Showing posts with label Christmas history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas history. Show all posts

Sunday, December 25, 2016

The legend of Santa Claus and the nine reindeer by Kevin Dayhoff


The legend of Santa Claus and the nine reindeer by Kevin Dayhoff Merry Christmas.


The tradition that Santa Claus, or Father Christmas as he is known in England, traveled through the night in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer is thought to be a Scandinavian myth.

We got the ninth reindeer, Rudolf, from the department store, Montgomery Ward. The character first appeared in a 1939 publication by Robert L. May, which was marketed by Montgomery Ward. According to many sources, including a December 25, 2013 story on "Morning Edition," on NPR, the author considered the name 'Reginald' or 'Rollo,' before settling upon the name Rudolf...

The legend of Santa Claus and the nine reindeer by Kevin Dayhoff Merry Christmas. http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-legend-of-santa-claus-and-nine.html



Friday, December 12, 2014

Letters to Santa: Why charity groups fought to have kid’s letters end up in the dead letter office.

Letters to Santa: Why charity groups fought to have kid’s letters end up in the dead letter office....



Letters to Santa: Why charity groups fought to have kid’s letters end up in the dead letter office.: "A century ago, charities fought to have children’s wish lists sent to the dead letter office. They lost.  By Alex Palmer" 

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/holidays/2014/12/letters_to_santa_why_charity_groups_fought_to_have_kid_s_letters_end_up.html

What could be more innocent than a letter to Santa? A child jotting down her heart’s desires in pencil or crayon and dropping it in the mailbox, naively hoping the wish will be granted by Christmas morning: It’s a tradition that goes back at least to the mid-1800s, and it is a reminder of the holiday’s more idyllic past.

These days, such letters are viewed as an opportunity to help the less fortunate. In many cities across the U.S., the Postal Service mak
es available Santa letters to groups or individuals who want to fulfill the wishes enclosed within. It’s a small gesture, multiplied hundreds of thousands of times a year, that brings joy to both the giver and the recipient. What harm could come from that?

Oh, just teaching kids to beg, cheat, and lie—at least, that was the conventional wisdom of charity groups in the early 1900s. As such, the Post Office Department, now known as the U.S. Postal Service, found itself in the middle of a wild confrontation between a press and public that never failed to find delight in a note opening with “Dear Santy,” and groups that claimed Santa letters were the product of con artists in training.

“The Post Office Department does not believe in Santa Claus,” lamented the New York Times in a 1906 article about the government policy that undeliverable mail—including letters addressed to a certain chubby, sleigh-riding fellow—be sent to the dead letter office and destroyed. ... 

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/holidays/2014/12/letters_to_santa_why_charity_groups_fought_to_have_kid_s_letters_end_up.html

- See more at: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/#sthash.SpilgCOG.dpuf
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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack: December 8, 1922: Be Careful In Gathering Your Chr...

Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack: December 8, 1922: Be Careful In Gathering Your Chr...:

Be Careful In Gathering Your Christmas Greens Democratic Advocate, December 8, 1922. http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2011/12/de...

Be Careful In Gathering Your Christmas Greens

Democratic Advocate, December 8, 1922.



This is the season of the year when property owners, especially along the highways, should exercise the utmost vigilance in protecting their evergreens, holly, running pine, laurel and the like.

The gathering of Christmas greens became such a serious matter, because of vandalism practiced, that the Legislature of 1918 enacted a special law covering the subject.

This law makes it a misdemeanor, with a fine of $25.00 or 90 days imprisonment, or both, to remove, injure, or destroy any trees or shrubs, without the written consent of the owner, or except under his personal direction.

The State Board of Forestry is cooperating with land owners in the enforcement of this law, and will be glad to furnish, without charge, suitable posters for the protection of property to any who may desire them.

Democratic Advocate, December 8, 1922. 19221208

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