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The Citizen, 2015-12-24, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2015. PAGE 11. Save up to 50%- NO TAX STOREWIDE Open Dec. 26 ~ 10-6; Dec. 27 ~ 11-5 1 mile south of Blyth ~ 519-523-4595 BOXING WEEK Fletcher shares story of stocking for Jesus At Londesborough United Church on Sunday, Dec. 20, the fourth Sunday of Advent, Rev. Terry Fletcher lit the candle of love. A different kind of expression of love was the beautiful poinsettia on the communion table that morning placed in memory of Tom Duizer by his family. In honour of the fact that it was Christmas Sunday, the senior choir sang two joyous anthems, “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “The Bells of Christmas”. During their time at the front of the sanctuary, the children had were asked if they hung their Christmas stocking yet. At Rev. Fletcher’s home, the family always hangs one extra stocking and the children guessed correctly that it would be for Jesus. A discussion followed about what Jesus might like in His stocking. Love was suggested by Emma Baxter. Terry told them that during the year, his family thinks about what sort of things Jesus might like and writes it on a piece of paper that they put in the stocking on Christmas Eve. These are like promises – to give love to others, to help others more, to be the best person they can, etc. Then through the year they try to keep those promises to Jesus. As Ebenezer Scrooge said in the Christmas Carol, “ I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” During their time in Sunday school, the children looked at candy canes and learned of their significance to the Christmas story. At the end of the morning service the children gave congregants a candy cane with that story attached. In his message to the adults, Rev. Fletcher continued his Advent study, following the journey, with “Loose Ends”. For more than 2000 years the Christmas journey has captivated the world. That faith has formed the foundation for the Christian religion. An account of the Christmas story is found in each of the four Gospels and each of those writers recounted what was important to them or what they themselves experienced. Then, the Old Testament offers prophesies. To truly understand the complete story one must put together all these “loose ends”. Once the family had been counted they may have been anxious to return to Nazareth. However, affairs of the world and religion intervened. The Jewish religion stated that each boy child must be circumcised on his eighth day. And the ‘redemption of the first born’ had to be purchased after 31 days of the child’s life. This ‘purchase’ of the child back from God required the payment of five shekels. That would have been three weeks of carpentry work for Joseph. Moreover, Mary was declared ‘unclean’ for 40 days following Christ’s birth and had to present sacrifices at the temple to be declared ‘clean’ again. Ergo, the journey home would not happen for at least 40 days. These events serve to demonstrate to the world that Jesus was part of a family that knew difficulties and insecurities and was very ordinary. These experiences were important to Christ’s ministry later. And in those weeks following the birth the Magi realized they needed to see these things for themselves. The community is invited to join in the Christmas Eve Service at 7 p.m. on Dec. 24. If you would like to help organize/house clean storage areas in the church, meet at the church on Jan. 11th at 9 a.m. The official board of Londesborough United Church will meet on Jan. 12 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Happy New Year! This Christmas season, we’d like to join you and yours in a prayer for harmony, understanding and peace. As we give thanks to the Lord, we’d also like to acknowledge all the people who have given to us their friendship and generous support. Merry Christmas! Chris TenPas RDMT Massage & Reflexology and B & C Wellness Co. Shaklee Distributors Brussels 519-887-9309 COMMEMORATE THE NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER'S 1ST NEW YEAR Join the gallery of faces in The Citizen's baby photo display January 14, 2016 Send or bring a picture of your little one born in 2015 along with a writeup which includes full name, birth date and parents' names, to be featured in The Citizen's Gallery of Faces on January 14, 2016, for only $20.00 (HST included). Please send picture (with name on back), along with a cheque, to The Citizen prior to January 8. Photos may be picked up after January 14. THIS MUST BE PRE-PAID. - Sample - Please Complete Baby's Full Name______________________ Son ❑Daughter ❑ Birth Date_____________________________ Parents' Names________________________ $20.00 Enclosed DEADLINE - January 8 2 pm in Brussels • 4 pm in Blyth ❑ Mary Elizabeth Smith May 18 daughter of Mike & Laura Smith B a b i e s o f t h e Y ear 2015 Holiday alphabet finished Let’s finish off the last third of the Christmas alphabet, which, of course, has the hardest letters. R) relatives, remembering the Christmas story, reflections, reindeer. S) Saviour, shepherds, sleighs, songs, stockings. T) glad tidings, trees with tinsel, treats. U) us, the whole family together, universal goodwill. V) the Virgin Mary, visitors. W) welcome to visitors and the new year, Christmas wishes. X) for kisses under the mistletoe. Y) yule logs whose purpose was to provide bright fire over the Yuletide. Z) zest that comes from within for a season of giving. John and I extend Christmas wishes to all of you. May it truly be merry and bright season for you and yours. Although this warm weather, not typical of a Canadian Christmas, is making travel for Christmas easy, I, for one, will be glad if more seasonal weather comes and gets rid of all the bugs - cold, flu and lady bugs. Villagers were saddened to learn early last week of the passing of Marie Glousher. Marie had been a cheery part of village life during the years she and Wilmer lived in the village until their move to Blyth to smaller accommodations. Marie had been in hospital just a short time before her passing. Keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. By BRENDA RADFORD Call 523-4296 PEOPLE AROUND LONDESBORO NEWS FROM LONDESBORO Ask A Financial Advisor How is Asset Allocation Key to Managing Your Portfolio? Brian Hilt - Financial Advisor 79 Ontario Road, P.O. Box 1450 Mitchell, ON N0K 1N0 (519) 348-9873 brian.hilt@edwardjones.com Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund Investment portfolios are not one-size fits all. Yours should be customized to meet your particular needs. A good place to begin is determining your desired asset allocation. That’s the relative proportion of equities, cash, and fixed-income investments you want to hold. If you want higher growth and are comfortable with more risk, you’ll probably have a greater percentage in equities. If you want lower growth but more of a focus on income and lower risk, you’ll probably have a smaller percentage in equities. The challenge is to select a mix of assets that’s just right for you. You need to think carefully about a number of factors, especially your stage of life. If you’re in your early twenties and just starting your first job, you’ll likely be primarily focused on growth, and therefore equities. If you’re in your later retirement years, you’ll probably have more of an orientation toward income, with less of an emphasis on equities. Make sure you seek the help of a financial advisor in establishing and managing your portfolio – whether it’s determining your asset allocation, selecting individual investments, or deciding on when to make changes. Have a question you want answered here? Ask Brian by phone or email. A great way to end the day Hullett Central Public School students had a special treat to end their classes before Christmas on Dec. 18 as staff held a special assembly featuring Christmas carols. In back is Marissa Nesbitt and in front, jingling all the way, are Joy Pizzati and Sara Kerr. (Denny Scott photo)