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The Worthington ALC Insider
Volume 4, Issue 10 December 12, 2006
The Poinsettia, or la nochebeuena By Teresa Lugo Everybody associates the poinsettia with Christmas, right? But did you know that the poinsettia is actually a Mexican flower and that its association with Christmas comes from a Mexican legend? The Mexican legend goes this way: It was said that a little boy was too poor to able to offer a gift to Christ on Christmas Eve. But an angel appeared to him and she told him to pick up some weeds from the side of a road. The boy followed the instructions. The angel explained to the child, that a humble gift, if given with love, would be accepted by God. When the child walked into a church, the weeds blossomed into a beautiful red and green flower, and the congregation felt they had witnessed a Christmas miracle. (Continued à)	Actually, long before Christmas was celebrated in Mexico, ancient Aztecs prized the poinsettia as a symbol of purity. It was centuries later that Mexican Christians adopted the flower and used it as a Christmas decorations. But the name “poinsettia” is not Spanish, and this flower is not called “la poinsettia” in Mexico. The flower is known in Mexico as la Nochebuena, or the beautiful night. So where does the name “poinsettia” come from? This Mexican flower and Christmas tradition was brought to the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico in 1825. The flower has been known in the United States as the poinsettia ever since, and is considered a Christmas flower, just as it is in Mexico.

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A lesson to all Grinches… By Kayla Vega Everybody loves Christmas….who doesn’t? Oh wait…..I think I forgot about the Grinch. Why? Oh please don’t ask because not many people seem to know. Is it maybe because he felt lonely? Or was it because his head wasn’t screwed on right? Or were his shoes too tight? Stop Guessing!! Nobody knows, okay. He lived in a cave so high man…have fun climbing! Every Christmas Eve he would look down from his cave and watch all the Who’s get ready for Christmas. He just stood there hating their guts, trying to figure out a plan to ruin their perfect Christmas. The Grinch hated everything the Who’s would all do. He hated it when they would sing, feast, hang their stockings, and so on and so on. Old Grinchy finally got an awful idea. He made himself a Santa Claus hat and coat. Poor Max, his dog, became his reindeer. When he was finally ready he went down the hill into Whoville. (Continued à)

He took their stockings. He took their feast food. He took their presents. And I think he even took their Christmas Trees. And when he finished, he took all their stuff to the top of Mount Crummpit to dump it. He was about to dump everything when he heard something so, so low. He stopped and listened. He expected it to be a terribly sad sound, but instead it was sounded merry and happy. He looked down into the town and saw something so very surprising. He saw every Who in Whoville singing, holding hands, in a big circle in the middle of the town……with no Christmas presents. He couldn’t believe his green eyes. They were happy!! People say that the Grinch’s tiny, little heart grew three times its regular size. So with a very merry heart, he took back the Christmas presents into town and gave them all back. He went to the feast and he, himself, cut the Roast Beef. So let this be a lesson to all you Grinches out there who also hate Christmas Day. You can’t stop Christmas from coming – you can’t stop it, no way…

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Where did Santa Claus come from? By Juan Luna Santa Claus is actually based upon a real person who lived during the third century. He was borne in a seaport city named Patara which is now in Turkey. At the time, Patara was a Greek colony, and the Greeks were Christians. Nicholas later became a Bishop in the nearby city of Myra. He was well known for his generosity. He spent his life giving gifts to everyone. After he died he was buried in Myra, and a church named for him was built there in the sixth century. In 1071, Muslim invaders captured the city of Myra in a great battle. After that, Christians lost control of the region to the Muslim Turks. In 1087, Italian sailors stole Saint Nicholas’s remains from Myra and took them to Bair, Italy, for safe-keeping. (Continued à) St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra

Cartoonist Thomas Nast created our modern view of Santa in his newspaper cartoons Saint Nicholas eventually became associated with Christmas and gift-giving throughout Europe. Americans later called him Santa Claus and viewed him as a happy, kind person. He was known to reward children who were good and to punish children who behaved bad by not giving them presents. Thomas Nast was the person to draw Santa Claus as the fat, jolly, old man that we think of today. Nast was a newspaper cartoonist who started his career in the United States. He was a political cartoonist who also created the cartoon donkey representing the Democratic Party. Saint Nicholas remains one of the most popular Saints for Greek Christians. In fact, he is considered the patron saint of all of Greece.

