Page 4, Terrace Bay-Schreiber News, Wednesday, November 16, 1983 opinion > Think Christmas! Merry Christmas folks! Ha! Ha! Actually it's no joke. Christmas is fast approaching and if you're like me (most aren't however) you haven't even placed any thought on this matter. But it's time you did. There are only forty (count them) 40 days left before good ole' Santa makes his annual rounds again. That may seem like a lot of time, especially if you think like I do ... however it will soon pass, and like me, you will be sitting around the week before the big event, saying to yourself "Oh God! There's only 7 more days until Christmas ... and I'm not ready" And remember those people I talked about earlier. Yes, you know the ones ... the ones who had all their Christmas shopping done, wrapped and mailed by the 15th of November? They're the ones who won't help the situation when they utter the familiar words of "Gosh, what have you been doing with your time ... I've had all my Christmas shopping, my Christmas baking, and my Christmas dinner planned out for the past four weeks." Don't those people make you just want to throw up in their face? But this year, I can honestly say that I have been thinking about Christmas. I've been thinking about it for the past six weeks. But I've been thinking about the other angle of Christmas. Our special "Christmas Issue" for the "'NEWS". I have been busy planning that issue ... trying to decide what to fill it with ... getting our advertising staff to think Christmas, even if there isn't any snow on the ground ... and I hope that as a result of all the time which has been spent on this, that the "Christmas Edition" will indeed be one that we can all treasure. A few of the special features that the "NEWS" will be supporting this Christmas include a "Letters to Santa'? promo. We invite all the boys and girls to write their letters and send them to us here at the "NEWS". We will also be publishing individual letters (as many as space will allow) in all the issues prior to Christmas. If your child enjoys seeing his or her name in print, encourage them to sit down and get those letters composed. Another special feature will be our "Festive Recipe Contest". This contest is open to everyone who cares to contribute. It is our hope that by offering a prize for the 'best' recipes, we will indeed by over-run with several. Christmas is indeed a time for sharing and it would be nice if you, the readers, would share your favourite festive recipes with us and with the public. The prize for the winner of each category will be a free year's subscription to the Terrace Bay-Schreiber '"NEWS". So, dig into your recipe boxes and try to outdo your neighbour's attempt at winning. The kids will be pleased (I hope) to see that the "'NEWS"' will be sponsoring a 'Create A Snowman Contest" this year. The Snowman Contest is open to boys and girls 12 years of age and under (to keep it fair) and will feature five different categories that they may choose between. The child who receives the first prize for each of the five categories, will be .awarded with two free show passes for the Towne Cinema PLUS they will also get their photo and their 'creations' photo published in the "'NEWS". Wouldn't that be a nice gift to send to Grandma or Grandpa for Christmas this year? We are also attempting to print a wide variety of children's poems, verses, stories and art in this year's Christmas issue. Letters are now being sent out to all the schools in this area, in hopes that the teachers will give us their support and encourage the children to submit their chosen art, stories, etc. . All in all, it looks as if we should be able to present to you, the reader, a good old fashioned community Christmas newspaper. We can't do it however, without your contributions and your support. I will keep you posted on our progress but if I need your self, will you be willing to offer it? Arthur Black People's pants The Terrace Bay-Schreiber News is published every Wednesday by: Laurentian Publishing Co. Ltd., Box 579, Terrace Bay, Ontario. POT 2W0. Telephone: (807) 825-3747. | EDITOR AND MANAGER.......... ge ERT ae aa ee ie Karen E. Park ADVERTISING MANAGER......................-.000 005 Diane Matson RECEPTIONIST g . ss i aa ea ee Ss Sharon Mark PRODUCTION MANAGER................ rset aes ae Mary Melo DEADLINE: Friday NOON Subscription rates: $10.00 per annum (local); $14.00 per annum (out-of-town). Second Class Mail eu y, Registration No. 0867. anchor by REV. BARRY M. FELLINGER A short while ago a song entitled Mansion Builder was released by 2nd Chapter of Acts: a well-known group in contemporary Christian music circles. The words to the chorus were ... "So why should I worry and why should I fret, cause I've got a mansion builder who ain't through with me yet." How true this is! God never gives up on us! Before Jesus began His full - ministry at about 30 years of age, He likely worked in Joseph's carpenter shop. He built and shaped finished products from the raw materials in that shop. Today Jesus is still a Mansion Builder - a carpenter in many ways. He's in the business of building and shaping lives. He gently taps away the rough edges or other times, He may have to roughly chisel as He moulds us. Romans 8:29 tells us, this is, that we might be conformed into the image of Jesus. Sometimes the pressure exerted upon us in our lives seems well nigh unbearable. But God has given many promises when we find ourselves in difficult