The Citizen, 2014-12-25, Page 31THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014. PAGE 31.
With glad tidings to you and your kin
from all of us at this special season.
We thank you for choosing us and look forward to
serving you in the new year.
West Wawanosh
Mutual Insurance Company
• Residential • Farm • Commercial • Auto
email - wawains@wwmic.com
Dungannon 519-529-7921
www.wwmic.com
Season’s
Greetings
M e rry Chri stma s
Jack & Heather
VanDorp
For unto us a Child is
born, Unto us a Son
is given; And the
government will be
upon His shoulder. And
His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Tale of generous Bishop inspired Saint Nicholas
MS –Every Christmas Eve,
children go to bed eagerly
anticipating a visit from Santa Claus.
This merry gentleman is purported
to visit the home of every good girl
and boy, delivering gifts and cheer
along the way.
Before the modern evolution of
Santa Claus lived a very real and
generous individual named
Nicholas. In the third century,
Nicholas served as the Bishop of
Myrna in present-day Turkey.
He had a reputation for secret gift-
giving, believing that giving should
be done secretly and sacrificially in
Jesus Christ’s name rather than one’s
own.
Stories tell of Nicholas paying the
dowry for poor daughters to enable
them to get married. He reportedly
put coins in the shoes of those who
left them out for him. It is believed
Nicholas helped to restore the hope
of hundreds of people in his
community, making him a beloved
and revered Bishop. Throughout his
ministry, Nicholas fervently shared
his life and fortune with others.
Nicholas continued to be revered
and commemorated by many
Christians even after his death. His
charity and unselfish works helped
inspire generations of the faithful,
and he eventually was named the
patron saint of everyone f
rom merchants to sailors to
pawnbrokers.
No one really knows what St.
Nicholas looked like. But in 2005, a
forensic laboratory in England
reviewed historical data and
photographs of the remains taken
from St. Nicholas’ grave in the
1950s. Researchers concluded that
he was a small man, perhaps no
more than five feet in height, with a
broken nose.
This image certainly does not fit
with the robust frame and other
imagery awarded St. Nicholas in
more modern years. St. Nicholas is
believed to be the inspiration for
Santa Claus, which was a name
taken from the Dutch Sinterklaas, a
contracted form of Sint Nicolass, or
St. Nicholas.
Tales of the real St. Nicholas’
giving spirit were blended with a
fictional personification by New
York-based newspaper writers who
blended the St. Nicholas name with
the appearance of a Dutch town
citizen. The goal was to reach out to
the primarily Dutch immigrants
living in New York at the time. This
jolly elf image was given a boost by
the publication of A Visit From St.
Nicholas, which was published
around the same time.
Eventually, the merry Santa Claus
portrayal began to outshine the more
accurate St. Nicholas version as a
religious man, fostered by political
drawings and caricatures that
depicted Santa as a chubby sort in a
red suit. That image prevails to this
day.
Beneath the Christmas symbolism,
the beard and the presents associated
with Santa Claus lies a tale of
generosity that originated with St.
Nicholas.
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Season’s Greetings to all our customers and friends
and a prosperous New Year!
LICENSED PLUMBER & GAS TECHNICIAN
R.R. #1 41403 Londesboro Road
Londesboro, ON N0M 2H0
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MerryChristmas from all of us
Wishing you peace and joy
both now and in
the coming year
Continued from page 31
the first Christmas that each of our
children has a significant other that
they have been with for over a year
so they have asked to draw names
and, among that small group, give
gifts. That is something new and it
will be interesting to see if that’s a
tradition that continues.”
All three of McDowell’s children
and their significant others will be
joining her and her husband on their
trip to Florida after the holidays this
year.
The trip itself is becoming a bit of
a tradition, as they all headed, to
Ottawa last year for New Year’s.
Another part of what makes
Christmas an important time of the
year for McDowell is her job.
“There are some perks to being a
principal this time of year,” she
said. “I get to hear and see other
families’ traditions but I also get to
know if there are families that need
a little boost or help around
Christmas and I really do like
helping in very discreet ways to
make Christmas more special for
them.”
New traditions
for McDowells
Winding down
It’s hard to focus on anything when it’s the last day of school before the Christmas break,
which fell on Dec. 19 this year, so a Christmas carol sing-along is the perfect way to end the
day at Hullett Central Public School. Shown are Jazlen Wright, left, and Lea Caldwell, enjoying
a sing-along. (Denny Scott photo)