The Lucknow Sentinel, 1998-12-23, Page 4•
Page 4 'Luc now Sentinel, Wednesday, December 23, 1998
A tiowe s Publishers Comma* Newspaper 619: Campbell St.. Lucknow, Ontario
• P.O. Box 400, Luchnow, OntariO NOG 21i0,
phone; (519) 528-2822 fax (519) 528,3529
established J873 -
Tom Thompson 414vertising Manager
Pat Livingston - .0enera1 Manager / Editor 411)PC
Phyllis Matthews Helm 4 Offlee Athalniatottor
Joan Courtney - Typeaetter
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Former Lucknowite remembers Christmases past
' I have just finished reading the Sentinel from front
to back and as I read the' preparations for Christmas my
mind was flooded with wonderful memories of
Lucknow and then I decided to share my memories.• .
I was so blessed to be one of eight children bom to
Robert and Belle Thompson. Christmas excitement
started in .our house when early in December with the
first snow, brothers Bob and Bud would take the sled
and head for Iviurdie's bush to select our tree. There it
sat on the porch until the big day it would: come inside.
Dad owned a grocery store where Beckers is now.
What fun when he would suggest it was time to deco-
rate the store. From a box in the back came red and
green paper streamers and an assortment of large and
• small balls. The type that folded up and when opened
turned to a beautiful ball fastening two sides with a
paper clip. These we strung all over the store.
The two front • windowswere such display windows'
with a mirrored back which slid into place and
enclosed the window so it appeared twice the size.
Then came those huge big shiny pails looking like
real gold. Dad would tip these over so the contents
• scattered in front of the pails. What assbrtment: hard
rock candies, gum drops, etc, etc, etc, till the window
, was full and redpopcom balls and red and white candy ,
canes dotted here and there on the flow of candies.
What a sight! ••
The days after the decorating saw the older ones
• packaging dates, raisins; brown and white sugar, ,etc,
• getting prepared ChriStmas cake baking. ,
Then camethe oranges. They came in wooden
crates, each orange wrapped individually. These we
unwrapped and according to size- they went into the
pull out bins- in front of the cOunter. . . • we must stay in bed: (brrr it was usually so cold). ,He •
I haveto laugh now when I think those stiff orange went down to • shake down the stove and put in fresh
wrappers always went back to the "rest rooms" -in the wood. On his return upstairs he'd look out his window
backroom. • . .
and shout, "Oh Santa has been here. There are his run -
With the store in readiness for a busy season. it was ner marks on the lawn, and -• we'd all ninscreaming with .
time to think Of Santa's. visit to the. village and the bag excitement. .
of goodies he gave to •each one of us in the town hall Somehow, every Year,sure enough there were sleigh . •
afterhis arrival, marks in the snow.
• my grandmother and aunt Lorna had the ice cream .- Then on a signal; we'd all line upyoungest first and •
go shouting. "Merry Christmas," int i the kitchen to
peer tbru the glass panels on the .door and see that won.
derful. tree and the base, just covered with. gifts. There
. never Was,400 much money but We never suffered. ..
• My .two oldest sisters had become ,teachers and were
so generous. to all of us. We couldn't go in to the tree
until we all our breakfast. I guess we needed --
hadhad. .
,the tWO chairs from the broom stick too, •
When it was time 'pad gave out the gifts. it took
such a long time as Helen: and Norma had manygifts
from pupils -one at a time..
parlour and store. We had many relatives: Aunt Polly
and Gerty; the Sidalls the Dr. Newtons, Tom VVatsorts
and many ,of Lorna's friends so every Christmas Eve
the older ones. (Mother always joked with us and
called us her second family. There were three older
-Ones then six years till I cam and -then five of us came
close to-gether to be named thel second family) were to
deliver Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve to all these
families and friends.
