HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-12-20, Page 2\7) 41x:I OX
6. Dear Santa:
hci\/e. beer
.)(0.4 coque
over for CI-AN
c .40
\v'.1
r.
i 434. 'PenvAivne+m)
S
L1 5 ca S
Behind the scenes
by Keith Roulston
The gifts we don't have to buy
Come Monday all of us will be opening
,ChriStmas presents around a decorated
v 'tree. In the meantime, we're all in a state
of crisis as we rush around buying last
minute gifts. But there are some gifts, gifts
more wonderful than any new kitchen
gadget or piece of clothing that will be
under the tree. There are gifts we don't
have to rush out and buy or worry about
wrapping. They're with us right now, even
if we don't often stop long enough to
realize we have them.
First of all there is the gift of peace. The
angels at Christmas wished Peace on Earth
and goodwill io'Men and for my generation
that's' just what we've had. A whole
generation in Canada has grown up,
without the fear of war. Oh we've heard of
wars on the other side of the world and
we've worried about war and built bomb
shelters but we've never had to deal with
the realities of war. We can only imagine
what it would be like.
Just how lucky my generation is was
brought home to me recently during the
reading of a book on the happenings of the
Second World War. While deluded leaders
sat in Berlin dreaming of world conquest
millions of people, their own' as well as
foreigners were dying and suffering. The
leaders were able to isolate themselves
from the horrors of the war they were
causing until they were faced with the
evidence at the Nuremburg trial and many
of them couldn't face the truth.
For all of us in Canada today, however,
all this is either horrible memories or
terrible imaginings. We've had 30 years of
peace while others in some parts of the
world have had hardly 30 days.
Along with our peace we have also had
the precious gift of freedom. We've had
,this freedom so long that we often don't
even know how precious a gift it is. Many
of us find many things wrong with our
country, with the government and the
leadership. Yet the fundamental gift we
have is that we can criticize what or who we
see as wrong withouit worrying about
anything being thrown back at us l'ut
words.
It's hard for us to understand just what
the alternative could be like. It's hard for
us to Understand the fear that stalks people
'in :many countries of the World. Imagine if
you were afraid to stop on a street corner
and complain about the high cost of food
because someone might see it As a criticism
of the government and have you reported.
Imagine if you couldn't insult the Prime
Minister over drinks in a local tavern
without worrying that the man at the next
table might be a secret policeman. Imagine
that the only place you could freely
unburden yourself of all your complaints
and worries was in your own home and
even then not completely at ease.
We hear almost daily about the worries
that our freedom might be slipping away
from us through increased government
information gathering or the overuse of
Social Insurance Numbers, yet we can
hardly know that a real loss of freedom is.
Only those who have lived in a totalitarian
state can really understand just how
precious gift we have. And with more and
more people living in such conditions, our
gift of freedom becomes more and more
precious.
We have a third precious gift that won't
be under the Christmas tree this year but
will be represented there: prosperity.
It's a gift you won't hear talked about a
lot this year. Like peace and freedom this is
a gift we've had for so long that we take it
for granted. We've been so prosperous
that we don't really know what it would be
like not to be. Thus, when things aren't
going quite so well as we'd like, as in the
past few years, we tend to think of
ourselves as hard used.
Yet our Christmas trees this year will be
surrounded with gifts that people in many
parts of the world would think were too
fantastic to be real. Imagine a child in a
slum in Hong Kong or Haiti getting a
"Willia Walker" dog or a Wonderwoman
doll. Imagine a wife of the third world who
worries daily about finding enough food for
her family getting a microwave oven to
cook what food she can find in or having
an electric dishwasher to do her dishes.
Imagine a family that got a new racing car
set for the family room, which also
happened to be the only room in their small
house made of scavenged materials from
the local dump.
Imagine for that matter the rugged life of
poor people in our own country: people in
the slums of the cities or the growing
poverty of Indian reserves.
I don't expect us to all feel miserable this
Christmas in the midst of our plenty but it
would be nice if we stopped long enough to'
realize just how fortunate we are. It's a
harried, expensive, overcommercialized
time of the year in Canada but when you
really think of it we have so little to
corriplain about.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1978
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 Coinmunity Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association 0
C A
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $9.00 a Year.
Others $17.00 a Year..Single Copies 20 cents each.
The first Christmas
And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from
Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing
was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And, all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph
also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judaea, unto.
the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;, (because he was of the
house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife,
being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days • were
accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her
firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a
manager; because there was no room for them in the inn.
.And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
-keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid. And the angel said, unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to 'all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour','
which is Christ the Lord. • "'
Ad this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manager. And suddenly there was With
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into
heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto
Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us.
And they came with .haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the
babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known
abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all
they that heard it wondered at those things which were, told them by
the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And
the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for'all the things
,hat they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Luke Chapter 2, Verse 1 -20
r
The, spirit of Christmas
`Tis the season 'to be jolly or so the saying goes, the season of peace
and brotherhood toward yOur fellow man.
But it seems these days everybody ,has adopted a, little of the Bah,
Humbug ,attitude. People just seem to go through the motions of
hanging r up Christmas decprations, singing Christmas Carols and
attending the Christmas Churth services. Sometimes it is saddening to
see -that Christmas these days is mostly made up of tinsel and glitter
instead of gifts from the heart.
But all is not lost, In Huron County there is a Christmas spirit hot in
the sense that Christmas is going back to the old fashioned way of
celebration but in the sense that If you ever need assistance a Huronite
will help you out.
If you get, lost, they're only too willing to give directions, if you get
stuck in the snow they'll pull you out and if you get stranded in a
snowstorm they'll put you up for the night.
Among all that tinsel and glitter, the artificial trees and the plastic
toys, the spirit of Christmas remains in Huron County.
IMITAIIL.4110
!Pa
gBrussels Post