Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1983-12-21, Page 2PAGE 2 —CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1983 Mws , 4 ; r4 t teat . µ res uronview residents have :,' and mem Fond memories, special gifts, celebra- tions with old friends and relatives, these are the things that make Christmas past special. News -Record reporter Wendy Somerville spent some time with Huronview residents as they reminisced about their most memorable Christmas holidays. Ida Durnin remembered, "There were eight of us. My brother and I were the youngest." "In those days we didn't have a Christmas tree, the gifts were put on the table and when we came down to breakfast there they were waiting for us. Christmas didn't amount to anything like it does now, but then again there were only eight of us and we didn't have much money in those days. The Fact that there were eight of us, meant that we could always expect a large Greetings: May (he warmth of Christmas brim; you love, gsrsasl fortune and R,114141 health:Our deepest appreciation for your continued patronage. (Jane and Clayton Groves Rick Talbot Mark MacLean Helen Wells Mike Wilson GROVES T.V. AND APPLIANCE CENTRE 10 Huron St., Clinton 482-9414 Florence Miller Dorothy Johnston Joanne Walker Rhonda Strickland Rattenbury St., East, Clinton file4 —Roevida DECORATING Pointing and Wallpapering CLINTON 482-7862 From all of us at Norholme Decorating Centre... we've enjoyed knowing you and serving you this year. Christmas." °'I remember once nay mother told me what she had given my sister for Christmas just to keep me quiet or settle my curiosity, well I told my sister what my mother had got her for Christmas and what do you know, on Christmas morning there was a completely different present for my sister! I remember that well," laughed Ida. "We always had a big crowd at Christmas, there was always a house full for dinner." "We never had a Santa Claus, after we had opened our presents we ate breakfast and chores awaited us; and we had to do them," she stressed. "We never went visiting, everyone always came to us. We always had goose for dinner with all the trimmings and Christmas pud- ding." "One year my sister got married on the 28th and so we had to go without Christmas that year because we had to get ready for the wedding instead." "At the end of Christmas Day we all set off for the concert held by the Sunday School kids. I remember. practising, but not for the concert, I did drills," she remembered. "Once we had to take silver tinsel and form a star during the drill." "My cousin and I used to sing duets, I remember one song that really sticks with me "I want to kiss daddy goodnight..." To- day my cousin is in a nursing home." Edith Logan, formerly of Blyth, has celebrated Christmas for 100 years and she recalls, "Some Christmasses were really happy. We used to travel in the sleigh driven by the horses, all bundled up. We went to my uncle's home where we spent Christmas with his big family. When we were there we did all sorts of special Christmas things and played special games. On the way home we would lie down in the back of the sleigh with a heavy warm blanket over us and look up at the stars all the way home." "We were unable to make things for each other, but mother made us gifts." "I never participated in any Christmas concerts at Sunday School, but I learnt a few ries short recitations instead." She noted, "We never had a lean Christmas, we always had turkey or goose, I didn't like goose, and my brother really lov- ed it when we had duck." "We used to go out to the woods to get the cedar Christmas tree, it was always cedar, never pine. We hung up stockings, I don't think the kids of today do that." "Today Christmasses are a lot different. We never had a telephone, so people took ad- vantage of the holiday season to get together and discuss what had been going on in their lives. Today people are more apt to just pick up the telephone and have a short discussion rather than a long chat in person." "I would think people still enjoy Christmas as much as we did in the old days, at least I hope they do," she observed. "My most remembered gift was a ring. It was my first ring so I remember it well, I'm not sure but I think it was a topaz, that's my birthstone," said the 100 -year-old lady. "We didn't have many places to go on Christmas Day, the only people around us were neighbors and they Lived quite far away," remembered 91 -year-old Mabel Scott. "We did, on the other hand, travel to our local church to see our Sunday School concerts. I was in the choir from the age of 16 up until I was married and after that." "I remember when we woke up in the morning, we would be so excited. We used to race down the stairs to our stockings that hung by the fireplace. Inside, would be one small orange and four or five candies, not much, but to us it meant a great deal." With 12 children in the family, Mabel said that they were grateful for what they had and they never wished for more. "After we had opened our presents, we had breakfast (we never had breakfast before, we were always far too anxious to see what Santa had brought us!) and then we talked about what Santa Claus had brought us." "I think