DID YOU KNOW that Prince Albert is credited with
the establishing of the Christmas tree in England? In fact Queen
Charlotte, the wife of George III, had set up a tree in Windsor in the ~ 18th
century, but it was after 1841 when Prince Albert imported trees
from Coburg that the fashion
really caught on.
The Illustrated
London News of 1845 described the erection of a Christmas tree in Cripplegate, London:
A very pleasing
celebration of the season was given by the London Mission Society; at the Temperance Hall
in Milton Street, City ...As many as 400 children
assembled in the Hall, with their teachers and friends,. and; whoever saw their happy
little faces, and heard their shouts, needs not further proof of their enjoyment, which
was crowned especially by the exhibition of a German Christmas Tree or Tree of Love, which
was erected upon the stage of the Hall. This is the usual mode of celebrating the Eve of
the birth of Christ in Germany and on the
continent. In almost every family, is set up this pleasing figure, having the resemblance
of a growing tree, loaded with a profusion of fruits and flowers,. and; upon its branches,
the different members of the family suspend the little presents which they intend for
those they love the best; and on the exhibition of the tree, the presents are claimed by
the donors, and handed; with compliments, to their friends.
On Wednesday
evening, the children of the Mission hung a load
of oranges and other fruit on their Christmas tree, besides hundreds of other presents;
the whole being illuminated with a myriad of candles.
DID YOU
KNOW that the word Carol comes from the Old French 'Carole' which was a dance
with a song? Before the 14th century, carols were sung on any jolly occasion of feasting,
dancing or celebration. The great age for carol writing was from 1400-1650, when the
Puritans, who didn't approve of such things, banned them. The earliest printed collection
of carols appeared in 1521 and included the famous Boar's Head carol which is still sung
today.
Most of the
well-known carols sung today were written from 1700 onwards and were sung to old tunes,
borrowed tunes or new tunes. Some were written for a particular group of people as with 'O
little town of Bethlehem' which
was written by Bishop Phillips Brooks for his Sunday school in 1868.
'Once in royal
David's city' is a very
popular carol sung in most schools and churches at Christmas time. the words were written
by a lady called Cecil Frances Humphrey in 1848 but was married two years later to The
Right Reverend William Alexander, who was a Bishop in Ireland, and her name
appears underneath her hymns as Mrs C.F Alexander. It is said that she based the words of
that carol on the words of the Creed as written in the Book of Common Prayer. Mrs
Alexander died in 1895 aged 77, having written more than 400 hymns and poems, mostly for
children. You can find 6 in our church hymn book. Which Is your favourite carol? "
Here's a
Christmas prayer:-
O God our
Father, Help us to remember that Christmas is not just about having presents and eating
lots of food, but about the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that we will always
make room in our hearts for Him, for His sake. Amen
Happy Christmas !
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