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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1994-12-21, Page 26Page 2A — Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, December 21, 1994 Merry Christmas! Wishing you a hcarhtarming Christmas and a no‘ car. Thanks for your continued patronage. Country Citchen Catering Mary Lou Doug .5_18-3_'14 t 6:1111 Sending Iloliday Wishes Vour tVay Thunk.' fi»II dining with as. Ilal'c' tt num( (IClig/ttJitl - and delectable! - /Wlidav ,SeaS(m. rqr Restaurant l'losed December 24 & 31 at 4:00 p.m, (lased A1.1, DAY Dec. 25 & 26 & Jan. 1 tt» '411From the management & staff of agfatr .estauurant The Greigs LUCKNOW 528-3932 THE JOY OF Allow us please to give all of you •our. thanks. Brian, Kathy and Staff Lucknow \TI1Jag arkct L UCKNOW 528-3001 Giving itt the. spirit In the comic strip FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE, by North Bay, Ontario, resident Lynn Johnson, a 7 -year-old Liizie cracks open her piggy bank. "Look!" she says, "I got 9 dollars an' 'levan cents to spend on Christmas. . "Her thirteen year old brother, Michael, is not Impressed. "You can't buy something for everyone with 9 dollars and 11 cents, Lizzie." "I'm gonna try," .Lizzie says. "Well," says Michael, "they're sure gonna be cheap presents." But Lizzie responds, with absolute conviction, "Nothing Is cheap, Michael, if it costs all the money you have." The retail economy has been built upon big-time spending at Christmas and Lizzie Is correct when she says nothing is cheap, especially if it empties your piggy bank. Every year, the news media tracks , how well Christmas spending Is going. If people are shopping like mad, the economy does well and the reports are rosy. But It hasn't always been that way. Lavish exchanges began around the same time as the modern Santa, as part of the 19th -century commercialization of the holiday. It is well to note that Santa Claus is in fact only a nickname for Saint Nicholas, who was not a toymaker but+tathristian minister. He lived not atthe North Pole but In Turkey In the year 400. His reputation for generosity was not based on consumerism, but upon the spirit of giving as manifested in the Baby born at Bethlehem who grew up to give His all for the salvation of humankind. Santa was in truth a Christian minister who gave in the real spirit of Christmas. It follows then, that gifts and generosity are the natural expressions of the Christmas spirit and the spirit of giving enters our homes'at this season. Charles Dickens captures that spirit of generosity that mazingly overtook Ebenezer Scrooge in the closing paragraphs of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. "I don't know what day of tl>le.month it is," said Scrooge. "I don't know how long I have been among the Spirits. I don't know anything. I'm quite a baby. Never mind, I don't care. I'd rather be a baby. Hallo! Hallo herel" r After a young boy reminds him that It's Christmas Day, Scrooge sends the lad to buy a turkey for Bob Cratchlt's family for Christmas dinner. It wasn't a small bird either, but the prize turkey he saw at the poulterer's on the next street. A turkey "twice the size of Tiny Tim," a bird, Scrooge thought, so big it "never could have stood on its legs." He even had to hire a cab to transport it to. the Cratchit home. "The chuckle with which he paid for the turkey, and the chuckle with which he paid for the cab, and the chuckle with which he tipped the boy, were only to be exceeded by the chuckle with which he sat down breathless in his chair again, and chuckled till he cried." Ah! God loves a cheerful giver! • Scrooge's generosity continued when he met his employee Bob Cratchit. "i'll raise your salary, and endeavor to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs thls very afternoon!" And, Dickens adds: "Scrooge was better than his word. He did It all, and infinitely more. To Tiny Tim old Scrooge became like a second father." The 'Spirit of, Christmas, whether it Is In... St. Nick; Santa Claus, Scrooge or us, Is God's Spirit - generous and joyful! God bless you this Christmas Season.... and as we crack open those piggy banks, may It prompt our giving In the spirit of Jesus, whose birth we observe. MERRY CHRISTMAS, ONE AND ALL! t t Rev. Bill Bresnahan 'Lucknow United Church Burgsma and Hesse& traditions On C hrisunris we always put up a tree and decorations and some lights. As long as 1 remember, we