We chorus our thanks and wishes for @ very IS > Cranberries from B.C. VANCOUVER (CP) — Cranberry Marketing Cranberry sauce, Board and manager of Bell Farms, one of the largest cranberry growers in Can ada. In fact, B.C. produces 6.8 From Scottie, Dallas, Jill & Jason SCOTTIE'S MARINA on Canada’s West Coast. Chances are the red saunce has come from ber- ries grown on about 405 hectares (1,000 acres) of bog scattered around the Greater Vancouver area. Aside from a handful of small growers in a few other spots in Canada the cranberry farms in the Vancouver area's low-lying peat bogs produce almost million kilograms (14 mil lion pounds) ofthe red berry each year, three times the total amount consumed by the Canadian market, Knoedler said. The surplus is sold in the U.S. and business is boom ing. Ocean Spray, the U.S based growers’ co-opera tive whose Canadian sub- sidiary processes and mar. double their output by adding another 400 hec- tares of cranberry fields over the next few years, he sprinkler system and you have to have a large water supply. And it takes five years to harvest the first crop.” A plentiful water supply is needed for the unusual harvesting procedure. rveencenecovnomeveneenesentann growing plant related to the blueberry, needs acidic soil conditions and is one of only a few commercial crops that will grow in a peat bog, said Knoedler. In 10 years or so it is When the berries are ready for harvest in Sep tember and October, the specially-dug, low-lying fields are flooded and the possible there will be a bushes are agitated — cranberry shortage, he while underwater — until said. the berries fall off. The “The possibilities for ex berries float to the top of It's Santa Extends Season's Greetings to all their customers and friends. My the New Yeor bring Peace and Happiness to all! 2324 - 6th Ave., Castlegar From Management & Statf IBLTECH Construction Ltd. KEN'S AUTO & WHEEL ALIGNMEN| 1501 Columbia Ave. * 365-7532 .. set to pass around our _message: Merry Christmas and special thanks for your kind patronage *Castiegar Plumbing & Heating Ltd. 1008 Coteminie Ave Costioger * 365-3288 kets most of the B.C. cran berry crop, can use all the berries it gets and has en. couraged B.C. growers to all the berries grown in Canada, said Heinz Knoed- ler, secretary of the B.C. pansion are very limited,” he said. “The cost of suit able land now is $10,000 an acre here, then there is the the water and are corralled into the corners of the field and scooped out by an ele. vator-like device, he said. svvnuuestecsnnevuoeensusecenncensssocessnvoseenocouencssvacercavenevenscsonsoesneeesastin ‘Pagan’ customs abound The Santa parade and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer may be from North American imaginations but many bits of Yuletide lore and tradition are rooted in the Old World, some even pre-dating the birth of the Christ-child. Indeed, one of the most basic of traditions is an offspring of ancient Roman times. Gifts, or “strenae,” were exchanged during the festival of the Kalends, held near Jan. 1 of the modern calendar. Perhaps the first and greediest of gift grabbers was the decadent Roman emperor Caligula, who is said to have demanded exotic presents of his subjects on Kalends, and even went so far as to wait on the steps of his palace to receive them. IN THE many centuries since Christ's birth, it is hard to think of a time when Christmas didn’t exist. But Puritan England under Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas in 1652 because of the rituals — both pagan and Roman Catholic associated with the holiday ONE pagan ritual adopted by Christians was the burning of the Yule log. The tradition is traced back to well before Christ's time when pagan sun worshippers held an annua! feast of the winter solstice to guide the sun back from its wanderings. One ritual involved building huge bonfires to give strength to the flaming orb in the sky. The Yule log is a variation of this. PAGAN ritual is also responsible for the Christmas tree, which is rooted in Germanic custom Prior to his coronation as Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800, Charlemagne, king of the Franks, dispatched the monk Boniface to bring Christianity to the Saxons. In order to stop their pagan custom of sacrificing children before a tree, Boniface (later St. Boniface) convinced the Saxons to treat the tree as a symbol of life, because of its evergreen boughs. Incidentally, Martin Luther was allegedly first to decorate the fir tree with candies after being inspired by a star-filled Christmas sky. May you find renewed peace and conrentment during this blessed occasion Thanks, all my 2 From Management & Stott EASTGATE GARDENS < RESTAURANT astiegar * 365-7414 KISSING under a sprig of mistletoe became a popular British tradition. Originally a sacred plant of the Druids, the practice was for one white berry to be picked off the mistletoe bough for each kiss claimed beneath it. Modern times seem to have conveniently overlooked the proper procedure ALTHOUGH the red-suited Santa with his bag of toys is a relatively modern concept, he has his ancestry in many European countries which follow the theme of St. Nicholas and Black Peter. According to folklore, children who have been good are favored by the kindly St. Nick. But following closely in his wake is Black Peter, who gives young delinquents their just desserts — either a lump of coal or a spanking In either case, the wretched youngsters are the warmer for it Season's, G reetings Sincere best wishes for a holiday adorned th love and laughter, peace and joy. To our dear