Dear Friends and Schoolmates,
This is a most
unusual Christmas
song, which I'm sure is much more popular in Great Britain than it is here...
BONUS #1 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDKzVpm_liw -
The Mistletoe Bough - Will Noble
BONUS #2 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ccboDG47uE -The Mistletoe Bough, A
Ghostly Tale
BONUS #3 -
http://www.users.dialstart.net/~2metres/poetry/mistletoebough/mistletoebough.html
From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Mistletoe_Bough:
| The Legend of the Mistletoe Bough is a ghost story which has
been associated with many
mansions
and
stately homes in
England.
The tale tells how a new bride, playing a game of
hide-and-seek during her
wedding breakfast, hid in a chest in an attic and was unable to
escape. She was not discovered by her family and friends, and
suffocated. The body was allegedly found many years later in the locked
chest.
Notable claimants for the story's location, some still displaying the
chest, include
Bramshill House and
Marwell Hall in Hampshire,
Castle Horneck in
Cornwall,
Basildon Grotto in
Berkshire,
Minster Lovell Hall in
Oxfordshire,
Exton Hall in
Rutland,
Brockdish Hall in
Norfolk
and
Bawdrip Rectory in
Somerset.
The tale first appeared in print in the form of a poem by
Samuel Rogers entitled Ginerva, in his book 'Italy' published in
1823. In notes on this work, Rogers states ‘The story is, I believe,
founded on fact; though the time and the place are uncertain. Many old
houses lay claim to it.’[1]
The popularity of the tale was greatly increased when it appeared as
a song in the 1830s entitled 'The Mistletoe Bough' written by
T.H. Bayley and Sir
Henry Bishop. The song proved very popular. In 1859, its 'solemn
chanting' was referred to as a 'national occurrence at Christmas'[2]
in English households, and by 1862 the song was
referred to as 'one of the most popular songs ever written', 'which must
be known by heart by many readers'.[3]
Further works inspired by the song include a play of the same name by
Charles A Somerset first produced in 1835. A short story, 'Ginevra or
The Old Oak Chest: A Christmas Story' by
Susan E Wallace published in 1887 and another short story "The
Romance of Certain Old Clothes" by
Henry James published in 1868. The song is also played in
Thomas Hardy's A Laodicean, after the scene involving the
capture of George Somerset's handkerchief from the tower.
The story of the Mistletoe Bough is recounted in the 1948
Alfred Hitchcock film
Rope, where it is described as being the favorite tale of the
main character, Brandon Shaw. Unbeknownst to the story teller, the body
of his murdered son had been hidden by Shaw in the chest in front of
which they are standing. |
From
Bill Hobbs ('66) of Northern VA -
11/12/17 - "Good words from Charlie Brown (#4 in a Series of 10)":
BONUS CHRISTMAS STORY:
From My Friend, Tammy, of UT - 12/04/14 - "Daily Christmas Story (#4
in a Series of 24)":
| This year I decided to
share some of my favorite Christmas stories and quotes. It is a
tradition in our family to read a Christmas story every night in
December culminating with the Nativity on the 24th.
Christmas Story Day 4,
Thoughts on Joseph by Jeffrey R. Holland
|
|
As a father I have recently begun to think more
often of Joseph, that strong, silent, almost unknown man who must have
been more worthy than any other mortal man to be the guiding foster
father of the living Son of God. It was Joseph selected from among all
men who would teach Jesus to work. It was Joseph who taught him the
books of the law. It was Joseph who, in the seclusion of the shop,
helped him begin to understand who he was and ultimately what he was to
become.
I was a student ... just finishing my first year of graduate work when
our first child, a son, was born. We were very poor, though not so poor
as Joseph and Mary. My wife and I were both going to school, both
holding jobs, and in addition worked as head residents in an off-campus
apartment complex to help defray our rent. We drove a little Volkswagen
which had a half-dead battery because we couldn’t afford a new one
(Volkswagen or battery).
