OH, Suzanna! Folklore and Fairy Tales

*****This post is for adults only- there is no x-rated content. It is just time we adults sat down and had a chat about something very important for a bit. *****

I promised myself that this would be a Sandy Hook Elementary -free zone. I thought we all needed to have a safe place to go to not have to think about that awful day almost a week ago and begin the process of healing by dreaming of different things to think and talk about.

I am breaking my promise.

Today marks the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Grimm Brother's Fairy Tales Collection.

Don't worry I am not up to my usual flippant act of comically connecting two seemingly different subjects.
First of all let me list the subjects I will connect here:

1. The Whitewater Valley area of Indiana
2. Fairy Tales/Brothers Grimm
3.Unspeakable Tragedy / Sandy Hook Elementary
4. The importance of Writing, Communication, and Human Contact
5. Innocence/Knowledge/ Wisdom

I really do think this is an important post for everyone to understand. My love of history, tales, writing, and loving life just seemed to have no point in these last few days.

Until I flipped on the laptop and on my Google search engine page was this funny little graphic with Little Red Riding Hood. Usually I don't mess with these annoying grabbers that Google tries to suck me in to with their marketing of articles and products, but I could not resist Little Red Riding Hood today. And there in lies the point.
After all, if it is something I don't want to look at I can just "x" out of it right?! Harmless....

Little Red Riding Hood thought that her actions were harmless too....

http://www.usm.edu/media/english/fairytales/lrrh/lrrhji.htm

The Brothers Grimm wanted so very passionately to convey to ALL, not just children, the importance of heeding good advice, or wisdom. Using wise knowledge to maintain your innocence. Or how to get through a tragedy - if that is even possible. They wanted to convey that there were horrible evil things out there that just do not seem to be that harmful....but we must listen to the older, wiser ones to have the knowledge that will bring US wisdom about life. They wanted to do this in a manner that would best fit the ones who needed it. Somehow, they knew we would ALL need it. And we would need it in a bound safe little collection of stories.

So how does the Whitewater Valley come into this?

Well, as has been said many times before the middle part of the U.S. was settled predominately by Scottish, Irish, and German immigrants and pioneers. Many have said that Indiana so very much resembled the Black Forest of Germany. The blackening canopy of trees that extended beyond its borders was home to many resources and unseen fears to those trying to make a nation out of its dark, often cold and damp, recesses. These were qualities that the Germans, Irish and Scots knew all to well. They knew how to live with it, they knew how to use it to their advantage and make it a paradise. My family are descended from these first white settlers. Many others who live here have that in common. Along with their genes we inherited their stories and bit by fading bit their attitudes.

Growing up on a heavily wooded farm in Fayette County Indiana in the 1960's and 1970's I thought my surroundings very much resembled those of Snow White and Rose Red's, or a hundred other backgrounds to stories I was read as a small child. I identified with the characters and so I could identify with their plights.

The key here is: those characters, those plights could be stopped in an instant! All I needed to do was slam the cover of the book shut! Breathlessly I could take what had been on those pages and inhaled into my senses, my mind's eye, and try to assimilate it into what I already knew. AT MY OWN PACE.
Questions about good and evil, safe and harm, poor and rich, plenty and want, reality and lie, beauty and ugliness- these were all addressed here. The original versions of these stories were often what we would call violent and horrific. When they were collected and rewritten by the Brothers Grimm they were more close to the truth of how life's stark realities were then. (Of COURSE there were not any talking animals and dwarfs that dug in gold mines and took in lost beautiful waifs unmolested - of COURSE there were no Fairy godmothers who turned pumpkins into carriages and mice into footmen!)Then Walt Disney Studios and Pixar came along....watered down and bastardized versions of the originals muddied the lessons the Brothers Grimm were hoping to convey.

Especially Walt Disney Studios, and of course the hundreds of other production companies and publishing houses, came after WWII. NO ONE wanted to relive the atrocities the Nazis brought forth. Every one in the world had had enough of the depression, starvation, war, horrific cruelties, and even sub-animalistic tendencies - everyone had thought they had learned their lessons and it was time to go on.

The Brothers Grimm were at just such a time in their history when they decided it was NOT time to move on and forget those warnings. They were good warnings, they were good lessons. Sometimes things happen in life by no fault of our own, sometimes no amount of warning and lessons can divert disaster from visiting us. BUT we can learn how to carry on. We can learn how we continue to act human, how to hold on to decency, how to hold on to love, how to hold onto hope.

People, there is definitely a difference between seeing something with your own eyes-experiencing it in your mind to the point of it imprinting there before you give it permission to, and reading and learning about something. There is a finesse to allowing this information- this concept cooked up by another human mind - to be accepted and processed as truth or lie. Then the truth or lie must be positioned somewhere in our minds. We have to judge it and decide is it worthy of note. Is it just complete rubbish and needs to be discarded and forgotten (but do we REALLY ever forget anything?) Our minds learn as we get older how to do this processing faster and faster based on previous examples. This becomes a part of our mindset, part of our biased thinking. Most of this learned biased thinking is beneficial - example: wolves will probably eat you given the chance. Some of it is very destructive socially- example: Step mothers will probably lead you out to the woods and leave you for dead given the chance. BUT, if a person has the time and chance to weigh this information against concrete examples they KNOW to be true - much of this socially destructive biased thinking can be undone, or at least modified.
So, seeing and the mind experiencing an event is much more likely to sink into our minds faster than the event or information that is presented for thought and introspection at our own pace.

In a few studies I have read over the years it has been said that the Grimms helped shape German imagination, communication of those ideas, and language. History has shown that the German people have  been creative and imaginative as a whole. Before WWII it was said that Germanic cultures had a high sense of right and wrong. There was a rigidity to it as time wore on, some said. Now we refer to the German Guilt. This sense of right and wrong holds them to a commitment to be better, to never let the big IT happen again. The dark stories of the Brothers Grimm seem to land on the lap of German blame. Those stories were collected because they were world wide archetypes- a theme of passage from innocence to experience.They were not meant to showcase "just how dark the Germans are." I have seen and heard from Germans many times over: there is this stifling of new ideas and dreams in the suspicions that they could produce another homicidal Pied Piper ready to soothe the ills of those willing to follow along.

I believe this is an another tragedy. I believe there are a great many works that have gone undone because of the grief and fear and blame that has been held so tightly by a people that also carry a self shame.

