Newsletter of the Olivenhain Town Council December, 2011 Message from the President — Jon Jerotz By the time you receive this Newsletter in the mail, or your email sample them to your delight for a mere $10 which includes your box, Thanksgiving will already be behind us and for me already very own Olivenhain wine glass. This has grown to be a missed. I love the smell of Turkey cooking in the oven, stuffing, blockbuster evening so please join us for our last event of the yams and all the other side dishes filling the air with the year and spread your holiday cheer. wonderful aroma of what is truly the start of the holiday season. I do not miss my stomach being pushed out a couple extra I have always loved Christmas growing up and still do to this inches because I had to have seconds of all of the above, but day. We all have our special holiday memories no matter what can you blame me? Oh the holidays! you celebrate and how you celebrate it. I enjoy putting the lights up and around the house, setting up the Christmas tree and Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here, too many people decorating it with a fire burning and music playing. It is a family vying for the same one out of ten toy of the year the store had at time to really cherish. Sometimes I think that Christmas is just the “special price” for five hours. Can you believe the stores for the kids, but you know, that is just not the case. It is the time opening at midnight for an all night shopping experience? Well, of the year to spoil a loved one, surprise them with a gift they no thanks, but maybe I am just getting old, the only thing I will may never suspect, that is the joy of it all. Spend some time shop for at midnight is a heat pad for my wife that is in labor, relaxing, putting the smart phone down, (except of course to (well a few years ago I did and I think it was closer to 2am) and video something fun) and I once could not contain myself the since she is not pregnant, I won’t have to worry about that night before Christmas, at least I thought I never even fell anytime soon! Is shopping all night really the holiday spirit? I asleep but of course I did. Now, I get to see the excitement in think not! my own kids eyes with Santa Claus, (who is a GIANT) in my sons eyes! I cannot wait to go again this year for photos with Holiday spirit is giving to the community that you live in, like Santa and see if maybe we can coax a smile out of them. Take Mary Jo Nortman giving once again to our great community in a ride on the Santa Train, did you know that Santa visits our putting together yet another Craft Fair. Yes, it may have been Coaster for day? I am very excited to be a Judge at the raining that day and yes maybe some folks had to pack it in Encinitas Holiday Parade this year celebrating the 25th year early to get out of the downpours, but that is Holiday spirit, since being incorporated. All of these things are so special to showing up, setting up and making the best of the day! Thank me and will not be forgotten memories. This is the Holiday you to the Nortman’s who year after year take the reins and Spirit! make the Craft Fair a special day in Olivenhain. I know the community thanks you as well! As time moves on and families grow, holiday traditions remain and grow as well. I know this Christmas will be a wonder of Holiday spirit is slowing down on the roads, letting a car in front smiles and laughter and most importantly love in my household of you changing lanes, opening a door for someone, donating to as we open the presents and let the kids have fun with their new a special charity, or just giving your time to help someone who toys. As my kids get older each year, I think Christmas will might need it. In the last month of the year, let us all slow down become even more exciting and adventurous as we keep our a notch; let the days just not speed on by us, but cherish the family tradition. I am looking forward as well to jumping on a moments you have as we near the end of this year. Cherish the plane Christmas night and waking up on the East Coast in the time with co-workers, friends and family. Get to know someone morning when we land, where we might, just might, have our new, meet a neighbor, go out of your comfort zone to smile and White Christmas. chat it up with a new acquaintance. I want to take this moment to wish each and every one of you, a If you would like to meet some new people and see some safe, happy, joy filled and most importantly healthy Holiday friendly faces, a perfect time to do this is coming up at our very Season! I am thankful to live in such an amazing community like own annual Wine Tasting Event on December 14th at 6:30pm. Olivenhain, thank you for making it what it is! Merry Christmas We will have wines from unlikely places and you will be able to and Happy New Year and keep that Holiday Spirit! www.olivenhain.org 1 “Colony Olivenhain” History Book In 1981, Richard Bumann, descendent of one of the original colonists, published a local history book titled Colony Olivenhain. The original printing sold out long ago, but thanks to a very generous donation by publishers Kristina and Reid Tracy, the Olivenhain Town Council has made this book available once again, and will be able to use all the proceeds from the sale for renovation and repair of the Germania Hotel. You can order using the order form on the cover sheet, or stop by and pick one up at the Postal Corner in Olivenhain Platz, on the corner of Rancho Santa Fe Road and Encinitas Boulevard.
