1984-11-28; Central Michigan Life

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City, county efforts
help needy families
not historically documented
byTOMWICKHAM
UFE Staff Writer
Christmas often is associated with joy and Riving, but
for some people it is a time
spent alone, praying for love
and food to fill an empty soul
and stomach.
But through a city- and county-wide consolidation of caring
people, the poor, homeless and
needy are being treated to
Christmas full of joy and
giving.
"What wc offer people is a
toy for every child in their
household that is school age
andiunder," Bill White, pastor
of Immanuel Lutheran Church,
320 S. Bradley, said. A food
basket and "all the used clothing they can carry" also will
beoffered toneedy families.
Called Christmas Outreach,
volunteers from local churches and numerous civic and
private organizations have
been working since September
to raise money for purchasing
toys and food, White said.
Last year about $11,000 was
spent on food and toys in Mount
Pleasant and Isabella County,
he said. A total of 1,684 people
in 445 homes were touched by
the holiday spirit.
White said he hopes Christmas Outreach can help up to
500 households this year. But
financing for the purchase of
toys and food for that many
households is lagging behind,
he added. About S12.000 is
needed.
However, monetary donations usually pick up around
the first part of December
when people are struck by the
spirit of giving. White said.
But finding money to buy the
food and toys for the households fails to cloud the significance of the Christmas Outreach effort, he said.
"We recognize that Christmas is a joyous, happy time but
for others it is a devastating
time," White said. "I don't
know if most of us know what
to do about the hunger situation. Poverty is bad anytime of
the year."
Distribution of the food, toys
and clothing will begin Dec. 18
and run through Dec. 21 from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wesley
Foundation, 1400 Washington,
White said.
Donations of clothing or toys
can be made at the Wesley
Foundation and monetary
donations can be made to the
Christmas Outreach effort at
any of the branches of the
Isabella Bank and Trust.
by JAMES GEMMELL
UFE Staff Writer
Most of our Christmas traditions trace their historical roots to
European customs, many of which have been Americanized
during the past 150 years.
A glimpse into various Christmas origins reveals many of our
traditions cannot be historically documented.
Such is the case with the Dec. 25 date wc set aside for celebrating the birth of Christ. In reality, there is no firm evidence to
suggest Jesus Christ was born in December, or for that matter,
even during the winter season.
"December has nothing to do with Biblical evidence of any
kind," Kendall Folkert, professor of religion, said.
"It is set there because it has symbolic value. From the winter
solstice (Dec. 21) onward, the days start to get longer. The
image was that Christmas would celebrate the coming of light
into the world," Folkert said.
The issue has long been one of debate, W.F. Dawson states in
his book, "Christmas and Its Associations."
"Whether the 25th of December, which is now observed as
Christmas Day, correctly fixes the period of the year when
Christ was born is still doubtful, although it is a question upon
which there has been much controversy," Folkert said.
The notion of "Santa Claus" has only evolved from European
traditionsduringthepast 150years, Folkert said.
"Principally, it is a North European folk figure. He's not
associated with Christmas in any way except recently. Because
America's such a melting pot, you get so many different immigrant traditions from different parts of Europe. You begin to get
the holiday practices all getting rolled up together into one
great cheeseball," Folkert said.
The person of Santa Claus resulted literally from Clement
Moore's short story, "The Night Before Christmas."
"Moore wrote this poem for his children in which he provided
the standard notion of the Santa Claus story, which caught on
very fast, and spread all over this country," he said.
"The first image we have of him comes from the New York
region, which is not surprising because there's always been a
strong Dutch influence in that area. The idea of Saint Nicholas
bringing gifts was especially a Dutch holiday," Folkert said.
Santa's legendary companion, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, is only about 45 years old, having been invented as a
Christian shopping promotion in Chicago, he said.
TheChristmas tree symbolized the return of life to the world.
"A custom in North Europe was to take something green,
namely evergreens, because they're the only things that stay
green all winter, and bring it into the house in anticipation of
spring," Folkert said.
