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Oh, of course I‘d gone through my customary early December St. Richolas routine. Like starting up the office Christmas card pool, in which the person correctly picking the number of cards we receive gets a night out on the town with yours truly (losers get two nights). And yes, the Afirst of December 1 insisted everyone in the joint help decorate our office with our â€"gmodest but marvelious Yuletide decor. i even outdid myself this year by ignoring the Canada Post shaft, shipping out 93 Christmas cards, all with 30â€"cent top right corners. It‘s not as if 1 was about to bow to the pressures of Scroogian sacrilege, but until two weeks ago 1 must admit I wasn‘t all that pumped up about Christmas But after those first few flurries of activity, my Christmas computer logged some down time, maybe due to the depressed state of the nation, maybe due to lack of time to enjoy preâ€"Christmas merriment, maybe due to the downright rotten weather. Could be any or all of the above. Have you ever wondered why, in an age that champions a meâ€"first mentality and denounces timeâ€" honored principles and morality as stagnant and unpractical, there appears to be a universal desire to return to those oldâ€"fashioned Christmases of days gone by? Currier and Ives, come on down. _Try this explam@¢ion on for size. The generation at, or soon to assume the controls, my generation, has on the whole never known the feeling of want, the need to Then about a week ago, some unknown force picked me up, plopped me down on a mysterious magic carpet and took me on a multiâ€"stop mission that this night has me so geared up for Christmas ‘82, I‘m not likely to touch down ‘til every turkey sandwich has been devoured. And then some. OUTSTANDING VALUES WITH A LARGE SELECTION TO CHOOSE FROM Musical Jewelry Box LIMITED SUPPLY CLEARANCES: Picture Triâ€"Ominos Fun Around Faces Tonka Adventure Buggy Mair Styling Set YOUR CHRISTMAS TOY AND DECORATION CENTRE, 15.99 4.99 Darci Doll 499 5 90 4 90 SHOPETTE t ] -88 Each Show, Trade And Service Fast 111‘s Cars includes Showroom, Roof Top Garage With Lift, Car Wash And Gas Pump. Hours Of Fun For Ages 5 And Up . ! ] a 99 Each, Each Playset is Aiso A Storage Case. Set Contains A Doll And 3 Accessory Outfits. â€" 5 Assorted Dolls That Are Scented To Smeil Like Their Names. Ages 4 And Up. 4 90 STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE FRIENDS DOLLY POPS PLAYSETS FAST 111‘s DEALERSHIP ALL DUTCH GIRL SHOPPETTES CLOSED CHRISTMAS DaAY Kenner Kenner struggle, emptiness and despair. Until now. And while we learn about the sacrifices we‘re going to have to make, while our survival instincts slowly but surely rise to the surface, we pine for security. The security painted on nearly every Christmas card, depicting warmth, happiness and merriment of our forefathers. Forefathers who goodness knows suffered more than we ever have, yet who always seemed able to make Christmas a special moment, however scant the table trimmings. Earth to Bob Cratchett, earth to Bob Cratchett. It is not necessarily a yearning of ours to return to the womb, just a momentary escape, to those wonderfully carefree yesteryears when troubles were (or seemed) nonâ€"existent, family and festivities figured in the forefront and when true happiness was racing into the living room to discover your shiny new jet with torpedoes sitting on its Scotch Pine runway. But we must not forget there are those, have been and always will be, who have not enjoyed such idyllic upbringing and who today for some reason or another must rely on humanitarian gestures of others to even make a semblance of Christmas celebration . It is those philanthropic types, the ones who value the needs of others, who stand tall and carry the true meaning of Christmas through the dark of night, shrugging off the cynics, achieving sufficient reward in the knowledge they have put aside their own problems to help bring happiness to those less fortunate. I‘ve seen a lot of those people in the last week. â€" People like the Salvation Army personnel manning their Christmas cheer stations. Same ones that darned your father‘s socks in the Second World War. Or how ‘bout the over 700 shoppers who have plucked a name from the Angel Tree at Westmount Place and placed a toy for a needy kid under it? What about Paul Wieck‘s grade 5â€"6 class at Winston Churchill school who made Ganz 66 Bridgeport Rd. E. Store Only (Towers Plaza) Waterioo Collectable, Posable Miniâ€"Fashion Figures. Choosge From 12 Sculptured 4 Inch Miniâ€" Figures. For Ages 4 And Up. PRICES IN EFFECT UNTIL CLOSING FRIDAY, e DECEMBER 24, 1982 AT THE DUTCH GIRL SHOPETTE,* 66 BRIDGEPORT RD. E. WATERLOO, ONLY. 3. IgEach‘ A 4 Wheel Drive Vehicle With Sure Grip Traction Tires. Operates On 1 ‘AA Battery. (Not Included) ADDED FEATURE: LOOK FOR THE SUPER SPECIAL PRICES ON CLEAR OUT ITEMS (LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE) LOTS OF FREE PARKING _ WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES TO REASONABLE FAMILY REQUIREMENTS VISIT OPEN TILL 11 P.M. 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR YOUR SHOPPING CONVENIENCE fl Iggfiach 4 GLAMOUR CGALS STOMPER 4 X 4 PoPstopre Irwin Toy Kenner toys the quality many of them have never seen in their own toy box, and then turned around to give to underprivileged peers. In the same vein, Biuevale collegiate students used Canadian Tire money to purchase toys and games to take to bedâ€"ridden tots on local hospital pediatric wards. And WCI students raised over $600 cash and also rolled in over 3,000 canned goods to donate to the House of Friendship. The Dominion Life Choir, year after year spreading joy and goodwill. The countless other choirs and church groups doing the same. The Waterloo Young Men‘s club, which Friday night, in some off the beaten track warehouse, put together 96 food hampers for needy families. And what about the Christmas caroliers, young and old, who merrily made their way down King Street Friday night, spreading more good cheer? > Maybe it‘s just me. Maybe all this has been going on for years and years. But gosh it seems at Christmas ‘82, when we need it more than ever, we‘re developing an appreciation for feliow man unparalieled in years. And gaining insight into that appreciation has woven that precious magic carpet for me, to take on a ride 1 hope doesn‘t soon end. If ever. What a joy, the joy of giving. WHICH HAS ALL YOUR FAVOURITE FLAVOURS. LaC c ~ us 5 ~>.’h Te 0 se? Atde s CE irr, § b‘& jAII New Word Game To Test Your Mental Agility And Quickness As You Face Your Opponent Head To Head 0.711. 10. 71. 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