​In the Christian tradition the gifts are those given by the Christ Child—the “partridge in a pear tree” symbolizes Jesus and “three French hens” represent faith, hope and love.
 
Faith. Hope. Love. What splendid gifts to receive in any season, at any Christmas, but especially as we draw near to the end of a year like no other we have known.
 
My husband David and I wish for each of us the blessings of these gifts—Faith, Hope, Love—to carry forward into the New Year. May we receive these gifts with open hearts and open minds. May we treasure them. Nurture them. May we share them near and far.
 
May Faith and Hope and Love be given in extra measure to all who are remembering loved ones who have left our company and are no longer here to celebrate holidays with us. May our heartaches be soothed—may our feelings of loss and aloneness be assuaged.
 
These gift-giving-and-receiving holiday times can magnify all our emotions—joy and sorrow, too. Grief is like having broken ribs. On the outside you look fine, but with every breath you hurt. We care for the hurting—the very real heartache and unfinished mourning—for the leaving of a precious child; a grandparent, a wife, husband, mother, father, sister or brother who has gone through the veil; a missed friend or lover; a pet who has crossed over the rainbow.
 
We wish for each heartache a candle, real or imagined, that whispers and burns ever so sweetly. We wish for comfort. We wish for peace. We wish for you a coming someday when the heartache lessens and becomes a soothing sweet gift—a sweet memory here and another there—sweet memories that mend the aching and cause smiles with the recalling of dear loved ones now absent.
 
There is an art to receiving gifts. Sometimes we must wait and weep before we can be ready for them to come. Perhaps they will arrive on the twelfth day of Christmas or maybe another day farther off. Come they always will—like glittering stars in the winter night skies—like fireflies twinkling in summer’s dusk—like three French hens unexpectedly gathering on our lawns. Faith. Hope. Love.
 
Come they will. Come they will. Faith. Hope. Love. Yes! They are here already in our holy days of aching. We promise.

Until the Puritans successfully banned the festivities in the 17th century, the Lord of Misrule was a central historic figure in British Christmas celebrations. He was an elected official who coordinated the season’s revels for the Tudor court as well as in noble homes throughout the kingdom. The concept of misrule honored an annual reversal of traditional social groups. The poor and servants were given boxes of food.

When the Victorians rediscovered Christmas they created Christmas cards and the belief that Christmas was a time for family. In 1843 John Calcott Horsley sent the first printed Christmas card to his friend, Sir Henry Cole. Though Horsley’s card stirred some controversy with the image of a small child drinking wine, still the sending of cards became popular.

The Christmas tree was first introduced in the UK in 1800 by Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. She carried the tradition from her native Germany, where having a Christmas tree in your home was a common custom. When the yew tree she requested was brought to the Queen’s Lodge in Windsor, she did the decorating.

Believed to be the figure on which the modern day Santa Claus is based, Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century archbishop and patron saint of girls and boys in what is now Turkey. Father Christmas first appeared during the 1650s, when the Puritans banned the festive season. The wise old man appeared on pamphlets praising the revels of the past above the gloom of that present day. During the Victorian period he began being identified as a gift-giver.

St Nicholas was added back into the mix in 1822 when Clement C Moore, a Professor of Oriental and Greek Literature, Divinity and Biblical Learning, at the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church where I attended in New York City, wrote his poem “T’was The Night Before Christmas”, which led to the creation of the modern Santa Claus.

Today Christmas is often denoted as Xmas, which many interpret as leaving Christ out of the season. Looking at history we find the abbreviation Xmas was first used in 15th century ecclesiastical writings. The X originally represented the first letter of the Greek word Xριστóς, meaning Christ, and so the birth of Jesus is still the centerpiece of the Christian Christmas.

Grateful for the all traditions we celebrate, artCentral joins Tiny Tim as together we say, “God bless us, every one!”

​Decorating with holly today brings many centuries’ old traditions into our modern festivities. Using holly to deck the halls with boughs or in swags or over doors or in wreaths or arrangements or mixed bouquets brightens any décor with radiance and meaning. At artCentral the brilliant berries remind us to give thanks for Katherine Hyde and her generosity.

In Norse mythology mistletoe symbolized love. This is perhaps the origin for the custom of kissing under hanging mistletoe.
 
Mistletoe was among the plants adopted by Christians in celebration of Christmas. They considered the evergreen leaves to symbolize “life that does not die”, longevity, fertility,  good luck, health and an abundant harvest in the months to come. The Victorians, taken with mistletoe as a symbol of fertility, life and romance, carried on the tradition of kissing beneath mistletoe.
 
