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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-12-24, Page 4PAGE 4 —GODERICH SIGNAL: STAR, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2471986 1 have always been a trusting soul. Even as a child, I trusted adults to feed me correct information about a variety of life's complexities. Tell me that a jolly, fat man delivered presents to good boys and girls in a sleigh propelled by eight reindeer, and I was like- ly to cling to the fantasy until I moved from home. Well, not quite. It was easy to believe in Santa Claus as a youngster, given that our family ,tradition produced a real Santa each Christmas, Eve. Santa was someone that I actually saw and got to meet each year. 1 discovered that Santa was a myth when I followed him out the front door of our home after one of his Christmas Eve visits and watched as he went in the side door to the basement. Peering in a window, I was presented with a picture of a group of my uncles sitting around with comforting mirnimmimmiliemmem DAVE BYRES beverages. They proceeded to undress the imposter, who turned out to another uncle. I wasn't heartbroken discovering tharSanta was merely a dressed up relative. It confirmed Opinion THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 184E1 the Godericnv STNAL-STA9 P.O. BOX BBC HUCKINS ET. INDUSTRIAL PARK OODERICH, ONT. N7A 4B6 my suspicions about the myth and it wase kthat ratlieA l;tY131�On LadAb' 6u11.1w,, wasn't real, at least he was related. My son is growing up with that tradition and it brings Christmas and Santa alive for him. It also creates some rather delicate problems for the the parents. If the child never does come in contact with Santa Claus, I suspect it's quite sim- ple for parents to fabricate all sorts of weird and wonderful stories. If the kid never gets a chance to see the guy and question hire directly, he or she has to be content with the offerings of perplexed parents. That I have been able to dodge pointed inquiries, divert and sate my son's quest to know everything about Santa Claus and the North Pole, is something of a minor miracle. The five-year old isn't willing to leave any stone unturned and this year, I OEST To ALL PDPNO COMMU00 45m c 4 �NLTYuf NNuwE WUPAPER IN �CANDA Ciags PUBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded In 18A8 and published every Wednesday st Ooderloh, Criteria Member of the. CCNA end OCNA. Bubecriptlons payable In advance 822.00, [Senior Citizens $19.00 privilege card number required) In Canada, S130.00 to 880.00 to all Single copies , National end Classified adve tini U es avec able on request. Pleads. eaet eek,k for Rete Card No.c18 effeective October 1, q g restos , 1986. Advertising le accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographleal error, the edvertls ng applicable rata. In event of e specs occupied by the erroneous Item, together with the reasonable allowance for elgneturo, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for price, tethe bri rate. In the not be sold. typegrephltel error edvertlaing goods or services et a wrong pr go responsible mey be withdrewi,. at any time. The or thei•osl o1r demoge ofe yneollciteddSignal- Advertsingtar Is man script . photo. ar athe . mat riels B not eed forep reproducing ng purpose... General Manager Editor DAVE SYKES SHIRLEY J. KELLER Advertising Manager DON HIJBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone [519]524-2614 ccNA Second class mail registration number 0716 Member: eNA have had to be quick, creative and in- genious to answer his questions. kith inquisitiveness has baffled his parent's and his probing q esiioioo l'ea've almost, several times, laid bare the myth. I get the feeling he knows that I'm squir- ming trying tto answer his questions and he deliberately rattles off the queries in rapid-fire sequence, just to watch me squirm. It is documented fact that five -year-olds, on average, are slightly more intelligent than above-average parents. Between the ages of 11 and l6, children become infinite- ly more wise Than adults. Anyway, th types of questions I have had to field wind answer, intelligently I migh`: add, ha re ranged from the absurd to the piausibie• Sample the following. How does Santa get into houses without chimneys? MEM Do reindeer have a special diet that makes them fly? If they elves make toys they would need icyu:u. ir►u Like a'UC ,uI N;:c a:: u:c .aj up to the North Pole? Is the sleigh capable of flying on its own or does it need the reindeer to pull it? If Santa gets thousands of letters from boys and girls, he must have to throw out the envelopes. Who picks up his garbage? How would reindeer stop on a snowy, slippery roof? How does Santa get around the world in one night? How could the elves possibly make all those oys when boys and girls send their letters st before Christmas? Was h Santa Claus as soon as he was born or did he get the job from his father? You should heard the answers I gave to those questions. It get's tougher every' year. Any MORE poTAL H/KED AND OUR. eNRa57"1,JA 5 CARP L/57 - will. Be JN, DEF/Cir PO /r/OAN GIVE RE 7AKWN& OFF moRE NAMES plAN ARE oN /7/ Merry. 