 

 of helping a broad, all-embracing love for our 

 fellowmen. Margaret E. Sangster in the poem 

 Christmas-tide puts the sentiment in verse: 



At Christmas-tide the open hand 

 Scatters its bounty o'er sea and land, 

 And none are left to grieve alone, 

 For love is heaven and claims its own. 



The giving of presents, the use of holly, 

 mistletoe, Yule logs, the wassail bowl, have all 

 descended from the days of paganism, but 

 they are things which set the day distinctly 

 apart from all other holidays. And without 

 the Christmas tree and Santa Glaus for the lit- 

 tle folks the day would be incomplete and 

 lose much of its deeper meaning to families. 

 The custom of sending greetings on "Christmas 

 cards" started about fifty years ago. 



In recent years many cities have adopted 

 the beautiful custom of celebrating the festival 



as communities. Great Christmas trees, glow- 

 ing with innumerable lights, are set up in a 

 central location, such as Madison Square, in 

 New York, or the Lake Front, in Chicago, and 

 on Christmas Eve the people gather about 

 these trees and sing the familiar hymns and 

 carols that are associated with the birth of 

 Christ. The community Christmas tree is 

 symbolic of that spirit of kindliness which 

 moves people everywhere to help their less 

 fortunate brothers and sisters. 



Many fine stories have been woven about 

 the Christmas spirit and Christmas merry- 

 making. Dickens' Christmas Carol, the story 

 of Scrooge and "Marley's Ghost," is one widely 

 read and loved. See CAROL, for one of the most 

 famous Christmas carols ever written. 



A Christmas Carol , one of the most oeautif ul 

 and most inspiring of all Christmas stories. 

 It was written by Charles Dickens, and pub- 

 lished in 1843, and the 15,000 copies that were 

 speedily sold brought the author about $3,500. 

 A Christmas Carol is the story of a "clutching, 

 covetous old sinner" by the name of Scrooge, 

 who "iced his office in the dog days and didn't 

 thaw it one degree at Christmas." How the 

 Ghosts of the Christmas Past, Present and 

 Future brought about the regeneration of the 

 selfish old miser is told in a series of pictures 

 that have all the humor, the pathos and the 

 realism that are a part of the author's genius. 

 Tiny Tim, the crippled child of Scrooge's brow- 

 beaten clerk, is one of Dickens' well-loved 

 creations. The story is one that children and 

 their elders read and re-read with equal de- 

 light. Thackeray called it a national benefit, 

 and declared no better charity sermon had ever 

 been preached. 



CHRISTY, kris'ti, HOWARD CHANDLER (1873- 

 ), an American painter and illustrator with 

 a dashing but not exaggerated style, creator 

 of a picturesque and romantic type of society 

 woman. He was born in Morgan County, 

 Ohio, and studied at the National Academy 

 and the Art Students' League in New York. 



