Clinton News-Record, 1984-12-26, Page 14'Page 14- LINT N NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY: MCEMRj r20,,1984
Financing for Clinton Public Hospital's $500,000 obstetrics wing got
a off to a good start recently with a $2,500 donation from Clinton
Monster Bingo. Hospital Board Chairman Len Rehorst showed
Bingo organizer Len Fwcett just how the money will be spent.
(Shelley McPhee)
:hristra7as past in Ontario
TORONTO - In Upper Canada in the 1850's
when the legend of Santa Clause (alias Saint
Nicholas, Father Christmas and Kris Kr-
ingle) began to grow in popularity, con-
siderable speculation surrounded his means
of transportation. Quick, young minds
sought solutions. to the obvious difficulty of
visiting so many homes in so short a period
of time Christmas Eve.
According to the recently published Cana-
dian Christmas Book by Caroline Carver,
the debate focussed on a number of
possibilities, among them that Santa arriv-
ed a) on snowshoes b) crossing the St.
Lawrence on a whale c) riding in a sled pull -
..ed by 'reindeer, and finally d) riding on the
back of a giant -sized, turkey. As Caroline
said: "Or) Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer,
on Turkey..." It's easy to understand why
the reindeer theme won wide acceptance
and it certainly has withstood the test of
time.
During this year, in celebration of the pro-
vince's 200th anniversary since, major set-
tlement, hundreds of municipalities planned
thousands of events and many of them
focussed on Ontario's rich and diverse
heritage. At Christmas, it's fun to look at
how the season was celebrated a century or
more ago and to learn where some of the
traditions we enjoy today have their roots.
Christmas in the mid -19th century was
more festive than it was 75 years earlier. In
1784, when United Empire Loyalists began
settling the territory which .Rventually
became Ontario, Christmas was likely a
somber occasion. Having sought freedom in
Canada from persecution in the United
States following the American Revolution,
those early pioneers had little of material
value ;'a few clothes, almost no food and in
adquate shelter. They huddled along the
shores of the St. Lawrence and Niagara
Rivers fighting for survival and no doubt
praying for better days ahead: Better days
• did come. Settlements and settlers pro-
spered. Many more people came to make
their homes here and gradually the
Christmastraditions we know today began
to take root.
According to Catharine Parr Trail, who
arrived in Canada in 1832 and who wrote The
Canadian Settler's Guide, people here did
not observe the occasion as had been the
'custom in England. She wrote: "When I
first came to Canada, I was much surprised
at the cold indifference which most people
showed in their observance of Christmas
Day - with the exception of the few residing
English families, the church was scantily
attended. For in those days, there was no
dressing of the houses or churches with
evergreens as is now so generally the
custom ... But while the nativity of our Lord
was little regarded, all its honour and glory
was conferred on the'New Year's day."
The religious Christmas day was
celebrated by Anglicans, Catholics and Ger-
man Lutherans then. Those of Scottish des-
cent, who were mainly Presbyterian, made
New Year's day a festival.
That year Catharine set out to decorate
the home where she was a guest as she
would 'have done in England. Evergreen ,
boughs were draped over doors and picture
frames and along mantles. In the absence of
holly, Catharine used cranberry boughs.
The cranberry bushes were plentiful in the
Upper Canada bogs c Cunon to the ' mid -
1800's countryside. Of particular delight to
young people was the practice of fashioning
a kissing bough from evergreens which was
hung in a. convenient passage. Under the
bough a lady could not refuse a kiss.
Catharine's Christmas activities at first
amusedher" host and hostess but, 'before
long, they became accepted traditions of the
season.
Christmas trees had long been a favorite
German, tradition before the idea spread to
England during Queen Victoria's reign. The
Royal family set . up trees for their own
children and the practice became popular
throughout. England when an engraving of
the Queen and Prince Albert standing next
to a tree was published in The Illustrated
London News in 1848.
