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Show teveties by Betty Spencer Christmas week finds me dreaming of a white Christmas Christ-mas and thinking about Christmas' Christ-mas' past. Without straining my memory, I can go back ten years to a Christmas when we were buying bicycles and dolls and games galore. I remember rememb-er waiting until the children were snug in their beds and bringing out the games and toys that needed to be assembled. assem-bled. We finally got smart and started these projects weeks before, storing the completed projects in my mother's basement, base-ment, but there were usually a few things that needed to be put together just as Santa Claus got there. Even now, I can cope with putting slot B in tab C without having a nervous ner-vous breakdown. My memory goes back over the years to Christmas days at my grandmother's house. She always had collected a box of toys and gifts that was as exciting as a second visit from Santa Claus. Now I'm trying to build that same kind of tradition of love and joy for my grandchildren. Keeping Christmas is easy when you have the money, the time and health to put it together. We have had all of these things this year and the yuletide season finds my heart full of gratitude for all the Lord has blessed my husband me with - a loving mother, thoughtful children, beautiful, healthy grandchildren and each other. Christmas memories are different. dif-ferent. Sometimes the "big" gift years are not the years that go down in memory as being significant. It was like that the Christmas I remember rememb-er best of my growing up years. It was deep in the depression. My folks, like -most, were worried about their future. But that didn't stop us from keeping Christmas. Christ-mas. I have been blessed with a thoughtful, perceptive mother. She has always been at her best when things were at their worst. She made what could have been our worst Christmas, Christ-mas, one of our best. Work was scarce h Utah, and my Dad and Mother decided to take the family to California, where Dad's family lived, to find work. It was a bleak year, but somehow, we managed a Christmas tree and a dinner and oranges in our stockings. For several weeks, we were told that each of us children would get just one gift. The rest of our present would be a trip to California. The trip was Vets, Here's Your Answer Q - wnat is the current interest rate on National Service Ser-vice Life Insurance policy loans? A - Five per cent. Q - I will soon be drawing unemployment compensation. Will this have any effect on my receiving veterans educational allowance? A - Income is not considered consi-dered in the payment of education educa-tion allowances. Rates of payment pay-ment are based generally on hours of attendance or the cost of the course. Q - I have an automobile in which the VA has installed adaptive equipment. If I subsequently purchase other vehicles, will the VA install equipment in them? A - Yes. However, adaptive equipment will not be provided for more than one conveyance at a time and for not more than three conveyances in a two-year period. Q - If a widow receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation becomes employed, em-ployed, does she lose her right to this benefit? A - No. Income is not a factor for DIC Q - As a veteran of World War II with a recently established estab-lished service-connected disability, disa-bility, am I eleigible for service-disabled insurance? A - Eligibility requires separation from service after April 24, 1951, and application for insurance within one year from date of notice granting service-connection for disability. disabili-ty. Applicants must be in good health except for service-connected service-connected disabilities. Q - I am a veteran with a service-connected disability and know that I can receive treatment at a VA hospital. Should I drop my private hospitalization plan? A - This is a matter, only you can decide as to the advantages ad-vantages and disadvantages of having VA hospitalization and private hospitalization coverage. carefully planned. I told you that I have a thoughtful, perceptive per-ceptive mother. She made the trip to California into an. adventure. ad-venture. We planned, we packed, sharing suitcases, and we looked forward to the trip. We read about cactus, we read about the beaches and talked about earlier trips there. We talked about the museums and the movie stars and Hollywood. Holly-wood. Christmas morning found me the rich possessor of TWO gifts. The big paint set that you got at Steel's Shoe Store with coupons from purchases and a homemade bathrobe made out of a blue-green blue-green "Indian" print blanket. But I spent the rest of Christmas Christ-mas day getting ready for the wonderful trip and, it was a good Christmas. The trip was filled with memories of seeing the museum exhibits, the beach, driving through Hollywood and seeing the beautiful fields of Poinsettias blooming on the hillsides of Southern California. Califor-nia. There were waits outside apartment buildings as my folks looked for a place to live. There were anxious conversations conver-sations concerning jobs, but after about a week, we bundled bun-dled ourselves in the car and made the journey back to Utah across the trecherous snowy roads of central Utah. Dad never did take a job in California. Not until later, did I realize that the trip was a desperate last stand for my parents, who were seeking the answer to the economic problems that plagued the whole population. But, thanks to the understanding understand-ing of my Mother, I remembered remem-bered only the fun part of the trip and that special Christmas. Christ-mas. May you remember the Christmas' past. Look into your hearts and find them full of rich memories that will add to the happiness of Christmas, 1976. A Merry, Merry Christmas to you and yours! II .1,.. ! II, Ull l ,m. t.U.llllUi I ' -HI-HI- 1 1 -' 1 11 '" H. P I I I I .... r- . V ,.V, ' ,,.'i,..