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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