the misletoe, and of the strange superstitious proceedings
in gathering it. The misletoe is supposed to be the golden bough which
AEneas made use of, to introduce himself to the Elysian regions. It is
often worn about the neck of children, to prevent convulsions and pain
when getting their teeth.

New Year's gifts and Christmas boxes were given by friends to friends
in ancient times. Both the Greeks and Romans gave presents and
entertainments during their annual superstitious meetings. Masses and
prayers were offered for the safety of persons and ships, but more
particularly for vessels that went on long voyages. A box, devoted to
each ship, was kept by the priest, into which money might be dropped,
in order to give efficacy to the supplications of the Church; and
these boxes being opened at Christmas in each year, acquired the name
of Christmas boxes. In course of time all presents given at this
season of the year were familiarly called boxes. Poor people begged
box money to enable them to supply the priest's box, that they might
have the benefit of his prayers.

The old salutation of "a merry Christmas," like that of wishing "a
happy New Year," adverted to the hospitality of the rich, whose
spacious halls, crowded with tenants and neighbours, were scenes of
boundless hospitality. Boar's-head is sometimes served on Christmas
Day, to give expression of the abhorrence of Judaism. Plum-puddings
are emblematical of the offerings of the wise men; and mince-pies,
with their pieces of paste over them in the form of a hay rack,
commemorate the manger in which the Saviour was first laid. Dancing
and gambols have been among the Christmas amusements for a long series
of years.

The wassail bowl was the vessel out of which our Saxon ancestors took
such copious draughts, that legislative measures were adopted with the
view of enforcing temperance. Wassail not only refers to a certain
liquid preparation, but it is a term applied to drinking songs, which
in the cider-producing counties were sung on the eve of the Epiphany,
when libations were poured out to the apple-trees for a fruitful
season--a custom evidently followed in example of the heathen
sacrifices to Pomona, the goddess of fruit-trees and orchards.

Dunstan, to check the vicious habit of excessive indulgence in
intoxicating liquors, introduced the custom of marking or pegging
drinking-cups at certain places, to restrain the draught to a limited
quantity. But the cont