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Some Christmas Memories and Traditions by Mike Esposito Troy's many newspapers allow us to reconstruct the atmosphere of a period in time and help us to recall many traditions that have made our memories of Christmas pleasant. One of the most famous and enduring traditions began with the publication of Dr. Clement C. Moore's "A Visit From St. Nicholas" in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. The poem, composed by Dr. Moore for his children, was sent to the Sentinel anonymously by Troy resident Harriet Butler who was a guest of the Moore family. Dr. Moore, a New York City resident, was identified as the author of the poem in an 1835 issue of the Troy Budget. The Church of the Holy Cross celebrated its first service on the morning of Christmas day, 1844. The Rev. Doctor John Ireland Tucker, Troy's famous "Priest-Musician," was a deacon at the time the church opened. Dr. Tucker along with Dr. N. B. Warren introduced the choral service to American churches at Holy Cross. The church was founded by Dr. Warren's mother, Mary Warren. The first Christmas tree ever to be seen in Troy was for the children of Mrs. Warren's sewing class which met in her home at 31 Third Street. Since 1915, students at the Emma Willard School have presented their annual Yule Log Revels consisting of pageants, processions, dancing and caroling. The Christmas festival recalls the European tradition of the Boars Head, the Kings of the Orient, Father Christmas, and the presentation of the Yule Log. The first winter concert at the Troy Music Hall, which has offered holiday events for almost a century and a quarter, was the 200 voice Troy Choral Association accompanied by full orchestra presenting Handel's Grand Oratorio "Joshua." The price of admission for the December 22, 1875 program was 75 cents with reserved seating for one dollar. In 1885 the Troy Maennerchor, a singing society established in Troy's German community in 1872, presented Troy with its first public Christmas Tree, which was displayed at Harmony Hall. The tradition of the Christmas tree originated in Germany. William Wade filled the role of Santa Claus for at least 36 years (1907 - 1943) for the Palestine Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, as the organization continued its long tradition of providing a holiday party and gifts to the children of Vanderheyden Hall. Four hundred "newsies" were treated by Troy's newspaper companies to a 1918 Christmas week attraction at the Lyceum Theater on Federal Street. Before enjoying a production of the play `Sis Hopkins,' the Troy Boys Club bugle corps led the youngsters through the streets of the center of the city in a short parade. A talent competition was held following the play. The first place award, $15 in Thrift Stamps, was won by Myer Kaplovitz for singing "When the Circus Comes to Town." For several years beginning in 1926, St. Joseph's Church was the scene of a replica of the Christ Child's crib in the stable in Bethlehem, created by Tony Sarg, one of the world's outstanding artists and painters. The replica, sponsored by Monsignor John T. Slattery, was said to be second only to that found in the Church of the Ara Coeli in Rome for its beauty and detail. Rev. Romaeus Cooney, present pastor of the South End church, constructed an impressive nativity scene using odd assortments of scrap pieces. The nativity scene has been on display at St. Joseph's in recent years and has been shown at other churches on the East Coast. A lounge established in 1941 in Troy's Union Station by the USO (United States Overseas) offered hospitality and holiday gifts to thousands of homecoming service personnel and those on holiday furloughs passing through the station during the years of World War II. The station was decorated with greens, trees and holly by depot employees. In 1944, the last year of the war, 116 Peerless Company employees raised funds to purchase a station wagon to transport veterans at Station Island's Halloran General Hospital into New York City for business or pleasure. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Invitational Hockey Tournament, the oldest continuous college hockey tournament in the country, remains a popular winter holiday event. Brown University won the first tournament, held in December, 1951, by defeating St. Patrick's of Ottawa, 5 - 3. RPI placed third defeating Loyola of Montreal 7 - 3. Numerous community and charitable events are held during the winter holiday season in Troy. The Van Rensselaer Garden Club's Christmas Greens Show will decorate the Rensselaer County Historical Society for the 42nd time this year. The Record's Clothe-A-Child is in its 24th year. The Victorian Stroll, an event which attracts thousands to Troy's historic downtown district, and the Winter Walk for the Homeless, the In cooperation with Troy United Ink Corp., a not-for-profit corporation 
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