The Christmas tree, however, has been ma inly a recent American tradition.
"The tree still is not a big deal in most European countries. It's
fundamentally a German custom.
"If you read Charles Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol,' (1880s)
you won't see any mention of a tree," Folkert said.
Gift-giving was originally associated with Jan. 6, Folkert said.
"The account of the Wise Men in the Bible (Matthew) does not
have them coming to the manger scene. So the church originally
did not celebrate the Wise Men coming on Christmas Eve. It was
on Jan. 6, which is 12 days after Christmas, and that's where the
song,'The 12 Daysof Christmas' came from." Folkert said.
♦See "Traditions" — page ISA
PB drops holiday programs
Program Board will not
sponsor any Christmas programs this year due to a lack of
funds and poor student interest
in the past.
"We've had the Nutcracker
and a Christmas Carol in the
past, but the attendance has
been low, PB chairwoman Ann
Higgins said.
Last year, attendance at a
Christmas Carol was 628 in a
1,300 seating capacity. The
Nutcracker, in 1982, attracted
826.
Higgins said the attendance
was too low to pay for the programs.
"These shows are expensive
and since we didn't get funding
from the Student Budget Review and Allocation Committee this year, we can't afford to
sponsor them," Higgins, Ohio
senior, said.
A Christmas show costs about four times as much as a lecture, Higgins said.
"We looked all summer for a
Christmas show but we
couldn't find a show to fit our
campus that was in our price
range," Higgins said.
Higgins said it is not advantageous for PB to invest its
funds in a show that does not
have great student interest.
Higgins said Program Board
will sponsor the Kinks concert
and a Coffeehouse program before Christmas vacation.
The Kinks will perform next
Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Rose
Arena. The concert is sponsored by Program Board and
WCHP.
Tommy Shaw will give a special guest appearance and tickets are available at Full Moon
Records, 1901 S. Mission, and
the Warriner Box Office. Ticket prices are S10 general
admission and $12 reserved
seating.
White Christmas dreams may come true
bySHERRYYAEK
UFE A*s'L News Editor
-. Dreaming and wishing probably will not increase the chances
ofa white Christmas, but the forecast — for those who like snow
—looks positive.
Based on history, chances are 80 percent in favor of Christmas day snow this year. Of the past 10 years, snow was a part of
Dec 25 activities during eight years. Michigan weather Consultant Bruce Pape said.
"It's hard to say at this point. All you can do is look at the past,"
Pape, instructor of geography, said.
'; The National Weather Service has predicted a winter with
slightly above-normal precipitation. An update from the NWS
should be issued about Friday, Pape said.
:  Winter temperatures in Mount Pleasant average about 30 or
31 degrees for the high and about 17 for the low, he added.
Based on history, chances are 80 percent in favor of Christmas day snow this
year.
—Bruce Pape,
Michigan Weather Consultant
During a typical year, the town has three inches of snow by
Dec. 14, Pape said.
"Right now the general trend seems to be in a typical pattern,
but the system hasn't settled down yet," Pape said.
Pape said during an early November interview Mount
Pleasant also can expect a colder than usual winter. At that time
healso predicted an inch of snow shortly after Thanksgiving.
Pape also has predicted an ice storm for Michigan. He said he
has no absolute proof supporting the prediction, but Mount
Pleasant is due for such a storm based on the fact it has not
experienced one during the past 20 years.
The Reader's Digest 1984 Almanac and Yearbook has reported, based on a research study of the relationship between
bad storms and phases of the moon, December's worst storms
will occur between the llthand 13th and the 23rd and 25th.
For November, the digest reported the worst storms to be
between the 11th and 13th — when Mount Pleasant experienced
its first snow — and between the 23rd and 25th.
Dec 25 last year, according to Physical Plant records, was
marked by about 5 inches of snow and temperatures between -4
an 7 degrees Fahrenheit.