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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-12-19, Page 4• 'ii:ft" f' + aubrla rias l',1+r tl�Yi . ?i .i CH SXGI AMSTAR, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19,1984 f 7f�'F A NSI 1 A ds a % 1 ' ,r �dhVlq, ,' • 4" tic u'.��i,.�'i�!� ,,fir DAVE SYKES r 'A . 411* J • .If ever there ' was an unattractive, or -perhaps even ugly, Christmas tree, it's the one in my livingroom. But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. The lights may be tiny, the garland hangs_ awkwardly in several places, some of the decorations are ancient and most of the decorative balls and ornaments are clustered on the lowest branches, but there is a bit of spirit in that tree. It may only measure six feet in height and the branches are of the synthetic variety and are decided, lacking in that Christmassy fragrance. But it still possesses a certain charm. That charm and "spirit is generatedby the children who were wide-eyed at the prospect sof erecting the official Christmas tree last week. And while the tradition is new and relatively meaningless to daughter Laura, her brother, Bradley, was quite certain that r. the instant the tree was erected and decorated, Santa Claus would suddenly appeik a_ t the door bearing gifts. But the family Christmas tyee does more than simply act as a sheltet for gifts and toys, tidily packaged and wrapped. I will always maintain fond memories of tree decorating sessions. It was a time when the whole family would get involved and it seemed to be the one event that generated some spirit and warmth. Now I hope that that same kind of family spirit will be much in evidence in my own home. One thing is for sure, helping hands , were in rather good supply. The branches of artificial trees are colour- coded but as fast as I could sort the branches into corresponding piles, daughter Laura would do her best to wreak havoc among the piles while making a mockery of my system. And she irritated her brother to no end for r not taking the whole thing seriously and Bradley was most distraught that his sister would rather eat the branches and ornaments than hang them. Barely past the ornament eating stage himself, Bradley now views the Christmas tree as his ticket to toyland. Without a tree, he reasons, the less likely Santa is to visit our house. So the family decorated the tree and with Bradley and Laura officially participating in the process, most of the ornaments and decorations are clustered on the lowest branches. And every so often it is evident that a ball or ornament has mysteriously disappeared. We are not sure how they are removed from the tree or even their final destination. But we have a couple of suspects on the•list. My Christmas tree may be a little • unbalanced but I think it will do the job. • THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Founded in 1848 and published every Wednesday et Ooderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OCNA. Subscriptions payable in advance '20.95, (Senior Citizens •17.88 privilege card number required) in Canada, '55. to U.S.A., '55. to all other countries, Single cnples 504. Display, National and Classified advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rats Card No. 15 effective October 1, 1984. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typggraphical error., the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the f a typographical error advertising goods or services et a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrewn at any time. The Signal -Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBE G. SHRIEK.- President and Publisher DON HUBICK - Advertising Manager • DAVE SYKES - Editor P.O. BOX the ae ET. INDUSTRIAL PARK Gor.31,N GODERICH, ONT. N7A 455 (✓s1 Member: Second classti._ mail registration number 0716 FOR BUBINEBB OR EDITORIAL OFFICEB,..plaaee phone (5 ; 524-2514 Have a safe holiday It has come down to the final rush of the season as everyone hurriedly and purposefully scurries to get the last gift, finish the baking; trim the tree or purchase the groceries. And yet, even as we rush through the festive season, there is a certain excitement that builds and grows out of the turmoil and chaos. Most people are busy before and during the holiday season making last minute preparations for that gathering with family and friends. But in our haste and in the midst of all those preparations and last-minute details, it is easy to overlook the more cautious approach. Driving becomes especially critical during theJjoliday season as thousands of people will be travelling the highways of the province, heading home for the holidays. This time of year the weather can be more than unpredictable and many area people have less than fond memories of travelling the highways of Southwestern Ontario at Christmas. Take extra care on the highways and pack for an emergency situation. It could come in handy. While motorists will have to be alert because of the increased volume of traffic there is also a good chance that many drivers on the roadways during the holidays will have been drinking. This is the season of the home and office party and it may pay dividends to take, a more defensive approach to driving. Prevention is the operative word for the holiday season and prevention means taking a sensible and responsible approach to drinking and driving. Let others drive if you feel you have had too much to drink and it only makes good sense not to force drinks on people who may have a distance to drive. Elsewhere on the pages of the newspaper, the local fire department have issued warn- ings and tips for a safe holiday. Your Christmas, the source and fetus of your gift-givin ran also be a fire hazard. Be sure that the lights are turned off if the family is to be •'ay for an extended period.of time because both real and artificial trees can catch fi If you have lights on the tree or exterior of the house, check to ensure they a in proper working order. f,nd make sure that the children are well aware of the dangers of the lights, lighted candles and the family tree. Chirstmas is a special time, a time to celebrate life with family, friends and loved ones. It is a time tl, share and a time to bask in the warmth of love, friendship and family life. May the celebration of Christmas and the holiday season be a source of fond and warm memories for you and your loved ones. And may the spirit of the season be the cor- nerstone of a peaceful foundation of the future. Christmas