Nevertheless, when I realized that our own night of nights was coming, I
believe I would have done any honorable thing in this world, and
mortgaged any future I had, to make sure my wife had the clean sheets,
the sterile utensils, the attentive nurses, and the skilled doctors who
brought forth our firstborn son. If she or that child had needed special
care at the Mayo Clinic, I believe I would have ransomed my very life to
get it.
I compare those feelings (which I have had with each succeeding child)
with what Joseph must have felt as he moved through the streets of a
city not his own, with not a friend or kinsman in sight, nor anyone
willing to extend a helping hand. In these very last and most painful
hours of her “confinement,” Mary had ridden or walked approximately 100
miles from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. Surely Joseph must
have wept at her silent courage. Now, alone and unnoticed, they had to
descend from human company to a stable, a grotto full of animals, there
to bring forth the Son of God.
I wonder what emotions Joseph might have had as he cleared away the dung
and debris. I wonder if he felt the sting of tears as he hurriedly tried
to find the cleanest straw and hold the animals back. I wonder if he
wondered: “Could there be a more unhealthy, a more disease-ridden, a
more despicable circumstance in which a child could be born? Is this a
place fit for a king? Should the mother of the Son of God be asked to
enter the valley of the shadow of death in such a foul and unfamiliar
place as this? Is it wrong to wish her some comfort? Is it right He
should be born here?”
But I am certain Joseph did not mutter and Mary did not wail. They knew
a great deal and did the best they could.
Perhaps these parents knew even then that in the beginning of His mortal
life, as well as in the end, this baby son born to them would have to
descend beneath every human pain and disappointment. He would do so to
help those who also felt they had been born without advantage. |
Thank you so
very much, Tammy!
BONUS CHRISTMAS
CRAFT PATTERNS
:
http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/mr-mrs-frosty -
Tammy C. Hildebrand's Mr. and Mrs. Frosty
http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/holly-table-runner
-
Holly Table Runner
http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-holly-stocking-0
-
Marilyn Coleman's Holly Stocking
http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/country-christmas
-
Country Christmas Placemat and Coaster
http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/pinwheels-table-tree
-
Mary Jane Protus' Pinwheels for Table & Tree
BONUS CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES:
|
  From
Me
('65) of NC -
12/03/08:
This cookie -
candy recipe is soooo yummy - and great for taking caroling to your
friends!
|
Saltine Cracker
Surprise
|
|
35
square saltine crackers
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter (NO margarine!) |
2
cups chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped pecans |
Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and place the saltines on
top. Melt the brown sugar with the butter in a pan, stir, and boil hard for
two minutes. Pour over the crackers and bake at 350 degrees F. for 5
minutes. Immediately cover the crackers with the chocolate chips. As the
chocolate melts, spread it over the crackers. Sprinkle the chopped nuts on
the top and chill. Peel off the foil and break the candy into pieces. Store
in the refrigerator or freezer.
|
|
FINALLY:
From
www.ajokeaday.com
- 12/03/17:
At the bar, Tom and Bill were talking. “My uncle tried to make a new
kind of car. He took the wheels from a Cadillac, the radiator from a
Lexus, and tires from a Ford," said Tom.
“What did he get?" asked Bill.
“Two years,” said Tom. |
DATES TO REMEMBER:
1. Every Tuesday, 7:30 AM - Male grads meet at Angelo's Restaurant on J. Clyde
Morris Boulevard for breakfast and camaraderie.
2. Wednesday, January 10, 2018 -The NNHS Class of June 1942 meets at noon on
the second Wednesday of every other month for a Dutch treat lunch at the James
River Country Club, 1500 Country Club Road. PLEASE JOIN THEM. Give or take a few
years makes no difference. Good conversation, food and atmosphere. For details,
call Jennings Bryan at 803-7701 for reservations. |
|
Y'all take good care of each
other! TYPHOONS FOREVER!
We'll
Always Have
Buckroe!