today people spend too much time away from their families at Christmas time. We were too far apart from anyone else so f Christmas we used to tobaggan by ourselves, oh we had so much fun! Later we had a duck dinner and turnip and all the usual trimmings." "In the beginnihig we just had the stock- ings on the fireplace later on when we were older, we started to get and decorate a tree. I guess our eyes were sticking right out of our heads on Christmas Day ! " Years- ago Dora Buchanan, 90, lived out west on the Prairies, six miles from the nearest town. "At Christmas time, there was only the school concert to look forward to. We lived on a farm and there weren't too many gifts in those days and there were not many evergreen trees, in fact there weren't too many trees! So sometimes we had a tree and sometimes we didn't." "At Christmas time usually the family gathered together, and we usually had roast duck because we raised them." "We always got dolls, but not much else, we just lived in a small Prairie town. It was a real treat to get an orange, even apples were a treat because it was too cold to grow them out there. We had a lake, so at Christmas, my brothers would put on their skates and run out to the pond for a skate. All in all, Christmas was pretty quiet, there was nothing to see." "Today, Christmas will be harder because my husband is failing, he is losing his memory you see," she noted. "It is hard to compare prairies with here, even if it was long ago. There are too com- pletely different places, even today." "Christmas day will be quiet this year, I broke my hip 12 years ago so I can't travel in a car, because when I do I put my weight on the bad side. Therefore I won't be able to visit my family this year." She recalled, "I was right in the middle, we had two girls and four boys. At the age of nine, I came to Canada from England, with my family. It was pretty rough going, because we came by boat, they didn't have any planes in those days!" Police warn to buckle up or pay up There won't be any more second chances, Clinton Police Chief Lloyd Westlake warned this week. Clinton Police will be starting the new year with a crackdown on drinking drivers and seatbelt legislation and with the en- forcement comes higher fines. Failure to wear a seatbelt is no longer a $28 fine, but was raised this month across the province to $53. It was one of several fines that were increased to $53, including: failure to surrender a permit for a motor vehicle; failure to notify the change of address of the owner or lessee of a vehicle; failure to remove plates on ceasing to be the owner or lessee of a vehicle; defacing of a plate or altering of a plate. The new fines came into effect on Dec. 9 and the highest rise came for the conviction of driving a vehicle with an improper licence or no licence at at all. Formerly set at $28, the fine for this offence is now $128. For bicycle riders, motor assisted or not, the improper lighting fine has increased from $5 to $13. BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY OPTOMETRY REPAIR R.W. BELL OPTOMETRIST The Square, GODERICH 524-7661 JOHN LONGSTAFF OPTOMETRIST Seoforth 527-1240 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00-5:30 Saturday 9:00-12:00 noon Closed Wednesdays BY APPOINTMENT Free parking on premises Clinton Electric 0 White -Westinghouse o crtp(pi rit Appliances Sales and Service APPLIANCE REPAIRS ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE 90 ALBERT ST. 482-3646 APPLIANCE and REFRIGERATION REPAIR SERVICE Jim Broadfoot 482-7032 ELECTRIC INSURANCE S�. cvcTr1ho9 •ECONOMY •QUALITY *SERVICE Big lobs or small, we guarantee them all" LEFT TO RIGHT: HOLIDAY HOURS Joanne Po®Iman, Bryon Williams, Doug Norman, Cathy Sager, Don Bosman Closing Saturday Doc. 24 at 1:00 p.m. closed Monday & Tuesday Docomber 26-27 EC:ORAtING CENTRE 34 King sft` Yui, %Ilnfor It 482. 528 e 1 482-7374 CLINTON OR CALL 1-161-263-9255 ASK FOR PAGER NO. 307 GAISER-KNEALE INSURANCE BROKERS INC. Insurance -Real Estate Investments Isaac St., Clinton Phone Office 412-9747 Len Theedom 412-7901 Hal Hartley 412-3693 Bob Thomas 412-3096 BILI Counter 412-3617 JOHN WISE INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. General Insurance Guaranteed Investments Clinton Office: 412-9644 Res.: 482-7265 ABATTOIR SERVICE ENDER'S ABATTOIR Home Grown Beef and Pork Mill Street, Henson 262-3130 GLASS/ALUMINUM See us for your building projects *Glass and mirrors •Energy-efficient replacement windows •Window & screen repair •Plexiglass •Door service and repairs •Complete range of aluminum siding and building products Clinton ,)\-\ mirror and aluminum products 24 Princess St. Wo $, CLINTON 482-3322 PHOTOGRAPHY Fitzgerald Studios photograph‘ and c uStfim Ir,lmtnt, 400Jame'.Slr�it Clinton 482-3890 MECHANICAL GBAILEYs LENNOX AND DUAL-AIRE FURNACES SHEET METAL WORK SPECIALISTS IN ENGINEERED HEATING SYSTEMS PHONE: 262-2020 HENSALL, ONT. TRAVEL Wholesale, Retail and Custom Slaughtering. Kill day Tuesday. Cali for further Information: Owner - Merlin C. Bander Manager Dale Erb 262-5628 236-7733 Our Motto is "The Golden Rule" BUSES AVAILABLE FOR CHARTER Deluxe Highway Coaches Activity Buses Custom Vans Phone Collect Goderich 524-7622