We need to be careful what we allow in our minds' eyes, what we allow in our conversations, what we allow in our hearts. Not to be like the self condemned Germans, but to protect our sense of love, innocence, hope and perseverance. Take the time to process and filter what is being said, what is being heard, what is being seen in the media. I am NOT making a call for censorship, or regulations or anything like that. I am making a call to beg everyone to use their minds, use their wisdom they have, use their sense of love and carefully and lovingly consider what you teach and carry on to the next person you see today, and the next day. Do not let these things we have seen and heard make us fearful and reactionary beyond what is reasonable.

This time before Christmas I ask that you slow down, unplug, take a deep breath, clear your mind and focus on what and who are most important to you. Choose to see, do, think, and speak intentionally.

It is perfectly fine to cry for the children, the adults, and their families at Sandy Hook Elementary School. For them, the Big Bad Wolf was real and he devoured them. We did not get to be the Wood Cutter that rescued them, because this is not a fairy tale, this is real life. It is OK to not know what to do or how to move forward. Grief and Mourning is this phase of life, the next one will be healing.

 -Suzanna

Cancelling Cambridge City Caroling

Due to my recent illness I am forced to cancel the Caroling events for Cambridge City. 

This saddens me a great deal as I believe that we all need this more now than ever. 

If any of you would like to gather in your own communities to carol this season please do. 

Our communities need the out pouring of warmth and hope that caroling brings more than any other activity. 

-Suzanna-

OH, Suzanna! Apprenticeships in Colonial America

I have continued to think about apprenticeships from the colonial times these past few days. I have always considered education and skilled trades to be an important part of the fabric of any society. How does one obtain this education? It has not always been the norm to go to a community school or trades school and pay for instruction in these areas.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12045/12045-h/12045-h.htm

The idea of Apprenticeships have been around for a long time. At first they were only restricted by the contract agreed upon. Then as society began to change, and the value of a childhood spent with families was recognized, and also economies improved, child labor laws began to be more of the norm. With these new concepts of child labor laws becoming a restriction, the definition of what an apprentice was changed gradually.

Most of you have probably at least heard of the tale of Oliver Swift. From accounts that I have read in old court documents and poor house ledgers little Oliver's trials and hard luck life was one that many children throughout the ages have endured. His good fortune, I am sorry to say, was more of the myth. Many times a poor child's only hope was to be apprenticed to someone, or a company, that would HOPEFULLY not be cruel. Perhaps that child would have the fortune to be clever and learn a skill, thereby enabling them to prove their worth in an over burdened society. I believe that is why so many were apprenticed or just made their way to the new Americas. There was a continual shortage of labor and ANYONE that had a basic level of skill was an asset to the local community or the company that employed them.

I have also began to compare my employment experiences in my younger years to that of more recent times. I observe what goes on in the work places I frequent on a day to day basis. Something I am witnessing is a\the lack of training before a new employee is set loose on the public, or the plant floor. They call it on the job training. I call it not respecting the craft. When I first entered food service and then later retail as a teen and twenty-something never was I sent out to face the customer with out at least 2-3 days of training with a manager or trainer. In some of the department stores I worked for there was a separate training room/s with mock sales floor and products. We studied at least 2 weeks with a trainer. An employee was given 3 chances at a 2 week training course before they were let go - either on the sales floor, or to find other employment. During that time we were trained on the mundane, as well as the insane, possibilities that could occur on the sales floor. We were trained how to handle difficult situations with customers so that the very most care was taken to be a professional, present yourself as such, and present a good face for the company. We were trained on all possible equipment that we would encounter with in that particular store also. It was not satisfactory to face a customer and say "I don't know how to do that." You were expected to already know. I blame the business community for allowing the standards for employment to drop. It should be alright to expect your employees to know how to do their jobs, but training should be provided. I do not mean just an orientation into the policies and procedures that a company has to follow either.

I now see that I took to these practices so readily because I believed in the training systems of older times. One should be an apprentice for a period of time. Then when they are able to conduct business or a craft efficiently and effectively they can be set out on their own to be a journeyman. That term comes roughly from the French for day - journee. A man to be paid by the day. A journeyman could not train or have apprentices, and he could not have his own shop. He was considered skilled but lacked the experience that was called for to be a master craftsman. A master could open his own shop, have apprentices and employees. As one can see to become a master at your craft was the coveted role. More money, freedom  and prestige within the community.

http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/EuropeafterRome/LifeinMedievalEuropeLesson.html

OH, Suzanna! Apprenticeships

As often happens to me in a library I went to the inner sanctum of the Indiana Room recently looking for two particular things and not finding them, stumbled across something else quite interesting to say the least.

Child Apprentices in America was a book that just seemed to jump off the shelf at me. It was not anything like what I was searching for, but after exhausting the shelves of anything that resembled my original research I gave into the bibliophile in me to sit down in the big comfy leather chair and have a read.

Now, anyone that has spent any amount of face time with me knows that I would champion a system of apprenticeships here in this country and in this era. I am all for a more vocational approach to education beyond 6th grade, within reason. So, thinking this would be entertaining at least to read, I began.

Upon finishing the introduction and some of the background information on Christ's Hospital I learned it was Greyfriar's (One of my favorite stories is that of Greyfriar's Bobby - not related to this story except that the Franciscan Monks were called Greyfriars because of the grey robes they wore..... )

Now, in medieval times "hospital" meant a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm, or young. Christ's Hospital was founded in 1553. You can read more about it in the links above.

What strikes me as heinous is the tradition to present the apprenticeship system that started with Christ's Hospital and involved the Virginia Company most often as one that trained and cared for these poor waifs. We have been told all through out our history classes that apprentices "took articles" and accepted apprenticeships for training and a better life AFTER they had reached a certain age and mastered some basic skills- most likely about the age of 14 - we have been led to believe. 

Although this book, Child Apprentices in America, is NOT a primary source, there is evidence of vast amounts of documentation and research into ship records and that of the articles of apprenticeship that leads me to believe that the book is pretty darn accurate. I will do more research on this matter I can assure you.

The indexing that this book offers is a sad one. I read abstract after abstract of articles of apprenticeship for children ages 4, 5, 6 and some older. Some of these children were orphaned, while others' parents just could not afford to keep them any longer and conscripted their very young child to work upon one of the hundreds of ships that ran the merchant routes between the old world and that of the new. Many a shop keeper in the new America sent back to London for a young child to become an "apprentice" in their shop. 

A child of 4 years old could not possibly have mastered any skill except going to the potty without help.

I saw listings of children ages 5 or 6 being sent off in the hands of a ship's captain in the employ of the Virginia Company to Barbados, Jamaica, Bermuda, and many other islands to be dock hands. There were hundreds of other snippets of stories to be gleaned from the abstracts found in this indexing. 

