Men's Social Network
MSN Weekly Entertainment NotesDecember 20, 2011
OUT 'n abOUT This Week
Greetings!

 

 


Trees of Christmas Past: A Brief History of Holiday Tree Traditions

Dr. Kim D. Coder - Professor, Silvics/Ecology

Warnell School of Forest Resources: Service and Outreach: Information Library, Warnell School of Forest Resources, The University of Georgia , December, 1997.

 

The farther we march into a technological, silicon-and-plastic future, the more important simple tradition become. Many family or cultural traditions help us maintain contact with our pasts and perspective for our future. Since the beginning, humans have been emotionally and economically tied with forests and trees. During holidays, trees play an important part in our social and private traditions.

A tree is part of many people's holiday season. Cutting your own tree, selecting one at the local lot, or bringing in a living tree are all part of modern family traditions. To many, the beginning of the holiday season is decorating a tree. The aroma, beauty, and special adventure of having a tree is sensed by all in the home.

Having a tree for the Christmas-time holidays is a relatively new tradition in America. Christmas trees have not always been associated with the winter holidays across the world. The roots (no pun intended) of tree use can be traced back before the birth of Jesus Christ to early Egyptians who would bring palms indoor as symbols of eternal life. Ancient Jewish religious feasts used decorations made of tree boughs.

In the Western world, most experts consider our use of trees during the winter holidays as derived from Rome. The Romans exchanged tree boughs with friends for luck. The Roman winter festival was celebrated by decorating the house with tree boughs and greenery. Trees were paraded around with candles and trinkets attached to the branches.

Many Christian traditions in the home were borrowed from older pagan celebrations. Pope Gregory I around 600 AD told churchmen to encourage harmless folk customs, like the use of greenery and trees, where Christian interpretations could be made. St. Boniface in the 700's encouraged pagan nature worshipers to stay out of the dark forest and take a tree indoors to worship in the light and warmth of the one true God.

Many folk legends have grown around the Christmas tree. Christ's blessing and gift to mankind in the form of a decorated tree remains the central theme of most. Across Europe, people used tree-based folk tales to teach children about the celebration of Christ's birth. The evergreen tree's symbolism of eternal life was strong.

Martin Luther may have begun the Christmas tree tradition in Germany around 1500 AD. It was said that he was walking on a bright snow-covered, star-lit night pondering the birth of Christ. He was enthralled by the evergreen trees, the stars and the landscape. He took a tree inside and put candles on it to try and represent the majesty he felt about Christ's birth.

By the early 1600's many German towns were celebrating Christmas with elaborately decorated trees. Decorations first used were paper flowers, fruits, nuts, gold foil, cakes, small gifts, and candies. German mercenaries used by the British in the Revolutionary War were responsible for bringing the Christmas tree tradition to the United States. Old Puritan doctrine banned a celebration at Christmas. Holiday festivities around a decorated tree took a while to become established in America.

In the 1840's the use of Christmas trees across the Christian world exploded. From the royal family in England to the elite of America, Christmas trees were fashionable. In 1851 the first retail tree lot was set-up on a sidewalk in New York City and sold-out quickly. At the same time, some church congregations had concerns about bringing trees into their religious traditions. An Ohio paster set-up a tree in church in 1851 and was told by congregation members that it was a pagan symbol with no place in Christianity. Despite these concerns, the pastor continued with the Christmas tree tradition. This tradition became ever more popular.

The White House led the way to trees for the holidays. The first American President to show-off his White House tree was Franklin Pierce. Benjamin Harrison declared his White House tree to be part of an old-fashioned American tradition in 1889. By the 1880's the Christmas tree market was large. In the following decades large numbers of wild trees were harvested from the native forests. Theodore Roosevelt decided for the sake of forest conservation that the White House would not have a tree. His two sons snuck a small tree into their room and were caught, to the embarrassment of their father.

On this continent a tree used as decoration for the winter holidays began simply. In the 1800's many referred to the decorated trees as "German toys". Now the Christmas tree tradition has multi-generational and cultural identity. The sense of identifying holiday trees with family and friends is socially important.