Olivenhain Cookbook The Colony Olivenhain Cookbook compiled by Debbie McCauley has over 500 recipes collected from members of the community. All the proceeds from the sales of this cookbook go to renovate the Germania Hotel. The cost is $15 (including tax), and you can pick them up at the Postal Corner in the Olivenhain Platz at the corner of Rancho Santa Fe Road and Encinitas Boulevard and at Olson's Car Wash on El Camino Real.
Beer Steins Colony Olivenhain Beer License Plate Frames Steins are available at Chrome license plate frames are available at the Postal Postal Corner for $13 plus Corner in Olivenhain Platz. for $30 plus tax. All proceeds go toward maintenance of the Meeting Hall, tax for a 25 oz. Stein. the Germania Hotel, and the Meeting Hall grounds. These are the best Beer Steins ever!
From our homes to yours … A wonderful Holiday Season and a very Happy New Year to everyone in the Olivenhain Valley!!
Many thanks to EDCO for their donation of VAN SLYKE LANDSCAPE, INC LANDSCAPE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION a dumpster and trash collection for the LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE Olivenhain Meeting Hall. ∗ Specializing in custom residential landscape design, installation and maintenance. Many thanks to Van Slyke Landscape, Inc. ∗ Fully licensed and insured with 35 years experience in the Olivenhain, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Rancho Santa Fe areas. for their donation of monthly grounds PAUL C. VAN SLYKE, PRES. 442 RANCHO SANTA FE RD maintenance for the BUS. 760-753-7793 OLIVENHAIN, CA 92024 FAX 760-753-7937 WEB SITE: vanslykelandscape.com Olivenhain Meeting Hall. EMAIL [email protected] Newsletter Advertising To advertise in the OTC newsletter, send a JPEG format file, $45 for 3 months for a business card-sized ad (add $15 for business card, or your ad copy to [email protected]) each additional consecutive month, $180 for 1 year), with a check payable to: Olivenhain Town Council, 423 Rancho $75 for a double-sized ad (add $25 for each additional Santa Fe Road, Olivenhain, CA 92024 (For best quality, email consecutive month, $300 for 1 year), or your JPEG file or text copy with the word “newsletter” in the $150 for a 1/2 page ad for 3 months ($50 each additional subject line). consecutive month, $600 per year). www.olivenhain.org 2 www.olivenhain.org 3 Christmas Facts and Figures
Christmas became a national holiday in America on June 26, Based on a 1999 estimated population count of North America 1870. and Europe, on Christmas Eve of that year Santa Claus had to visit 42,466,666 homes in a 12-hour period - that's 983 homes In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare per second. Christmas a legal holiday. Santa has a calculated 31 hours to deliver gifts thanks to the In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that made different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he Christmas illegal. Festivities were banned by Puritan leader, travels east to west. Oliver Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry, on what was supposed to be a holy day, to be immoral. The ban was We give gifts because the three wise men brought baby Jesus lifted only when the Puritans lost power in 1660. three presents - gold, frankincense and myrrh. "Wassail" comes from the Old Norse "ves heill"--to be of good Frankincense is a sweet smelling gum resin derived from certain health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Boswellia trees which, at the time of Christ, grew in Arabia, Christmas Eve and drinking to their health. India, and Ethiopia. Tradition says that it was presented to the Christ Child by Balthasar, the black king from Ethiopia or Saba. Evergreens are symbolic of enduring and renewed life, which is The frankincense trade was at its height during the days of the why we decorate our homes with them at Christmas time. The Roman Empire. At that time this resin was considered as fetching in of green branches is a magical rite to ensure the valuable as gems or precious metals. The Romans burned return of vegetation at winter’s end. Our modern day Christmas frankincense on their altars and at cremations. tree is the centerpiece of this belief. Myrrh is an aromatic