Honestly it was too much for me to bear. As I helped my six year old daughter with her first grade math tonight and looked into her sweet innocent eyes, I thanked God that I have never had to face that situation in mine or my children's lives. I left the room for a few minutes so I would not cry in front of my daughter at the thought of ever having this happen to her, or my son. 

I look at our idea of what poor is, or our idea of a hard life in the year 2012 in the United States. And then I imagine what life had to be like in order to think that sending my tender child off to work in such horrible conditions with a complete stranger and no expectation to EVER see them again would be an improvement over the situation they were in?

The book tries to honor these children that quite possibly shared the load on their backs to bring our country from a colony to a growing democracy with relatively free markets in the 1800's. I would like to believe that these children were able to work through the average 7 year term of articles and then go on to have a better life....but I know better. I wonder how many even LIVED through their apprenticeships, or the passage across the Atlantic. Think, there was no one really to answer to on the part of the company or the one requesting an apprentice. Abuse, ill care, and starvation were a common situation world wide for children. How could it be any better for an apprenticed child?

There were two other avenues for a child to go also...

St Thomas' Hospital (an actual medical hospital and housing facility)- for those impoverished by disease or accident and they were cared for. St Thomas' hospital has basically been known as a research hospital from the beginning.

The Bridewell Institution - for those reduced to want by their own idleness or vice where they were restrained, corrected and put to useful work. (How can a young child be reduced to want by their own idleness or vice? Restrained and corrected as a treatment?)

Again, I am brought back to a re-occurring issue: How are we taught HISTORY? How are we taught so called facts?

I knew before this book that there was ill treatment. That is a common theme throughout history. I just had never seen documentation of the AGES of these children before. I had always glossed over the obviousness of this fact. OF COURSE the apprentices were of such young ages. Few older children that were impoverished lived without crossing the law and lived a very rough life. A younger child would be preferred to that of an older child that would not be as easily manipulated - or discarded. A few older children were apprenticed to lawyers, surgeon-barbers, land acquisition offices and the like, but most of what I saw were ship hands bound for the East Indies, New England, or the Caribbean.  

Just as when I walk through an older cemetery and see row upon row of children's graves it moves me very deeply to know that children's lives were so very HARD. And of course there are millions right now that do not have what we take for granted. 

Again, History makes me take a long hard look at my present situation in a new light. Again, History has taught me something new about myself.

-Suzanna

OH, Suzanna! Whoa is me!

After a recent bout with pleurisy I thought about why it took so long for me to go to the doctor when I first started feeling poorly.

Was it because I am generally stubborn and think I can take care of everything? Probably.

Was it because I have an inbred suspicion of doctors and all modern medicine that was genetically passed down from my ancestors? Maybe.....

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I LOATHE laziness. Somewhere along the line I equated napping, or resting with laziness. My entire family are poster children for ADD. We are kind of proud of it actually. We had the benefits of strong parents that just constantly told us to sit down, shut up, and act right! No, actually we had parents that expected children to be active, energetic and a bunch of pains in the rear for busy adults. We were told to find something to do with ourselves or Mom would find work for us to do. That was not hard on a 65 acre farm!

Our play mimicked the work we saw all around us going on. As we grew older work was more and more esteemed and applauded, necessary and then later PAID! We all wanted to be applauded, we all wanted to be PAID! So any way, I grew up valuing work. Not all work looked the same, but if it was productive it became my definition of work.

But really, is that why I waited to go to the doctor for so long?

My Grannie Katie once told me when I was a young girl that I was a born mountain woman, never mind that I was only born in the hills and hollers of Indiana, she said. "You are definitely a mountain woman." At the time I did NOT take that as a compliment. For most of my 44 years I have tried to shy away from my Appalachian roots. In the last 10 years or so I have slowly seen the wisdom of being who you were meant to be though. Part of that for me is that of "mountain woman."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nursingpins/4697852283/

I now know that Grannie Katie meant I had the heart and ideas that would steer me through an old fashioned mountain woman's life. One of those not so endearing qualities is self reliance. We mountain woman types can begin to think that the whole family's welfare rests on our shoulders. That if we don't do it NO ONE is gonna do it! That we have to sacrifice unnecessarily for the benefit of the rest of the family.

Well, this mountain woman was very happy to have the E.R., antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs when I needed them!

I began to wonder this week how the Indiana pioneers handled illness and what their attitudes toward doctoring was like. I had a pretty good idea from an earlier project researching the life of Dr.Charles Smullen of Fairview, Fayette County, and then later Raleigh, Rush County, Indiana. I lived in his house for a few years. His life and that of his two wives were so intriguing that I researched them. I found a great deal of similarities between us too, and wanted to know more.

The medical profession was sort of hit or miss for a great deal of time here in Indiana - and any new areas being settled. A bit of information from the Conner Prairie website will give you a more in-depth idea of what was going on here in Indiana at the time of settlement. Basically, though, lack of sanitation and sanitary procedures, the isolation from growing knowledge of the medical profession, and the lack of many truly qualified doctors, all made the medical profession very suspicious and there fore not trusted.

These settlers had made it through wilderness and Indians, horrible weather and beasts, deprivation and isolation - so what about a few ailments? They could muddle through and tough it out! Or so many thought, and so I thought.

I have finally conceded that I am not 19 years old any more and I cannot go for 30 hours a day like I used to. Now that I have given myself that gift I am enjoying naps for the first time in my life. I do still wake with a bit of guilt that I should have been up doing housework, or writing, or.... but it does not linger too long. It knows when it's not welcome. I am convalescing....hahaha!

http://www.gothicgourds.com/fascinators/woman-on-fainting-couch-reading/

Connersville Bicentennial HQ

Tonight I went down to Connersville’s Bicentennial Headquarters and picked up our pictures taken with Santa at Knecht's Interiors during the Winterfest celebration November 17^th.  While I was there I got the chance to snap a few pics of the main entrance and some of the volunteers working this evening. Bicentennial Books can be purchased at the Headquarters ( 416 N Central Ave Connersville IN 47331 )  11a.m.-1p.m. and 4-7p.m. on Friday, 4-7p.m. Saturday, and 12-4p.m. Sunday this weekend (Dec 1-3) and next weekend (Dec 8-10). Also, I was told the coverlets and ornaments commemorating the bicentennial year will be coming in this week and will be available Dec 8 -10 and any other days the HQ will be open. Books, coverlets, and ornaments....OH MY! What a great set to present your loved ones with for Christmas. 

