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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-12-24, Page 4Page 4-CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1986 The Clinton News-Rocord is published each Wednesday at P.O. Dox 39. Clinton. Ontario. Canada. NOM 11.0. Tel.l 402.3443. Subscription Rate: Canada .021.00 Sr. Citizen - $14.00 per year UA. foreign 8.90.00 per year it Is registered as second class mall by the post office under the permit number 0917. The News -Record Incorporated In 1924 thoHuron News.Record, founded in 1981, and the Clinton News Era, founded in 1003. Total press runs 3,700. Incorporating THE BLYTH STANDARD] ANNE NAREJKO - Editor FREDA McLEOD - Office Manager SHELLEY McPHEE HAIST - Reporter DAVID EMSLIE - Reporter JANICE GIBSON - Advertising LAUREL MITCHELL - Circulation/Classified GARY HAIST - General Manager -- MEMBER BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985. Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective Oc- tober 1, 1904. How Christmas came to be 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 tax- ed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, in 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 accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for him 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 peo- ple. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 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, andondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and ppraisin God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Town looks festive The core area of Clinton has never looked better. Thanks to efforts by the Clinton Business Improvement Association (BIA), the Clinton Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the town, 10 new decorations and a new tree were erected. "We've had very favorable comments on the lights," said Mayor John Balfour. "MP Murray Cardiff and his wife, Betty, were coming to a din- ner a few weeks ago and said they were very, very pleased with the lighting and how the town looked." Another new festive addition to the town is a Christmas tree, made out of lights, located at the main intersection. The tree, designed by the PUC for the BIA, is in an ideal location for traffic headed in all directions. Merry Christmas Christmas is a time to spread good cheer to everyone you come in con- tact with. It's a time to say thank you for all you've done throughout the year and it's a time to look ahead. We at the News -Record would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our readers, correspondents, advertisers and everyone who has helped us in anyway. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. The News -Record Staff. Looking back at Dear Fellow Residents; As we approach the Yuletide season and the end of another year, one tends to pause and reflect on past events. Your council had a very active, and at times, a difficult year acting on your behalf and in your best interest and has, I believe, risen to the occasion very adequately. There have been many changes made to the internal structure of the day to day runn- ing of the community which will result in lower overhead expense and better service to everyone concerned. One example of this is the new arts, culture and special events committee, which was formed earlier this year. When we first presented the idea of separating "arts" from recreation, there was some hesitating within council but thankfully all members saw the merit in the proposal and rose to the occasion. Since its inception and under guidelines given by Council, this committee has rapid- ly advanced to provide the community with new cultural events to attend, among which is the recent successful local Amateur Theatre production of Lover's Leap and the equally successful ongoing Caberet series. Also, because of the auditorium being us- ed more extensively, the revenue provided has helped lower overhead expenses in your municipal building, resulting in savings to you the tax payer. This committee is not the only one work- ing hard on your behalf; all of our volunteer groups are striving to provide you with bet - 1986 with mayor ter service witnm their budget guidelines. Volunteer committee members are most important to your council because of the ex- pertise and public input returned to council through their various groups. These people are really appreciated by council and work hard for their community. When the notice for new volunteers is advertised in January, we urge you to sub- mit your name and become involved in your town's future well being. Another group of people who make up part of our municipal team and who have been extremely helpful during the past year, are the employee's of the corporation. The co-operation and support from all employees during the past year has been greatly appreciated, by myself and all members of council. It takes many people to make a communi- ty run and you are also very important in this process. During the past year many of you have come forward with ideas, suggestions and concerns which have helped council make better decisions on your behalf. We urge you to keep doing this, as any level ofgovernment is only as good as the in- formation it receives from the people. In closing, on behalf of all members of council, we wish you a most Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and we look forward to serving you in 1987. Yours respectfully, John A. Balfour, Mayor. Got an opinion? Write a letter to the editor Christmas memories This Christmas issue, as the ones in the past, have been an informative and heart warming experience for me. It's so easy to believe that if you celebrate a holiday, such as Christmas, in a particular way, the rest of the country must also. I found out that that's not true. Two years ago I was given the assignment of interviewing local residents who im- migrated to Canada. The basis of the story was to find out "how they celebrated Christmas in their homeland. It was an enlightening bit of research, but the tradi- tions and activities seemed so far away it was a little hard to relate to. But this year we talked to people about their Canadian celebrations - something that was easier to understand for me. One thing I found