Many people believe this tree tradition has always been with us in the United States. Take a moment to truly look at your tree this year and see the history. For most people, holiday trees represent psychological comfort across time and a changing world. Forests and trees continue to wind their way into all things human -- new or traditional.

 

Merry Christmas Bouncing Ribbon 

 

Christmas Dinner



Thanksgiving table
COME ONE AND ALL
 
CHRISTMAS DINNER & GATHERING

Far Horizons E Clubhouse
7570 E Speedway
5-9:30P
 
There's no reason to spend Christmas alone!  
Pack a side dish and join MSN for our annual Christmas celebration.
 
We will have turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, and dessert.  We need more desserts, drinks, and side dishes.
 
Come for a good meal and good companionship!
 
Please RSVP--
Davis  325-4754


Looking Ahead

Tucson Mus of Art

FREE PASSES TO TMA

 

Join the MSN guys at lunch on Juanuary 4 at Caf� A La C'arte.   

We will have a drawing for two free admission passes to the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA).    

Then we will go to meet our docent in the museum lobby for a tour of WHO SHOT ROCK AND ROLL.

 

Here is a link to the exhibit site: http://www.tucsonmuseumofart.org/exhibitions/who-shot-rock-roll-a-photographic .  Larry and I have been to the exhibit twice, so far.  It is not just an historical look at rock and roll, but is an exhibit of very good photographic art.  So you can see it on more than one level. 

 

Give me a call @ 505-6560, 576-4273, or email @ [email protected].  This way I can let Caf� A La C'Arte know how many to expect for lunch.


Have a great day!
Joseph Keller
Events of the Coming Week

Dec 21Wed
Fellowship
CRAVE Coffee Bar, 4530 E. Broadway
7:00pm - 9:00pm The BOTOP (Bears of The Old Pueblo) invite us to join them for a cup of coffee or tea.
BOTOP Coffee Night, CRAVE Coffee Bar
Entertainment
Far Horizens East Club House, 7570 E. Speedway
7:00pm - 9:00pm MSN Movie Night "Babes in Toyland" (1961) Davis 325-4754
Please call to attend. Davis 325-4754 [email protected]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babes_in_Toyland_(1961_film)
www.imdb.com/title/tt0054649/

"'Babes in Toyland' is a 1961 Christmas musical film in Technicolor. It stars Ray Bolger as Barnaby, Annette Funicello as Mary Contrary, Tommy Sands as Tom Piper, and Ed Wynn as the Toymaker.
The film was based upon Victor Herbert's popular 1903 operetta 'Babes in Toyland.' There had been a well-remembered film version of the operetta in 1934 with Laurel and Hardy, and three television adaptations prior to the Disney film, but Disney's was only the second film version of the operetta released to movie theaters and the first in Technicolor. However, the plot, and in some cases, the music, bear little resemblance to the 1903 show."

While this hasn't aged terribly well, I have always had a soft spot for this film. I loved it when it came out and considered it the then-modern equivalent of "The Wizard of Oz."

While it clearly doesn't live up to the hype, it is a pleasant family film, now seldom shown, and a fun Christmas movie. Come and share my nostalgia.
Dec 22Thu
Sports Activity
Golden Pin Lanes at 1010 W. Miracle Mile
1:00pm - 3:00pm Bowling - contact Merle Hudson @ 888-7264 for more info.
Join The Prime Timers group and have some bowling fun. It all begins at 1PM on Thursdays, it costs $5.00 for 3 games and ball, shoes are extra. Contact Merle for more information @ 888-7264.
Fellowship
7:00pm - 9:00pm No Triangle Tribe Meeting this week.
Meetings will resume next week on the 29th.
Dec 24Sat
New Moon
 
Card Game
Location: Depends on who is hosting -- call host for the day you are interested in playing.
7:00pm - 9:00pm Pinochle
NO PINOCHLE ON FIRST SATURDAY OF MONTH. Then on Second Saturday Contact Jim @ 408-0908; Third Saturday Contact Steve @ 664-2076; Fourth Saturday Contact Marvin @ 745-0304; Fifth Saturday (if there is one!) Contact David 883-7668
Dec 25 [53]Sun
Christmas Day
 
