HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1979-12-19, Page 2MU LS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1979
M
ONTAN 10
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
By McLean Bros. Publishers Limited
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Pat Langlois - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $10.00 a Year.
Others $20.00 a Year. Single Copies 25 cents each.
Peace and goodwill
Christmas is a-coming. This year there seemed to be an absence
of that harried, distraught looking creature called a Christmas shopper
in the stores doing last minute Christmas shopping.
Perhaps that's because as prices have gone up the average shopper
can no longer afford to wait until the Christmas season or to try and
outdo the Joneses on the price tag of the gift.
Hopefully this has resulted in people giving more thought to the
gifts they buy or make with the result that there's a little more of
themselves in it.
Now if only this seemingly new trend can continue and with this
extra thoughtfulness hopefully there will be a return to the Christmas
spirit, and even a return of more traditional Christmases-sUcWas sleigh
riding, caroling, and picking out trees in the bush.
But even if we don't return to traditional Christmases, let's have a
return to the traditional Christmas spirit of peace and goodwill toward
men all year round. It makes life so much more pleasant and cheerful.
Sugar and spice
By Bill Smiley
Well-acquainted strangers
BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
111111Mal map
tin
Brussels Post
A LOST CHRISTMAS LIST—Elves and toys discussed a lost Christmas
list as the Brussels Public School Grade 2 class put on a little Christmas
play at the Brussels Public School on Tuesday night. (BruSsels Post
Photo)
Isn't it strange, in modern times, how
families can grow apart and be little more
than well-acquainted strangers when they
do meet, with nothing more in common,
nothing more to talk about, after the family
gossip has been exchanged, than their
physical problems: partial plates, bursitis*
high blood pressure, piles?
These are the very people who slept two
or three to a bed when they were growing
up, blight bitterly, had the same parents,
endured the same ups and doWns Of the
family fertune. Weird.
In most of Canada today, the old faniily
unit has pretty well disintegrated. Those of
ul who Were brought up with grandparentS)
legions of aunts and uncles, too many
sisters (or brothers), and dozens of
cousins, are scattered into thousands of
tiny, one-cell units, with little or no
connection with the other old familar cells
(Continued on Page 3.)
A priceless gift.
Several years ago in the midst of the
Christmas season I set down some of my
thoughts about what. I would like to give my
children for Christmas. They were included
in a column in Village Squire magazine and
many people commented on how much
they enjoyed the column. Since then it has
become a popular part of our Christmas
season. I hope you won't mind if I repeat it
here.
You lie there, my children, so strangely
quiet after your day of hectic activity. In a
few short hours you'll be on the go
again doing all those little things that make
a father have to work hard to keep his cool.
But now the devilment is gone and the
innocence fills your darkened room. And
my love fills the room too.
Christmas will soon be here and your
mother and I are wondering these days
what to get you for gifts. The gifts I would
like to give you no money can buy. They
are more precious than the gold,
frankincense and myrrh the wisemen
brought. I cannot give these gifts. I can
only wish them for you.
For you, on this Christmas, I wish the
gift of eternal childhood. Oh, I know your
body will grow and your mind will mature
and someday you'll be standing, looking
down at your own children sleeping. But I
wish for you to always keep the qualities of
imagination and wonderment that make
childhood such a wonderful time. You'll
grow older, but may you never grow jaded
as do so -many people today. May you
always feet a special stirring when you
enjoy a warm spring day, a colourful
summer sunset, the . first fluffy snow
clinging to a spruce tree. May you always
feel a twinge of pride when you see a flag
floating in the wind against a blue sky.
May you get that special feeling of awe
when you look at the billions of thus in the
black sky.
For yoti my children this Christmas may
you always have this gift of eternal
innocence but aliO the gift of knowledge.
Particularly that kind of knowledge that
helps you to separate the real things in life
front the phoney. May you have the
knowledge perhaps better known as
common sense: that kind of knowledge that
helps you on the right path when others
would lead you astray. May you have the
knowledge that helps you separate the real
things in life from the unnecessary frills.
For you my children this Christmas, may
I wish the gift or the eternal joy of
Christmas and the knowledge of the real
meaning of the holiday. May you always be
able to sift through the tinsel and the fake
holly to discover the real joy of love and
warmth in the holiday.
For you my children on Christmas; may I
wish that you will always know the
pleasure that family and friends can bring.
Oh, sometimes you'll fight with each other
and you become angry with your best
friends and you'll want to run away from
home because your mother or I have
disciplined you, but may • you always
recover from these minor disappointments,
to discover again the strength of family
relationships and true friendships, the
knowledge that there will always be people
there when you need help.
For you my children, may I,wish a sense
of responsibility. Whatever you are doing,
try to do it well. Remember that you'll only
live this life once and try to leave the world
a little better place than it was when you
came into it. You may never be able to
solve the great problems of the world, to
fed the starving of Asia or halt the. wars
in the Middle East, but you can make yoUr
family run well, you can make your own
community a better place. And by tidying
up your own little corner of the world, you
can help make the world a better place.
You can't carry the world on your
shoulders and you'll only find grief and
disappointment if you try. Set your sights
on a reasonable goal for yourself and fight
to attain it.
These are my gift wishes for you, my
children this Chtistmas. You won't find
them gift wrapped under the tree on
Christmas morning, They'll stay here in
my heart, May I have the grace to give
them to you by helping youjin the right
paths as you grew to adulth for your
sake and mine, and for thr,fatce of the
world.
Behind the scenes
by Keith Roulston
A priceless gift
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