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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-12-24, Page 4Page 4 Laackuaw Sentinel, Wednesday, December '24,1986 P.O. Box 400, Lucknow NOG, 2H0 Established 1 t73 . ' 528-2822 A ©CNA Crel BLUE RiBBON AWARD 1986 V[ RIF IEQ CIRCVL.ATlON PASO Thomas Thompson -Advertising Manager .Subscriptionrates in advance: Alan Rivet -Editor • Si V° Outside Canada $60." Pat Livingston -General Manager $1 it,OO Outside Canada $58.00 Senior Citizen Secondclass mailing reg. no. 0847 Advertising is accepted on the condition ,that in the event of a typographical error, the portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with: a reasonable allowance, for signature, will notte charged for, but the balanceof the advertisement will be paid at the applicable rates. Christmas - a time of renewal The best gifts in the world are these - and we can all .give them; one, 9 peacegood-will too, the more we give the reat�er the measure of and and genuine joy that comes .back to us like reflected sunshine. Christmas is the day of all days to drop animosities, to . wipe. out ,grudges and will ill=will, and .radiate the -spirit of brotherly love. Mil' as easy to think good of people as to think evil, to send out friendly thoughts as unfriendly ones; truly it is all a matter of habit, and if we have formed and fostered the wrong sort it is up to us to right -about- face.. And there: is no better time to do this as we approach the December holiday "the season of loving and giving". ' Let us make up our minds that we will forgive and resolutely forget aught we have or feel we have against friend, neighbor, oranybody in the world. No matter what wrong may have been done taus, either by 'word or deed, let us "remember it na more" and so brim the Christmas cup with gladness. , Noneof us are nor can lie happy in 'holding resentment, ,.however justified we may feel it is just let. itgo..Give the,: best gifts of courage, cheer, loyalty, appreciation, and see, howhevery heart will respond to them. Taken from "Hearth and Mune; Journal" - December 1924. Let's keep Christ- in Christmas To the -Editor: What is Christmas? To many people it is time when sidewalks are bustling with busy shoppers and the stores are all lit up and decorated with brightly -colored or- naments. It is timefor exchanging cards ' and gifts, Santa Claus and toys. It is when friends and relatives we weldom see drop in unexpectedly., for a drink, It is brightly decorated . firr trees and parties, and, perhaps to some, a day they have to go to church.. . Is this what Christmas is all about? To me this is nothing more than commer- cialfsni r A time to. buy and sell, to eat, to drink and have fun, but it is not the real fneaning of Christmas. . . • Two thousand years ago n e own Bethlehem, a child was born in a stable to avirgin maid. Christmas is a time to • celebrate this blessed event. The birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Christmas is a time for sharing with our family and friends. It is a time to show our love. This need not be done with expensive gifts and .drunken parties, but by giving ourselves in fellowship and being together as a family. This is what I feel is the true , meaning of Christmas. , Therefore, let . us keep the Christ in Christmas by sharing our love with each other as he did. Mare Seguin 0' A Christmas to reme Everyone, somewhere down the line, has one particular Christmas that was especially memorable; one that,. perhaps, made you realize what. , Christmas is really all about. I had one those Christmas's which I'll never forget. It happened three years ago when I was still a college boy, but it started out of be an experience that was less that happy. It was a cold and stormy Christmas Eve. in Stratford, storm -stayed at . all places, at the bus 'depot. The bad weather resulted in my bus to Goderich being cancelled after barely reaching • Stratford from Toronto. Six hours later and after numerous phone calls home, I resigned myself to the fact that I would spent Christmas Eve and possible Christmas Day alone in Stratford. The worst possible scenario was shaping up - spending Christmas alone in a place where I didn't know anyone, ' A friendly ticket salesman at • the depot called a cab and arranged a hotel room for me in one of the hotels which was thankfully open on Christmas Eve. Upon leaving the depot and climbing in the cab, an older lady climbed into the cab beside rne. While traveling along, we struck up a conversation and I told her that the, bus to Goderich had been cancelled and. I would probably ALAN r/ • r er spending Christmas at a hotel. She ask- ed me, . although I was a complete stranger, that if I had nowhere to go for Christmas, I was welcome to spend the day with her family, I gave her my name and the the name of the hotel where I would be staying. She would call me in the morning to give me directions toter home. It was a miserable night, with the blowing snow refusing to let up. All I could do was sit in my room and watch the numerous Christmas specials on television, The next day, my brother and cousin. braved•the storm to come to rescue me in Stratford. In my haste to get home, I • forgot all about the lady I had met in the taxi cab. I really regret not knowing her name and thanking her for her generous offer for Christmas,. But, I learned that Christmas is not just a time for thinking about one's self. It's a time for thinking of others who are less fortunate. At that time, I was the unfortunate one, and that 1adyrs generosity will never be forgotten.. Christmas Young students in the background had trouble discerning who was the real Santa Claus :in the Grade 3-4 class rendition of Santa Claus .Twins. The play was part of the annual Christmas concert at St. JoseplesSehool, Kingsbridge on Tuesday. (photo by Dave Sykes) concert Yes, Virginia There is _a Santa Clans 1 am $years old. ' Some of my little friends say there is no Santa. Claus. Papa says, 'If you sediit in , The Sun it's so. Please tell me• the truth, is there a, Santa Claus? - Virginia O'Hanion, o 115 West 95th' Street Virginia, your, little friends .are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. • They do not believe except what they see. They• think that nothing can be which is. not com- prehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men`s or children's, are little. in this great universe of ours man is a mere insect,an int, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about hire, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth andknowledge. p Yes, Virginia, there is a,Santa. Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life ,.its highest ' eauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there ,�%<<'� � ,::,:..1.:,., � . vas no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary if ",.,`, ,.T%fes ' there were no Virginias, There would be 4 `'- no childhood faith then, ' ' ' ° rr no romance to make. ♦�I r' , nit r4 9fr/F y� Y�J. r no' poetry, ; � .�v�: � , , � ,��� 4. tolerable this , !!,r's s! `ul: .. existence. We should have no �:�� <:r ��r,,r}s ! ` enjoyment, except in r sense and .,F, r, r sight. The eternal light with `' which childhood fills the world?.�.. would be extinguished;; Not believe Claus! You well not in fairies! You your papa to atch in all Christmas Eve to even if they did not down, what would -that ta. Claus, but that is no sign most real things in the world are those`that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever. see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's fle, ;" in Santa. might as. 1�r� /` believe ere/.rf �' might get hire men to chimneys on catch Santa Claus, but see Santa Claus coming prove? Nobody sees San - 'that there is no Santa Claus. The 0 •SPECIAL • RRP(1RT_ no prbof that they are not there. Nobody can con- ceive or imagine .►lythe wonders there are un- seen and unseeable in the world: You, tear apart the ;baby's rattleand see what makes the noise inside,' but there is a veil cover- ing the unseen world which not" the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that•ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it real? Ah, Virginia,in all this world there•is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank Cod he 'lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10 thousand years from now, he will continue' to make glad the heart of childhood; ' r