Árdís - 01.01.1951, Page 6

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ÁRDÍS
Ölljristmas tn pJtmitpeg
When looking through a box of cuts some time ago, I came upon
these two, of the church built by the First Lutheran Congregation,
Winnipeg, on the corner of McWilliam and Nena St. (now Pacific
and Sherbrook St.) and dedicated in 1887.
These cuts are printed on the pages of the Ardis in the hope
that they may bring to the many readers of this publication a
feeling of joy and kind remembrances of the wonderful Christmas
celebrations in the grand old church.
The church was lighted, not by electricity, but by many kero-
sene lamps and for extra lighting at Christmas, hundreds of candles
burned on the ledge of the balcony and the choir platform.
Looking back on these Christmas festivities I shudder to think
how close we were to tragedy, when I recall that many times during
the Christmas concerts, flames, from the candles, flared up along
the red velvet curtain back of the choir-loft rail and that only by
the Grace of God and the constant vigilance of the Sunday School
teachers, was this averted.
The heavy festoons of spruce were made by the Sunday School
teachers.
A huge Christmas tree stood in front of the pulpit, laden with
gifts and on the floor beneath and around the tree, were gifts of
all sizes, awaiting distribution, which would take place after the
Sunday School procession, when the children and teachers led by
Mrs. Lara Bjarnason, marched up and down the four wide aisles of
the church singing the Christmas hymns “Heims um ból” and “I
Betlehem er barn oss fætt”.
Is it that we are no longer young, that we look back on these