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                                    Origin of Holly Wreath, Mistletoe, Yule Log

                       Now where did we get this mistletoe custom? Among the ancient pagans the mistletoe was
               used at this festival of the winter solstice because it was considered sacred to the sun, because of
               its supposed miraculous healing power. The pagan custom of kissing under the mistletoe was an
               early step in the night of revelry and drunken debauchery -- celebrating the death of the "old sun"
               and the birth of the new at the winter solstice. Mistletoe, sacred in pagan festivals, is a parasite!

                       Holly berries were also considered sacred to the sun-god. The Yule log is in reality the
               "sun log." "Yule" means "wheel," a pagan symbol of the sun. Yet today professing Christians speak
               of the "sacred yule-tide season"!


                       Even the lighting of fires and candles as a Christian ceremony is merely a continuation of
               the pagan custom, encouraging the waning sun-god as he reached the lowest place in the southern
               skies!

                       The Encyclopedia Americana says: "The holly, the mis-
               tletoe, the Yule log ... are relics of pre-Christian times." Of
               paganism!


                       The book Answers to Questions, compiled by Frederick
               J. Haskins, found in public libraries, says: "The use of Christmas
               wreaths is believed by authorities to be traceable to the pagan
               customs of decorating buildings and places of worship at the
               feast which took place at the same time as Christmas. The Christ-
               mas tree is from Egypt, and its origin dates from a period long
               anterior to the Christian Era."

                              Yes, and Even Santa Claus!

                       But surely dear old Santa Claus is not a creature of pagan
               birth? But he is, and his real character is not so benevolent and
               holy as many suppose!

                       The name "Santa Claus" is a corruption of the name "St. Nicholas," a Roman Catholic
               bishop who lived in the 5th century. Look in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, volume 19, pages
               648-649, 11th edition, where you'll read: "St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, a saint honored by the
               Greeks and Latins on the 6th of December .... A legend of his surreptitious bestowal of dowries on
               the three daughters of an impoverished citizen ... is said to have originated the old custom of giving
               presents in secret on the Eve of St. Nicholas [Dec. 6], subsequently transferred to Christmas day.
               Hence the association of Christmas with Santa Claus ...."

                       Through the year, parents punish their children for telling falsehoods. Then, at Christmas
               time, they themselves tell their little children this "Santa Claus" lie! Is it any wonder many of them,
               when they grow up and learn the truth, begin to believe God is a myth, too?


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