always have a day that we get 'together with both my mom and dad's side of the. family. On Christmas wc go to church for a Christmas service to celebrate Jesus' birth, At night we go to my mom's side of the family. There we play grunts, play with toys, and we also run around, and before we• leave we open presents and talk to each other. Ori the 21, Of .Dec. we gO to'my dad's side of the family. We have games sometimes we have rides on my .unttle's snowmobiles, It is Tots of fun. After that we go in and get refreshments. ' Then we' go into the livingroort) and talk till supper. We usually have'a turkey for supper. Afterwards we,. open presents while wc open presents we talk to each other two people hand out all the .presents under the tree. At 10 o'clock we have a snack, and then we go home. The day; 'after Christmas my family has a celebration for Christmas with each other. Harrison Burgsma Grade 5, LDCS: The traditions at. our house 'is buying presents for each tither. On Christmas Day, we give each other the presents we bought. Then we go to chureh and listen to the story of Jesus's birth, We 'visit our relatives to celebrate Christmas and give out. more presents. Jennifer Nasals. Grade 5, LDCS. Christmas in Italy, Spain, ,Trinidad and Australia Christmas In Italy In Italy Epiphany is celebrated from December 24th to January 6th. Trees arc decorated at Christmas time. Many homes have a "presepio" (a manger) with fancy figurines in it. In churches across Italy many large "prespi" can be seen. There is a feast held on December 6th. It is called '"the Feast of St. Nicholas." At the Christmas Eve dinner, the people will serve eels and take a bread called "panettone" which contains raisins and candied fruit. December 6th a witch, La Bcfana, brings presents. La Befana is a survivor of -Italy's pagan past. Michelle Mitchlcr and Marlene Johnston, LCPS. Christmas In Spain Felices Pascuas! These would. be the two words most frequently used in Spain during the Christmas season. In English they mean Merry Christmas. The celebration of Christmas in Spain, is quite different than we are accustomed to. Their holiday season begins with the arranging of . the nativity scene or as they call it, Nacimiento. After this is in place they are ready for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. This is followed by . dancing and singing, in the streets. January 6th is Epiphany. This holiday is to celebrate the visit of the Magi the infant Jesus. The night before Epiphany the children in Spain place their shoes on a bal- cony or near a window in hopes that the wisetnen will come by and fill them with small gifts. This is much like our belief that Santa Claus, a jolly man from the North Pole, comes down the chimney and fills our stockings with goodies. What a merry way to conclude the Christmas festivities in Spain, "Felices Pascuas." Erin Eadie and" Rachael Bushell, LCPS. Christmas In Trinidad How would you like to wake up. Christmas morning to the smell of pigs ears and . feet simmering in a sauce made from lime juice and hot pepper? If you lived in Trinidad you would. In Trinidad there are many - Christmas traditions that we prac- tice too, but there are a few excep- tions. Trinidadians sing carols arid have a Christmas tree but the carols are stepped up to a quick rhythm with a steel band, The Christmas. tree is a lot smaller. It is only a branch of a tamarind or mango tree that is decorated with cotton wool. To end the day off, the Trinidadian's have a Christmas feast. It consists of a pastel and a chicken, served with a cornmeal dish that is mixed in a yummy banana leaf. All of the food is steamed to perfection! Even though many of their • traditions sound appealing, I don't think I could get 'used to eating pig's ear and feet for Christmas morning breakfast. Melinda Donnan and Jayme Sutherland, LCPS. Australia In our research we found that Australia celebrates Christmas in many ways. Christinas Day comps in the suni- rncrtime for the Australians which makes it pleasant for picnics on the beach. Australia celebrates Christmas similarly to how Chrisunas is celebrated in New' Zealand: Their most common Christmas' foods are turkey and plum pudding. Father Christmas and Santa are very popular symbols. Gifts are given. "i'he children can go carolling in the 'r cities and towns since they have six weeks of holiday's at this time! Merry Christmas from Natalie Tormey and Paula Kwan, LCPS.