friends and valued customers go our deepest thoughts of thanks. Doreen, Ritchie & Staff at Geronazzo Holdings From all the statt ot WOODLAND PARK SHELL OPEN CHRISTMAS DAY & NEW YEARS DAY 10 A.M. -2P_M. f : “Carol, brothers, carol. Carol joyfully. With the coming of Christmas, almost every one accepts the injunction of th eold song to ‘carol joyfully.” From special church services to family gatherings, a “carol sing” is a traditional pleasure. The custom of singing carols at holiday time is an ancient one — begun, per haps, even before the first Christmas, at celebrations such as the Roman Satur nalia. Modern interest in mu- sic, and in learning to play mugical instruments, has given carol singing a healt hy boost. In most homes, least one member of the family can be depended on to provide instrumental vvusevuuouunconsnncccsensusssosenauennuscenenunuoccencanivoccsersneaseen aceompaniment for carols — and the instrument may vary from the old favorite piano to the currently pop- ular guitar. Music in any form has long been especially be- loved as a means of ex. pressing Christmas joy. Early Christian believers were forced to worship in secret — and therefore, quietly. Then, in the fifth and sixth centuries, Chris tianity came out of the cat acombs — and exultation for freedom of worship was expressed in the glad ring. ing of church bells. Early hymns and carols, however, were in Latin. Carol singing in its modern form — in the common language of the country — probably originated in cenasncannanoenuenocuunadt New VCR systems coming People in the market for video cassette recorders have had to face a sometimes bewildering choice between available formats, and recent developments suggest it won't get eaiser Before last year, there were two main formats: Beta, introduced by Sony 10 years ago, and VHS, devel oped by the Japan Victor Corp. VHS sales have since far outstripped Beta. Now Sony has come up with the new eight-milli metre format, introduced last year. In 1987, consumers will have another type to con sider. Springing from VHS will be VHS-C, a more com pact unit designed to cut in on the 8mm market. Each of the existing sys tems has individual advan. Happy hopes for a holiday that spells perfection in every way! FRANK'S SHARPENING Castlegar Holiday tunes tell tale 1223, when St. Francis in troduced the first realistic replica of the manger scene, in the little town of Greccio, Italy From this beginning, the practice of erecting @ creche or crib soon became a Christmas tradition in many towns. Around the representation of the first Christmas, villagers gath. ered to marvel, pray and sing. Often, the creche was constructed in a church yard or on a public street. Thus it was natural for the worshippers to stroll away from the devotional service — formal or informal — and continue singing the beloved carols as they made their way home. This spontaneous action may well have led to the tages, says editor Alan Lofft of Sound and Vision, Can ada’s largest audio/video magazine. No one is clearly better than the other. Panasonic product’ mana. ger Walter Misiura agrees. “Technically, Beta system is superior but if you take an average TV set — or even a new set — it’s very difficult to see the differences.” Beta picture quality is con sidered superior vut VHS machines record more pro- gramming on a tape. Beta and 8mm systems have two record and playback speeds but VHS has a third — extra long-play — which allows up to eight hours of material. A Beta cassette can take a five hours per tape, while 8mm tapes are limited to two hours. “The picture quality on the 8mm machines is not quite as good as either VHS or Beta,” Lofft says. “It's close, but it’s not quite the resolution of the other systems. And the video quality of the 8mm cassettes suffers considerably at the slower speed.” From us to you, have avery custom of going from place to place to sing carols. And the more music, the better, was the rule. Any musical instrument, however hum ble, was a welcome addi- tion and accompaniment. In later centuries, the “wassailing” or “gooding” expeditions helped the growth of caroling. Singers went from house to house, receiving treats as re wards for carols. Even oppression could not put an end to carol singing. When the Puri tans abolished Christmas observances in England, printed sheets of carols were bootlegged for a pei ny. And poets and musici- ‘ans went right on compos- ing carols, as they do to- da: MN But what the 8mm system lacks in image, it has in hi-fi sound. And, says Lofft, its compact size is a definite ad vantage. “The format lends itself beautifully to camera re corders, or camcorders as they're popularly knolwn. Sony's camcorder only one kilogram, The 8mm cassettes are only slightly larger than an audio cas sette.” Try this quick 'n easy, beautifully seasoned stuff ing for a four to five kg turkey. Combine ' cup butter, melted, with one elvelope Lipton Onion Mushroom Recipe and Soup Mix plus 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning; toss with 8 cups bread cubes and '/: cup chopped celery SI) SN LOOMIS COURIER SERVICE LTD. Castlegar weight’ CHRISTMAS GREETINGS, December 24, 1986 From the Management BURGER é Statt 1521 Columbia Ave. 365-8388 Enjoy peace at heart and hearth for Christmas. _ Warm thanks. /gn' POZDROWLAEM WAS S-ROZDESTWOM CHRESTOWOM ‘went COHOE INSURANCE AGENCY LTD. Greetings to Hoping all the bright days of your Christmas will glow with delight. Thanks. Crow Courier Systems Inc. Check out our wishes for you ... they add up to a long list of deserved Christmas pleasures. a —— ~ CEN Swor-Easy FOC