C4 — CHRISTMAS GREETINGS. December 24, 1986

SS} WANETA ROAD, TRAIL, 8.C. VIR 2Y8 PHONE (604) 368-6466

May you strike up many
friendships and fun times this
holiday...with happiness to
spare. We deeply appreciate
your continued
patronage

CASTLE BOWL

(1976) LTD.
Management & Staff

A Christmas-friend

JANET KALESNIKOFF
u

It was a Christmas Eve
like never before. Big fluffy
flakes of snow were drifting
down as I walked home from
my friend's house. All I could
think about was a visit from
Santa. He always left lots of
gifts and a stocking full of
wonderful treasures. This
year could be the best year
yet!

The Christmas tree was lit.
and everything was ready for
tomorrow. There were a lot
of presents and food to eat.

“Good night,” I called. “Tm
going to bed so Santa can
come early.”

All night I dreamt about
opening my presents and
finding little treasures in my
stocking.

Would I get a phone or
maybe a color TV? At last! It

was time to get up. The
whole family ran into the
family room. But wait —
something was wrong! My
stocking was flat — FLAT.
There was just an envelope
sticking out on top.

Maybe, I thought, it’s a gift
certificiate for $20. I took the
envelope out of the stocking,
and slowly opened it.

As I unfolded the note a
picture of a girl about my age
fell out. J vicked up the pic
ture thinking, “What's this?”
“Is this a joke? It sure isn't
funny.” I looked at the note
and read:

“Dear Corina,

“I looked at you through
my magic ball to find you the
perfect gift but you seem to
have everything. I wondered
what special gift I could give
you for Christmas that you

didn’t already have. Then it
came to me, a person can
never have too many friends.
This picture is of Kiyaa from
India. I've adopted her for
you for one year. She'll write
soon.”
Leve Santal!

I couldn't believe it! What
a wierd Christmas gift. As I
opened the rest of my gifts I
couldn't stop thinking of
Kiyaa. Maybe because of me
she got a gift too.

All day I had a nice feeling
inside me every time I
thought of Kiyaa. I imagined
Kiyaa was having a Christ-
mas dinner when we were
and because of Santa's dona
tion for me they were having
a special dinner too.

I could hardly wait to get
my first letter from her
Santa had said she'd write.
Giving to someone else was

> SN

JANET KALESNIKOFF
first place

actually fun! Then I realized
that was the true meaning of
Christmas.

A never before Christmas

By JAC
KALESNIKOFF
Age 10

It w a Christmas Eve
like never before. It was
pouring with snow and no
body ever visited this poor
house. The two children, Mi.
chael and Melody, were
sleeping soundly. There were
no presents under the small,
bare tree. Mother and father
had just finished eating out of
tin bowls. The room was
empty except for the small
tree, a worn out rug, rickety
table and chairs, a fireplace,
two small beds in the corner,
and a cupboard here and
there. Father's shotgun had
run out of bullets and mo
ther’s needle had broken but
he could not go to the store
for new ones. They had
nothing to do so they went to

JACLYN KALESNIKOFF
third place

bed and fell asleep right
away

Mother, in the middle of
the night, woke with a start

The Yuletide season is

a trme to

and bask im t

rm love
warmth

of friends. May you

enjoy every happy
moment, along
with our thanks.

THE CASTLEGAR OFFICE
WILL BE CLOSED FOR BUSINESS
Thursday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day
Friday, Dec. 26, Boxing Day
Thursday, Jan. 1, New Year's Day

eA |

TURAL GAS CO. LTD

She had forgotten to put the
fire out. The stockings on the
fireplace still hung empty
Then mother heard a jingling
sound. Santa burst in, gaily
He put toys in the stockings
for Michael and Melody. For
mother and father he put
flour, sugar, beans, corn,
barley, cookies, and some
wrapped meat. Father's spec
ial gift was a new shotgun.
Mother's special gift was a
needle and thread. He put
silverware, some glass
plates, glass bowls, glass
cups, and china dolls for

mother and father. For Mel
ody. he put a beaded neck
lace, a sewn doll, and a plastic
ornament. For Michael, San
ta put a toy truck, a gin
gerbread man doll, and a bag
of marbles.

Mother was behind a co
rner and saw what was hap
pening. She yelled for every
one to get up. They jumped
out of bed when they saw
Santa. Mother made a special
supper for Santa. He enjoyed
it and went away. That is the
true spirit of Christmas.

A good and
bad Christmas

By SCOTT RUTLEDGE
Age8

It was a Christmas Eve
like never before. Because it
was thundering and lightn
ing, all the lights were dead
There was no electricity and
the worst thing of all was
that nobody at all was shar
ing, helping and nobody was
caring

Mike asked his Dad, “Dad
aren't the lights going to turn
on?

“I don't know,” he said.

Then Mike sadly walked to
the window and as he looked
he saw a very bright star. It
seemed to move into the
forest.

“Mom,
quickly
Mike.

Mike got dressed and ran
out to the forest and when he
got to the UFO he watched
very closely and the UFO's
door opened and 10 Martians
came out and said, “We came

Dad come here
and look!” yelled

to help you.”

“Why thank you!

‘You're welcome.

That was the true spirit of
Christmas.

Gift
pointers

Pointers for
presents:

perfect

The key to enjoyable gift
wrapping is to be relaxed and
organized.

e Keep everything in one
place. Put your gift wrap
supplies, including scissors,
tape, wrapping paper, rib-
bon, tags and bows in an em
pty box or a nice big basket

e Make sure you are well
stocked for last minute oc
casions, too.

