HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1972-12-21, Page 9r-n
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is on his way
with a sleighful of
jolly wishes for you,
plus a hearty, warm
"Thank you" from
grateful
us, too.
We greet Christmas joyfully, with good-
will to all . . and we greet you warmly,
with our wishes that health, happiness
and good cheer may be yours.
NicGAVIN FARM EQUIPMENT
Phone Seaforth 527-0245 or Brussels 8874365
Sitafoith
G. A. SILLS & SONS
HARDWARE
Phone 527-1620
Our wish is simple but sincere
May you enjoy a Merry Christmas.
An old-
fashioned
wish from us
to you, dear
friends. May
your joys be many.
And, special thanks.
ROVIKILIFFE MOTORS
Seaforth -- Phone 527.1670
Best Wishes from the. Management and Staff
STEWART BROS.
THE }WRON, EXPOMOR , .••••••••••••••••••••••o • me own,
in the spirit of the season we bestow on all
our neighbors and friends this wish — a blessed Yule,
filled with special moments to be enjoyed with the folks you love.
• EXETER, ONTARIO
WISH 'YOU '& YOURS A---
'You'll find
KIST PRODUCTS
ri stm cIS recto n gs
The irtri who-,
killed Christmas
By Ray MacIsaac
(From The United Church
Observer)
Christmas is a time of hap=
piness and home, a season close
to everyone. But Christmas is
a fragile thing and easily des-
troyed. I did it with no more
than a few drinks and a moment
of carelessness.
It was just two years ago
Christmas Eve that I ran - my
car through an intersection and
killed the parents of two small
children. For those orphans
Christmas will always be a
time of sadness and regret just
as It is today for my own
childten.
That last day on the job was
pretty much like any other ex-
cept that everyone was a little
keyed up for the holiday and
busier than usual with last-
minute details. B y the time it
was over I had worked up a
first-rate headache and I wasn't
looking . forward at all to the
boss's party. He made it a prac-
tice every year to invite the
people from his department to
stop by his house_ for a chiist-
mas get-together. I suppose I
could have passed it up but every-
one was going and I felt almost
obligated to attend.
The streets were thick with a
cold, wet fog as I drove across
town, and the traffic was heavy
with shoppers. By the time I
got to my boss's house my head-
ache was worse andl was sorry
I hadn't gone straight home. -
But once inside it wasn't so
bad. I chatted with the other
fellows from the company and
drank three eggnogs with them.
Three' was my limit. After a
while my headache went away and
my tension eased. Perhaps my
reflexes also eased a bit, but
at least I was relaxed.
A little later, when I walked
out to my car, I noticed the fog'
had thickened and there was real
ice in the air. It even occurred
to me that the roads might be a
bit slick. L, didn't think mulch
about that, though, closed in by'
the car and with the heater going
full blast., I was warm and
content, further enclosed by the
buffeting fog - and on my, way
home to share Christmas with my
wife and family.
When I looked down at the
speedometer, I was surprised to
see that. I was ten miles over
the speed limit. That gave me a
moment of con,cern and I took my
foot off the gas - too late. I
looked up to find myself rocket-
ing into a main intersection.
I was already too close to see
-the red light that had been hid-
Decking
Halls Has
History
"Christ was born on
Christmas day,
Wreathe the holly, twine
the bay. "
From England of long ago
come the words of this carol,
showing the early role of the
bay tree --and its greens in
decorating for Christmas.
Its use harks back to ancient
Greece, when both the bay
and the laurel bedecked
homes and public places in
symbol of triumph. As tradi-
• tional Christmas, greens, they
reflect the same joyful spirit,
say the editors of the Grolier
Universal Encyclopedia.
Holly, of course, is still
popular as Yuletide greenery.
But nowadays, when it's time
to deck the halls, bay leaves,
are more likely to spice holi-
day cookery, rather than hol-
iday decorating.
* * *
'Greens Have Meaning
Greens that adorn home,
streets and stores at holiday
time entered the lore of
Christmas from pagan rites
of old.
The ancients believed that
each green had its own sig-
nifikance, and an ability to
do certain good — or evil—
things.
Ivy, they thought, was fes-
tive. Its convivial nature came
from Bacchus.
Yew and cypress had the
highest virtues. Theirs was
the quality, and the symbol,'
of eternal life.
* *
Mistletoe Has Powers
Mysterious powers by the
dozens have been credited to
mistletoe, among them the
power to heal, to ward off evil,
to summon ghosts and force
them to-answer questions.
At present, the most prized
property of mistletoe is the
license it 'gives for plenty of
Yuletide kissing. Fortunately,
there's plenty of mistletoe.
Thanks to the birds, the
plant spreads widely. The
birds -eat mistletoe berries
and carry the seeds to trees
near and far, say the edi-
tors of the Encyclopedia
International.
GOAT GIVES
One of Santa's most un-
usual stand,ins is the "Jul-
Bock," a goat, once the
Danish gift-giver.
den by the fog. All I could see
was the couple directly In front
of me, so close and surprised
looking, pinned there by my
headlights.
As I remember it now, I had
already heard the crunch of
'their bodies against my car by
the time I got to the brakes.
But even then the brakes didn't
stop me. One moment I was,,
seeing those shocked, terrible
faces ; the next they were gone
and I was skidding crazily across
the intersection, where I finally
crashed to a stop against a parked
car.
I struggled out of the car,_
my left side numb and lacerated`
from the impact, and stumbled
back into the intersection. I
found the woman first. She lay
sprawled, and bloody with her
head at an impossible angle,
obviously dead. Her husband
was still alive, but he stopped
breathing as I knelt beside him.
I put my hand to his heart -
and drew it back quickly from the
erUshed ribs. He shouldn't have
lived even those few, agonized
moments.
If every driver in the country
could have seen those torn and
ruined bodies al I did, there
would be far fewer deaths from
carelessness. I stood staring
down at' them, unbelieving, sur-
rounded ,by the litter of their
death.. Gaily wrapped pack-
ages spilled their contents onto
the streets. There was a big,
jolly Santa Claus sticker smeared
with blood. And just down the
street a loud speaker,on a music
store was playing Silent Night.
I was sick right there in the
street - and then I ran, heading
for home on foot. I just had to
get away from that place,. In
the distance I could hear the
sound of sirens, byt I kept going
and tried to pretend they ,
had nothing to do with me.
Even when I felt another man's
blood drying on my handl couldn't
believe what had happened. I
had had three eggnogs and I,
could walk and talk as well as
anyone. I wasn't one of those
irresponsible drunks you read
about in the papers. Kill some-
one? Other people did that
sometimes, but not me. A life-
time of being just an ordinary
person, a lifetime of not hurting
others - let alone killing them -
wouldn't let me accept it.
It has been two years now
since the police came to my
house that night and arrested
me. I've come to accept what
happened, and to realize fully
the price my own family has
paid along with the family of
the people I killed. Earth day I
"remember that night More
clearly - especially during this
holiday season. And I know
that because of my carelessness
Christmas will never be the
same again for many people.
Now Christmas is here ag4in
and`there is a feeling of festivity
about. People will be finishing
that last day of work and
heading for home. They'll be
stopping at office parties or at
'the boss's house or maybe at
the neighborhood tavern - and
death and ugliness will seem a
very long way away. But those
things are never farther away
than the moment's carelessness
that always comes to the other
guy- Two years ago I was that
other • guy. This year it coultrte
you.
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