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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-12-23, Page 11• No room )t ti 1 0 9 b 7 b '"4lcA u :L. brar `, 52 Montreal St,, lYt1f)i,:�� r,t17 Oxit. N7.P 2G4 Travelers in Canada -are _familiar thrilling message of God corning to with motel signs indicating dwell with man in \order to redeem "Vacancy" or "No Vacancy". When man. What will it mean to you ,this the search for a stopping place is put year? Wilfif'be the stable or the inn for 'off until dusk, many "No's' seem to Jesus? When He comes to the door of light up. your heart, will He find a"No "No Vacancy" is what Mary and Vacancy" sign or "Welcome'r?--1 Joseph founthwhen they came to the Is it possible .that. Jesus will be inn of Bethlehem that first Christmas.. crowded out of your life an your home When God's Sonpcame down to earth to this Christmas by the visiting and vi,s.it and redeem His people,"ithere entertaining, the shopping and baking? was no room for Him anywhere except Is it -possible that because of the parties in a lowly stable. and celebrations, you won't have time This is symbolic of what happened to to meditate and to pray? Is it possible Jesus all „ His -life. Isaiah • had that you will stay home from church prophecied, "HE IS DESPISED AND on Christmas Day because you are too REJECTED OF MEN . . . AND WE busy preparing an elaborate dinner or ESTEEMED HI„M NOT." John wrote with your gifts? sadly, "HE CAME UNTO HIS OWN Many lives are troubled and homes AND HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM. , -are torn apart. Why? Because we have. NOT." crowded out Jesus. He could solve the Has the attitude of mankind changed ' problems of business. He could bring Very much in our day?;Isn't Jesus 011 peace and happiness, if only there was ,greeted with the :"No No Vacancy" room for Him in their live''. sign by many people when He knocks This Christmas, once more, there on the door of their hearts? will be a soft knock at the door of your What about our own hearts? Do our heart and home. Jest's is standing lives, too, become so filled withyother there with na.il:scarred hands, seeking things that there is no room in the inn entrance into your life. "BEHOLD I of our hearts for Jesus? Do we send STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK; Him out to the stable of our lives where IF ANY MAN HEARS MY VOICE He can be called only if we need Him? AND OPENS THE ..DOOR I WILL Daniel Whittle says. in his hymn: COME IN TO HIM AND WILL SUP. "Room for pleasure, room for WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME. business, But for .Chrisf the Crucified, Two thousand years ago, there was Not a place that He can enter. In the no room for Him, and for many today heart for which He died." there will be no room either. Will there Christmas is here again ---with the be room in your heart and home? • mw-:Es.�:�ssss+:�n�ss�s�c�zmxsb.�:� the Changed Christmas 0 Where has it gone to? The fresh, natural trees. • Where are the carollers Whose songs spread their glee? And where are the cards, So fine and homemade? With pictures and verses And lines that don't .fade:T Yes,- ChristTas has changed Fromm a long time ago. The lights are much brighter,. There's artificial snow. Oh, what will it be like Fifty years from today? Will the children be happy? Will the songs still be gay? By Theresa Taylor Brookside School Grade S the best partg host What's the likely response to a. Christmastirpe get-together without booze? Boos, of course. Frankly, you're 'mistaken if you think you'll incur the displeasure of friends.andneighbors if you refuse to serve them alcohol- Some might be offended, but you. may be surprised to find that the majority would enjoy a non-alcoholic party, or one where alcohol is kept to &minimum, perhaps even more than a party where alcohol is flowing freely. This, after all, is the season for ,all good hosts to come to the aid of the partygoer by recognizing 'that the festive spirit doesn't all corhe out of a bottle . . by realizing that seasonal fellowship and goodwill cannot be poured into people, You don't need to be a party pooper, of a Scrooge, to celebrate with your guests in a way- that doesn't equate being groggy and pie -eyed -with having fun. For those who prefer to drink something other than alcohol make alternatives available: coffee, for instance, of fruit p(hch. Fpr those on the stronger stuff, you don't have to issue a ration book; but you can keep their drinks 'to measured one -ounce shots, increasing the amount of mix as the evening wears on. A further consideration of your guests' livers,—and perhaps their -lives when you think how many alcohol- related-traffic.accidents occur atthis time of .year - is to serve coffee and. food at some point duringthe party. This won't sober up those who have had too much to_drink, but it will separate thern from the booze supply, enabling them to metabolize some of what they've consumed. When it's time to call it a day, the host who's concerned for his guests' safety would do. well to look closely at guests who are on their way home. Never mind getting them to say "The Leith police dismisseth us." Those who look as though they'd have trouble driving safely should be given a lift by someone who can, or put in a taxi ... or put up for the night. Many drinking drivers wind up not just vliith hangovers, but as headlines, especially at Christmas and New Year's for what you might call the mourning after, Running a party where the guests enjoy themselves without seeing double or falling flat on .their faces doesn't mean you have to be mean -- just just considerate. By being a good Christmas host, you help your guests live to attend next year's party. - Ministry of Health. Vhf eoberith SIGNAL -STAR —0— The County Town Newspaper of Huron —O— Founded in 1848 and published every Thursday at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the ('WNA and OWNA. Advertising rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance$12.00 in Canada, 115.50 to U.S.A., 820.00 to all other countries, single copies 25 cents. Display advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 7 effective Oct. 1, 1976. Second class mall Registration Number 0716. Advertising Is accepted on the con- dition that, to theevent of typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature,will not be charged for but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods nr services at a wrong price, goods or service may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Businessand Editorial Office TELEPHONE 524-8331 area code 519 Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd. ROBERT G. SHRIER.