Upper Canada's German population in-
troduced the Christmas tree here and,
Tis
Jonathan Wallis R.R. 1 Bayfield
William East Clinton
Timothy Lyons Londesboro
Jennifer Van Baaren Londesboro
A PLACE FOR KIDS
Make A Bali Catcher
It Is fun In try and catch a hall in a paper cup.
You can have a competition with yourself to see
how many tries it takes to catch the hall. This joy/ ..tay
is easy to make• and will keep you and your ; j!
friends laughing for hours S ° fA
'T'o make a ball catcher you need: i ...•� !
• a paper cup
• 22 inches of string
• a hall point pen (,`�
• glue
• tin foil
'• an empty thread spool
Directions: r
1.. Poke a small hole in the bottom of the cup
with a pen
2 Tie a large knot at one end of the string }
3 Thread tte string up through the hold so the `j
knot is on the. outside of the cup
4 Glue the knot to the cup `v�Al
5 While the glue is drying, crush some tin foil`‘'ys.. '
into a small hall
6 Tie the hall on to the other end of the
string
7 Glue the spool over the knot,on the bottom of
the cup
8 }{old on to the spool with one hand and try to
get the hall into the cup
On
Dec. 24
Dec. 26
Dec. 27
Dec. 29
ea
L
Mauy 1onate
CLINTON - DONATIONS TO CLINTON
PUBLIC HOSPITAL as of December 19n"
included: Mrs. Rose Welch, Ian and Ryamt
Robinson, Christine Ball, Thelma Ellerby,
Betty Wilkin, Township of Hullett, Club 303,
Blyth, Dianne Freeman, R.J. Homuth,
Township of West Wawanosh, Corporation
of Blyth, D.W. Cornish, Lloyd Westlake,
Doris Sanders, Knights of Columbus, Steve
Fraser, June Boussey, D.S. Coventry,
Bickell Foundation, The Bayfield Quilt
Show Committee, Ruby Philp, Clinton
Police Department, Mr. and Mrs. Wm.
Blake, David and Ann Gornall, Sigma
Fashion Show, Rose La Croix, Joseph Reid,
Viola Lawson, C.P.H. Staff Association,
Brenda Dowson, Carol Peel, Cale Doucette,
D.C. Steyn, Mrs. Clara Shaddick, Mr. Oliver
Steckle, Edna Baker, Hugh Lobb, Car lyn
Grenier, Palma Mero, Clinton Chapte o.
266 Order of the Eastern Star, L. Beatri e
Groves, Kenneth Hamas, Esther Wrig ,
Clinton Raceway, Catherine- Gilfillan, Mr.
and Mrs. Don Dodds, Louise Rogers, St.
Joseph's Council. Catholic Women's
League, Clinton Klompen Feest, John and
A
to CPI
Nellie Guetter, Robert and Ma ttiyn Parr,
Alvin Snell, itlda Stephen, (llat6> Monster
Bingo. ,
Donations were also made In MemorryyLQf
Mr. Vernon Morris, Mrs., Charlotte
Freeman, Mr. Chester G,ldon, Edith
Cartwright, Mrs. Kathleen B , Mrs.
Rose Van Demme, Mr. ;a George
Bellchamber, Mr. Royce Macatlay, Mr.
Alvin Sharp, Mrs. Berthina Hamnfjond, Mr.
Charles MacDonald, Gaynell Vic, Mary
Ellen Swan, Mr. Clayton Cox, I,,il.n Orpen,
Miss Norma Street, Mary Jamieson, Mr.
Doug Riley, Mrs. Mabel Counter, Miss Em-
ma MacDonald, Mr. Percy Johnston, Mr.
Frank Raithby, Mrs. Hazel Shanahan, Mr.
George Hanley, Mrs. Sarah Storey, Mrs.
Agnes M. Glazier, Mr. Alvin Jones, Mr.