gum resin which oozes from gashes cut in By tradition, Christmas decorations should not be erected prior the bark of a small desert tree known as Commifera Myrrha or to Christmas Eve, lest this visible proof of anticipation of a the dindin tree. The myrrh hardens into tear-dropped shaped festival anger capricious forces. Evergreens especially (ant that chunks and is then powdered or made into ointments or includes your tree) should not be brought into the house before perfumes. This tree is about 5-15 feet tall and 1 foot in diameter. this time. Comfort should therefore be drawn from the Legend says Caspar brought the gift of myrrh from Europe or knowledge that greedy merchants who put of their Christmas Tarsus and placed it before the Christ Child. Myrrh was an finery in early November daily court the malicious attentions of extremely valuable commodity during biblical times and was evil spirits. imported from India and Arabia. America's official national Christmas tree is located in King's Christmas presents were known in antiquity among kings and Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia chieftains, especially on the European continent. However, they called the "General Grant Tree," is over 300 feet (90 meters) have been common among ordinary people in Iceland only high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925. during the past 100 or so years. An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations The tradition of hanging stockings over the fireplace derived on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas from Dutch children placing their shoes next to the fireplace on morning is believed to bring good luck. Christmas Eve. Stockings later replaced the shoes. Tinsel became a popular Christmas tree adornment after a Santa Claus has many different names around the world mythical spider created sprawling webs from branch to branch. It including Father Christmas in the UK, Pere Noel in France, Kriss is believe the Christ Child changed the webs to a silver color. Kringle in Germany, La Befana in Italy, Julinesse in Denmark, In Austria & Germany during the seventeenth and eighteenth Dedushka Moroz (meaning Grandfather Frost) in Russia and the centuries, the tops of evergreens were cut and hung upside Three Kings in Spain and Mexico. down in a living room corner. They were decorated with apples, The typical image we have of Santa Claus dressed in red nuts and strips of red paper. clothes with white fur trim, is an amalgamation of cultural input In Mexico, the poinsettia plant is called 'Flower of the Holy over many years. Some people claim the image of Santa we Night'. The poinsettia plant was brought into the United States know today is from Coca-cola advertising, but this simply isn't from Mexico by Joel Poinsett in the early 1800's. true. The standard Santa garb was well established by the 1920s and it wasn't until the 1930s that Coca-cola first used the Australian priests suggest saying 'Happy Christmas' instead of Santa Claus design in their advertising. Merry Christmas since 'merry' often referred to drinking alcohol. www.olivenhain.org 4 Father Christmas was apparently born in Turkey in the fourth Oklahoma was the last state to proclaim Christmas day as a century, but no-one is sure when he moved to the North Pole. legal holiday in 1907. Father Christmas has two addresses, Edinburgh and the North 1 in 3 men will wait until Christmas Eve to finish their shopping. Pole. Letters addressed to 'TOYLAND' or 'SNOWLAND' go to 1 in 6 men would like to get rid of all the "gift-giving nonsense." Edinburgh, but letters addressed to 'THE NORTH POLE' have to be sent there because there really is such a place! A Christmas club, a savings account in which a person deposits a fixed amount of money regularly to be used at Christmas for Kris Kringel, a man in his 40s, lives in North Pole, Alaska, and shopping, came about around 1905. delivers pizzas for a living. He drives a 1984 Ford Tempo. According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Hallmark introduced its first Christmas cards in 1915, five years Christmas gifts from their doting owners. after the founding of the company. On Christmas Eve in 2001, the Bethlehem Hotel had 208 of its The first Christmas stamp was released in Canada in 1898. 