The Huron Expositor, 1978-12-21, Page 12_.'.:WED. DEC. 27th
WED. JAN. 3rd
Bill Eisler
& MON.
12 , 1-14E 11U-r4•EXPOSITOl 21,:. ,1
Serendipity
i•Chritmd.-Dcly in:the..
BY ALICE GUM
On Christmas Day, after the fog lifted, we stood at the
window and watched as a solitary shepherd and his two
dogs rounded up their flock and guided them Jnto a tiny
valley down the road.
The shepherd was tending his flock outside the small
village of Seelbach, in the Black Forest, and it seemed
fitting that he appeared on the' day shepherd helped
make so much a part of our Christian tradition. •
After three months of travel, my girlfriend and myself
were spending Christmas with Bev and Bernie MacKay,
friends who are stationed at the Canadian Forces Base in
Lahr, Germany on the edge of the celebrated Black Forest.
The MacKays live in the upper floor of a beautiful
farmhouse in a valley just outside the town of Seelbach,
village somewhat smaller than Seaforth. The area is,
populated by German Catholics who run small farming
operations, completely different than the farms here.
German farms in the neighbourhood often consisted of
one building and a shed. The main building included the
barn downstairs and the family's home upstairs. Animals,
at least cattle, seemed to spend almost their entire lives in
the barn, and it was only rarely that we saw one of the long
horned animals in a field, although we knew they existed
by the piles of manure beside the barns.
BICKERS
" Since the Germans are great hikers, even in the farming
area, there were benches set every quarter of a mile or so,
and whenever we went- out, we met farmers' wives
wheeling their babies in buggies or strollers, elderly
German men and women with walking sticks, and the
farmers themselves, out for a stroll. The' farms in the
neighbourhood and the farmers themselves, out for a
stroll. The farms in the neighbourhood usually boasted one
friendly dog, who would run out and greet , or bark from
the dobrstep, and one watch dog, ofte a German
shepherd, tied to the barn or shed, ho se med far less
willing to welcome strangers.
One of the most intersting sig s in the farming area
were the beautiful, small chapels r, shrines, often built on
the edge of a field. Each of the t wns had at least one high
steepled church, and the bells ma e a beautiful echo as they
sounded across the valleys on Sunday.
But, to return to Christmas Day, The night before
Christmas, Bev, our hostess, 'had prepared a traditional
French Canadian supper and we dined on pork tortiere pie
and plum pudding with rum sauce before retiring to bed,
after a nightcap of warm eggnog.
Now one of the joys of spending Christmas with the
MacKays was their four year old son, a precocious child
who had grown up in Germany, mainly in the company of,
adults since the family live away from the main base in
Lahr.
Since Bev was concerned that her son was growing up
without the company of his contemporaries, she enrolled
him in "kinderschule", a German nursery in Seelbach.
When his mother asked him how it was after the first
morgir of class, Allison said very consipiratorally, "You
ey all speak German there!" Later, when her son
prove strangely uncommunicative about his experiences
at the school, Bev. tried again. This time she asked Allison
what he did at Kinderschule. "Oh, I run from one room to
the other and they chase me!," he said.
EXCITED
Now as Christmas approached, Allison was as excited as
any kid-particularly since mysterious packages had been °
arriving from Canadian relatives for some weeks. My
girlfriend and I spent much of our day taking turns reading
Christmas stories to the child or listening to him tell us his
own version of the Christmas Story:, Santa Claus may have'
been a foreign concept to theUerman children -who were
Allison's classmates, but the boy certainly knew every-
thing there ‘i,as to know about the man in, red.
On Christmas Day, Allison slept in until the late hour of
7:30 a.m. • our first hint that something was amiss. Then
he ate breakfast, another exception. The four adults, wide
awake and ready to attack the gifts under the tree, waited
and waited for the foui-year old to wander ,into, the
livingroom, usually his favorite playground. In a four room
apartment, it's hard to completely 'ignore one room, but
Allison did, until almost noon. Finally, when we could
stand the suspense no longer, we took Allison by the hand,
and showed hiin tree, presents, and pointed out it was
Christmas Day.
Wedding
Reception
for
Dyke & Nicol
Little
Sat.
Dec.23
Legion Hall
EVERYBODY .
WELCOME
lack Foresi
He stood for some seconds, looked at all the gifts and
then said in amazement, "You mean, he really did come!"
Allison, who lived in the world of , books, thought Santa
Claus was just one more fiction we adults had devised:to
amuse him,
GOOSE
That afternoon we dined on , goose and Christmas cake
and watched the shepherd as he spent his lonely day,
with only his dogs for company, Under German law,
shepherds can drive their flocks over any unfenced private
property and since many, of the farmers were completely
unfenced, our friend didn't have any problem. -
Life for the soldiers and their families in Lahr can be
' very insular. Many of the wives only rarely venture into
German stores, even though their husbands are paid in
deutsehm'arks rather than Canadian' currency (which
means soldiers earn more money by spending a stint in'
Germany), Wives can shop in either the subsizidized PX
store on the base or in a friendly store in downtown Lahr,
operated by the Salvation Army. Here families can eat in
the restaurant where Canadian style cooking is the order of
the day and shop in the small store which stocks beautiful
Derman carvings, cuckoo elecks, and the delicate wooden
ornaments which were once the traditional decoration on
German "tannenbaums."