-'ivw-$lt AMERICAN FORK CITIZEN WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22, 1978 Uiyrch unity Pros fiHk . Christmas season began at the Community Presbyterian Church with the traditional Sunday School program, with young and old alike depicting the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, and how there was no room in the inn for him then, and how too often there is no room in peoples hearts to accept ac-cept Jesus Christ today. Being the first Sunday in Advent we also lit the first of the four candles, for each of the Sun days preceding Christmas. Each group within the church will have the traditional party as befits the occasion. We have grown very close as a congregation during this 1976 year, for we have all cooperated co-operated with both money and time to restore our church and look to 1977 with great hope and expectation of dedication and growth both in spirit and numbers and especially to bringing a new pastor to serve both the congregation and community. The climax to our church services will be the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at 7:30 p.m. on December 24 with Rev. Donald Mills in charge and special music provided. We welcome everyone to join us on that night. May the spirit of Christ open our hearts and make it a joyous year for all. GREENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL first grade students became "living toys" as they presented a special Christmas program on the last day of school before the holiday. A few of the students pose in costume prior to the beginning of their program. Be a Good Host and Hostess Not Just a Bar Tender Christinas Program ?rsy Santa's toy shop was found at the Greenwood Elementary School one day last week as first grade students at the school made it come alive. The boys and girls presented a special Christmas program for their parents, friends and other students. They were under the direction of teachers Gladys Pulley, Sandra Sabey, and Kristine McBride with aides Linda Searle and Ruth Larsen, assisting. Joyce Allison Alli-son served as accompanist for the group. The program depicted San ta's toy shop on Christmas Eve at 12 midnight when the toys had a Christmas party. Offer Soft Drinks One third of the adult population popu-lation chooses not to drink at all. And many others who drink socially sometimes prefer not to. So offer a choice. And when someone says, "no thanks" . . . don't push it. There are nine million Americans Ameri-cans for whom even one drink is one too many. Give More Than a Drink Introduce two people who don't know each other. Get a conversation started. Give someone a compliment . . or a laugh. You h ave more to give than just drinks. A host or hostess is not just a bartender. Don't Rush Refills Wait until the glass is empty before you offer another drink. And then don't be in a hurry, especially if someone seems to be coming up empty too fast. Don't Double Up A lot of people count their drinks. But if you serve doubles, dou-bles, they'll be drinking twice as much as they can handle. Doubling up isn't generous. It's rude. Dinner is Served If you're going to serve dinner din-ner or an evening snack, do it before its too late. If the "cocktail hour" goes on for hours, nobody will know what they had for dinner. Keep 'Em Nibbling Not just later on, but while your guests are drinking. That's important, because it slows down the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream. It also slows down the rate at which people drink. If... Someone drinks too much at your house, you are responsible. responsi-ble. That's what it means to be a host. See that he gets home safely, but don't let him drive. And don't think you can sober someone up in a short time with a cold shower or black coffee. Only time can sober him up. It will take about one hour for every drink he's had. So sometimes its best to let the guest "sleep it off" instead of going home. Thanks to U.S. Jaycees ,f 1 , LTLiO A IMFJP LED IPAMW KMSYOHJ. Please accept this invitation to come to the GRAND OLD PARTY Thank You Ball' Senator Jake Gam, Senator Orrin Hatch, Congressman Dan Marriott and all other elected Republican office holders of Utah have planned an exciting evening of entertainment, light refreshments and dancing ... one way of saying 'Thank You' for your vote and support during the last election. General Chairman: the Honorable David Kennedy, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Capitol Rotunda, January 7, 1977, 7:30 pm. Semi-formal. Everyone welcome. All political persuasions. hek m Safety llllilllliv ; S ' . i'ti;S4 sis J 11 ' n 7 -pi 7 f, 1 Senator Jake Gam Senator-elect Orrin Hatch Congressman-elect Dan Marriott Funds raised at this event will be used to defray party campaign expenses. Send $25 per person (tax deductible) to: GRAND OLD PARTY Suite G-4, 350 South 400 East Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 533-9777 TREE LIGHTS. Have you replaced or repaired frayed Christmas tree light cords and tightened loose plug-cord connections? connec-tions? Have you investigated newer lights that burn cooler and safer, and use less electricity than some of the older ones? Test your lights before mounting them onour tree or house. Many lights for indoor use on trees are rated 7 watts each, and no more than 85 such lights should be connected to a single outlet. The new pinpoint "mini" lights use very low wattages and it is unlikely that the average homeowner could get enough on a tree to overload a circuit. "OCTOPUS" OUTLETS. Have you any of those "octopus" outlets around the house... the ones with too many appliances plugged into one circuit? Never overload electrical elec-trical circuits; use proper size fuses. Overloaded Over-loaded circuits are a fire hazard. OUTDOOR LIGHTS. Have you checked your outdoor holiday lighting cords to make sure they are "outdoor rated," in good condition, and are properly protected from weather (especially where cords may be plugged together)? Are you careful not to stand on wet ground when rigging and testing them if they are plugged in? Most outdoor lights are rated 10 watts; the maximum number of such lights connected to a single outlet is 50. UL SAFETY SEAL. Do your lighted decorations decora-tions and cords all carry the Underwriters aboratory UL safety seal? Make sure the UL is inside a circle.. not a square. Have you checked that moving Santas and other lighted . Christmas decorations are properly grounded? Have you briefed your family on turning off Christmas tree lights when you leave home? (If you want to leave the house lighted when you're away, it's safer to do it with other lighting.) Roddy says; Have a happy and safe holiday season. ..and use the electricity you need... but need what you use! U AND LIGHT COMPANY |