The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1064171
HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS IF YOU DIDN'T BUY AT RICHARD'S, YOU PROBABLY PAID TOO MUCH! IF YOU DIDN'T BUY AT RICHARD'S, YOU PROBABLY PAID TOO MUCH! IF YOU DIDN'T BUY RICHARD'S, YOU PROBABLY PAID TOO MUCH! IF YOU DIDN'T BUY AT RICHARD'S, YOU PROBABLY PAID TOO MUCH! Happy Holidays from Richard! Last few days until we close forever! HUGE DISCOUNTS ON ALL FURNITURE AND MATTRESS SETS RichaRd's MATTRESS WAREHOUSE 512 W. Grave St., Patoka • 812-779-2300 108 N. Main, Princeton • 812-385-3855 MONDAY-SATURDAY: 9AM-5PM CHRISTMAS TOYS & CLOTHING DECEMBER 15 - 22 20% OFF SALE Equipment Company 407 E. KENTUCKY, HOLLAND (812) 536-3486 www.BLESCHBROS.com We service what we sell! 104 N. MAIN ST, OWENSVILLE • 812-724-3501 www.holdersfurniture.net M-F 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. POWER and airform™ upgrades available on all reclining styles $ 349 only HOT BUY RECLINERS BOUTIQUE 711 E. Main St. Petersburg 812-582-0850 Holiday Hours Monday-Friday 11am-5pm Saturday 10 a m-2 p m Sunday Closed ALL TIMES EASTERN Follow Us on Facebook! Women's Apparel, Accessories & Gifts For All Occasions! BUY A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR JUST $20! $5 OFF WHEN YOU BUY 2 APPAREL ITEMS ALL JEWELRY off 10 % • Fruit and Gift Baskets • Meat, Cheese & Cracker Baskets 1415 W. Brumfield, Princeton • (812) 386-6365 Mon.-Fri.: 10-6 Sat.: 9-4, Sun.: 11-4 Berry's Produce & Country Market LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEAS! • Candles • Teacher Gifts • Unique One-of-a-Kind Gifts • Gourmet Foods • Stocking Stuffers • Jams, Jellies & Homemade Noodles • Local Pecans and Walnuts • Nerium Products Local Delivery Available Custom made to fit your budget! Now Taking Orders For WEEK UNTIL CHRISTMAS 1 No Checks 714 MAIN STREET • PETERSBURG 812-789-3054 • OPEN Mon-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m www.bathbombspetersburg.com STOCKING STUFFERS New! Necklaces with Cross Pendants Starting at $5 Open Christmas Eve 10 a.m.-7 p.m. • Closed Christmas Day STORE FULL OF UNIQUE GIFTS SPECIAL OFFER Buy a Cash or Jewelry Bath Bomb... GET A REGULAR BATH BOMB HALF PRICE Last Minute Gift Ideas Register to Win a GIFT BASKET to be given away Christmas Eve. ($120 Value) Fresh and Silk Christmas Centerpieces and Arrangements for your Christmas table. Book a Party in January 2019 for 8 or more guests and receive your paint piece free! Need that last minute exchange gift for kids or adults? We have gifts for $10 and under! R uby's Floral Designs & More 7846 U.S. 41, Fort Branch • 812-753-3459 Mon-Fri: 9 a.m.– 5 p.m. Sat: 9 a.m.– 3 p.m. See us on Facebook! Rubys-Floral-Designs 20% OFF ALL CHRISTMAS Just when the excitement of opening presents abates after the last of the packages under the Christmas tree have been torn open, children and adults alike may discover that there are more treats to be had nestled inside of stockings hung on the mantle. The hanging of Christmas stockings is a tradition with an extensive history. Several leg- ends attribute the hanging of stockings to different people or events. Here is a look at some of the stories that have made Christ- mas stockings so popular. ST. NICHOLAS DAY Rather than hanging stock- ings on Christmas, many coun- tries celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on December 6, and this is when stockings are proudly left out for treats. The small, inexpen- sive trinkets are later unwrapped and enjoyed on Christmas Day. DUTCH HERITAGE One tradition says that, in 16th century Holland, children kept their clogs filled with straw in front of the hearth for Santa's reindeer to find. They also left treats for Santa Claus. In return, Santa would leave gifts in the clogs. Over time, stockings were swapped out for clogs. MERCHANT'S FAMILY STORY A popular tale tells the story of a merchant, his wife and three daughters. After the wife falls ill and dies, the man becomes devastated and squanders all of his wealth on frivolous things to mask his sadness. When it comes time for the daughters to marry, the man does not have money for a dowry. St. Nicholas hears of the plight and knows the man