Garnet McClinchey, Mr. Walter Westlake,
Mrs. Barb Hymers, Mr. Russell ;olclough,
Theron Betties, Mr. Gordon Lawaon,, Edith
E.,Pickard, Myrtle Fairservice, Mr, Joseph
Storey, Captain Richard Simons, ME. Ken-
neth Lynn, Betty McGregor, Lquise Reid,
Adele Howes, Mrs. Marjorie Spiegelberg,
Mr. Gerald Armstrong.
How to send guests home safe,
NIAGARA FALLS - The key to every suc-
cessful party is in the planning. And in the
holiday season, an important part of your
plan should be to ensure your guests go
home safe and sober.
That doesn't mean your party should be
"dry". All it entails is careful planning of
the food and drinks and how you'll serve
them.
's Bicentennial
strengthened by the additional influence of
British acceptance of the custom, the
Christmas tree began to be used in Canada
by the mid-century.
Tree decorations included garlands of
popcorn and cranberries, decorated
cookies, handmade shapes such as cor-
nucopias and drums and small hand -made
toys,.tufts of coloured fleece and dried apple.
slices. The apple slices were tasty treats for
the children on Christmas day. Tapered
candles completed the tree decorations;
however, these were carefully placed and
were lit for only a few minutes at a time.
Fire was such a constant threat that, as a
caution, buckets of water were kept near the
tree.
(',lass decorations did not become popular
until the late 1800's.
Gift -giving entered the celebrations in the
middle of the century, but was usually
reserved for the children. Practical gifts
such as homemade mittens and socks were
most cornrnon, but occasionally, a cornhusk
doll or a small, whittled toy could be found
hanging from the branches of the Christmas
tree. As consumer produ is and more
money became available, or sought gifts
replaced•the homemade ones. A s"'ore in Pic -
ton advertised lead toys, marbles, musical
workmen, toy dogs, horses and rabbits,
mouth harps, boats, chairs and Noah's
.Arks. •
Christmas became an official holiday in
Canada in 1849. Christmas cards imported
from England gained popularity in the
1860's, and Canadian printers offered their
own on the market in the 1870's. • '
As with all the other traditions, the
Christmas feasting we enjoy today evolved
over the decades as more food became
available and imports were easier to obtain.
Catharine Parr Trail feasted on goose fat-
tened on the rice beds of ponds and rivers.
She wrote that turkeys were found only on
old, cleared farms and that beef was only
available when an ox was slaughtered to
save it from a natural death.
By the second half of the century,
however, turkey was a popular Christmas
repast. Plum pudding, ablaze with burning
brandy and mincemeat pie, nuts and im-
ported fruits completed the feast. In the
isolated parts of the province none of these
delicacies could be easily obtained, except
perhaps for a few oranges. One man who
remembered fondly the Christmas pudding
of his past attempted to create one in the
midst of the Upper Canada wilderdess but
lamented that without the proper ingre-
dients, "even though we, ate it, it was
awful". •
After the meal, children and adults would
gather in the parlor to play chess, backgam-
mon, whist, Blindman's 'Buff. and Queen of
Sheba. This last was a game in which the
prettiest girl in the room was seated in a
chair. Young men were blindfolded and had
to find their way to her to steal a kiss. When
success was near, an aged relative was
substituted for the young: girl. This ffgame
delighted Victorians. Another game which
was particularly popular was Snapdragon.
Raisins and currants were placed in a large
bowl filled with brandy which was set afire:
The object of the game was to snatch the
raisins out of the bowl and pop them into the
mouth withoutburning the fingers.
Mira Ananicz, Winemaker for•-Chateau-
Gai Wines, points out that food should be the
first priority:
"It's a hectic time of year, when: we often
go from one activity - business, shopping, or
social - to another without eating anything.
So food should be offered to guests from the
start."
She recommends high protein foods and,
not surprisingly, light wines or lots+ alcohol
coolers. She suggests a plentiful assortment
of appetizers, such as stuffed eggs, crudites
(raw vegetable pieces) with cheese dips;
cheese spreads, shrimp, meatballs, pates
and cheese trays. These should be offered to
guests and at all times be within their reach.