They were Usually boxes Of chocolateSpnd We piled
them high in aled child's cutter and off we went to:
make our deliveries. •, • We usually went outside to play "on the hill" while
I can remember urging the children to hurry in case , the ladies preparedour turkey dinner. There was the
Santa might come and we ran so fast always looking big table and then the card table for the children's
over our shoulder. ale never caught us).table.• •
. Then the tree went firmly planted in a. bucket of • What a memory!' I can still picture where each one
coal and decorated with paper chains of many colours. ' sat, The evening was usually spent playing new games
I can't remember if there were ever lights but oh how or going to the "rink" to Skate.
beautiful it looked, Then we took two kitchen chairs ,; It was a tired but happy group of lama), members
and stretched the beecnivstick over and pinned our that retired to bed that night. Another Christmas,
stockings with a safety pin and hung our five pair The -another year.
pin was enough as it was usually a popcorn ball, a- . • ,
small orange and a few nuts in the shell. .. • , Prances Thompson Hewat,;
Of course we Were awake early and dad would say ' Abbottsford, B.C.' -
letter from the Qdrtor-
. Dear readers: • •
You may hive noticed that minor
• hockey team 'reports have been reduced
in size- thia year. Many readers have per-
sisonally asked us to eicplam, why this is '
. , happening. • • : ••• , • ',,
•• • The newspaper is, a business like all
others: We may be considered a service
• oriented business, but like any other We.
have 'overhead expenses ;that have to be
• Viet. •- ••• "
• The amount -of advertising hi 'Our
paPer determinesthe number of pages we
• go •each week As art example,•if I have
editorial copy (stories; pictures, etc) to?
•,, fill my share Cif 20 pages, but there is•;
onlyenough advertising to generate 16,
pgges, We only' produce 16. • , '
, • The ratio of editorial contetiMadyer:i_
ifs -Orli -AS been established -by :the indus
try It takes inti consideration all over•
• head costs in producing a newspaPer.
Some people ask why we can't simply
add one more page to,accommodate More
•
news This is itupossible. Our pages'
increase in increments of four.
We. preferred to -include the hockey
news in a- shortened »erslon rather ;has ••••
:"have to leave it out some weeks: The '
• smile basic inforMation is being, printed
in POirirform, rather than in ientenee
• structure and as individual storieS. We
realize that the children who do not score
goals sarassists are Perhaps Mit getting
the recognition they deserve. Hovirever;,
we have suggested to hockey ?reporters
•that they could include -"honorable men-
tion" to a 'couple of Players- each week.
•We realize it is particularly important to
the ycienger players to see their nanie. ifl
print, It'takes more than the goal; scorers
to play the game.
•It is not onlythe hockey that is being'
edited tightly. Most weeks we have 'news
hanging on hooks that we'siMply cannot
get in the pages available that week
Some of you have commented on
things in the paper that you think are tak-
ing •up space But if YOU stop and think, it
about it a little more, the readers we serve
have Varied interests. The WMS-oe-tleVV•
or memoirs are ju'st aS importairt to a
good portion Of, our readers, as the heck-
ey, reports acorn hockey families, and the
bowling reports 4t,, to bowling families,ete. • ,• • 1-
140
' What Christmas.Means To Us '
Advent is the coming of Jesus Christmas isnt about
• /
^ .
getting presents, it's about yiesus', birth, Christmas is a. ti •
• for giving not getting. Jesus was born in a manger in
, • Bethiehern,•Jdseph and Maty WererOre than happy to
weicome Jesos. Wise -
end followed it to the manger where Jesus was born. • •
. • , • . • • Q •• • • -• . • •
• .' • _ • , • . .
,• • Merry.christmas'end,Happy•New Year. , •
- • • - • . • •
• We hope you understand things nom , •
our Side of thePages but. if you would
like to discuss this predicament we ..fiFid •
ciurselveSin at this titne, I amps close as '-:
your phone; .,. • ;•
•
Pat Livingston,
• • • Editor.
1
,j by Gtrade 4.3v,
Sih Josvivi,
Kivisstritt9e