Entertainment
12:00am - 12:00pm Merry Christmas -- One and All
Everyone have a Safe and Merry Christmas
Dinner
Far Horizens East Club House, 7570 E. Speedway
5:00pm - 9:00pm MSN Annual Christmas Celebration Davis 325-4754
Please call to attend. Davis 325-4754 [email protected]

Need a place to go for Christmas? Come join your MSN friends for dinner, music, and conversation. We will have turkey and all the fixings--please contact Davis to see what to bring. This is a great way to spend the evening of Christmas Day so come and enjoy
Dec 26Mon
Sports Activity
Golden Pin Lanes, 1010 W. Miracle Mile
9:30am - 11:30am BOWLING - contact Merle Hudson @ 888-7264
Bowl with our friends, The Prime Timers. Merle can give you all the information you need.

The Monday match starts at 9:30AM, cost is $5.00, this includes 3 games, shoes, ball and a ticket for a free soft drink. You can't beat this deal!!
Dec 28Wed
Fellowship
CRAVE Coffee Bar, 4530 E. Broadway
7:00pm - 9:00pm The BOTOP (Bears of The Old Pueblo) invite us to join them for a cup of coffee or tea.


 

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In This Issue
Christmas Dinner
Looking Ahead - January
Events of the Coming Week
Other Holiday Stuff - -
Lloyds Jokes (& Greetings)
Other Holiday Stuff - -






Lloyds Jokes  & Greetings   - -

HUMOR

-
- Idle Thoughts of a Retiree's Wandering Mind  (December 19th, 2007)

I planted some bird seed.  A bird came up.  Now I don't know what to feed it.
~~~
I had amnesia once -- or twice.
~~~
I went to San Francisco.  I found someone's heart. Now what?
~~~
Protons have mass?  I didn't even know they were Catholic.
~~~
All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
~~~
If the world were a logical place, men would be the ones who ride horses sidesaddle.
~~~
What is a "free" gift?  Aren't all gifts free?
~~~
They told me I was gullible and I believed them.
~~~
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up,
he'll never be able to merge his car onto the freeway.
~~~
Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
~~~
One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
~~~
My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies.
~~~
I used to be indecisive.  Now I'm not sure.
~~~
The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
~~~
How can there be self-help "groups"?
~~~
If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
~~~
Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off.
~~~
Is it me -- or do buffalo wings taste like chicken?
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

 (December 19th 2007) 

I want to wish you a very happy Holiday Season and the best new year in 2008. 

This is the first year I have not sent out any cards - but circumstances conspired against it.  The end of November I had surgery on my right eye - to replace the vitreous fluid with a clear saline solution.  It was highly successful but it is taking longer to clear up than I had anticipated. 

Happily, I can make out the computer keyboard but "ordinary" reading and writing are still quite difficult.  It's improving a bit every day - and is going to be wonderful when it is fully clear.  I'm looking forward to having the other eye done as soon as possible.

 

The other issue has been my brother Bill, up in the Phoenix area.  He has been in and out of the hospital (to rehab and assisted living - briefly) since September 28th.  His original admission was for an aneurysm.  He's back in the hospital at the moment having had a lung biopsy yesterday - they managed to collapse his lung, so he's most likely going to be there a couple of more days.  Then, hopefully, he'll be going home, where he will be receiving hospice care.

 

It's been a difficult time for him and for the family, but our spirits are pretty good - all things considered.  You'll get this year's card next year!

 

So...............HAPPY HOLIDAYS and let's have a great 2008 !!

 

with love,  Lloyd

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(December 24th, 2007)
TIPS TO ENJOY CHRISTMAS:

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly! You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an "eggnog-aholic" or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas.

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand-alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello???

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat -- have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all costs. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips.
Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "YOO-HOO what a ride!"

HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! !


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