surprising was the fact that people are getting back to the "basics" of Christmas. As Elaine Bechtel and I discussed, more and more people are making ornaments for their tree and keeping ornaments from years and years ago because they are at- tractive and have sentimental value. On my tree, 1 have a few ornaments my1� family and I used to decorate our tree with years ago. One of these is a birds' nest with two birds in it. Mind you it is far from being the most attractive ornament, but I can remember getting it while visiting with friends in Toronto after watching the Santa Claus parade. I have a Santa Claus face that is ancient, but I carefully pack it away each year and smile when I bring it out the following year. There are several ornaments my mother purchased from my grandmother's church bazaar that I'm sure not too many people have. They're unique, didn't cost a whole lot and look pretty good. On the little mantel above my fireplace is a nativity scene I've had as long as I can remember. Today the nativity scenes are elaborate, but I wouldn't part with mine for the world. Flashing at my front door is a Santa Claus that must be at least 18 years old, but looks brand new. This Santa weathered storm after storm strapped to my parents chimney for years. They paid a whole $5 (he was on half price during a Boxing Day sale one year) for him \but •he's worth a couple hundred dollars to i1 ne. I can still remember watching my father climb up on the roof, usually during blustery weather, strap old Santa to the chimney and then make his way back down. At night I'd lie awake, hoping the wind wasn't going to take my precious piece of plastic and that magical flashing light in- side it away. Of course I've acquired new decorations, and some day they'll have a meaning of their own, but right now it's the old pieces that bring back memories. One tradition I'm glad our family didn't get into was making presents. I think it's a fabulous idea and I love to hear stories of how So -And -So made this or So -And -So at- tempted to make that but it didn't quite turn out. I'm careful not to laugh because the best I could do is make a card. (Then the art work would probably be cause for a few chuckles.) Regardless of what the future may hold in terms of traditions (space -aged trees, or- naments, songs and foods), I think I'll stick with the old fashioned way of doing things. It's simple (as long as I don't have to make presents) and it holds more meaning for me. P.S. Thanks for the treats, Mrs. Bechtel. They were delicious. E FREE -TRADE/ yOUARE- / IFs11/N PADS 'N' !//DEo TMPES AREN7NEGOT/ABLE WEPE AVOr )U7'iN' M/L/( AN'COOk'/E5 GAN THE TABLE 1 ShIIey McPhee Ilaist Christmas joy, Christmas pain This is the annual Christmas edition of our newspaper. We're supposed to write Christmasy things for it. I'm having trouble with that this year. I cannot write about tinsel and bells, mistletoe and holly. I'm having problems thinking about a Christmas that is "merry and bright." This year, Christmas will be like no other for our family. This year there will be a painfully empty place in our hearts, brought about by the death of my father two months ago. How will my family deal with Christmas this year? How will we be able to muster up enough strength to half-heartedly acknowledge the season. Despite our sorrow, despite otlr grief, we will look to our child this Christmas and we will see joy. Caylan, now 10 months old, is our first child. She is also a first grandchild. This lit- tle girl has been an endless source of joy and comfort to our family this past; year. At Christmas this tiny child will be our strength. In Caylan we see innocence and purity. In this baby girl we see love, laughter and complete trust. Through Caylan's eyes we see hope for Christmas yet to come. God too gave us hope 'and promise more than 20 centuries ago with his gift to the world, the birth of the baby Jesus. The birth of Jesus represented God's coming unto human history. It marked the start of a new age, of renewed faith in humankind. In the same way, we find reassurance in the power of life and love in the tiny girl that has become such an important part of our lives. This year, Christmas will be for her. We will lavish Caylan with gifts, too many no doubt. We will outfit her in a pretty new dress, perhaps put a ribbon in her hair. We will make a great fuss over her. Relatives will hug and kiss her. Out of town friends look forward to meeting her. Caylan will be the centre of our attention this Christmas. We are concerned with the usual trappings of the season. We will of course, exchange gifts, have a traditional turkey feast and watch the Christmas programs on the television. However, this Christmas we will concentrate on the feelings of comfort and peace we find in being together as a family. And, we will find joy and promise in our little girl. It will be a sad time too. Dad won't be there to play Santa Claus. He won't be there to eat all the shortbread cookies long before Christmas day rolls around, He won't be were to make us laugn when ne opens his gifts. He won't be there to encourage my sister to play the piano. Still, my father's memory lives on and we will find comfort in that. And, in his granddaughter we will see pro- mise and hope for the years yet to come. A former Londesboro United Church minister Rev. Stan McDonald in a Christmas message once quoted St. Fran- cis, noting, "It is in giving that we receive ... it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." Rev. McDonald went on to say, "It is true. Let us not forget that in giving life, life is given back to us. Christmas is a good time to learn that secret. Christmas is a good time to begin." This Christmas I will be thinking about life and death, joy and pain. This Christinas my thoughts are not focussed on the usual seasonal ballyhoo. This Christmas I am thinking about life and death, joy and sorrow. It is an intensely emotional time, but in many ways Christmas will be very special as I am discovering a renewal in faith, in life and in promise of the future, through the little girl that will be so busily eating all the Christmas wrapping paper. In many ways I may be coming closer to understanding what the real message of Christmas is all about. • 4.