Be sure to at least stop by and give your moral support to the volunteers that give their time to all of us in this endeavor.

If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer, or would like to attend planning meetings, please visit the link above and the Bicentennial website will point you to the right contacts for any of your questions. This really is a great time for individuals or organizations to get in on the act of making our area a bit more noticeable to outsiders - and to ourselves! The entire Whitewater Valley Canal area has a shared history in which individual stops on the way cannot be extracted from the whole. Just because you may not be from the Connersville area do not think that your community was not important to the development here. It is funny how history connects us in the present day.

-Suzanna

Christmas Lights

Tonight we were able to visit CreitzPark in Cambridge City to view the annual Celebration of Lights in the park. For $5 per car load you can view the light displays throughout both sides of the park as well as visit a newer feature: The Western Wayne Railroaders hobby train display. Some members of the Richmond Area Railroad Society who happen to live in the Western Wayne County area agreed to participate in the Creitz Park festivities this year as an added attraction. Please come to Cambridge City and check out the displays at the park and visit the folks at the Western Wayne Railroaders temporary site in the park. So many volunteers put their time an heart into making our areas better all year long - why not show them our support and visit the events they provide for us for little or no money? Each year we support efforts in our communities the better they become the following years.

Here are some scenes from our visit:

Western Wayne Railroaders

Some residents near the park getting in the spirit

A few of the many displays at the park

One of the things I will attempt to do this Christmas season is to snap some pictures of the displays we see when we are out and about. If you know of some fun displays that need to be seen please comment here, or email me at: historygal68@gmail.com. I will try my best to post them on here. 

- Suzanna

OH, Suzanna! Yum Yum Chewin Gum!

I just could not resist the urge to post my latest find at Rural King in New Castle this evening:

I did indeed share this with my daughter, however... "EEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!" was the response and I don't think I will have to share again!

Poor ole Black Jack. Same hard waxy consistency as it always was but, only half the flavor and not even a trace of the black color left on your teeth, tongue, gums and lips! Black licorice is not one of my favorite of flavors, but Black Jack was always a solid hitter when you wanted a reliable gum. Funny thing about this childhood chew - it always makes my teeth feel cleaner (even with the pesky oral blackening side effect of long ago) and settles my stomach. 

By the way .... this innocent little 5 - pack of gum was 95 cents tonight. A far cry from that quarter dad threw out across the counter at Nulltown Store some forty odd years ago.

With that, I will leave you while I go off chewin' chewin' gum.

-Suzanna 

Oh, Chewin Gum!

After the Thanksgiving break I had to do another post about my memories of Nulltown. Actually, it's got to do with something that happened to me regularly at Nulltown Store.

 Anyone that knew me when I was a small girl knows that I LOVED chewing gum, I still do, but my daughter likes it more and always chews it up before I get a piece now!

Money was always tight but my dad always seemed to be able to squeeze out enough change for a pack of gum. One of my favorite past times was to chew gum and sit on dad's knee while he sang one of his southern ditties for me. My most favorite was his southern version of "Yankee Doodle" - oh that just made me laugh to no end!

One song for most of my childhood I thought my dad made up just for me was "Chewin Chewin Gum." It wasn't until years later that I was grown and perusing YouTube that I found the truth! Dad never claimed to author this song, I just could not believe that that song was written for anyone else but me! This version of Chewin Chewin Gum is performed by someone with ties to Fayette County, Indiana. David Akeman (AKA String Bean) was from Jackson County Kentucky.

Now, those of you not from this area will need just a short history lesson:

After WWII so many people from Jackson County Kentucky started migrating to East Central Indiana to take advantage of the then abundant factory jobs. The depression and hard times went on for many years in the hills of Kentucky - long after better times came around for other areas. Many workers would come up for a period of time and save as much money as they could and "go back home" to Kentucky to fund a better life. But there were just as many that stayed and made that better life here. Their attachments "back home", as everyone came to know Kentucky, were not any less strong than the others'. The new Indiana settlers saw a country side that at times reminded them of "back home" and at times was the farthest thing from the hard times they had known "back home."

String Bean had many friends that had come here to settle into the new factory life. He, and others, were known to come visit and stay for a while from time to time. To my knowledge this was a very quiet thing, and was not a business trip at all, just some visitin', as was done in their culture. I do not recall if I ever got to meet String Bean as I was just 4 or 5 years old at the time of his death.

I owe a lot to these people from Kentucky. They embodied showmanship, resourcefulness, hard work, and love for home and family. They also added color to my accent! We here in Fayette County are known (almost) the world over for having quite a different American English dialect! I wonder why the Discovery Channel and PBS never visit us when researching that?!

Any way, my dad always liked to make fun of my love for chewing gum when he would toss a pack of Teaberry, Rainbow Stripe, Juicy Fruit, or Big Red across the front seat of his old truck to me. I loved to wait in the truck outside the Nulltown Store at times when he would just make a quick stop for a soda pop and some gum. I had this secret desire to be there when (in my mind at least) the inevitable would happen and some one would collide at the corner of the store where the road was so narrow!

And... this was the song he almost always sang to me as I chewed and chewed my chewin' gum!

I think I'm gonna go fine me a piece of gum, and a rockin chir, and  a stick  fer whittlin', a whet stone, and my lil pocket knife while I listen fer a bit on 'iss....

-Suzanna

OH, Suzanna! Nulltown, Fayette County, Indiana

An exciting thing has happened in Connersville just recently and hardly anyone even knows it yet. The Bicentennial Book, as locals refer to it, has been published and delivered! Officially it is: “A Family and Community History of Connersville and Fayette County, Indiana – The Commemoration of Connersville’s Bicentennial Celebration 2013.” See why we are just calling it “The Bicentennial Book?” Or even “The Book.”

Yes, I know…..ANOTHER history book about a town that is past its prime and struggling. EVERY town in the U.S. is past its prime and struggling right now, no matter how large or small, west coast, east coast, plains or mountains. But you are wrong! This is not just another history book written and published by a professional historian and publishing company trying to push millions of copies…. This is a book that was written by the town, and county residents. “Whatever you want your story to tell” was basically the guidelines for submissions. Of course there were some small restrictions. I have yet to read about any 200 year feuds going on in the hills or hollers along the ole Whitewater River in its pages. They may be there, I’m just saying that I have yet to read them...

