HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-12-23, Page 13THE CITIZEN, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1986. PAGE 13.
Christmas disaster to special moment
BY EV ALENA WEBSTER
My favourite Christmas? There
are so many to choose from. I still
remember the eager anticipation
when I was very young. I think of
the satisfaction derived from pro
viding and preparing Christmas
celebrations for our own young
children. Then there has been the
joy ofentertainingsomeofthe boys
from overseas during the war years
and the many good times enjoyed
with family and relatives. Later the
real pleasure of being with grand
children and sharing in their
excitement.
But in thinking back I fondly
remember one Christmas that
threatened to be a disappointment.
The year the war ended we moved
from the Seaforth area to a farm on
the Bayfield Road, south of
Goderich. Other years we had
always spent part of Christmas day
with some of our family. Since we
were farther away this wouldn’t be
soeasy, sowe invited the boys’
grandparents, my father and my
husband’s mother to spend the
time with us.
The boys aged, eleven, nine and
five, were quite excited at having
grandpa and grandma coming to
our house. They travelled to the
woodlot - helped choose a tree and
great preparations were made for
their coming.
But alas! The day before Christ
mas it started to rain and freeze,
the roads soon became impass
able. (It must have been before salt
and sand were used so freely).
Then, they each phoned to say they
could come by train from Seaforth.
Since the highway was a glare of ice
the tractor could travel on the
shoulder and was used to transport
them from the station to the farm
protected only by rubber raincoats.
Christmas eve was spent in the
warm comfort of the house by
reading the traditional Christmas
stories, listening to the music on
the radio and rejoicing in the fact
that never before had the boys had
two grandparents all to themselves
with no younger cousins to be
monopolizing them.
Christmas day was bright and
cold and very quiet, with no traffic
on the highway. We listened to the
King’s message on the radio with a
great sense of thankfulness --
realizing that at long last many
families were able to be united
again. With the extra help at the
barn and in the house there was
plenty of time to enjoy the new
Christmas games and some of the
old ones too.
A few days later, when the ice
cleared away, the grandparents
were driven to their own homes. It
had been a wonderful time of
fellowship.
The Christmas doll
BYIONAMOORE
Christmas was near and oh, how she dreamed
Of a pretty new doll wrapped in a pink shawl
But “Santa " was poor this year it did seem
And Mommy said, a new doll he couldn 't bring
But maybe some other pretty new thing
So she gave up her dream of a doll.
Her Mommy and Daddy planned and they thought,
“We'll make it seem like a new doll Santa's brought
So they painted the doll with the sweet faded face
And wrapped her in a shawl trimmed with “old" ribbon and
lace
But what they didti t see was the child on the stairs,
Watching them work with great loving care.
So they painted and sewed and worked thru the night,
And the parents did wonder if they had done right.
Next morning, the child saw the beautiful face,
0/ a doll in a pink shawl trimmed in ribbon and lace.
“It s the best Christmas, yet! " she squealed with delight
Then Mommy and Daddy knew they d done right.
For she 'd wanted a doll in a pretty pink shawl
And “Santa” had brought her the best gift of all
For the love of her parents shone up from the face.
Of a doll in a pink shawl, trimmed in old ribbon and lace!
Have a delightful hol
iday season that's fill
ed with laughter and
fond feelings for all.
Management
and
Staff
at
Dickson's
Auto
Repair
The legends of the season
add to beauty of Christmas
There are countless legends that
have grown up around the season
of Christmas.
In Italy, the legend of La Befana
tells of the Three Kings who came
to her home, in search of the Infant
Jesus. They invited La Befana to
join them on their journey to
Bethlehem, but she refused, for
she was too busy cleaning her
house. The following day, the old
woman set out to overtake the
Three Kings,but she never did,
nor did she ever reach Bethlehem.
She would stop wherever there
was a child, leaving a gift, in hopes
that she would find the Christ
Child. That is why Italian children
await gifts brought by La Befana on
January 5th. If they’ve been
naughty however, she will leave
them lumps of coal instead!
A legend that originated in
Sweden tells of the Christmas rose.
According to the story, a monk was
tending his garden when a woman
appeared, saying that she was the
wife of a robber living in the forest.
She told the monk of some
beautiful flowers that bloomed in
the forest on Chistmas Eve. He
persuaded her to lead him to the
forest in exchange for obtaining a
pardon for her husband.
On Christmas Eve, the snow
disappeared and the forest bloom
ed, as the woman had said. But the
snow began to fall again, and the
monk, heartbroken, died clutching
one of the blossoms. Its root was
planted in the monastery garden,
where it bloomed into a beautiful
rose, and the robber was pardon
ed.
Another legend tells of a wood
cutter and his wife and children
who lived in a hut in the forest. The
family waspoor, buttheir home
was filled with love.
Use
Citizen
classified
One Christmas Eve, as the
family ate a humble meal, there
was a knock at the door.
The woodcutter opened the door
to find a small boy, shivering with
cold. A blanket was wrapped about
him and he was given some of the
modest repast. That night, the boy
stayed with the woodcutter’s
family, and the next morning, the
woodcutterfound the boy standing
in the middle of the room,
surrounded by a dazzling light. It
was the Christ Child.
He took a stick from the fireplace
and thrust it into the ground
outside the hut. Promising the
woodcutter that the stick would
become an evergreen tree to bear
fruit so that the family need never
suffer from hunger during winter,
the Christ Child disappeared.
A beautiful legend concerning
the poinsettia comes to us from
Mexico. It seems that a poor young
boy had nothing to offer the Christ
Child on Christmas Eve, as was the
custom in his village.
Thinking that at least he could
pray, he knelt outside the church
window. Rising to his feet, he
discovered a beautiful plant with
scarlet.leaves right in the spot
where he had knelt. He took the
flower and placed it on the altar.
The plant became known as “The
Flower of the Holy Night’’ in
Mexico.
Merry
Christmas
and
3 Best Wishes in
| the New Year
J From the Management & Staff of
| Callander
I Nursing Home
| Brussels
Smooth riding down life’s highway
Is what we wish our friends.
And a safe and sound holiday —
Stop in and see us again!
FROMALLTHESTAFFAT
J.L. McCutcheon
Motors Ltd.
Brussels 887-6856
Your friendly Chevrolet-Oldsmobile Dealer