22—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 2, 1972
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How-To Explained at Homemakers Christmas Program
By Mrs. Charles McSparran
Farm Feature Writer
The annual Homemakers
Christmas Program, arranged
by the Home Economists of the
Lancaster County Extension
staff, was held Tuesday,
November 28 at the Farm and
Home Center. It was attended
by approximately 300 women for
the daytime program and 100 in
the evening.
Mrs. Edward S. Bloom,
Wilmington, Delaware, spoke at 2
p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on the theme
“How To Do It for Christmas”
and demonstrated how to make
some 30 arrangements. Using
materials at hand she fashioned a
dried herb wreath to hang in your
kitchen and lend a nice aroma. In
using candles she cautioned not
to place a lit candle any closer
than eight inches to greens.
She advised not using more
than three kinds of greens in an
arrangement. To keep greens
alive she cut the greens on an
angle and inserted them in wet
sphagnum moss held in place
with rat wire. For greens she
used yew, ivy, spruce and pine.
She made use of dried and
artificial flowers, artificial and
real fruit, candles, ribbons, birds,
rope, gum balls, teasel, milk
weed pods, pine cones and drift
wood Using a candle mold, a
lantern, a lamp and a dipper she
made some very attractive
arrangements.
As a base for some of her
creations she used plywood, wire
forms and grape vines. She said
there is no harm done to grape
vines to prune them after
freezing weather and she made a
very unusual wreath with a
bundle of grape vines decorated
with a large cluster of artificial
grapes and a few grape leaves.
She fashioned a topiary tree,
fastening gum tree balls and
round toothpicks on a styrofoam
ball mounted in a pot with a
dowel rod. She sprayed it gold
and tied a big red ribbon bow
below the ball.
Arrangements made by Mrs. Bloom are teasels mounted
on a Styrofoam cone are held in a flower pot with a dowel pin
and sprayed gold. Red bows decorate the tree. A pine cone
wreath sprayed 30 times with white paint is anchored on a
pale blue tray or metal lid. Straw wired to a wire base was
decorated with wheat and a green burlap ribbon.
Mrs. Edward S. Bloom, Wilmington, Del., speaking for the
annual Homemakers Christmas Program, shows a topiary
tree and another arrangement to hold doughnuts or cookies.
A festive arrangement to greet
guests was made by placing three
dowel rods about one inch in
diameter and cut about 18 inches
long on a cross arm, painting it
red and decorating each dowel
rod with a sprig of artificial fruit,
then placing doughnuts above the
fruit. Cookies shaped like
doughnuts could also be used.
One simple arrangement was a
fresh pineapple with a red felt
turkey head covering the base
end.
Captain Ernest Woerner,
Lancaster City Fire Department,
spoke on “Fire Prevention for the
Holidays.” He gave nine
basic rules to follow to have a
safe holiday season:
1. Select a fresh cut live tree,
bring it in the house December 24
and only keep it about a week,
make a fresh cut on the butt of the
trunk marking an X at the base of
the trunk. Place it in plenty of
water and replenish the water
every day; 2. Make sure the
lights are UL approved, check
cords that they are not frayed; 3.
Never put any real lighted
candles on the tree; 4. Don’t
block any exit with the tree.
Place away from all passage
ways and anchor it well; 5. When
leaving the house or retiring,
make sure you put out any
burning candles; 6. Have a huge
box for gift wrappings and
dispose of carefully; 7. Electric
or battery operated candles are
safer than regular candles; 8.
Have lots of ash trays around for
smokers; 9. Review your fire
escapes. Make sure you have two
ways out of each room. Don’t go
back in; once you’re out of the
house, in case of fire.
Miss Linda Lueck, assistant
home economist from the Ex
tension staff, demonstrated
candle making using beeswax
(8” x 16”) honeycomb sheets in
various colors. She explained
that they are easier and less
expensive to make and beeswax
won’t drip. Beeswax sheets are
very pliable at room tem
perature.
She gave these directions:
Place a ruler on the diagonal and
using a pencil, lightly trace the
angle from one corner to another.
Using a small knife or scissors
cut the wax along the marked
line. Cut a piece of wicking the
length of the sheet (16 inches)
plus about one inch; place this
wick one-fourth inch from the
long straight edge of the
beeswax; curl this one-fousth
inch edge over the wicking to
secure it. Continue to roll the wax
over the enclosed wick, being
careful to work from one end to
the other so as to roll the sheet
evenly. When entire sheet is
rolled, simply mold the thick end
together with slight finger
pressure. If decorations, such as
sequins or glitter are desired,
simply press them onto the wax,
as die honeycomb has a natural
adhesive quality. The candles she
made were given as door prizes.
Miss Joan Lucas from the
Extension staff showed a film on
gift wrapping and spoke on
“Selecting Toys for Christmas.”
She said questions to ask when
selecting a toy are - does it help
the child grow? Does it fit the
child? Will it last? And is it safe?
Farm Women Societies 3,4, 7,
Miss Joan Lucas spoke on "Selecting Toys for Christmas.”
This display emphasizes the points suggested by Miss Lucas.
Farm Women Society 18 had a food stand which was
patronized by ladies attending morning and afternoon
program.
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Toys and play materials
educate. Toys help the child to
control and direct his muscles,
understand and imitate the ac
tivities in the world around him,
and express his ideas and
feelings.
To provide a wide range of
experiences, play materials need
to be varied in type. As you
choose toys for Christmas gifts be
sure you’re not getting into a rut
and choosing toys that are all for
the same type of play. Carol
Rothermel, Chester County
Assistant Extension home
economist, offers this list of the
types of play children need for
development and the kinds of
toys that stimulate such play.
Active - Push and pull toys,
wheel toys, games and gym
equipment are typical playthings
that aid in physical development.
Creative and manipulative -
Construction toys, building
blocks, drawing and painting
18 and 22 had exhibit tables of
decorations, gifts and foods for
the holidays displayed in the
Extension Training Center.
Farm Women Society 18 also had
a snack table for the convenience
of women spending the day there.
Women from all over the
county as well as a few from
neighboring counties found their
day well spent and went home
with many ideas to make the
holidays colorful and safe.
Toys That Teach
equipment and hobby kits aid
creative play. This type of play is
important because it teaches
children how to use their bands
and provides for the expression of
ideas. It also frees the
imagination, allows for the use of
initiative, stimulates the powers
of observation and develops
resourcefulness.
Dramatic - Housekeeping
equipment, train systems, dolls
and dress-up costumes stimulate
play. This type of play also en
courages imaginative expression
and helps the child leam, through
imitating adult activities.
Social - Games in which
children can take part are
essential aids to social
development. By sharing play
activity, children leam how to get
along with each other and
acquire a basic understanding of
good sportsmanship. They also
leam how to concentrate and how
to think quickly and accurately.