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Show 2 Vernal Express December 25, 1985 Wednesday, he spirit of Christmas: Joy, hope, love and fellowship Giving to family, friends and strangers: Meaningful gestures at heart of the holiday g traditions are accurate monitors of the guiding forces behind an occasion or an event As the annual plenty of the Thanksgiving table reflects the almost miraculous bounty of the New World, as the Pilgrims saw it and as we see it stilt, the The irony of the scenario is inescapable. It is, however, overshadowed by the purity of feeling behind it, a point of view O Henry emphasizes in his final paragraph. He writes, The magi, as you know, were wise men wonwho brought gifts to the Babe in the manderfully wise men ger They invented the art of giving Christmas presents Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Everywhere they are wisest They are the magi Power to do good Elsewhere in literature, the power of giving to do good to both the person who receives and the person who gives is powerfully demonstrated in Dickens fable, A Christmas Carol In that story, the cruel old miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, is led through fear of his future fete and through observing die goodness of the Cratchit family and particularly the crippled child, to repent of his ways. Tiny Tim His change of heart leads him to give generously to chanties, n and closer to home, to his and clerk, Bob Cratchit In the climactic scene of the story, the Crat-chisettle down to their Christmas turkey, with Scrooge himself in the place of honor. Through the course of the story, Scrooge has radically altered his outlook, till he vows, near the end of the tale, to honor Chnstmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year In that statement, Scrooge has hit upon the or Dickens core of the Christmas spirit That it should flow freely during the holiday season, and before and after, that the spirit of giving and humanity which Christmas inspires is as important in all seak sons, that generosity cannot be restricted to a period during the year Timeless generosity It is this generosity unbounded by limits of time which exmost closely embodies Christs precepts This generosity makes us better people And, that pressed in a myriad of ways is what the spirit of Christmas is all about glittering pile of presents under the Christmas tree is far more than merely an enjoyable and festive custom For, the spirit of Christmas is the spirit of generosity, and this generosity is best expressed through the act of giving Greatest gift of all gaily-wrapp- Throughout the centuries, humanity has striven to honor and emulate Christ, who gave the most generous gift of all His life for the sake of mankind Thus, all year long, but especially as the holiday season approaches, people all over the world buy gifts as tokens of their esteem and affection for family and friends, and make efforts to give to people they do not know, those who are needy in one way or another of their money, their possessions and their time They give that the hungry should have a bountiful Christmas dinner, and that the lonely should spend the holiday with someone who cares They give to those who are too poor to buy presents, that their children should have new toys and clothing to look forward to, and they give to those who are ill, to comfort them And, if their gifts are worth less m a material sense than the gold, frankincense and myrrh which the Three Magi brought to the infant Christ, they are of equal worth in a larger sense, because they are given from the heart When the question of gifts comes up, it is important to remember that every person gives to the degree he or she can afford, and it is the true feeling behind these gifts which matters most of all. Gestures of love world-renown- long-abus- poverty-stricke- ts Many are reminded in this season of O Henrys classic tale, The Gift of the Magi, in which a husband and wife each gives up the single thing m the world which is considered most prized, to buy for the other a gift which expresses the deep love they share Della sells her long, luxuriant hair to buy for Jim a chain for his gold watch. And Jim sells his watch to buy Della the set of tortoiseshell combs she had desired two-wee- , , r v i . t!1' X 4 " lire festooned with garlands of tinsel, hung with ornaments and lit WRAPPED PACKAGES are placed under a ( hri-tmwith candles. The straw reindeer to the right is a charaiteristic Swedish decoration. The f hristnias tree is a venerable tradition in Sweden, w here it has been increasinglv popular sine e the 1 Bill ceiilurv. GAILY In the spirit of Christmas joy, it is our pleasure to soy "thank you" for your very valued patronage. Kindt Moving & Storage 715 E. 500 So. Maq the joqs of Christmas inspire qou with new and happq experiences. Ue appreciate the opportunity to know and serve qou. North Eastern Utah Office Supply 94 South 2nd East 25 South Vernal Ave. Roosevelt, Utah Vernal, Utah In the holiday tradition, may the old. but ever new spirit of Yuletide bless you and yours with love. Thank You from all 1265 W. Hwy 40 of us at Vernal Big O Tire 789-887- 2 v- Christmas inspires us with the joy of giving and the inner fulfillment of sharing. It is in this spirit that we share with you our thoughts of thanks. Plus Chevron American Gilsonite Remember mining is important to everyone's welfare 1 Sytiwm THE BANK 363 East Main Vernal, Utah 789 7073 Street 84078 Vernal's Only Home Owned Independent Bank member fdic 24 HOUR HANDIBANK |