The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-12-02, Page 40Lots of inexpensive
stocking stuffers available
Looking for affordable stocking stuffers
that are sure to be appreciated this holiday
season? Check out some of the options
from the consumer electronics "most
wanted" list.
A pocket calculator, for example, is a
useful item for everyone from grade
schoolers to their grandparents.
The small, almost paper -thin models are
great for comparison shoppers. Better yet,
these invaluable gifts are surprisingly af-
fordable, starting at prices under $10.
Personal stereos, now available in a
dazzling array of models and colors, are
excellent stocking stuffers for people with
active lifestyles.
There are portable stereos built into jog-
ging headbands, models in water-resistant
cases, and pocket models with graphic
equalizers and Dolby sound reduction.
Other items that are often "most
wanted" are those small accessories that
can improve a music lover's enjoyment of
an existing audio system.
For example, music lovers would ap-
preciate a package of blank audio tapes, a
record disc cleaning kit, a cassette player
head cleaning kit, or perhaps a new set of
high-quality, lightweight headphones for
the owner of a portable stereo.
Today's headphones offer extraordinary
sound reproduction, and are affordably
priced for virtually any budget.
For the VCR owner, a stocking stuffed
with blank videotapes is a great idea.
What could be a better gift for the movie
buff than a prerecorded cassette?
With thousands of titles available, most
at prices ranging from $9.95 to $29.95.
there is certain to be the right movie at the
right price. Or, if you find the choice of
titles perplexing, how about a club
membership at your neighborhood video
rental shop?
Other suggestions to consider are tape
rewinders, erasers, head cleaning kits and
storage boxes.
For the hobbyist, how about a stocking
stuffed with accessories, such as alligator
clips, splicing tape, adaptor plugs or even
coaxial cable?
Christmas season traditions
Did you know that the first Christmas tree
came to Canada as early as 1781? Baron
Friederick von Riedesel, father of three
young daughters, lived in the Village of
Sorel, north of Montreal on the south shore
of the St. Lawrence River. He had a fir tree
cut down from the dense forest surrounding
the village and his wife bedecked its bran-
ches with white candles. It was Canada's
first Christmas tree!
Carlton Cards recently delved into the
history of Christmas in Canada .and
discovered some interesting facts:
A few years after the Sorel tree was set up,
in the late 18th century, white candles began
twinkling on Christmas trees in Ontario.
After the American War of Independence
German speaking settlers, including Men-
nonites who wanted to remain close to King
George of England because of his German
connections, headed to Canada and brought
the custom of the Christmas tree to their set-
tlements around Kitchener.
• Christmas Day has been celebrated on
December 25 in Canada for more than three
centuries. Some of the earliest references to
the celebration are found in the journals of
fur traders. On Christmas Day, 1670, the
crews of ships Prince Rupert and Wivenhoe
were wintering at Charles Fort on James
Bay and shared a meal of partridges and
venison with brandy and strong beer.
• Throughout the journals of Canadian fur
traders, explorers and early travellers two
Christmas themes , are common: the
religious observance of the day, and the
fellowship of a hearty meal shared with
Page 19
Tx1A4//
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A Special
Gift For
Special Lady
Watch her eyes light up when she
®pens your gift i n Christmas morning.
A Gift Certificate frf.,m The Clinic,
offering her a wade range f skin and
haircare services:
TANNING
SPA
Aesthetics
•Facials •Manicures •Pedicures
•Waxing ®Eyelash Tinting •Retailing
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family and friends.
• Records of Christmas decorating customs
in 19th century Canada are rare but
Catharine Parr Traill provides one of the
earliest in her book The Canadian Settler's
Guide (1855) . She tells of going out to collect
red -berried wintergreen to hang over the
mantlepiece and picture frames in her
host's home in 1832. She also mentions col-
lecting evergreens to decorate her own
home in 1838, adding high bush cranberries
and her daughter's coral beads for color.
• Popcorn on string was popular in the 186Us,
and by the end of the century it was being
threaded with cranberries, or dyed red and
green. Street vendors in the larger cities
sold completed strings to busy decorators.
• The origin of Santa Claus, now so impor-
tant to gift giving at Christmas, goes back to
the legends surrounding St. Nicholas in Asia
Minor in the fourth century. He became the
patron saint of boys and girls and the
inger of gifts on December 6, St. Nicholas
Day. The gift -bringer has appeared in
Canada in many forms; as St. Nicholas, as
the British Father Christmas, and of course
as Santa Claus. An early reference to Santa
Claus appeared in the Canadian children's
periodical Snow Drop in 1851.
• Many of the decorating and culinary
rituals Canadians adhere to are based on
friendship and signify good fortune and long
life. The practice of trimming homes with
holly, ivy and mistletoe, for instance, began
in Europe where the plants were considered
sacred because they bear fruit in winter.
New generator for dad
Whether dad's an outdoorsman or han-
dyman, nothing looks better under the tree
than a sleek, new portable generator.
A generator allows dad to plug into elec-
tric power anywhere, anytime, making it
ideal for use around the home or away.
Campers find that with a portable
generator, they can bring along some of
the comforts of home, such as a few lights,
electric coffee pot, even a small television!
A portable generator is also welcome in
the handyman's shop or around the boat
dock for running power tools.
But don't forget the most practical uses,
such as recharging depleted car batteries
and maintaining needed electricity during
home power outages or other emergencies.
To help holiday shoppers, the experts at
Honda Power Equipment offer a few tips
about generators:
• Most generators are classified by wat-
tage output — for example, a 650 -watt
generator could power six 100 -watt light
bulbs at once.
• Look for extra -large mufflers for quiet
operation and check decibel levels before
buying. For example, Honda's super -quiet
EX650 generator practically whispers,
operating at just 54 decibels.
•If the generator will be used for camp-
ing, make sure it has a spark arrestor, re-
quired for use in national parks.
•Remember, any generator should be
operated outdoors in a well -ventilated
area, away from combustible materials.
For more information on portable
generators, contact your local Honda
Power Equipment dealer.
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