A post I had written here on OH, Suzanna was speaking of Nulltown and Nulltown store. I was pleased to see a section in “The Book” devoted totally to Nulltown Store! I had not known it was in the book as I had not been in on any of the compilation of this undertaking. In “The Book” it mentions that what I know of as the Nulltown Store building was the old Grange Building. The original Nulltown store had been housed in the Jacob and Dora Faikert residence on the west side of the road. After their parents’ passing, the Faikert Bros. (John and Jacob) took the business over and bought the Grange building on the east side of the road and moved the store in there.

How had I missed this tid bit of information all my life?!

Very few people I have encountered in my travels even know what the Grange, or The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, was or is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gift_for_the_grangers_ppmsca02956u.jpg

 "In necessary things unity; in uncertain things freedom; in everything compassion." This is the motto of the Grange.

After the Civil War Andrew Jackson sent Oliver Kelly to the southern states on a fact finding mission to discover the conditions of southern agriculture. Of course, the southerners were very suspicious of any Yankee treading foot in their neck of the woods, to say the least. Kelly found that it was easier to get cooperation once they found out he was a Mason. (Masons were a group of skilled tradesmen cooperating to uphold their skills in the Mason trades - to begin with. Now it is not so much centered around tradesmen.) The land and farmers were devastated after the Civil War physically ravaged the countryside and also after their whole system of trade was disbanded. No trade, no money, no progress. Long story short- Kelly and others led to the forming of a group that would bring farmers and their farms up to snuff. This organization was known as The Grange.

 Wikipedia states “the organization was unusual at this time because women and any teen old enough to draw a plow were encouraged to participate. The importance of women was reinforced by requiring that four of the elected positions could only be held by women.” 

Some of the enhancements we enjoy today because of the Grange are:

The Cooperative Extension Service, Rural Free Delivery, and The Farm Credit System
.

I was looking up Rural Free Delivery, or RFD, when Wiki popped up a line:

“Fayette County in southeastern Indiana may be the birthplace of Rural Free Delivery. Milton Trusler, a leading farmer in the county, began advocating the idea in 1880; as the president of the Indiana Grange, he spoke to farmers statewide frequently over the following sixteen years. Formerly, residents of rural areas had to either travel to a distant post office to pick up their mail, or else pay for delivery by a private carrier. Postmaster General John Wanamaker was ardently in favor of Rural Free Delivery (RFD), as it was originally called, along with many thousands of Americans living in rural communities who wanted to send and receive mail inexpensively. However, the adoption of a nationwide RFD system had many opponents. Some were simply opposed to the cost of the service. Private express carriers thought inexpensive rural mail delivery would eliminate their business, and many town merchants worried the service would reduce farm families' weekly visits to town to obtain goods and merchandise.

The Post Office Department first experimented with the idea of rural mail delivery on October 1, 1891 to determine the viability of RFD.”

STOP right THERE!

Milton Trusler?!  From Fayette County, Indiana?!  1880?!  President of the Indiana Grange?! 

 October 1^st?! (ok, ok , that last one is just my birthday, but STILL!)

Hmmmm…..The Grange Building in Nulltown is said to have been built in 1873. The first floor had been used as the co-operative store – remember- RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD from Mr. and Mrs. Faikert’s store. And I do mean right across the road, by feet! Today the competition would drive two merchants to the grave! And the Faikerts going against something as important as – I hate to say it – as Walmart is today?  They would not have lasted out the year. Wait, wait, the Faikerts operated the post office….. 

I do believe that the spirit of chewing the fat, arguing over grain and livestock prices, social gathering (because "The Book" says that the second floor was used for meetings, dances, debates, and other social and literary activities. The Grange second floor kind of sounds like Facebook doesn’t it?!) and the trains stopping at the store as a regular stop in route to market to Cincinnati all sound like it did back when I was a kid! Did I get a rare chance to experience the first spirit of the Grange? Was I a time traveler and did not even know it? I think maybe that little girl that sat quietly on a sack of feed while her daddy "set fer a bit" with the old timers was a very lucky little girl indeed. Not only was she sneaked candy and forbidden sodas and cocoa too but she got to be influenced by some people that cared about what was going on. She got to learn how to "sit, hide, and watch" as one of my friends are so fond of saying. When you sit and listen to older folks tell you things you learn more than what they are saying. 

Could that old dusty store standing proud on that dangerous curve be the place where Mr. Trusler first debated the possibility of the RFD?

I am telling you – good ideas came from this area. They still do too. They are just more hidden now….

By the way.. if you would like a copy of “The Book” contact The Fayette County Historical Museum at (765) 825-1281.

Or the Connersville Bicentennial Headquarters at 416 Central Avenue, Connersville, Indiana, 47331

You can really get some great links to do some more investigation on the Grange from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_National_Grange_of_the_Order_of_Patrons_of_Husbandry

(Some think that proper research should not come from Wiki, but I think it is an excellent place to start. Research, knowledge and learning are all personal, shared things.)

Until I get the chance to take some pictures out in Nulltown, go to Google maps and put in Nulltown, Indiana. It will be located on State Road 121. Choose Satellite View and then Street View. You can pan around in a 360 degree view. It should take you right to Nulltown Store.
 Across the road is just an empty lot, but that was where the Faikert's house was standing even when I was a child. It and the store were right on the road front. It made squeezing through kind of tough on tractors at times, if I remember right. Sometime while I was gone raising a family the state widened the road and so that curve is barely there  now and one just does not get to experience the thrill (terror?!) of narrowly missing oncoming traffic at the corner of the store....

 Enjoy, and see what kinds of interesting things you can find out about your hometowns.

- Suzanna

Community Christmas Carols

Due to my recent illness I am forced to have to cancel this year's Caroling in Cambridge City. I do apologize, but if anyone would like to gather and carol on their own that would be in perfect spirit of the purpose for the event in the first place. 

I posted this list and the lyrics a few days ago, but wanted to post again so as to make it easier to find. Please come out and sing with the community. None of us are professionals, but we just have some joy to share. Please print off these lyrics and bring them to:

 Winterfest in Connersville,IN Saturday November 17th at 5p.m. 

or come to my Children's Community Sing in Cambridge City 

Tuesday December 18 and Thursday December 20 at 7 p.m. each of those evenings for a city wide caroling. 

If you can't make it to any of these events, please feel free to start your own in your own neighborhood or town! 

Merry Christmas!

http://decktheholidays.blogspot.com/2010/12/history-of-christmas-cards.html

***There are some odd page breaks in this document, so keep scrolling until you truly come to the end. Thanks!*** 

Secular

Holiday Songs

All I want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

Everybody stops 
and stares at me 
These two teeth are 
gone as you can see 
I don't know just who 
to blame for this catastrophe! 
But my one wish on Christmas Eve 
is as plain as it can be! 