210 rooms free. In 1937, the first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas The abbreviation of Xmas for Christmas is not irreligious. The was issued in Austria. first letter of the word Christ in Greek is CHI, which is identical to In Germany, Twelfth Night is known as 'Three Kings Day'. our X. Xmas was originally an ecclesiastical abbreviation that was used in tables and charts. It is not until Twelfth Night (the Feast of the Epiphany) that the figures of the Three Kings are supposed to be added to the Christmas Truce of 1914 Christmas crib. During World War I, in the winter of 1914, on the battlefields of Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used Flanders, one of the most unusual events in all of human history to decorated the Christmas trees. A choirmaster at Cologne took place. The Germans had been in a fierce battle with the Cathedral decided have the ends bent to depict a shepherd's British and French. Both siders were dug in, safe in muddy, man crook and he would pass them out to the children to keep them -made trenches six to eight feet deep that seems to stretch quiet during the services. It wasn't until about the 20th century forever. that candy canes acquired their red stripes. Suddenly, German troops began to put up small Christmas The red stripe in the candy cane was intended by the inventor trees, lit with candles, outside their trenches. Then they began as the blood of Christ. to sing songs. Across the way, in the “no man’s land” between them, came songs from the British and French troops. During the Christmas/Hanukkah season, more than 1.76 billion Incredibly, many of the Germans were able to speak good candy canes will be made. enough English to propose a “Christmas” truce. Christmas crackers were invented by Thomas Smith. He had By Christmas morning, the “no man’s land” between the imported some French novelties to sell as Christmas gifts, but trenches was filled with fraternizing soldiers, sharing rations and these were not popular until he wrapped them up and added a gifts, singing, and (more solemnly) burying their dead between snapper. the lines. Soon they were even playing soccer, mostly with We kiss under the mistletoe because in Scandinavian legends it improvised balls. was the symbol of love. It didn’t last forever. The spontaneous truce was largely over by Mistletoe myth states should a woman appearing under the New Year’s Day. But for a few precious moments there was mistletoe not receive a kiss, she will not marry the following peace on earth and good will toward men. All because the focus year. was on Christmas. More diamonds are purchased at Christmas-time (31 percent) May you all, whatever your religious beliefs, than during any other holiday or occasion during the year. enjoy the spirit of the holiday season!
Monthly Meetings
No December General Meeting Board Meeting Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 7:00 PM Come to the Wine Tasting Party! Olivenhain Meeting Hall www.olivenhain.org 5 City Council and Commission Schedules Council/Commission Regular Schedule Encinitas City Council 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Wednesday at 6:00 PM, Council Chambers Planning Commission 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 6:00 PM, Council Chambers Traffic Commission 2nd Monday, 4th Monday optional at 5:30 PM, Council Chambers Parks and Recreation Commission 3rd Tuesday at 5:00 PM, Council Chambers Senior Citizen Commission 3rd Friday at 1:00 PM, Council Chambers Commission for the Arts 1st Monday at 5:30 PM, Council Chambers Youth Commission 1st Wednesday at 4:30 PM, Council Chambers
City of Encinitas Contact Information Jim Bond, Mayor 760-633-2623 [email protected] Jerome Stocks, Deputy Mayor 760-633-2622 [email protected] Teresa Barth, Council Member 760-633-2620 [email protected] Kristin Gaspar, Council Member 760-633-2624 [email protected] Phil Cotton, City Manager 760-633-2610 [email protected] Doug Goad, Parks and Recreation Commissioner 760-942-4052 [email protected] Tony Brandenburg, Planning Commissioner 760-753-6830 [email protected] Peter Kohl, Olivenhain Traffic Commissioner 760- 212-2215 [email protected]
www.olivenhain.org 6