situations. He has promised that He is faithful and will not allow His children to be tested beyond what they are able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). He tells us that He knows the end from the beginning, so when we have to consider that inevitable question '"WHY?", we can place our confidence in His benevolent omniscience. In order for diamonds to be refined into the beautiful gems that they are, tremendous pressure must be exerted upon them before they reach that flawless state. When we face seemingly insurmountable trials, remember that God is at work to refine us. We too, are "diamonds in the rough."' The Book of Job in the Bible, gives us the story of a man under extreme pressure, having suffered unbelievable sorrow. By trusting in God at these times, we will be able to say with Job in 23:10, "But He knows the way I take, when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold." When Jesus, the Mansion Builder, is truly the ANCHOR on which we build our lives, we can rest in His assuring promise, "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) Rev. Barry M. Fellinger, Terrace Bay Gospel Assembly Letters Don't forget the Women Dear Karen: I believe there has been a serious oversight in the paper, excluding the women who served in our Armed Forces and it is in my opinion that our nation's actions were to defend Canada's way of life. I personally have a deep gratitude towards all those Canadians who fought and worked as hard towards keeping Canada free. I will not forget. Editor's Reply: I will reply. error. (Me! Of all people). It is very seldom that I write in reply to a "Letter to the Editor" however, because of the nature of Dave's letter and its content, , I apologize with all my heart, that I forgot to mention women in last week's full page spread of the Remembrance Day Services. It is unlike me to overlook that I hereby apologize to Dave and to everyone for omitting the word women. Signed, Dave Speer promise. The fact that not many women served actively in the war does little to compliment them on all the behind-the-scenes work that thousands of women took part in. I too Dave, shall not forget. That's a Karen E. Park Consider ... blue jeans. Has there ever been an article of apparel more ridiculed and "vilified? My parents hated them. My friends' parents hated them. At my school you could be sent home for wearing them to class. Blue jeans have been sneered at and scorned by fashion arbiters 'from Yves St. Laurent ("They should only be worn by farm girls milking cows.") to Pierre Cardin :("The jean. The jean is destruct- ion. It is the dictator. It is idestroying creativity. The jean imust be stopped.") But it wasn't. People just keep on hauling their blue jeans out of jthe drawer and pulling them on. : I have a theory about that. I 'think blue jeans survive because 'blue jeans Make Sense. They're jlight, they're durable, they don't make you itch and they don't 'wrinkle. You can hang 'em on a 'hanger or ball them up and throw 'them in the corner. Either way they'll look just fine when you put them on tomorrow. There's an interesting history behind blue jeans or "denims" as we used to call them. Both names |are English corruptions of French 'names.. "Denim" refers to a 'hardy material 19th century tail- 'ors called "Serge de Nimes" (Serge from the French city of 'Nimes). The word "jeans" comes from ia similar linguistic pratfall. The 'Italian city of Genoa used to lexport a strong cotton twill ;material. When the material arri- ved in England, the waybill read ."*de Genes". -- which was the French way of spelling Genoa. De .. Genes eventually became simply ys. jeans. ' Of course, jeans are also well- 'known by another name: Levis. 'And thereby hangs a tale. Back in the mid-1800s a lot of people got bitten by gold fever and headed for California. One of them was a recent American immigrant - a Bavarian sailmaker by trade. He 'never found much gold in Cali- fornia, but he did notice that his fellow prospectors had a problem. Their pants kept wearing out -- probably from their habit of cramming heavy ore samples into itheir pockets. The old Bavarian sailmaker thought about it for awhile and 'came up with a solution: why not strengthen the pockets? He did. .He took an ordinary pair of work- 'pants and hammered little copper 'rivets all around the pockets. The 'prospectors love them -- so much 'so that they gave the rivet-studd- ied pants the name of their creator. They called them "Levis"' ... after Levi Strauss, the 'Bavarian sailmaker-cum-pros- 'pector-turned clothier. The latest institution to blast |blue jeans is a rather formidable one: The Soviet Union. A recent :edition of Pravda, the Community 'Party daily, contains a ponderous 'denunciation of the Levi Strauss 'Company and all it stands for. The offence this time? Supply- jing free jeans to all U.S. athletes 'at the 1984 Summer Games in Los | Angeles. It will result, thunders 'Pravda, "in profits so large that snot any jeans king could dream of \them."' ' Codswallop. As clear a case of 'journalistic Sour Grapes as I've ever heard. . As the editorial hacks and 'Yesmen who toil for Pravda know 'only too well, a pair of used, patched, torn and rumpled Levis will fetch up to $200 on the .Moscow Black Market any day of the week. That's the thing about jeans of course. Teachers hate them, pa- rents hate them, fashion de- signers and totalitarian govern- ments hate them. Nobody likes blue jeans. { Only the People.