This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 14 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Shafter Press
Location
Shafter, California, United States of America
Date
Dec 09, 1947
Page
5
A poem by Willard Wattles expresses a comrade’s faith in a healing Christ figure. The speaker recalls a loving, understanding savior whose cross and sacrifice bind brothers in hope and reunion beyond death. The verse blends religious imagery with military camaraderie.
The article traces the origin of modern Christmas greetings to an old English custom from over 250 years ago when English school children demonstrated their pen clerks and handwritten verses.
The piece notes Santa Claus as a premier Christmas symbol shaping youth worldwide. It traces the character to Holland, then to America via Dutch settlers, and observes its enduring spirit despite regional variations.
This piece notes balsam fir as a traditional American favorite and cites three spruce varieties blue white and Norway as popular in markets. It adds that other evergreens such as pine or cedar are used depending on location with regional examples like lodgepole pine in Colorado and white cedar in Tennessee. It also mentions Santa Claus letters and a change in Santa’s local leadership after Oscar L Phillips death.
The Burning of the Greens has long been part of Twelfth Night festivities in England, with large fires to purify fields and ensure crops. The Wassail Song is sung and the Wassail Cup shared as the district gathers. The practice revived in 1930 in Rochester New York by George M Haushalter and spread to other communities. Discarded trees and wreaths are burned in a New Year bonfire signaling the end of celebrations.
The article notes that Jehovah's Witnesses object to Christmas viewing it as an admixture of Christian and pagan elements. It states some older Witnesses observe Christmas due to the founder not speaking against it, while others avoid it in line with their beliefs.
The list asks about connections and origins for Christmas items and figures. It includes questions on Christ child birth orders, famed painters, a Berlin author of a carol, a dual hero villain in a Christmas tale, Twelfth Day meanings, a literal phrase, a hymn title, Saint Nicholas’ national patronage, and related terms.
A set of concise statements covers Santa's reindeer names Herod's massacre order Raphaels religious paintings White Christmas Dickens Christmas Carol observances a literal meaning of Christmas the English title Oh Come All Ye Faithful and Saint Nicholas as Russia's patron saint
Father Josef Mohr wrote Silent Night while reflecting on a starry night in Arnsdorf Austria. Franz Gruber added the music and the two performed it at Christmas Eve service inspiring global singing during Christmastide.
Fire crackers have long been part of Christmas celebrations in southern communities. The practice traces to Asia with origins in the Orient and China, spreading to Europe by the 14th century for Saints days Christmas and other religious festivals.
A quiet revolution in merchandising spreads coast to coast as self-service takes root beyond groceries. Supermarkets now offer self service meat and produce while department stores and home centers embrace the system to cut labor. Macy's New York operates a self-service fancy grocery store and jewelry departments follow suit with secure glass displays.
Pierre South Dakota reports a plan to carve Crazy Horse a Sioux war leader into a 400 by 500 by 750 foot granite mountainside near Mount Rushmore. Artist Korecz Ziolkowski, Boston born, purchased the mountain and expects a towering Indian astride a stallion with a guiding gesture.
London reports that Prime Minister Clement Attlee and Burmese Premier Thakin Na signed an Anglo-Burmese treaty of independence ending 51 years of British rule in Burma. The agreement grants immediate independence with no interim supervision. approved by parliament with royal assent expected before year end. Terms were not disclosed.
The agriculture department reported world cotton production this year at 26.1 million bales of 500 pounds gross weight, up 21 percent from last year’s 21.5 million bales. Estimates derive from multiple producing countries.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.