THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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Claim Santa as Soviet Concept
Wonderland
BEATNIK BARGAINS:
Shoppers Find Gifts for Sick, Sick, Ill
SCOW (P) - The Russians'
invent Christmas, but they
sist that Grandfather Frost
r known as Santa Claus) is
:-in-the-wool Russian inven-
,ndfather Frost, known as
Mai oz" here, loops and acts
anta Claus. He' has the same-
cheeks, flowing beard, and
owing bag of gifts.
the Russians say his origin
re Russian folklore without
eligious overtones, imported
mestic.
e Russians started celebrating
tmas soon after Christianity
from Byzantium in the tenth'
century and incorporated much
old pagan folklore, including
Grandfather Frost, into the Chris-
tian ritual..
Even today . in atheist Soviet
(Russia, almost everybody cele-
brates Christmas. To avoid the
"stigma" of religious connotation,
however, they call it New Year's.
Even Christmas trees are called
"New Year trees"in Russia today.
Current Christmas (or New
Year) celebrations in Russia smack
of the pagan days. They lack the.
carefree flavor of pre-revolution-
ary times and are much more
highly organized, in keeping with
the spirit of the times here.
Even the Kremlin, the once for-
bidding fortress of Stalin's day,
and the House of Unions, scene of
the purge trials of the 1930's, have'
gotten into the act. Mammoth par-
ties are staged in them and tens of
thousands of Moscow children
stream through, singing and danc-
ing, for the two-week run of the
holidays.
Grandfather Frost delivers his
gifts to these children in person,
just as Santa does in the West,
but with one difference.
"Grandfather Frost is too digni-
fied to come down the chimhey,"
one Russian explained.
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LITTLE BROTHER'S or
SISTER'S GIFT?
1" 3
COLONIAL ANTIQUE KITS
ranging from 2.95 to 8.95
PAINT BY NUMBERS
$1 and up
H-0 TRAINS
as low as 10.95
By MICHAEL BURNS
Shoppers looking for gifts for
the sick, sick, sick! will find a
large selection from which to
choose this year.
By shopping at some of the
main street stores and a few out-
of-the-way basements (which
have been converted for the ex-
press purpose of selling banned
items to the beat and to those of
the college crowd who crave the
unusual and insane) one can find
a number of articles guaranteed
to please the indiscriminate and
bold.
Perhaps the most practical item
encountered by The Daily -in
a search to lielp Christmas shop-
pers was a very unusual Christ-
mas stocking. Although it will be
too late to use this year, the
stocking has definite value to 'the
one who receives it when next
Christmas rolls around.
Rubber Stocking
The stocking is made of rubber
and so when Santa Claus tries to
fill it with goodies, he will never
finish as the stocking expands to
hold all that the jolly old man has
in his pack and more besides: a
very practical gift for that greedy
roommate,
Crazy drinking mugs and glasses
in all varieties are available for
the sober students of the Univer-
sity. One such mug has an egg in
the bottom for those who prefer
egg in their beer without having
to buy the egg.
Another features a glass cover
attached to the top for those who
like to be sociable but don't care
to indulge. A local salesman for
these items reported total sales so
far - zero.
Remember Fishermen
The prevaricating fisherman
has not been forgotten by the
manufacturers of Yuletide gifts.
A handsome ruler. which is con-
veniently scaled to measure two
inches to the standard inch will
prove to be invaluable to the
Izaak Walton who has trouble
convincing his friends of the size
of his catch. Mink fish scalers
are also on sale to add a touch of
luxury to an unpleasant chore.
Stuffed animals for the coed are
always very popular. Realizing
this, , one rather hard-to-locate
store is featuring life-size stuffed
beasts. Starting with stuffed liz-1
ards and tarantulas, they range in
size all the way up to elephants
and giraffes for those who crave
the company of furry friends.
Of course, back scratchers (Chi-
nese and otherwise) have always
provided the perfect gift for those
who have everything. ,The new
crop for this season features real
mummified hands. Their quality
is definitely better than those cur-
rently offered, but the only draw-
back is that the finger nails are
rather easily dislodged and, un-
fortunately, are irreplaceable.