1Th.,ristin as to all Since its'hiirrlble betinnings in BethielleM, Christmas has evolved into a significant event for many people around the world. Today, Christmas means something to everyone and it is celebrated in different ways.' Traditionally, it is heralded and revered as a time of- good cheer, fellowship, love, caring and joy. It is a family time. It is a time to savor the love of family and friends. It is a time of giving and sharing. Of course, it can be argued that a degree of commercialism has unduly tainted the image people the holiday season, but, Christmas still has the magical power to draw p ple to gether and to bring out the best qualities that we all have to offer one another. We tend to become more cheerful, more tolerant of one another's shortcomings. We tend to treat people on a more humane level. It really is too bad that this type of spirit is not in evidence throughout the year. It can be and the world would be a better place for it. May your Christmas be filled with many ple., •e`a't and lasting memories. The manage- ment and staff of the Goderich Signal -Star would Ike to extend the warmest wishes of the 'season to you and your family. D.S. Have a safe holiday As we rusil do ough the final days of the preparatory stage of the festive season there is a certain excitement that grows out of the turmoil and chaos. People are busy as the final days unfold before Christmas, making last minute prepara- tions for that gathering with family and friends. During the hustle and bustle of the season, it is quite easy to overlook the safety factor in- volved in many situations. Driving becomes critical over the holiday season as thousands of.people will be travelling the highways of the province, heading home for the holidays. This time of year, the weather cand be most unpredictable and caution is required when travelling. While motorists have to be alert because of the increased volume of traffic on the highways there is also a good chance that many drivers will have been drinking. With tough new federal and provincial laws recently introduced, people are becoming much more responsible about drinking and driving. Make sure that responsible attitude extends over the holiday season. You and your family will be better off for it. Let others drive if you feel you have had too much to drink and be a responsible host as well. Don't force drinks on people who are driving and offer alternatives to guests who must travel. Prevention must also be exercised in the home to ensure your holiday is a safe and happy one, Your Chistmas tree, the focus of gift giving at Christmas, can be a hazard. Be sure the lights are not in use if you and your family are out. Both artificial and real trees can catch fire. If you have lights on the exterior of your home, make sure they are working properly. Children are fascinated with Christmas and it sbright lights, ribbons, bows and presents. Make children are aware of the dangers of lights or lighted candles in the home. inn Travellers find no room at Dear Editor: Many hundreds of years ago,, a young cou- ple found themselves to be in a frustrating predicament. Having travelled approx- imately 65 miles (as the crow flies) from the Galilee -Nazareth area to Bethlehem, just to pay their tax bill, they couldn't find a room to rent overnight. The Bible doesn't tell us whether it was the young carpenter, or his wife, who had forgotten to make reserva- tions a few weeks in advance, or if the "Sorry -No Vacancy" sign was flashing when they arrived. Perhaps the local inn was closed for two weeks holiday, or just for the one night and the next day in anticipa- tion of an international holiday that had yet to be proclaimed. At any rate. they were out on their asses, until a local farmer took pity on them. Again, Biblical details about the night -desk clerk at the Inn of Bethlehem are not reported. Did this person recommend other inns in the immediate area, even those owned by a competitor? Maybe the in- famous Bethlehem Inn had a monopoly It on accommodation for the travelling public. would seem the situation for the tourists of today has improved only marginally, especially if they wish to spend New Year's Eve in Goderich. LETTERS December 4th. On Dec. 11, almost three weeks in advance, I telephoned a local hotel only to be informed that no rooms were available.for Dec. 31 because they would be closed on New Year's Day. At this point I was in an understanding mood- it is nice for the hotel staff to be able to celebrate and en- joy a holiday. On calling another establish- ment, I learned that this establishment would be closed at that time for two weeks' holidays. The desk person did inform me that the first hotel I called was taking reser- vations. When I advised the desk person that this information was incorrect, no further help was forthcoming. "Sorry!" I was beginning to understand how Joseph and Mary must have felt long ago. However, I