history’s stories: CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS our heritage: ANNUAL CANDLELIGHT TOUR

Christmas has been my favorite time of the year since I was a toddler. Our most memorable events during the Christmas holiday season are centered on the symbols of the season, wreaths, candy canes, Christmas trees and holiday lights. How many of us who celebrate the season know the origins of these old traditions, many of which date back several hundred years? It is estimated that over 77 percent of our homes will have a Christmas tree, with less than 20 percent being live cut trees. Trees decorated date back to Germany during the middle-ages a tradition that the German settles brought to America and was popularized in the 19th century. One of the more famous ornaments is still the Green Pickle. The tradition being that the first child that finds it gets a special gift. It is said to be a commercial marketing gimmick of Woolworths in the late 1800's. A favorite of my family for decades is sending Christmas cards. I can recall Mother saying well you will not get a card from Dennis this year since you and he had an argument. The tradition of sending hand made cards is said to have begun about 1843 in England. Over 1.5 billion Christmas cards will be sold in 2021. Our Christmas tree always is decorated with red striped Candy Canes. In the town of Wooster, Ohio in 1847 a German-Swedish immigrant decorated a tree with the red striped canes that go back to Germany around 1670. One job that many of us volunteer to do each year is the Salvation Army Bell Ringers. The many clubs and organizations in the city and county have their members raising funds for many people with needs in the community. This worthwhile activity was started by a Salvation Army member Joseph McFee who wanted to have a dinner for the poor in San Francisco. Today the Salvation Army helps many local people and over four million nationwide.

history’s stories Christma By Ralph “ Door Wreaths have been around since the Romans decorated their homes, however, the evergreen wreath with holly was used by the early Christians. The shape of the wreath in a circle is a symbol of eternal life and the red holly berries represents Christ's blood. Today most of s Traditions Tuffy” Hicks the wreaths are artificial and made to look like flowers, glass balls and a variety of items. Charlie Brown ' s Christmas story is a favorite each year for millions of adults and children, first was shown on television in December 1965. The show is still a favorite over 50 years later. Nativity Plays in 1223 Francis of Assisi in Italy started the Nativity plays with live scenes at the church. Today this is a worldwide event at Christmas. Santa Claus is the most popular character during the Christmas season. Saint Nicholas was a bishop famous for his gifts to the needy and poor in Europe. He along with Father Christmas, who dates back to the 1600's in Britain. Saint Nick is in the Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol. His look has changed thru the years from a long green coat to the figure we have today of a large man with a red suit and white beard, with a flying sleigh loaded with toys pulled by reindeer from roof top to roof top leaving presents. His home is at the North Pole where he makes toys year around until he leaves on Christmas Eve with his famous reindeer: Blitzen Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and the most famous reindeer of all the leader Rudolph the red nose reindeer. Rudolph was not one of the original reindeer. Rudolph first came to be famous in 1939 in a book that was published by the department store Montgomery Ward and given to the children that came into the store. I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2022. Dedicated to:Sheila Reid, Heila Reid, Tom Williams, Joyce Nadeau, and Chris Sullivan Tuffy is Front Porch’s Resident Historian Photo, Tuffy & Santa 1948

OUR HERITAGE

51st Candlelight tour

By Elizabeth Daly

Last year, for the 50th Tour, Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI) did things a little differently. Because of COVID, it was not possible to go into homes, so 140 Fredericksburg residents agreed to decorate the outside of their homes for the month of December. Members of the Candlelight Tour committee were astounded. We had expected perhaps 25 to 35 homeowners to step up. The decorated homes were incorporated into an app that could be viewed from a smart phone, tablet, or computer. Some people chose to drive by, others walked neighborhoods where homes were clustered. It was an interesting experience, but we are looking forward to returning to a traditional house tour this year.

Three families in the 1100 block of Charles Street are graciously opening their homes on 10, 11, and 12 December. A fourth house, 307 Lewis, known as the Jane Beale House, will be the subject of an exterior tour focusing on the history of the property and its recent renovations. This year, tour tickets will be timed. Groups of no more than 10 people will be given 20-25 minutes of time in and around each house.

1108 Charles This two-story house, whose distinctive feature is a bell-shaped turret topped with a gold ball (pictured), was built in 1893 for local druggist H. Hoomes Johnston. For most of the next 80 years, the house was used as a tourist home. When new owners bought it in 1986, they did extensive restoration and preserved the original building materials. The house revealed all sorts of treasures that helped document the history of the house. The current owners are committed to maintaining the home and have added their own personal touches.

1112 Charles Half of a mirror-image Folk Victorian, this home and its mate were built in 1893 by Henry Ulman and Benjamin Goldsmith. Goldsmith, a successful businessman and leader in the local Jewish community, built 1110 Charles Street. His daughter, Ida, married Henry Ulman, who built 1112 Charles Street. The ornate architecture is typical of the Folk Victorian style made possible by newly developed machinery that could turn out detailed wooden spindles, porch posts, balustrades, scalloped shingles, and decorative trim.

1114 Charles Once known as the Betty Washington Inn, this two-story structure was built between 1761 and 1785 and used as a rental or rooming house. Fielding Lewis, who married George Washington's sister, Betty, owned this land and the surrounding property when it was part of what is now known as Kenmore. Miss Frances Mason Williams, who operated the Inn from 1927 to 1960, offered "a high class inn" with "a homelike atmosphere and charm." The current owner bought the house in 2014 and has been hard at work stabilizing, preserving, and restoring. He has made many discoveries; including a Civil War era bullet lodged in the siding. He is enthusiastic about sharing his ambitious project.

HFFI's gift shop's location is the auditorium of Fredericksburg Branch of the library, 1201 Caroline on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the gift shop will be at the Lewis Store, 1200 Caroline.

Timed tickets must be reserved in advance and will minimize long lines. A check-in station on Lewis Street is where reserved tickets will be available for pick up after proof of COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test is presented. For complete information please go to the HFFI website at hffi.org/holiday-candlelight-tour/.

Elizabeth Dalyis a member of the HFFI Candlelight Tour Committee Photo by Shirley Grant

HFFI Candlelight Tour December 10-1 12 1100 Block of Charles Street hffi.org