All I want for Christmas 
is my two front teeth, 
my two front teeth, 
see my two front teeth! 

Gee, if I could only 
have my two front teeth, 
then I could be with you 
"Merry Christmas." 
It seems so long since I could say, 
"Sister Susie sitting on a thistle!" 

Gosh oh gee, how happy I'd be, 
if I could only whistle (thhhh) 

All I want for Christmas 
is my two front teeth, 
my two front teeth, 
see my two front teeth. 
Gee, if I could only 
have my two front teeth, 
then I could wish you 
"Merry Christmas!"

DECK THE HALLS

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yule tide carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

See the blazing Yule before us,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Follow me in merry measure,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
While I tell of Yule tide treasure,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Fast away the old year passes,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

FROSTY THE SNOW MAN

Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly, happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal

Frosty the Snowman
Is a fairy tale they say
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he came to life one day

There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around!

O Frosty the Snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me
Thumpetty thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpetty thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow

Frosty the Snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said "Let's run and we'll have some fun now
Before I melt away."

Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all around the square
Saying "Catch me if you can!"

He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler "Stop!"

For Frosty the Snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye saying "Don't you cry,
I'll be back again some day."

Thumpetty thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpetty thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS
Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman 1947

Here comes Santa Claus!
Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer
Are pulling on the reins.
Bells are ringing, children singing;
All is merry and bright.
Hang your stockings and say your prayers,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

Here comes Santa Claus!
Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
He's got a bag that is filled with toys
For the boys and girls again.
Hear those sleigh bells jingle jangle,
What a beautiful sight.
Jump in bed, cover up your head,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door, that's the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too

Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegeterian

There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage
I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses
I only like hippopotamuseses
And hippopotamuses like me too!

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

Eddie Pola, George Wyle, 1963

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
With the kids jingle belling,
And everyone telling you,
"Be of good cheer,"
It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There'll be parties for hosting,
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow.
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories
Of Christmases long, long ago.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
There'll be much mistletoeing
And hearts will be glowing,
When loved ones are near.
It's the most wonderful time of the year.

JINGLE BELL ROCK

Bobby Helms
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air.

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh

Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell rock.

