I am not so pessimistic as that. I look around at friends and neighbors and I see much the same as I always did - families getting together, gift exchanges, chocolates and candies and too much food, and lots of pleasure and anticipation from parents that the kids are coming home again.

All the external stuff you see, the shopping, the commercialism and everything is just a wash that flows over people and has no significance. The real meaning of Christmas is still in the family.

Why would you be so surprised that people don't take into account the 'true meaning' of Christmas? So many 'good Christians' blithely ignore the deep social inequality in this world. I'll bet when Shirley and John go into that church on 5th Avenue, they're not thinking about the one in four that are poor in this province. No, they're giving thanks because they're not among the poor, and that's about the extent of it.

I have to agree with ammonra. It is for my family and I a happy time. We will have christmas dinner this year as we have every year. Yes we have members in our family that are washed away by consummerism. But then it takes all kinds to make our world tick. If they want to spend their money foolishly then go for it. There are those that have to much as it is and may as well share it with others.

I do not know any one that is stressed by the christmas holiday. I can only assume that there are people in our society that are stressed most of the time so why would christmas be an exception. Its like our entire lives we live with choices and those who live a stressed life I can only say, make other choices to live a less stressed life.

We will have a turkey dinner a some wine and talk off christmas past. It will be another great event in our lives. I would like to go to church but have forgone the practice as I give my own private blessing for my well being.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

I have avoided all the shopping and getting stressed out (been there done that). My family now enjoys home baking and handmade gifts and Canada Savings Bonds and lots of love. I echo your wish for a Happy Christmas to all and to all a healthy New Year.
Also,I agree with more social justice;one in four in poverty is a sad commentary on the Provincial government's fiscal responsibility towards all its' citizens.

Christmas should be a happy time for Children. It will be one of the few times in a year that they will be able to look back on with good memories.

There was a time when a Christmas gift of a tobaggan was heaven sent. A full course meal with Turkey and all the trimmings was a once in a year celebration, and was looked forward to with great anticipation.

Now we have computer games, television,
organized sports, delivery to and from school, and very little time to be a free spirit.

Children to-day have absolutely no understanding of what it was like to be a **kid** Walking the bush, and rivers with your friends, skinny dipping, camping out overnight without parental supervision. Playing hookey on occasion. Setting up *scrum* games of baseball without an adult within miles. Clean the ice off the old Slough in South Fort George, build a big fire, and skate all week-end. Ski all day and go home when it got dark with your pant legs two blocks of ice. Selling newspapers on the street corner, setting pins at a bowling alley. You could earn $3.00 on a league night and go to a restaurant with your freinds and spend it all on a deluxe and frys, and you would think that you were a king.

Walk home at night and look at the sky and see every star. You never worried about your safety, and if you were afraid at all it was when you walked by the houses that people said were haunted, or if you were close to the graveyard.

The games we played *Hide and Seek* *Kick the can* *Auntie,Auntie, eye over* Wrestling and running amok in open fields in the moonlight.

A motely crew of ragamuffins, mismatched clothes, callused hands from cutting wood, cardboard innersoles in our shoes. Slingshot in our back pockets, front pockets full of marbles. The City was broken into areas, South Fort George, Central Fort George, Millar Addition, Island Cache, Van Bow. and we all competed against each other.

You could fish in the rivers and catch, shiners, peamouth, suckers, and trout. You could watch the Natives net, and spear salmon in South Fort George. Almost everyone had a garden and those kids who didnt would on occasion go out at night on **garden raids** Every kid had firecrackers on halloween, and the first kid that got his own car became a hero.

Friends were made for life, and we were all good buddies.

Christmas is a happy time for Children, memories are the jewels that build our character. The greatest gift you can give a child is the gift of freedom. Let them run barefoot through the hot sand on a country road in July, or through a field of daisies, stirring up the birds, and bees, and grasshoppers. What more could you ask for.

Merry Christmas

and the skii's were made from barrel staves with a rubber sealer ring to hold your boots on the skii's the poles were broown sticks with a nail driven in the bottom your fingers were always blue cold numb and you could ski along the slough from past the high school to South Fort George and the best gift of all was a yearly book at Christmas. Lucky kids!

and the skii's were made from barrel staves with a rubber sealer ring to hold your boots on the skii's the poles were broown sticks with a nail driven in the bottom your fingers were always blue cold numb and you could ski along the slough from past the high school to South Fort George and the best gift of all was a yearly book at Christmas. Lucky kids!

and the skii's were made from barrel staves with a rubber sealer ring to hold your boots on the skii's the poles were broown sticks with a nail driven in the bottom your fingers were always blue cold numb and you could ski along the slough from past the high school to South Fort George and the best gift of all was a yearly book at Christmas. Lucky kids!

Sorry that should have read "skating" along the slough!

I would agree Ben that much has been lost along the way regarding the celebration of Christmas.

We still try to do our part to be more aware of the needs of others, of sharing, of caring, of giving, of celebrating and being more involved in the local needs of our community.

Even though we do this all year long, Christmas and winter seems to make us all much more aware of those less fortunate.

In stead of sending Christmas cards, we use that money to provide food hampers for St. Vincent de Paul and Salvation Army. At work, we purchase gifts and donate them to St. Vincent for the hampers instead of wishing everyone a Merry Christmas in the media.

There is so much more we can do. Surprisingly, many people do not know the reason we celebrate Christmas. It's to acknowledge and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. So, for those who believe in God, this is their reason of the season for celebrating. Chester

A Merry Christmas and Hanukka to all!

And a Happy and Healthy New Year 2007!