Wineskins of human skin are
offered by this same manufactur-
er who refuses to disclose the
source of his raw materials.
These definitely will be in style at
all beatnik parties so be certain
that you give that special beatnik
one of these and make his holi-
day season happy.
This concludes The Daily's
guide to unique and unusual gifts
for the sick. Be ,sure and shop at
the store with the coffin on the
door for the finest in quality prod-
ucts of this nature. For the really
sick, however, a gift of a custom
prescription will show them your
thoughtfulpess in this season of
happiness and festivity.
SKIN FOR WINE
... human variety
S'tore Owner
Dreams Plan
for Miss
By: SANDRA,,JOHNSON
Quite casually, the owner of a
hardware 'store told. how he ac-
tually, "dreamed up the idea last
night" of, putting. his Santa Claus
in a rocket ship in front of his
store.
Over at the lumber yard the
missile is now being built. When
completed, it is, to be as tall as the
hardware store marquee.
Santa will sit in the cockpit
where all the Christmas shoppers
can see him through the win-
dows. While, the parents watch
and listen outside, the children
can, climb up and- tell him. what
they want for Christmas.
Small businessmen must use
their own ingenuity 'in designing.
Christmas decorations. There are
many companies which special-
ize in decorating stores for holi-
day seasons, but some shops flnd
it too expensive to hire one of
these.
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MODELS and HOBBY KITS
Beaver's Bike & Hardware
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605 Church Street:
STYMIED
NO 5-6607
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FOR NEW IDEAS?
M
SKIING BECKONS-It's ski-time in the state, and snow-covered
hills are inviting for the enthusiastic athlete. The Michigan
Tourist Council, in Lansing, has issued a ski map to help in the.
selection of a winter sports center. The map, which lists 71
skiing, skating and tobogganing centers, is free on request.
GIVE A GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR ANY AMOUNT
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EVEN THE BEAT
. . . give gifts
ISKATES: -
Ladies' White Figure. .
Men's Hockey . ..
Hockey Equipr
M3M=M==V j
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Juvenile M Sweaters
Juvenile Sweat Shirts
* *
wheNOSUBSTITUTEas
NO SUBSTITUTE
APRONS-for her or for him.
SCARFS-wool or silk for everyone.
HANDKERCHIEFS-hand embroidered, initialed,
prints, men's, women's, and'children's.
Calendar Towels, Guest Towels
Cbristmas Towels, Aprons, and Tablecloths
Bath Towels, Matching Mats, Rugs, Lidcovers
Cocktail or Tea Napkins
GAGE LINEN SHOP
11 NICKELS ARCADEy
Stores Spend
According to one merchant, the
larger department stores spend
hundreds of thousands of dollars
on decorations for Christmas
alone. "By necessity, our budget
limits our expepditures," he add-
ed.
When asked about whether he
decorates' for a: commercial or a.
Christian Christmas, one thought-
ful businessman replied, "I think
you will find that if a store has
goods to sell, they will decorate
comniercially.
"However, establishments such
as insurance companies (which
are not selling material products)
will often place a nativity, scene
or other religious symbol in their
front windows."
Explains Idea,
"The whole idea of decorating
is to make your goods more at-
tractive so that people will want
to buy them," the proprietor' of a
local gift shop said.
"By wrapping some large items
in cellophane and bright ribbons
and by. placing others dn display
cases strewn with holly leaves,"
he continued, "we suggest to the
customer that they' would be ap-
propriate as Christmas gifts."
Immediately after Thanksgiv-
ing, stores begin an intense sales
campaign which lasts through
Christmas Eve. Some start even
earlier, but, as the owner of one
dry goods shop said, "We believe
that it is somewhat sacrilegious
to decorate any sooner."
. . $10.95 up
. . $10.95 u
rnent
MY MN I
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IGAMES:
: Table Tennis
LDart Boards Shuffle Boards
Badminton Sets
MICHIGAN SWEAT SHIRTS
MICHIGAN JACKETS
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BLANKETS
I.
VARSITY
Leather Sleeve Jackets
MELTON BODY
Special at $19.95
carrying cases
SKI:
Henke Boots
Northland Ski Bindings
Jantzen Sweaters
White Stag Pants, Parkas
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