JINGLE BELLS James Pierpont 1857 Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh Over the fields we go, laughing all the way; Bells on bob-tail ring, making spirits bright What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight (Chorus) Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! O what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! O what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh A day or two ago, I thought I'd take a ride And soon Miss Fanny Bright, was seated by my side; The horse was lean and lank, misfortune seemed his lot; He got into a drifted bank and there we got upsot Chorus A day or two ago, the story I must tell I went out on the snow, and on my back I fell; A gent was riding by, in a one-horse open sleigh He laughed as there I laid but quickly drove away Chorus Now the ground is white, go it while you're young Take the girls tonight, and sing this sleighing song; Just get a bob-tailed bay, two-forty as his speed Hitch him to an open sleigh and crack! you'll take the lead Chorus JOLLY OLD SAINT NICHOLAS Jolly old Saint Nicholas, Lean your ear this way! Don't you tell a single soul What I'm going to say; Christmas Eve is coming soon; Now, you dear old man, Whisper what you'll bring to me; Tell me if you can. When the clock is striking twelve, When I'm fast asleep, Down the chimney broad and black, With your pack you'll creep; All the stockings you will find Hanging in a row; Mine will be the shortest one, You'll be sure to know. Johnny wants a pair of skates; Susy wants a dolly; Nellie wants a story book; She thinks dolls are folly; As for me, my little brain Isn't very bright; Choose for me, old Santa Claus, What you think is right. LET IT SNOW Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne 1945 Oh, the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we've no place to go, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. It doesn't show signs of stopping, And I brought some corn for popping; The lights are turned way down low, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. When we finally say good night, How I'll hate going out in the storm; But if you really hold me tight, All the way home I'll be warm. The fire is slowly dying, And, my dear, we're still good-bye-ing, But as long as you love me so. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE Johnny Marks 1958 Rockin' around the Christmas tree At the Christmas party hop Mistletoe hung where you can see Every couple tries to stop Rockin' around the Christmas tree, Let the Christmas spirit ring Later we'll have some pumpkin pie And we'll do some caroling. You will get a sentimental Feeling when you hear Voices singing let's be jolly, Deck the halls with boughs of holly Rockin' around the Christmas tree, Have a happy holiday Everyone dancing merrily In the new old-fashioned way. RUDOLF THE RED-NOSED REINDEER Johnny Marks 1949 You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall The most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer Had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw him, You would even say it glows. All of the other reindeer Used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Rudolph Play in any reindeer games. Then one foggy Christmas eve Santa came to say: "Rudolph with your nose so bright, Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?" Then all the reindeer loved him As they shouted out with glee: "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, You'll go down in history!" Santa Clause Is Coming To Town You better watch out You better not cry You better not shout Im telling you why Santa clause is coming To town Hes making a list Hes checking it twice Hes trying to find out whose naught or nice Santa clause is coming to town He sees you when you're sleeping He knows when you're awake He knows if you've been bad or good So be good for goodness sake Ohh you better watch out You better not cry You better not shout Im telling you why Santa clause is coming to town SILVER BELLS Jay Livingston and Ray Evans City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style In the air there's a feeling of Christmas Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear Silver bells, silver bells It's Christmas time in the city Ring-a-ling, hear them sing Soon it will be Christmas day Strings of street lights, even stop lights, blink a bright red and green As the shoppers rush home with their treasures Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch, this is Santa's big scene And above all this bustle you'll hear Silver bells, silver bells It's Christmas time in the city Ring-a-ling, hear them sing Soon it will be Christmas day SLEIGH RIDE Mitchell Parish and Leroy Anderson 1948 Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing Ring ting tingle-ing too Come on, it's lovely weather For a sleigh ride together with you Outside the snow is falling And friends are calling "You Hoo" Come on, it's lovely weather For a sleigh ride together with you Giddy-yap giddy-yap giddy-yap let's go Let's look at the snow We're riding in a wonderland of snow Giddy-yap giddy-yap giddy-yap it's grand Just holding your hand We're gliding along with the song Of a wintry fairy land Our cheeks are nice and rosy And comfy cozy are we We're snuggled up together like two Birds of a feather would be Let's take the road before us And sing a chorus or two Come on, it's lovely weather For a sleigh ride together with you There's a birthday party at the home of Farmer Gray It'll be the perfect ending of a perfect day We'll be singing the songs we love to sing without a single stop At the fireplace while we watch the chestnuts pop Pop! Pop! Pop! There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie It'll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives These wonderful things are the things We remember all through our lives THE GRINCH You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch You really are a heel, You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch, You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel! You're a monster, Mr. Grinch, Your heart's an empty hole, Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch, I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole! You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch, You have termites in your smile, You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch, Given a choice between the two of you I'd take the seasick crocodile! You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch, You're the king of sinful sots, Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch, You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce! You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch, With a nauseous super "naus"! You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mr. Grinch, Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots! You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch, You're a nasty wasty skunk, Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch, The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote, "Stink, stank, stunk"! THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS On the first day of Christmas, My true love sent to me A partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Three French hens, Two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the fourth day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Four calling birds, Three French hens, two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the fifth day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the sixth day of Christmas, My true love gave to me Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the seventh day of Christmas, My true love gave to me Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the eighth day of Christmas, My true love gave to me Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, Five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the ninth day of Christmas, My true love gave to me Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, Five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the tenth day of Christmas, My true love gave to me Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, Five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the eleventh day of Christmas, My true love gave to me Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, Five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. On the twelfth day of Christmas, My true love gave to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings. Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves And a partridge in a pear tree. UP ON THE HOUSE TOP B.R. Hanby Up on the housetop reindeer pause Out jumps good old Santa Claus Down thru the chimney with lots of toys All for the little ones Christmas joys (Chorus) Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn't go! Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn't go! Up on the housetop Click, click, click Down thru the chimney with Good Saint Nick First comes the stocking of little Nell Oh, dear Santa fill it well Give her a dolly that laughs and cries One that will open and shut her eyes Chorus Next comes the stocking of little Will Oh, just see what a glorious fill Here is a hammer and lots of tacks Also a ball and a whip that cracks Chorus WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS (Chorus) We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Good tidings we bring to you and your kin; Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year. Oh, bring us a figgy pudding; Oh, bring us a figgy pudding; Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer. Chorus We won't go until we get some; We won't go until we get some; We won't go until we get some, so bring some out here. Chorus We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. WHITE CHRISTMAS Irving Berlin 1942 I'm dreaming of a white Christmas Just like the ones I used to know Where the treetops glisten And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow I'm dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright And may all your Christmases be white I'm dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright And may all your Christmases be white WINTER WONDERLAND Dick Smith and Felix Bernard 1934 Sleigh bells ring, are you listening, In the lane, snow is glistening A beautiful sight, We're happy tonight, Walking in a winter wonderland. Gone away is the bluebird, Here to stay is a new bird, He sings a love song, As we go along, Walking in a winter wonderland. In the meadow we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is Parson Brown He'll say: Are you married? We'll say: No man, But you can do the job When you're in town. Later on, we'll conspire, As we dream by the fire To face unafraid, The plans that we've made, Walking in a winter wonderland. In the meadow we can build a snowman, And pretend that he's a circus clown We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman, Until the other kiddies knock him down. When it snows, ain't it thrilling, Though your nose gets a chilling We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way, Walking in a winter wonderland. Walking in a winter wonderland, Walking in a winter wonderland. Christmas Songs Away In a Manger Away in a manger, No crib for His bed The little Lord Jesus Laid down His sweet head The stars in the bright sky Looked down where He lay The little Lord Jesus Asleep on the hay The cattle are lowing The poor Baby wakes But little Lord Jesus No crying He makes I love Thee, Lord Jesus Look down from the sky And stay by my side, 'Til morning is nigh. Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever And love me I pray Bless all the dear children In Thy tender care And take us to heaven To live with Thee there DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? Said the night wind to the little lamb, "Do you see what I see? Way up in the sky, little lamb, Do you see what I see? A star, a star, dancing in the night With a tail as big as a kite, With a tail as big as a kite." Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, "Do you hear what I hear? Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy, Do you hear what I hear? A song, a song high above the trees With a voice as big as the sea, With a voice as big as the sea." Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king, "Do you know what I know? In your palace warm, mighty king, Do you know what I know? A Child, a Child shivers in the cold~ Let us bring him silver and gold, Let us bring him silver and gold." Said the king to the people everywhere, "Listen to what I say! Pray for peace, people, everywhere, Listen to what I say! The Child, the Child sleeping in the night He will bring us goodness and light, He will bring us goodness and light."  Go Tell It On The Mountain compiled by John Wesley Work, Jr Go tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere, Go tell it on the mountain, Our Jesus Christ is born. When I was a seeker I sought both night and day, I asked the Lord to help me, And he showed me the way. Go tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere, Go tell it on the mountain, Our Jesus Christ is born. He made me a watchman Upon a city wall, And if I am a Christian, I am the least of all. Go tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere, Go tell it on the mountain, Our Jesus Christ is born. