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Are there any traditional Quaker primitive Christmas decorations?
I am wondering if there is some certain type of primitive Christmas
ornament and ecorations or other object that could be displayed on a
front door or a mail box or other place where it is clearly visible
to the passing public that makes the following statement -- "A Quaker lives here and appreciates the true significance of
Christmas, but does not believe in the commercialization and
electrification of the symbols of Christmas". I have concluded thru reading and study that I am indeed a Quaker, but
I live in a town where the closest other Quaker is probably 240 miles
away so I really have no one to discuss such topics with. |
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-I'm not a Quaker, but my vote would be for a single bright star high above
the roof of your house. It has the virtue of simplicity in contrast to most
commercial gimics which tend to be complex. Rather like Tiny Tim's crutch
which served to remind people of the lame which Jesus healed, the star would
both remind people of the reason for Christmas, and emphasise the desire to
make your home a place worthy for such a star to shine over. I ponder on
the appropriateness of making this star the star of David.
Some years ago I bought a software package called redshift which
charted the movement of the planets and stars over the centuries, and
went looking for such a bright star. While I can't put a lot of faith
in software, the best candidate seemed to be a conjunction of Saturn
and Jupiter in (if I remember rightly) March 4 BC. Somehow this seemed
very appropriate for such a serious but joyous occasion. -I knew a Friend in Richmond, IN, who was very careful of her Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting heritage. She lived in a modern house furnished with her
Quaker family heirlooms. I especially remember her plain sideboards with
primitive wooden block latches. She did not have a tree at Christmas, but
did have winter decorations in the form of evergreen garlands on the
mantle and the sideboards. And she kept them for the whole winter. -since most Friends eschewed any celebration of Christmas as being uneedful if
we think of Christ being born anew in our hearts with every dawn, they had no
decorations. mostly they had no decorations of any kind simple plainess was
what they strove for. Later on the had silouettes of their families that they
put up,
As their wealth grew in this country they did put down wonderful rugs, and fine
fabric drapes etc. The ones here in Westerly were bankers and quite rich. they
have beautiful furnishings and wonderful houses but they also had many children
and the money has long since been divided up among them all. Some of them
celebrated Christmas the way most protestants did, but most kept plain. Now
adays we have candlelight services at 5pm here with carols but silent worship,
a simple tea and cookies after and then we go home. Our choice how we deal with
it at home. We try to keep from overwhelming the children and to do without the
materialism that permiates our times |
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