in Courthouse Park 1910 POSTSCRIPT JOANNE BUCHAN°AN a I'm finding it very difficult to get into the Christmas spirit this year. In fact, I'm even beginning to wonder if old Scrooge might have been right about the festive season all along. . There are many reasons why I feeP this way. I hatc to admit it, but one of the reasons is lack of snow. Christmas just won't seem like Christmas without some of that white fluff stuff lying around on the ground. Maybe this is a hold -over from childhood. As a kid, 1 remember that snow was often the best part of the Christmas holidays, especially if I got new skates to test on a backyard rink or a new toboggan to try out on some nearby hills. My friends and I would build forts and snowmen or just blissfully throw ourselves onto the ground to make angels. Afterwards, when wet and cold and hunger forced us indoors, there was hot chocolate to drinkoand homemade goodies to eat. Somehow these treats tasted even better than usual after a romp in the snow. The greed and crass commercialism of Christmas has gotten to me too. As a child, I was unaware of the hassles and expense of buying gifts. As an adult, I am forced into crowded stores to make my purchases. I don't find much "peace on earth, goodwill toward men" being celebrated in shopping malls at this time of year as frazzled shop- pers push and shove one another and ex- change impatient words with store clerks. And somehow, the joy of gift -giving has diminished as most people these days are affluent enough to buy whatever they want �r need for themselves. Also, at my job, as I'm sure it is with many others, Christmas means a lot of ex- tra work. We cover school Christmas con- certs and just about every other special ' Christmas event going on in the community. We put out special editions and write special features. We work twice as hard to meet deadlines shortened by the holiday. Working extra hours at one's job, doesn't leave much time for things which need to be done at home -baking, decorating, writing Christmas cards, entertaining, etc. As a result, the pleasures of Christmas are turned into dreaded chores which are tackled with frustration and resentment. By now, you probably think the next line of this column will read. "Bah. humbug!" But, despite everything I have mentioned above, I am not completely turned off Christmas. I haven't give up. I may not be in,.... the spirit yet but I still have a few days left to accomplish this. As of now, I am going to stop and smell the roses -or should I say pointsettias-and en- joy what Christmas is really all about, not what our society has turned it into. Christmas is a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of Christ and I refuse to remain so caught up in the modern-day trappings of the season, that I tend to forget about this fact. As the number of nuclear weapons escalate, I see the promise of Christmas as. the only hope we have for the future. This Christmas, I also plan to reflect on and give thanks' for all the good things I have in life -wonderful friends and family, good health, a. good job and the freedoms which come from living in a great country like Canada. I hope you will all take time to do the same. A joyous Christmas to each and every one of you. And who knows? It may snow yet! Let's not throw away our heritage Dear Editor, As a volunteer group supporting the Huron County Pioneer Museum, we would e to express our hope that the Feasibility S 'f y will be accepted by County Council. A large expense such as the one needed to restore our Museum indeed needs much consideration and study. But, I hope that the costs do not overwhelm the Council members and cause them to forget the great value that we glean as a county from this in- stitution. Our Museum houses the history of this county, with a collection that is far more comprehensive than most county museums. In this we are fortunate. • Strong community support is evidenced by the fact that we have not bought any of the artifacts in this large collection; they have all been donated by the citizens of this LERI 1 ERS county. This is exceptional in museums, and makes us the envy of all other museums. Our own Volunteer Group is another in- dication of the support the community gives to our museum. We are newly formed -not yet two years old -but we are growing fast; from an original membership of ten people, we now number 45. The volunteers help in many different areas -repairs, displays, special events, art work, research, and school tours. We find that the community, very supportive of our efforts. The Museum has travelled to schools with special exhibits, and has added to many Bicentennial celebrations with store -front displays and parade floats in the past years. It is a tourist attraction for this area, and our research shows that more people make return visits to our museum than to other such institutions. If the feasibility study is accepted, we will be able to serve the community in a much more comprehensive way. The hiring of a project director would create a whole new aspect for our museum: he/she would be in charge of new displays and special events such as the Pioneer Craft Weekend we had last summer and provide for a greater variety of programs. This in turn would at- tract more people to the Museum and could increase tourism in this area. This would Turn to page 5 • One of my favourite writers is John Steinbeck. When necessary he can speak gently, but his voice is never weak. It is an invitation when he says that "there is a , hole in reality through which we can look if we wish". Christmas is one time wheh"we, standing on tiptoe, press an eye to the hole and long to s . The images differ -for all of us, but there is also much in common. There are pictures of old realities turned into m ories -and outlines of new' promises waiting to take shape. The days leadin to Christmas reveal a vulnerabilit one would or- dinarily hardly admit. There is a shy meeting between old traditions and new acceptances. It is a time when some frankly sentimental observations are in order whilst we move crisply through our share of daily needs, expectations and preparations. t It is a lovely time. We call out "Merry Christmas" and the old and cheerful wish is comfortable on our lips. In my mind the word "merry" has always reflected an easy grace and innocence of less demanding times than ours. In the friendly s!. t 1 this reflection and loo ' • thr/ the hole in reality I wish the-rea ' ers a timelessly Merry Christmas! ELSA HAYDON p