Love to all, Carol
|
==============================================
NNHS CLASS OF '65 WEB SITE:
http://www.nnhs65.com
PERSONAL WEB SITE:
http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/cluckmeat
==============================================
Carol Buckley Harty
7020 Lure Court
Fayetteville, NC 28311-9309
910-584-8802
"Never underestimate
the power of a drop
in the bucket." |
 |
THREE WAYS TO DONATE:
1. Visit the main page (http://www.nnhs65.com), scroll
halfway down, and click on the Pay Pal Donate Button (nnhs65@gmail.com);
2.
Go to www.PayPal.com, log in,
select "Send Money (Services) to
nnhs65@gmail.com; or
3.
Just mail it directly to my home. Thanks!
|
The Mistletoe Bough
Music by
Sir
Henry Bishop
(18 Nov 1786 – 30 April 1855)
Lyrics by
Thomas Haynes Bayly
(13 Oct 1797 – 22 Apr 1839), 1830
The mistletoe hung in the castle hall,
The holly branch shone on the old oak wall;
And the baron's retainers were blithe and gay,
And keeping their Christmas holiday.
The baron beheld with a father's pride
His beautiful child, young Lovell's bride;
While she with her bright eyes seemed to be
The star of the goodly company.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
"I'm weary of dancing now," she cried;
"Here, tarry a moment — I'll hide, I'll hide!
And, Lovell, be sure thou'rt first to trace
The clew to my secret lurking-place."
Away she ran — and her friends began
Each tower to search, and each nook to scan;
And young Lovell cried, "O, where dost thou hide?
I'm lonesome without thee, my own dear bride."
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
They sought her that night, and they sought her next day,
And they sought her in vain while a week passed away;
In the highest, the lowest, the loneliest spot,
Young Lovell sought wildly — but found her not.
And years flew by, and their grief at last
Was told as a sorrowful tale long past;
And when Lovell appeared the children cried,
"See! the old man weeps for his fairy bride."
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
At length an oak chest, that had long lain hid,
Was found in the castle — they raised the lid,
And a skeleton form lay mouldering there
In the bridal wreath of that lady fair!
O, sad was her fate! — in sportive jest
She hid from her lord in the old oak chest.
It closed with a spring! — and, dreadful doom,
The bride lay clasped in her living tomb!
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
"The Mistletoe Bough" midi
courtesy of
http://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=2679 - 12/03/12
"The Mistletoe Bough" lyrics courtesy of
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/classics/a/The-Mistletoe-Bough.htm -
12/03/12
Image of Mistletoe courtesy of
http://www.123rf.com/photo_7881905_bunch-of-hanging-mistletoe-with-ribbon-isolated-on-white.html
- 12/03/12
"Holiday Heading" Pine Divider Line clip art, posted by ChrisMac, courtesy
of
http://groups.msn.com/TheClipArtPalace/christmas.msnw - 12/16/04
Animated Tiny
Birthday Cake clip art courtesy of
Sarah Puckett Kressaty ('65) of
VA - 08/31/05
Thanks, Sarah Sugah!
Hampton High School's Crab
clip art courtesy of
http://www.geocities.com/agent99bm/ - 10/02/05
Replaced courtesy of
http://www.hamptonhigh1964.com - 02/17/09
Animated USMC
Flag clip art courtesy of
http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/KevsGifsGalore/Patriotic.html - 06/18/03
Animated Dancing Teddy courtesy of Sandi Bateman Chestnut ('65) of VA - 03/08/11
Thanks, Sandi!
Navy Seal
clip art courtesy of
http://www.onemileup.com/miniSeals.asp - 05/29/06
Animated
Dancing Snoopy courtesy of Billy Turner ('65) of TX - 11/26/08
Thanks, Billy Turner!
Animated Ringing
Christmas Bell clip art (designed by Art Holden) courtesy of
http://www.animationfactory.com -
12/08/05
Animated BOO-HOO
courtesy of Glenn Dye ('60) of TX - 08/28/09
Thanks, Glenn!
Jeffrey Holman's Image "A
Drop in the Bucket" courtesy of
https://tearsfromalonelygod.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/a-drop-in-the-bucket/
- 05/23/16
Back to NNHS Newsletters - 2017
Return to NNHS
Class of 1965
| 
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