was not quite so desperate, because my wife is not pregnant and most taxes I am re- quired to pay are deducted before I receive my paycheque. Obviously, the rulers of the day in Syria and Judaea had enough faith in the common countrymen to allow them to pay by a certain date rather than in ad - Recently, my wife and I decided to travel vance. It seemed strange to me that accom- approximately 85 miles. from St. Thomas to moderation was so difficult to find in attend an annual New Year's celebration in Goderich, a town that purports to be Goderich, weather permitting. A ticket to desirous of attracting their fair share of the the particular event was reserved on tourist dollar. Indeed, the.town itself employs the services of a fulltime person to promote tourism and other industry. Whatever would happen to travellers not in- tending to bunk down in Goderich if they found themselves in the middle of a famous Lake Huron blizzard, highways barricaded in all directions? It can happen. Along with many others, I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 1983 at a motel in Clinton under the exact conditions. Perhaps the lack of an available room was an omen - maybe no one should attempt to visit Goderich in the festive season, unless they have arranged to stay with relatives or friends. Thanks to democracy, free enterprise, the availability of selection, self-determination and knowledge of Goderich establishments, my third long distance call brought success. I found a motel that would be open as usual on New Year's Eve and some rooms were still available. Now, if the weatherman co- operates, our trjp will proceed and my wife won't have to sleep in a manger and deprive some farmer's livestock of their normal eating place. We look forward to our visit to the town that was home to us for most of the past nine years. Season's greetings to all our friends, former neighbours, acquaintances, and especially to those who forego celebra- tions and holidays to provide a service to travellers. Ron Blue St. Thomas, Ontario. task Ma e sure your c [ r always an easy •ChristrnaSme not y rhFlndlna y When you get this week's issue of The Signal -Star it will be only 48 hours from Christmas. Many of you will, no doubt, have . little interest by that point inithe doings of town council, the local police department, or any of the other week -to -week happenings that make up the news pages of the paper. You will be too darn tired from getting ready for Christmas. Some of you (heaven forbid) may not even be interested in digesting the questionable matter which fills this space each week. In that case, just for a change, I offer you this: Only two days 'till Christmas – the scene, 1 can picture The wallets have emptied that Christmas stockings might be richer The neatly -wrapped presents have all been snooped' over So everyone knows what they're getting each other Mom's been out shopping, twice a week for a month She has finally got nearly all of it done The children await a visit from their dear Uncle Will While Dad dreads the coming of the ol41 Visa bill The weatherman promises snow every night We'll all be trapped in the house, so let's try not to fight Afterall, 'tis the season for all to be merry Not to be pounding on your kid brother Harry Dad's shovelled the driveway, though the snow still comes down Hope those visitors soon get here from crit of town If they don't, they'll be parked in the street for the duration Which as' everyone knows is a clear violation Here at the paper, we don't know what to do If we close for the week, will the news close down too? Or, will the telephone ring sometime Christmas day "Will you come take a picture? The answer? – "No way!'', Soon we'll all sit right down, to a big Christmas dinner feeling Sure bet, no one will come away thinner Afterall, someone's worked on this meal all day long To not do it justice would simply be wrong Then we'll get to the presents There will be a whole batch and some ties that Shirts, sweaters, pants, don't match For the kids, there'll be toys – all the latest hot things • Poppies, Wrinkles, Hulk Hogan – whatever Santa brings The cleanup job will seem endless, but from this angle Patrick Raftis worth it Everyone had such fun Then sit back and relax 'Cause it's finally all done Perhaps then, you'll find time to sit back and wonder About the meaning of Christmas – just why do we bother The presents, the dinner, the tree and the holly Are all window dressing – makes the season more jolly The real Christmas spirit's not tinsel and shine It's a message to all to not to waste all our time Of fun, and good times – take in your fill But keep in mind the real theme, "Peace on Earth and Goodwill" Okay, so I'll never make it big in the greeting card industry with stuff like this. All I promised you was a change of pace, not an improvement. To string groups of words into poems, I found hard My style more resembles Dr. Seuss, than "The Bard" Please try to remember kind folk, as you read this The 'whole point of it was, to wish you "Merry Christmas!"