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a ia REL ie oes 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, December 23, 1986 Editorial " 3% Xe AN ' . Nt - . - e? v, > - At Christmas Time At this time of year, it is not unusual to hear commentators of all kinds lament the fact that many people seem to have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. They moan that Christmas has become little more than a wild - spending spree prompted by a never-ending barrage of media adver- tising that begins in early November. They point out that Christmas has become one of the most stressful times of year, that many people reach a state of near frenzy and panic as they race about with last minute shopping, stocking up on food and liquor for entertaining, or just trying to get the Christmas cards to the post office to meet the mailing deadlines. Others are quick to chastise for what they call the blatant hypocrisy of this time of year when the message of Peace on Earth, Good will to Mankind, is obliterated by the on-going strife and tur- moil in many parts of the world. And they are quick to tell us there is something wrong with a society that goes on a spending binge while all around the poor, destitute and homeless in our midst struggle just to survive. : It has become fashionable at this time of year for critics to stand up on their Christmas soap-boxes to moan and wail that society is on a slippery slope heading for a major calamity or a date with the devil. Quite frankly, these purveyors of gloom and doom, these self- styled watch-dogs who use Christmas as a convenient vehicle to spout their own particular views of morality and attitude, have become a major bore. Nobody can dispute that Christmas has become commercializ- ed, but the critics would have us believe that the buying and giving of gifts for friends and family somehow precludes the true spirit of the season. And that's nonsense. We would like to strongly suggest that a lot of people are grow- ing very weary of the "guilt trip" foisted on them by the nay-sayers, the grinches and the scrooges who pop up like clock-work at this time of the year. We would strongly suggest that despite the nay-sayers, the spirit and meaning of the season abounds everywhere around us. Take a close look at the smiles on the faces of children and tell us there isn't delight in their eyes and hope in their hearts. Listen to the voices of the carolers and tell us the meaning of Christmas has been forgotten. Take a look at a young family as they happily select the Christmas tree, and tell us that they are being hypocrites. Listen to the sounds of the voices as people welcome family and friends into their homes for a festive get together, and tell us there are no genuine expressions of love, goodwill and happiness. Christmas as we know it in 1986 may not be perfect. There may indeed be a measure of hypocrisy, and yes, the blanket media and blitz may start too early for many people. And yes, some may have trouble coping with the added stress of the season, and others may overiook the deeply religious significance of the birth of Christ. | But surely these negative aspects of the season are far out- weighed by the sheer joy that Christmas can bring to all of us, if we let it, and if we take the time to search out the little things that fill the heart with warmth and the soul with hope. Christmas should be a positive time when some of the frailties, even faults of the human condition can be overlooked. It should be a time for celebration free from doubts and fears and guilts. it should be a time to enjoy the gift of giving and receiving, the good company of family and friends. Let us put the gloom and doom aside for this short time and maybe resolve to spend the rest of the year wrestling with the pro- blems of the world. \ Port Perry STAR 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO Phone 985-7383 P.0.Box90 LOB INO J. PETER HVIDSTEN Publisher Advertising Manager Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co Ltd. Port Perry. Ontario J.B. McCLELLAND Editor Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa. and tor cash payment of postage in cash CATHY OLLIFFE News & Features AN CON go "o ~ En w ai, \ Pray a3305% Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate: In Canada $15.00 per year. Elsewhere $45.00 per year. Single Copy 35 OCOPYRIGHT -- All layout and composition of advertisements produced by the adver tising department of the Port Perry Ster Company Limited are protected under copyright and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher J "Yr. -e Mini) : " SOME FREE -TRADER YOU ARE /F SHIN PADS AN' VIDEO TAPES ARENT NEGOTIABLE WE RE NOT PUTTIN' MILK AN'COOK/IES ON THE TABLE ! " EEE I ------ TS --- Chatterbox by Cathy Olliffe EEGADS, IT'S CHRISTMAS! I cannot believe Christmas is here. I am not ready for Christmas. I have not started my Christmas shopping. I have not started my Christmas baking. The house is a disaster area. As I write this, the date is Thursday, December 18th, 12:55 p.m., and I am pulling out my hair. Fortunately, I do not have to arrange for a haircut. , Unfortunately, I believe Christmas will come and go and leave me at the starting gate. Why this is so, I do not know. It seems like yesterday that I was cajoling sweet hubby of mine to put up the Christmas tree in the last weekend of November. "No," sweet hubby said. 'If we put it up now, the needles will fall off two weeks before Christmas and we will be stuck with a ball- bedecked stick." He compromised and the tree went up the first weekend in December. He compromised, yes, but still managed to whine all the way home about it being TOO EARLY. Doug also said the same thing about Christmas cards. By jeez, I had those things bought and written out halfway through - November. And pleased? I was pleased as punch. "I can't believe how organized I am this Christmas," I told a friend glowingly. Organized, smorganized. Sure, I wrote the cards out ages ago. Trouble is, I mailed them on Monday. And there's more, there's more! It just seems like an hour ago that I was teas- ing a few folks about finishing their shopping in October. "Too early," I reprimanded. "But I will have all my shopping done by the second week in December." I've never liked the taste of crow, but I've been eating a lot of it lately. Fact is, I haven't even made out a shopping list. And now, since the Supreme Court has upheld a ban on Sunday shopping, I have even less time to stop to and fro, frothing at the mouth like the rabid last minute shopper I am sure to become. Let me just warn my friends and families in advance, DON'T EXPECT MUCH FROM ME THIS CHRISTMAS. Do not buy me anything extravagant, for I am sure to feel guilty. Do not buy my husband anything, for I am sure to steal it and give it to someone else. (I INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM TO SAY 'THERE IS A CAN-PAR COURIER TRUCK AND A CP EXPRESS 18-WHEELER CAUSING A TRAFFIC JAM IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE OF ! HOWARD ON QUEEN STREET. BOY, IF 1 WAS IN ANY OF THOSE CARS BEHIND THOSE IN- CONSIDERATE JERKS, WOULD I BE TEED OFF. DO SOMETHING ABOUT COURIER TRUCKS. BAN THEM FROM THE MAIN DRAG. "WRITE YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, YOUR MAYOR, YOUR EDITOR -- ANYONE, JUST WRITE!! I NOW RETURN YOU TO REGULAR SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING). Forget the regular scheduled programming! I don't care about Christmas anymore! It doesn't matter! Nothing matters except the complete and utter elimination of courier trucks on Queen Street! Arm yourself against these boneheads! Force them to park on a sidestreet, or in a park- ing spot like everyone else! Here's a few tips to rid the scum from our downtown metropolis and Thumb your noses at them! Give them the finger, whatever finger you desire most! Slash their tires! Soap their windows! Write fake parking tickets and stick them on their windshields! Dress up like a policeman and haul them off to the can! " Dress up like a tow truck and just haul them off! Pretend to be nice, invite them in for a hot chocolate, and spike it with Ex-Lax! Park in front of them and do not move for at least an hour! Gather all your friends together and form a human chain around the offending truck! Chant rude things in unison! Kidnap the driver and tell him or her that you are a cannibal! Proceed to place him or her in a cauldron of water in the intersection of Queen and Perry Streets. Add HP sauce and meat tenderizer! Pretend he's a Christmas turkey and stuff him with the stuffing. BUT BY ALL MEANS DO NOT DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL. If you do, don't blame me. Don't show this column to your kids. Do not show this column to the police. And have yourself a merry little Christmas'