Mistletoe grows parasitically on twigs; hence the origin of the name. The English word “mistletoe” derived from a defunct Anglo-Saxon dialect with “mistel” the word for the dung of bird droppings on tree branches and “tan” meaning twig. These two words cojoined as “mistletan” and evolved over time into “mistletoe”.
 
Most mistletoe seeds are spread by birds, which eat the berries and leave their droppings on tree limbs. If attached to a new host tree, the parasitic seeds release a compound called “viscin” which dries to form a stiff biological cement. While poisonous to pets, mistletoe is a good food source for birds eating the berries and butterflies, bees and a variety of insects dining on the nectar.
 
Globally more than 900 species of mistletoe can be found. Most familiar is the European (Viscum album) which we use for decorating. Mistletoe is found across North America. Native to Australia is a variety bearing elongated red berries.
 
Not all tree species are friendly hosts for mistletoe. Those most suitable include hawthorn, blackthorn, rowan, most apple varieties, willows, plum, lime and poplar. Mistletoe self-produces food through photosynthesis, while taking minerals and water from the host tree.
 
Male plants produce the pollen. Females produce the berries. To propagate mistletoe, fresh berries harvested from a mistletoe sow, are pushed underneath loosened bark in nooks or crannies of thicker, sunny tree branches where mistletoe is wished to grow. If the seeds successfully germinate green leaves will appear, and in three or four years small clumps will form.
 
Now that the time for mistletoe has come, remember…to refuse a kiss under the mistletoe is considered bad luck. After a kiss a couple is to pluck one berry to be fed to the birds. When all the berries are gone the bough is thought to lose the power to command kisses, so when you hang your mistletoe be sure to choose a very large spray! 

​Welcome to artCentral’s magical, artist-created HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE! Look for the twinkling lights and the elegant old white farmhouse bedecked with garlands and wreaths of greenery. Come up the drive to historic Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage. The green door of hospitality will be open for you from 12:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, December 3 and 4.

Though the weekend will be busy with lots of venues vying for your attention and time, be sure to put artCentral at the top of your must visit shopping destinations. Here you will find pocket friendly holiday magic in every nook and cranny, on every wall and in every shelf. The artCentral elves have been hard at work making uniquely splendid surprises to please and satisfy all your shopping needs!
 
Begin with a cuppa cider and a delectable nibble, then pick up a bright red shopping bag to start your gift gathering.
 
You’ll be dazzled by the foyer’s collection of limited edition Scarlet Amaryllis imported from Amsterdam. They are ready to bloom through the holidays and well into the New Year. At only $25.00 each, presented in sparkling crimson planters and garnished with lush green bows, these are perfect for decorating your home or office and for giving to family, friends, neighbors and business associates.
 
To find exquisite intimate art that is perfect for gifting or adding to your own collection, tour the SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction that rings around two galleries like brilliant gems on a glittering necklace. These 5x7 canvases have been created and donated by 48 artCentral artists eager to do their share to fundraise for artCentral’s work. Enjoy the fun of bidding and buying your favorites while you support artCentral to sustain and grow the cultural wealth of our community! (Bidding closes December 4, Saturday, at 7:00 p.m.)
 
In the enchanting Chandelier and Membership galleries the “p-i-e-c-e-d TOGETHER” exhibition features a retrospective of artworks by the multi-talented Jo Mueller as well as Lori Marble’s gloriously colorful abstract paintings which are available for purchase.
 
All through the house, downstairs and upstairs, too, you will find mini pop-up Boutiques filled with one-of-a-kind artfully charming offerings from artCentral artists: Artful Gifts by April Davis; Prints, Cards, Books and Coasters by Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé; Thread Art by Linda Kyger; Ornaments and more by Koral Martin; Glass Ornaments by Jane McCaulley; and Whimsical Wearables by Jason Shelfer.
 
For more HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE information call (417) 358-4404 and visit www.artcentralcarthage.org.
 
Coming and going to Hyde House you will discover artistic magic can be found all through our magical hometown—from the spectacular “Sparkle in the Park” to front yard displays scattered over lawns; with animations in the Way of Salvation drive-through and swaying decorations draped across quite streets; and all around the Square from the peace star above the courthouse to the wonderland painted storefronts to the skating rink just around the corner.
 
When you begin and end with artCentral’s magical HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, your heart will find magic everywhere you look!