--president and publisher SHIRLEY J. KELLER — editor EDWARD J. BYRSKI — advertising manager mailing Address: P.O. BOX 220, Goderich Second class mail registration number -0716 §exuAvx.vsnxv.xv�• w GODE RICH SIGNAL -STAR. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23p1976 --PAGE 21 To Naylor Grade 8 Brookside ,xxvaNx..v==============xxv, By Shirley J. Keller It is hard to believe that it is time againto write a Christmas column. Thee,year. 1976 has just flown • and judging from the comments of the people with whom I come in contact in most weeks, the time has flown for everyone. It is enough to .make one wonder'if the days and hours are really getting. shorter or if the clocks and watches are actually spinning faster. We've had so much snow already this fall (it still isn't officially winter at time of writing) many folks are already tired of it all and planning a trip to,the,south. If the snow keeps, up into January and February, there won't be enough airplanes, trains and buses to move the tourists to the warmer climates. There may.even be a number of citizens who will pickup and leave this part of the world entirely. GEAR READERS On'e of those could well be a young reporter in this office. Ron Shaw, who rejoined the Signal -Star staff this summer after a two year stint in Africa, isjust tolerating the weather -we've been having in Goderich. A,ccording to Ron, the temperature got pretty low on the desert last winter at times - but it only lasted overnight -or at the most two nights. "We've had " this rotten weather for over. two months now," Ron complains_ I wasn't surprised the other day when Ron. mentioned a suppressed desire to head south - Mexico' maybe. Itchy feet is part of it, perhaps,, but this solid winter complete with blizzards and shovelling has the•most •to do with it, 1 suspect. + + + Ron and his wife Peggy will be travelling this .Christmas but only to a farm•near Perth in the. Ottawa district where Ron's parents reside. drivel Dear Editor: It is my hope that the `columns of our weekly newspaper are not going to become cluttered with such emotional drivel as I have just finished reading in a letter -to -the -editor entitled —"Save the Seals." Does the writer of this Willard and Vivian Shaw have a beautiful old country farmhouse, tastefullsy decorated with antiques and a variety of handmade crafts. •It should be a marvellous place to spend Christmas. My husband and I visited the Shaws this summer on our way home from the east coast. Their- hospitality was simply great aria I remember thinking then that it would be a terrific place to go home to, especially at Christmas. Lucky Ron and Peggy, + + + Jeff Seddon, another reporter on staff at the Signal -Star, will , have a somewhat different Christ- mas this year. .teff and his wife Sued are ,expecting their second child any day now (he (5r she may already be fiiere as you read this). That's why Jeff: isn't exactly certain where,he'll be celebrating Christas .... or even when. Jeff. and Sue and daughter Tonia-moved earlier this year to Goderich Township where. they have a farm. The Sed - dons are crazy about horses and to have horses one must live in the country. Anyone who knows Jeff knows him as a fun -loving soul who enjoys the simple things about living. It was quite like Jeff to saddle up his horse one evening last week, ride back a ways on his farm, chop down a Christmas tree and haul it home for decorating. "A real old-fashioned Christmas," joked Jeff the next day. "You should have done a feature on it." +++ Dave Sykes was a bachelor until September when he married Joan Gammie from Cambridge, Dave's hometown. Dave and Joan Dhow reside in Saltford. 'Dave tells us he's Ukranian. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but after attending his wedding and DEAR EDITOR letter run around in her bare feet and eat only vegetables, because our civilization has been killing and eating beef, tanning the hides and making leather for many generation? Has the writer ever been to a slaughter house where cattle, hogs, and sheep are slaughtering by the thousands every day? Does the writer realize when she puts on a wool sweater or eats lamb chops that the lamb had its throat cut in order to provide the chops? Certainly the seal population should be protected from over -thinning so that extinction does not become a possiblity. But,, humane officials have closely watched the kill of baby seals for a number of years, much in the same way as they in- spect slaughter houses to be sure that the . an'ntal, regardless of what species, is killed as humanely as possible. For several years we have been subjected to over- emotional people attempting to protect seals, wolves, foxes and many other species to the extent that predatory animals have become a costly and-, dangerous peril to the farmers in this and many other areas. While it is very nice to be kind and con- meeting the whole family, it. is easier to believe. What a party -loving group! Why, Dave even has a gra-idrna who makes beet borscht : ;d cabbage soup! Anyway, Dave and Jcr,tn will be heading straight tn•. Cambridge at Christmas, and according to Dave they rave a busy round of parties'•"land. dinners to attend. Christmas Eve seems to be the big night when Dave and Joan will get together with Dave's mons and family and all Dave's uncles, aunts, cousins and friends to greet Santa Claus. Apparently, Santa Claus has traditionally taken time out from his busy Christmas Eve schedule tcY make a personal appearance at the Sykes' party. Maybe Santa's Ukranian too. Who knows? +++ The Keller Christmas is destined to be a disorganized one this year. We're moving. Yes,' we're moving from one (continued on page2 7) siderate to all God's creatures, let us nor'lose sight of also being realistic. A realist. Good idea Dear Editor, I have had for a time what some might think to be a "Pipe" dream, I have discussed it with a number of ( continued on page 21