Save all your boxes. Put
little ones inside larger ones
to conserve space and then
keep everything together in
the attic or closet

BRIAN VENIER
first place

It was

a puppy
Christmas

By BIRIAN VENIER
7

It was a Christmas Eve
like never before. And on
that Christmas Eve he found
a little puppy that was lost
So he brought it home where
he stayed. And two years
ahead the puppy was full
grown the dog helped the
man survive the city. He
loved his dog so much on
Christmas Eve because it
was his first Christmas pre
sent he liked. So they played
together. It was so much fun.
One more day it would be
Christmas.

On Christmas day the man
saw a girl. She never had a
Christmas present and the
puppy ran up to the girl and
the puppy and the girl liked
each other so much the man
let the girl have the puppy
for a Christmas present and
she was happy. That was the
true spirit of Christmas.

Try using
floodlights

Spot or floodlight bulbs
can be used to achieve
special effects and con
trasts in color both inside
and outside your home

Floodlights are manu.
factured for indoor and
outdoor use.

Holiday Wishes

May your Christmas be

wrapped in joy, happi
ness and friendship

The Prince of lovers

By Pastor CLIFF
D [IEBER:
Seventh-day Adventist
Church

Has it ever occurred to you
that there are four levels of
love, each one higher than
the other?

Firstly, there is the love
we have for those who love
us. Our parents or guardians
are probably the pivot, so to
‘speak, of this love. Without
them we possibly would
never have understood the
meaning of true love. It was
their unselfish devotion, by
day and night, through joys
and sorrows, that taught us
how to respond to love!

Next, there is the love we
feel toward those who are
lovable. Our friends and all
who appeal to our senses, are
included in this group, some-
times large, sometimes small
and exclusive, but invariably

hose we can love for their
likeableness!

But then we must move to
a higher level, and that is
love for the “least of them.”
This is an idealistic, yet prac-
tical love, reaching to the
poor and needy, and suffer
ing and afflicted, the hungry

and naked, and all in less
fortunate circumstances.

‘A rewarding and satisfying
love this is, with no ree
ognition, commendation or
self-glory as its goal. Its only
reward is the lasting glow of
warmth deep within, as we
treat in the footsteps, ‘as it
were, of the Master Himself,
on the dusty trails of this
earth, seeking to lift fallen
man from the sad plight of
human sorrow and degreda-
tion!

There is an even more
exalted level of love, and few
of us have grown to the full
stature of that high calling, to
give of this rare and glorious
love. It is love for our ene-
mies, that found its perfect
fulfilment in the life and
death of Christ our Savior,
whose birth we celebrate
with joy!

“Love, so amazing, so div
ine; demands my life, my
soul, my all” deciared Isaac
Watts. Yes, Jesus Christ is
our supreme example of this
level of love. He lived to love
everyone — the tired, the
lonely, the depraved — but
most of all His enemies. He
passed no one by as hopeless.

He lived and died to save us
all.

At this joyous season of
universal remembrance as
again we celebrate the birth
of the Prince of Lovers,
would we not do well to
remember as well, His self-
less life of love; love that
included all, even His ene-
mies; love that caused Him to
unite with humanity in order
that humanity might unite
with Divinity, as the graces
of divine love are reproduced
in human clay?

How appropriate are the
words of George Matheson:

“O love that wilt not let me

I rest my weary soul in
Thee;

I give Thee back the life, I
owe,

That in Thine
depths, its flow,

May richer, fuller be.”

What a healing stream for
us all, is this kind of love. God
grant that you and I are
found in it.

Wishing you the blessed
joy of Christmas and the
riches and fullness of divine
love, both now and in the
coming year.

ocean

Celebrating Jesus
Christ’s coming

By The Rev.

CHARLES BALFOUR
St. David's Anglican Church

Only a few weeks ago I had
the privilege of presenting
eight confirmation candi
dates to Bishop Fraser Berry
at St. Andrew's Anglican
Church in Trail

As each candidate knelt
before the bishop to receive
the “laying on of hands” I felt
particularly moved inside.

How good it was to see the
parents come and stand
behind their ¢! ren as they
were confirmed by the bis.
hop. After all, the parents
had done their best to help
these candidates to know and
experience the goodness and
loving kindness of God.

I was also moved because,

—]

LA MAISON

1114 - 3rd Street, Castlegar
365-6265

as their minister, I had help-
ed to prepare them for this
special moment in their spir
itual journey. How pleased I
was to be able to present to
the bishop eight people who
had committed their lives to
Christ.

The miracle of Christmas is
not simply that Jesus Christ
was born long ago in Beth
lehem, but that He continues
to enter into the lives and
hearts of millions of people in
our own time and enables
them to become “children of
God.” (John 1:12)

When we stop and think
about the wonderfulness of
this ongoing miracle story we
can well understand why
people through the centuries
have joyfully celebrated the

birth of Jesus Christ.

Recently, I saw a poster
which stated,
reason for the season.”
very true this is! Indeed
there can be no genuine
Christmas celebration with
out Him

Hymn writer Issac Watts
reminds us of this great truth
in the first verse of Joy to the
World

“Joy to the world! The
Lord is come:

Let earth receive her King,

Let every heart prepare
him room,

And heaven and nature
sing.”

May you know such joy at
Christmas and alw
through Jesus Christ
Lord!

Following

@ trail to

faithful friends

we corry our warm
wishes to you

that the true spirit
of Christmas may
dwell in your hearts,

FRONT PAGE RESTAURANT

Waneta Junction, Trail — Phone 364-2112

Loree, Graham, Jennifer, Burt and Judy Com
pbell extend sincere thanks to all who supporied
Burt at the Social Credit nominating convention.
and extend warm greetings of the season to all
their friends throughout the Rossland-Irail
riding