Wishing you the * finest joys of a bright and happy Christmas... with much appreciation. B FRANK’S SHARPENING SERVICE 1216 - Ist Street, Castlegar 365-7395 Dashing by with wishes fora Christmas resplendant with old time pleasures! Merry Christmas & A Hoppy New Year! Sid & Stat! SYRINGA PARK MARINA 465-5472 WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATRONAGE Merry Christmas & Happy New Year From Management & S$ K & A TIRES 1507 Columbia Ave., Castlegar Check out our wishes for you ... they add up to a long list of deserved Christmas pleasures: Thanks again for your friendship. A La CENTR L FOODS Swor-Easrt a EACE & 26 CLOSED =— Jan. 1, Open 24 Hrs OPEN 24 HRS A DAY! Columbia Ave., Castlegar MONTEL CARLO RESTAURANT | WHITE CHRISTMAS . . Snow waited until well into December, but it finally arrived in time tor a white Christmas in the Castlegar area. - CosNews Photo [I Most berries drunk When diners plop a mound of cranberry sauce next to the turkey on their Christmas dinner plate this year, they'll be bucking a trend. “Most of the cranberries are being drunk now and not eaten,” says Heinz Knoedler, secretary of the British Col- umbia Cranberry Marketing Board and manager of three cranberry farms in Rich- mond, a semi-rua!l Vancouyer suburb. “It's the present trend toward health foods. Cran- berries are known to have a high vitamin C content and have certain medicinal bene- “Some doctors put their patients with gallstones on a cranberry juice diet instead of a grapefruit diet because it dissolves the gallstones.” USED IN BLEND Cranberry juice — blended with other juices like apple and blueberry and either frozen, reconstituted or sold in drinking boxes — now is more popular than the sauce created by the Pilgrims to go with their Thanksgiving tur- keys. Ocean Spray, the grower- owned co-operative based in Plymouth, Mass., has ag- gressively marketed the tangy juices, and that has resulted in B.C. growers doubling the number of hec- tares in production during the last few years. There are nearly 900 hec- tares of Fraser River peat bog planted with cranberries. The harvest of the cherry- sized berries has been in- creasing rapidly as the new bushes mature — it was up one-third in 1987 over last year. This year's crop of 11 million kilograms was worth $13.3 million at the nearest . Ocean Spray processing plant at Markham, Wash. About 95 per cent of Can- ada’s cranberry production Season's, a Sincere best wishes for a holiday adorned with love and a and joy. Doreen, Ritchie & Staff at Geronazzo Holdings _ True focus By PASTOR ED NEUFELD Castlegar Evargelical Free Church What do you like most about Christmas?Could it be the festive decorations found in the stores and on the various houses in the com- munity7Maybe its the carols and music of Christmas? Or could it be all the Christmas baking and food that is eaten at this time? What about all those part- ies and family get-togethers that take place during the Christmas season7Then again you may enjoy the tradition of giving and receiving gifts. The outward reality of Christmas is so evident, but is that all there is to this special holiday? If we have not come to grips with the Christ of Christmas, then we have basically missed the whole point of this sacred cele- bration. It's sad, but true, our society has commercialized and secularized Christmas to the point that the average person is not fully aware of the sacred purpose of this yearly celebration. Trend to ‘themed’ trees A Christmas without Christmas trees? Not likely. since over 60 million trees were decorated in homes last year. This year, trim your full-sized tree, plus a bevy of smaller trees to use as decor- ative accents or table centre- ieces! New trend in Christmas tree fashions in themed trees. The decorations on these trees are carefully chosen to coordinate with each other to produce a special effect (perhaps all Santas or all bows). The most popular decor- ating themes reflect a nos- talgia for the Christmases and handicrafts of the past: Victorian romance, antique toys, Early American, Old World European, and teddy bear, Santa, and angel orna- ments are some of the most have to be expensive. Dec- orate with small white lights and a large number of solid- colored Christmas balls. Christmas can then be- come a holiday many dread. During this time we feel we should be with other family members when celebrating painfully lonely. This loneliness at Christmas can lead to des pair, that leads to depression, which for some can lead to suicide. Its a well known fact that the highest number of suicides take place during this apparently festive Christmas celebration. I believe most of us must wake up to the fact that our celebration of Christmas is very shallow and superficial. We may have a good time this year with all the parties, family get-togethers, and the exchanging of gifts. But tell me, what guarantees do you have that it will be the same if not better next year7Let’s face it, there are no sure guarantees when it comes to the future. If you are becoming dis- satisfied and unfulfilled in your yearly celebration of Christmas/ consider for a moment its sacred purpose. From a Christian perspec tive, the focus is on the birth of Jesus Christ into this world. For the Christian, Christmas is not a time to party, but to spend time re- flecting on what God did almost 2,000 years ago. At Christmas, our atten- tion is focused around the coming of Jesus as a baby. Now most of us adore babies, and think it adds a nice touch to the Christmas story. But this is no ordinary baby! This is the arrival of the long promised Savior. The Bible does teach us that Jesus had no human father, but was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (ef. Luke 1:86). This miracle, known as the virgin birth, is a wonder of unknown proportion. Only the creation of this entire universe by God exceeds it. Jesus left His place in Heaven to become like one of us so that we could be rescued from our sin. For if Jesus would have never come to this world, we would still be in a hopeless position not knowing where we stand before a holy and just God. But by Jesus entering this world as a baby, the hope of salvation from our sin be- comes a reality. It’s amazing but true, but when we place our faith in this Jesus, we have the assurance and cer- tainty that our sins are for- given. In Jesus, therefore, the Christian has his/her ultimate Christmas present. Nothing you receive this Christmas in the form of a of Christmas gift, no matter how expen sive or elaborate, can save you from your sin and its inevitable sentence of death. Even faith in Santa Claus will do nothing for you. But by confessing your sin and placing your faith in Jesus Christ, you will have a Christmas gift that you will never outgrow and that you will forever treasure. Long after all your other Christ mas gifts become junk, your faith in Jesus would have begun transforming you into a more godly person. Now is that not a Christmas gift worth having? I invite you today to re- ceive this ultimate Christmas gift. For if you do, never again will the Christmas sea- son be a drab and lonely time, but a time of true worship and celebration. The shal- lowness and superficiality of Christmas will be gone, and it will be replaced with a focus on the birth of our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ into this world. CASTLEGAR IMPORT CENTER 2701 Colurpbia Ave., Castlegar * 365-511! N ” ARANS W 25S.) aan ’ i Christmas the whole wortd kin. \ from the executive committee and staff of the UNION OF - SPIRITUAL COMMUNITIES OF CHRIST Inland Natural Gas extends to you and your family best wishes for a Joyous Yuletide Season! The Castlegar Office will be CLOSED for business December 25 & 28 & January 1 INLAND NATURAL GAS CO. LTD.