Self -serve food and drink stations are
ideal, because they can be set up at several
points in the function area. Platters of ap-
petizers that are easily accessible to guests
encourage them to eat while they drink.
BYOB (bring -your -own -bottle) parties
are a no -no. They deprive the host of any
control over the amount of alcohiil that's
brought into the home and consumed there.
Light wines are extremely popular
nowadays and they significantly r uce the
amount of alcohol consumed per sewing.
Bartender service encourages what she
calls "drinking without thinking": "It's
easy just to slide a glass acro.s a bar
counter while you're chatting and have it
come back refilled. The drinks just slip
down and you lose count that way.'
Set up at food and drink stations. This
means they must disengage themselves
from some other activity, exert some effort,
and concentrate on pouring a drink. It tends
to slow down the rate of consumption.
And providing smaller glasses;instead of
larger ones means the servings are smaller
too. Wine -based punches are always en-
joyed
.and when they're made • with light
wine, the alcohol content is reduced again.
In the country, where taxi service seldom
is available, it's a good idea when inviting
guests to suggest they travel with other
guests and designate one as the driver. That
person abstains from drinking at the party
and drives the others home.
Finally, says Ananicz, be sure to have a
selection of non-alcoholic drinks on hand
and don't wait until the party's winding
down to serve coffee. Have it available from.
the start.
Surveillance of drinking drivers working
Read about this safe driving plan that dur-
ing the Christmas and New Year's holidays,
has for 16 consecutive years been incredibly
successful - in other words, accident free.
Every year, the police increase their
surveillance of drinking drivers who are a
hazard to the public. The programs are in-
tensified during the Christmas and New
Years Holidays. .
Each year, the number of deaths and in-
juries caused by drinking drivers is stagger-
ing. Anything that can be done to reduce the
problem will certainly be appreciated by
everyone.
A leader in this '•IF YOU DRINK, DON'T
DRIVE" Program is G.H. Wood & Company
of Toronto. Back in 1968, Geoffrey H. Wood
decided to do something about this very
serious problem with a company wide
"SAFE DRIVING: PLAN".
The plan caught on so effectively that, for
the past 16 years, the company's personnel
have not been involved in any driving ac-
cidents during the Christmas and New
Year's holidays. This year the company
hopes to extend the record to 17 years.
Over the years, the company has received
a large number of "thank you's" from the
mothers and wives of the company person-
nel.
The plan is released in early December,
each member of the company is issued a
4/
®f the
many gifts we've
veceived, those of your
loyalty and friendship
mean the most to us.
Thank you for your continued
and valued patronage.
0
*0 tsLLEe ?*.tb,
—Ed Rooseboom—
R.R. 1 CLINTON 482-7441 (N
Wishing you the very best
In the New Year!
card saying, "If I drink, I will not drive, in-
stead I'll call a taxi and I can spend up to
$40.00 in taxi bills and the company will pay
half of the total." Should any of your readers
like more details of this successful Safe
Driving Plan, Mr. Wood says his company
will be pleased to supply the information.
We certainly commend the company and
hopefully more organizations will follow its
example - its 16 -year safe -driving record
surely speaks for itself. Further details
from: Geoffrey H. Wood, G.H. Wood & Com-
pany Limited, "Sanitation for the Nation",
Queen Elizabeth Way, Box 34, Toronto, On-
tario,'M8Z 5M8, (416)259-2321.
DRYSDALE
MAJOR APPLIANCE
. CENTRE LTD.
SALES WITH SERVICE
"The Place to Buy Appliances"
NEW AND USED
HEN,SALL 262.272*
CLOSED MONDAYS
Filter
Que�n
"IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN VARNA"
482-7103
To the residents
of Hullett
Township
MUNICIPAL
COUNCIL
MEETING
for January 1985
will be Tuosday, January 8
at 1:00 p.m.
HARRY LEAR
Clerk -Treasurer
Township of Hullett