:
a
%

f
a

{
a
:
oe
4
4

Moke a start

on your year’s
work between
Christmas and
January fifth—

a bit of ditching,
a little plowing-
to “show your
intentions.” But
never fix your
roof between
Christmas and
New Year's or

the holes will
come right back.

Dawe wash and

press a Christmas
present before
giving it, or you
will wash out the
good luck and
press in the bad.

Eu an apple

as the clock

strikes twelve

on Christmas Eve
and you will have

good health

throughout the

coming year.

Xmas superstitions of the Old South...

Leave a loaf

of bread on
the table after
Christmas Eve
supper and
you will have

a full supply
until the next
Christmas.

Ege

x

aX We extend a cordial invitation to visit us

| All the best for the holidays
“and a happy & prosperous ‘92!

during this festive season

| from the staff and management of the

£O3 Bavarian Inn £@%

SUPERIOR VIDEO
A Very Merry Christmas

wet, und a Happy and
S Prosperous 1992

from all the friendly staff at
SUPERIOR VIDEO

Christmas yesterday

by Harriett Fjaagesund

Whenever I think of Christmas
I see a picture of two young chil-
dren pulling a beat-up sled across
a railroad crossing and down a
steep, snowy hill. Following the
children is a large brown mongrel
with one floppy ear. Bringing up
the rear, fussily picking his way
through the snow, is a scruffy grey
tabby cat; tied around his neck is a
scrap of red cloth fashioned into a
lopsided bow that has slid around
to hang between his front legs.
Judging by his pained expression,
the tabby obviously finds this
quite embarrassing. ~

The children are myself and the
youngest of my five older broth-
ers; the place is the little ghost
town where we spent part of our
growing up. We lived in a huge
old house on top of a hill over-
looking the sad remnants of what
had once been a thriving metropo-
lis. A turn-of-the-century plague
and two world wars had murdered
the town.

The population now consisted
of little more than a handful of
souls, mostly old folks clinging
stubbornly to faded dreams and
playing a nostalgic game called
“What-Might-Have-Been”. But it
was a wonderful little place for a
small child with a huge imagina-
tion to grow up in, and Christmas
was the very best time of year.

My brother and I would walk
down the hill to the hotel once a
weck to see if the big Greyhound
bus had brought anymore Christ-
mas cards from far away places
with mystcrious-sounding names,
Dad would run strings across the
high ceilings in the living room
and in the front parlour, and hang
all the Christmas cards on them.
Some years there secmed to be
hundreds of cards.

Mom would be up shortly after
dawn to feed the wood cookstove

in the kitchen and the fat, self- ,.

foddddadbidaesaivebssaeaaseece wo

important pot-bellied stove in the
living room. And soon after the
house would begin to reek with
the sweet. tantalizing:aroma of
Christmas baking.

Lying snug in your bed on a
chilly December morning,
smelling those wonderful smells
that just begged you to throw back
the covers and scamper down to
the warm kitchen below, was a
delicious feeling. And mixed with
the smells of baking was that other
smell,,. that Christmas smell.
When that special odour was in

_ the air you almost didn’t notice the

icy floors or the shadowy, twisting
staircase where you were quite
certain an evil troll lived.

Dad would always cut down
the biggest and fattest tree he
could find, and mom would
always grumble that it was even
bigger than last year’s tree and no
way would it fit in the parlour. But
dad somehow always made it fit,
and the porcelain angel with the
long diagonal crack down her
back would once again proudly
ride the mast of a tall tree, her del-
icate wings brushing against the
ceiling.

Then out would come the frag-
ile glass balls with their pretty
Christmas scenes, the graceful
strands of brightly coloured glass
beads and fat, fluffy garlands, the
intricately carved wooden orna-
ments, and the long lines of pop-
corn strings that were threadbare
in spots because someone ate most
of the popcorn. You just knew it
was the most beautiful Christmas
tree in the whole world, and you
hugged yourself tightly to keep
from bursting with pride.

Sometimes you'd hear the dis-
tant sounds of slcigh bells tinkling
a merry tune on the crisp winter
air as one of the farmers hitched
an arthritic horse to an equally

workhorse, was my favourite.
Ancient beyond reckoning, he
always held his head a little higher

when-in thesraces, and his clond- ;

ed eyes held a bright sparkle that
bespoke of long ago, lush green
pastures and scampering colts and
the sheer joy of living.

There would be trips down to
Mr. Redmile’s store, a wonderful-
ly mysterious place that always
smelled of sawdust and leather
and old wood and friendliness.

Letters to Santa must be written
and solemnly delivered to the Post
Mistress at the hotel who always
smiled so funnily this time of year.

And finally, as you snuggle

down in your bed, counting the

hours until He will arrive, the
creakings and groanings of the old
house a familiar lullaby, you won-
der with a thrill of icy anticipation
if the ghost who is supposed to
haunt the house will come and
stare with sad longing at the beau-
tiful Christmas tree in the parlour.

They your eyes close and you’re 7a

dreaming of sugarp!ums and a
smiling Santa.

TE ctnkdé Woe

4611 Lakelse Ave. * Terrace * 635-2281

a
C)

1991 Holiday Season
Canadian Airlines International
flight schedule;

Dec. 25 & 26: Evening flight 560
is cancelled
Dec. 31: Evening flight 560 is cancelled

All other flights are operating
as scheduled.
Canadian Airlines wishes to remind
passengers that Christmas gifts being
carried as cabin baggage are subject
to security inspection and should
either be unwrapped or be openable.
Otherwise, they must travel as checked
baggage.

| Wishing you a very merry —
Holiday Season!

Canadian |

: ; : ‘
: .
et mele ee ee . Phd eo ; z = - a