would be too proud to accept charity. Therefore, St. Nicholas anony- mously tosses three bags of gold coins down the chimney. The man's daughters had done the laundry prior and left their stock- ings hanging by the fireplace to dry. The gold landed in the stock- ings, thus starting the Christmas stocking tradition. ITALIAN GOOD WITCH One stocking story does not at- tribute the tradition to Santa, but to a kind-hearted Italian witch named "La Befana." La Befana ar- rives on a broomstick the night of January 5 and fills the stock- ings of good children with sweet treats and toys. Bad children are awarded lumps of coal. La Befa- na is also credited with being the old woman who the wise men ask for directions to Christ's manger in the Christ child's story. After turning down an offer to accom- pany them, La Befana later car- ried gifts in search of Christ. Christmas stockings have be- come part of holiday traditions, and this beloved tradition has its own unique history. SANTA LETTER-WRITING SECRETS At the tip of the North Pole re- sides a jolly man who collects let- ters from children asking him to deliver all of their hearts' desires. Although Santa Claus does a thor- ough job of making sure children's treats are delivered on the same night, sometimes he needs assis- tance with reading and responding to the thousands upon thousands of letters sent to him each year. That is why he often relies on an exten- sive list of helpers to handle much of his holiday correspondence. According to Smithsonian, the practice of writing to St. Nick dates back more than 150 years. Early depictions of Santa show him as a disciplinarian. The first Christ- mastime Santa letters were actu- ally sent by Santa, rather than the other way around. Such letters en- couraged children to be good boys and girls. Eventually, an illustration by Thomas Nast depicted "Santa- claussville, N.P." as Santa's ad- dress, providing children with a place where they could send their correspondences to the big guy in red. The Universal Postal Union, an intergovernmental organization that coordinates postal policies across 192 member nations, indi- cates that 1,350,000 letters to San- ta were sent by Canadians, while Americans sent more than one million and Britains mailed rough- ly 800,000 such letters in 2012, the most recent year from which fig- ures are available. To account for the staggering number of letters sent, various post offices and postal programs were established to help Santa with the task of tackling chil- dren's wish lists. In Canada, children can address letters to Santa and use the postal code H0H, 0H0. In 2016, the USPS instituted a new letter-writing op- tion that enables parents or guard- ians to include a personalized re- sponse letter back to children who address letters to Santa. The pack- age can be postmarked to: North Pole Postmark Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Drive, Anchorage, AK 99530 -9998. Many other letters to Santa end up routing to various post of- fices where thousands of volun- teer "elves" can adopt letters and make children's wishes come true. A "Letters to Santa" program en- ables children in serious need to get items that can help keep them safe and happy. Parents may also investigate a number of services that will provide letters from Santa, Mrs. Claus or elves for nominal fees. These let- ters can be personalized with de- tails. Santa has even gone high-tech with personalized videos and pic- tures as well. A quick web search can yield the instructions on how prospective helpers can get started. Children can improve their chances of letters being read and received, with these tips. • Identify who is writing the let- ter and share some details about your life. • Make sure you've been nice and well-behaved. • Ask Santa how he has been and engage in some polite conversation. • Politely ask for the toys you'd like. Understand that Santa is busy, so keep the list brief. • Thank Santa in advance for his kindness. Hopefully, he'll have time to reply. • Write and mail the letter as ear- ly as possible, as things tend to get busy as Christmas nears. The Press-Dispatch Shopping Wednesday, December 19, 2018 B-7 Press-Dispatch WITH THE