Since my friends had both taken German lessons, and
could carry on elementary conversations, we shopped in
Lahr itself and then stopped at Cafe' Bauer for goulaschen
(goulash soup) and brot, kaffe (coffee) and one of the-
delicious cake delicacies you could choose from a glass
display case.
But Christmas Day, we spent quietly, after flanlly
persuading Allison that Santa had arrived. We wrote
letters home, listened to Christmas music on the Canadian
.Forces radio station and watched Allison play with his
favorite gift - a castle which came complete with dragons,
soldiers and moat.
Late in the afternoon, we took Allison for a walk and
greeted the many Germans also getting a.bit of exercise
before sitting down to their Christmas meal.
The shepherd had wandered off into the hills. For him, it
was a day like any other!
Hullett Central
Sees movie at
THE CHRISTMAS ANGELS These four pretty angels were among. the
performers taking part in St. James Separate School Christmas concert
on Monday afternoon. The Grade 4 pupils are Tracy Bedard, Linda De
Jong, Kim Plas and Lori Harvey. (Expositor Photo)
THE GREAT CANADIAN ENERGY SHOW —These 'are two 'of the
performers in The Great Canadian Energy Show'which entertained senior
students from a number of area schools in the Seaforth Public School
'gymnasium last week. The message of the show--conserving energy,
naturally. (EXpositor Photo)
SPS
"Christmas Eve". (play)
3. Grades .1 &2 - All 'About
Winter
4, ' Grade 7 - What Is,
THE DRIVER 8:40 P.M.
8. 0 Canada.
Congratulations to every
one responsible for making
this year's concert a success;
CLOSED
AT THIS TIME THE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF
OF THE PARK THEATRE AND MUSTANG.
DRIVE-IN WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A
VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
THURS. ONE SHOWING ONLY 8 P.M.
" DEC. 26 - JAN: 1 TUES. — MON.
Walk into the incredible true
experience of Billy Hayes.
And bring all the courage
you can.
Lions
BINGO
Every
Saturday
at
Blyth
Memorial Hall
12 reg..- 10 each
3 share the wealth
$150 jackpot 60 calls
every Sat at '8 p.m.
WED. DEC. 27, 1978
Come & relax after Christmas
8 listen to
VERA MCNICHOL
speak
at Seaforth Arena - 8 p.m.
Admission charge of $2.00
INCLUDES REFRESHMENTS
te.
Proceeds to Van Egmond '
Restoration Project
WAITING TO SEE SANTA —'Jamie Reilly of
Seaforth waits to see Santa Claus at the. Legion
Hall Christmas party on Sunday afternoon.
GARBAGE COLLECTION
Regular Pick up in Seaforth
- TUES. DEC. 26th
Holiday Pick up in Dublin
TRIP TO SEAFORTH
On Thursday December
14, grades 7 and 8 were,
invited to Seaforth Public
School to see a show called
the "Great Canadian Energy
Show".' The pupils left t hi
school at 1:30 p.m. and
returned',,, at 3:25 p.m. The
show was enjoyed by all.
AfrND
• Money 'ratted from the
band skate-a-thon in
November ha's totalled $505.
There is., still money to be
Christmas Concert
On Tuesday, December
19, Hullett held their annual
Christmas Concert. Below is
a list of grades and their
numbers in the program:
There was a huge turnout
and everyone enjoyed the
concert. ,
1. Junior Choir -" Welcome
Must
Be Santa
- Do you
Hear What' I Hear?
2. Kindergarten -
SEAFORTH
NOW PLAYING DEC. 20 - 23 WED. SAT.
41111111111mgr
WED..- THURS. ONE SHOWING ONLY 8 P.M.
FRI. '& SAT. THUNDER & LIGHTNING 7 P.M.
COMMERCIAL
HOTEL
ENTERTAINMENT
Thursday, Friday Saturday
SOUTHERN COMFORT
° FRIDAY SPECIAL
Salisbury Steak
OPEN SUN. DEC.24 3-8
FINE FOOD
FINE ENTERTAINMENT
COlUM&A PICTURES Ntvrts A CASAiltANCA FIlloWCIPXS Neut. d
An ALAN PARKER Film MIDNIGHT EXPR
NEXT WEEK
Wed - Sat.
• AL.ViN SHOES
527-0180
We hope
you all have a very Happy Christmas
Christmas? (poern) - In Came
Santa (play)
5. Grade 5 - A Floliday For
Santa.
6. Band - 2 songs.
7. Senior Choir - Still, Still,
Still. - Alleluia, - Jungle Bell
Rock.
II IIII I•611101 t, i I I Lill 01111,10 VIVI 551111 NCR 0 11 .1 0 I 111 IS a • a
DEC. 29 - 30 FRI. & SAT.
MATINEE ONLY STARTS 1:30
REGULAR PRICES
SPECIAL MATINEE
AA,
THEATRE .
30 The Square, Godorich, 524-7811
peogrdmiubloo to change without notice
WE'RE CLONG AT 7 p.m. Dec. 24
and WE'RE CLOSED Christmas -Day & Boxing Day
so we can visit Mom & Dad & Family & Friends too. Happy Holidays
Kim, Gayle, Nancy, Sue,' Janine, Sandy & Bob