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That Mistletoe thing… By Kayla Vega It has been a tradition for as long as I can remember that wherever hangs a sprig of mistletoe, the couple who walks under it has to kiss. Just where did this tradition come from? The Ancient Celts believed that mistletoe had healing powers. They used it as an antidote for poison, and also used it to treat infertility, and to ward of evil spirits. I have no clue why they believed this. During the Dark Ages, people hung mistletoe over doors and on their ceilings to bring good luck and keep witches from entering! People also believed that if you placed mistletoe under your pillow it would keep you from having nightmares. So you can see, mistletoe was considered both sacred and lucky. And what could be luckier than getting a Christmas smooch from that person you adore? Anyway, if you’re a shy kind of guy who doesn’t have the courage to go up to a pretty lady and give her a big smooch on the cheek and say Merry Christmas, you can try to make a little trap and get her under the mistletoe. You can say “oh, look at that?!? Now you gotta kiss me!!” Now that you know why this tradition developed, you can say that you actually learned something in school today… Merry Christmas…..

Santa’s Reindeer By Raul Avilla On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus uses reindeer to travel in the air so he can deliver gifts to kids. Do you believe this? We all know that reindeer can’t fly, but I was surprised to learn they do exist. That’s right, reindeer are real animals. They call wild reindeer caribou in Canada and the United States. You can find domesticated reindeer in Finland, Russia, and Europe. Domesticated reindeer have been used to pull sleds for thousands of years. Reindeers grow antlers on their heads. Old males’ antlers fall off in December. The antlers of young males and females fall off in the summer. Male reindeer weigh more than the females. Reindeer have adapted to their environment in interesting ways. Their hooves, for example, change depending on the season. In the summer the tundra is soft and wet, so reindeer footpads become spongy and provide extra traction. In the winter they tighten and shrink. This makes their hooves sharp and helps cuts through the ice. This prevents the reindeer from slipping. Reindeer migrate in large herds. Wild reindeer, or caribou, run free in groups numbering in the thousands. Domesticated reindeer can be herded from place to place just like cattle. But one thing is clear about reindeer – they cannot fly. Hope you learned something because I know I did. Merry Christmas!!!

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The 12 Days of Christmas By Sing Phady Everyone is familiar with the Christmas song The 12 Days of Christmas. But do you know what 12 days of the year are the “12 days of Christmas,” or what the verses in the song refer to? Back in the Middle Ages it was consider improper to celebrate Christmas. It was supposed to be a time for praying and being in the church. It wasn’t until Christmas had passed – December 26 – when everybody started to bust loose. The celebration ended 12 days later on January 6. Here is what the verses in the song refer to: The partridge in a pear tree was a reference to the Christ child. The 2 turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. 3 French hens stood for faith, hope and love. (1 Cor. 13) The 4 calling birds represented the 4 gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The 5 golden rings recalled the Torah or the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. The 6 geese a laying refered to the 6 days of creation. The 7 swans a swimming were the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 7:30) (Continued à)

The 8 maids a milking were the eight Beatitudes. (Matt. 5-6). The 9 ladies dancing were the 9 truths of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5). The 10 Lords a leaping were the 10 Commandments. The 11 pipers piping were the 11 faithful apostles. (12 minus Judas) The 12 drummers drumming symbolized the 12 points of belief in the Apostle Creed. So now that you know what the song is about, start singing….. Art by David Miranda

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If we were Santa Claus…

This Week’s Separated-at-Birth

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