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Published by William B. Sandys in 1833 Author is unknown God rest ye merry, gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day To save us all from Satan’s power When we were gone astray O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy In Bethlehem, in Israel, This blessed Babe was born And laid within a manger Upon this blessed morn The which His Mother Mary Did nothing take in scorn O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy From God our Heavenly Father A blessed Angel came; And unto certain Shepherds Brought tidings of the same: How that in Bethlehem was born The Son of God by Name. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy “Fear not then,” said the Angel, “Let nothing you affright, This day is born a Saviour Of a pure Virgin bright, To free all those who trust in Him From Satan’s power and might.” O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy The shepherds at those tidings Rejoiced much in mind, And left their flocks a-feeding In tempest, storm and wind: And went to Bethlehem straightway The Son of God to find. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy And when they came to Bethlehem Where our dear Saviour lay, They found Him in a manger, Where oxen feed on hay; His Mother Mary kneeling down, Unto the Lord did pray. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy Now to the Lord sing praises, All you within this place, And with true love and brotherhood Each other now embrace; This holy tide of Christmas All other doth deface. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Charles Wesley(1707-1788), 1739 Hark! the herald angels sing "Glory to the newborn King Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!" Joyful, all ye nations rise; Join the triumph of the skies; With angelic host proclaim "Christ is born in Bethlehem!" Hark! the herald angels sing "Glory to the newborn King!" Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ the everlasting Lord; Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of the favored one. Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King" Hail! the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail! the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King" I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1807-1882), 1867 I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along the unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men. And in despair I bowed my head: "There is no peace on earth," I said, "For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men." Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men." Till, ringing singing, on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, Of peace on earth, good will to men! I Saw Three Ships I saw three ships come sailing in On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; I saw three ships come sailing in On Christmas Day in the morning. And what was in those ships all three, On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day? And what was in those ships all three, On Christmas Day in the morning? The Virgin Mary and Christ were there, On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; The Virgin Mary and Christ were there, On Christmas Day in the morning. Pray, wither sailed those ships all three, On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; Pray, wither sailed those ships all three, On Christmas Day in the morning? O they sailed into Bethlehem, On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; O they sailed into Bethlehem, On Christmas Day in the morning. And all the bells on earth shall ring, On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; And all the bells on earth shall ring, On Christmas Day in the morning. And all the Angels in Heaven shall sing, On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; And all the Angels in Heaven shall sing, On Christmas Day in the morning. And all the souls on earth shall sing, On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; And all the souls on earth shall sing, On Christmas Day in the morning. Then let us all rejoice again, On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; Then let us all rejoice again, On Christmas Day in the morning. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear Edmund H. Sears(1810-1876), 1849 It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth With news of joy foretold, "Peace on the earth, good will to men From heaven's all gracious King." The world in solemn stillness lay, To hear the angels sing. Still through the cloven skies they come, Love's banner all unfurled; And still their heavenly music floats Over all the weary world. Above its sad and lowly plains Old echoes plaintive ring, And ever over its Babel sounds The blessed angels sing. Yet with the woes of sin and strife The world has suffered long; Beneath the Angel-strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong; And man at war with man hears not The love-song which they bring; O! hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the Angels sing. O ye, beneath life's crushing load Whose forms are bending low, Who toil along the climbing way With painful steps and slow; Look now! for glad and golden hours Come swiftly on the wing; O rest beside the weary road And hear the angels sing. For lo! the days are hastening on, By prophets seen of old, When with the ever-circling years Shall come the time foretold, When the new heaven and earth shall own The Prince of Peace their King, And the whole world send back the song Which now the angels sing. JOY TO THE WORLD Lyrics: Isaac Watts 1719 Music: George Handel 1742 Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns; Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, Rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessing flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love LITTLE DRUMMER BOY Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum, Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, So, to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum, When we come. Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum, On my drum? Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum, The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum I play my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum, Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum Me and my drum O CHRISTMAS TREE O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree! How are thy leaves so verdant! O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How are thy leaves so verdant! Not only in the summertime, But even in winter is thy prime. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How are thy leaves so verdant! O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Much pleasure doth thou bring me! O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Much pleasure doth thou bring me! For every year the Christmas tree, Brings to us all both joy and glee. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Much pleasure doth thou bring me! O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Thy candles shine out brightly! O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Thy candles shine out brightly! Each bough doth hold its tiny light, That makes each toy to sparkle bright. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Thy candles shine out brightly! O come, O come, Emmanuel O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny From depths of Hell Thy people save And give them victory o’er the grave Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height, In ancient times did’st give the Law, In cloud, and majesty and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O Little Town of Bethlehem O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see the lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee to-night. For Christ is born of Mary, And gathered all above, While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of wondering love. O morning stars, together Proclaim the holy birth! And praises sing to God the King, And peace to men on earth. How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, But in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him, still The dear Christ enters in. Where children pure and happy Pray to the blessed Child, Where misery cries out to thee, Son of the mother mild; Where charity stands watching And faith holds wide the door, The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, And Christmas comes once more. O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in, Be born in us to-day. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel! O, COME ALL YE FAITHFUL O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, Come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels; (Chorus) O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal, Lo, he shuns not the Virgin's womb; Son of the Father, begotten, not created; Chorus Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest; Chorus See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle, Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze; We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps; Chorus Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger, We would embrace Thee, with love and awe; Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly? Chorus Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing. Chorus OH, HOLY NIGHT! O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O holy night, O night divine! O night, O holy night, O night divine! Led by the light of faith serenely beaming, With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming, Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land. The King of kings lay thus lowly manger; In all our trials born to be our friends. He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger, Behold your King! Before him lowly bend! Behold your King! Before him lowly bend! Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, With all our hearts we praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we, His power and glory ever more proclaim! His power and glory ever more proclaim! SILENT NIGHT Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber 1818 Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight, Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing alleluia; Christ the Savior, is born! Christ the Savior, is born! Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light Radiant beams from thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. The First Noel The first Noel the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay; in fields where they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter’s night that was so deep. Refrain: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel. They looked up and saw a star shining in the east, beyond them far; and to the earth it gave great light, and so it continued both day and night. (Refrain) And by the light of that same star three Wise Men came from country far; to seek for a king was their intent, and to follow the star wherever it went. (Refrain) This star drew nigh to the northwest, o’er Bethlehem it took its rest; and there it did both stop and stay, right over the place where Jesus lay. (Refrain) Then entered in those Wise Men three, full reverently upon the knee, and offered there, in his presence, gold and myrrh and frankincense. (Refrain) WE THREE KINGS OF ORIENT ARE John H. Hopkins, Jr. 1857 We three kings of Orient are Bearing gifts we traverse afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star. (Chorus) O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect Light. Born a king on Bethlehem's plain, Gold I bring to crown Him again, King forever, ceasing never Over us all to reign. Chorus Frankincense to offer have I. Incense owns a Deity nigh. Prayer and praising all men raising, Worship Him, God on high. Chorus Myrrh is mine: Its bitter perfume Breaths a life of gathering gloom. Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying, Sealed in the stone-cold tomb. Chorus Glorious now behold Him arise, King and God and Sacrifice. Alleluia, alleluia! Sounds through the earth and skies. Chorus WHAT CHILD IS THIS? What child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring him laud, The babe, the son of Mary. Why lies he in such mean estate Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian, fear: for sinners here The silent Word is pleading. So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh, Come, peasant, king, to own him. The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone him. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks Written By: Nahum Tate, 1700s While shepherds watched their flocks by night, All seated on the ground, The angel of the Lord came down, And glory shone around. “Fear not!” said he, for mighty dread Had seized their troubled mind; “Glad tidings of great joy I bring To you and all mankind. “To you, in David’s town, this day Is born of David’s line A Savior, who is Christ the Lord, And this shall be the sign: “The heav’nly Babe you there shall find To human view displayed, All meanly wrapped in swathing bands, And in a manger laid.” Thus spake the seraph and forthwith Appeared a shining throng Of angels praising God on high, Who thus addressed their song: “All glory be to God on high, And to the Earth be peace; Good will henceforth from heav’n to men Begin and never cease!”