Halton Hills Newspapers

New Tanner (Acton, ON), 20 Dec 2007, p. 18

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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2007 19THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 200718 8 Main Street North, Acton, Tel: 519-853-9615 Dec. 24 ~ 9-3 Dec. 25 ~ closed Dec. 26 ~ closed Dec. 27 ~ 9-5 Sending warm Christmas Greetings to all, with best wishes for the New Year Dec. 28 ~ 9-5 Dec. 29 ~ 9-5 Dec. 30 ~ 10-5 Dec. 31 ~ 9-3 Christmas Hours: Jan. 1 ~ closed ??????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????? Merry Christmas to our customers. 519-853-2040 8 Main St. N Acton (Giant Tiger Plaza) Dec. 24 Closing 7 pm Dec. 25 CLOSED Dec. 26 Open 8 am to 9 pm Dec. 31 Open 6 am to 11 p.m. Jan. 1 Open 7 am to 9 pm 340 Queen St. (Directy behind Prosperity one- Credit union) Wishes all their customers a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Thank you for your support & we look forward to serving you in 2008. CLOSED December 24-26th inclusive CLOSED January. According to Luke 2:1-16 In those days a decree went out from Em- peror Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the fi rst registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be regis- tered. Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her fi rstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fi elds keeping watch over their fl ock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrifi ed. But the angel said to them Do not be afraid; for see I am brining you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you; you will fi nd a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying Glory to God in the high- est heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favours! When the angels had left them and gone to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that had taken place, which the Lord has made known to us. So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. Luke (2:1-16) That first Christmas Kissing under the mistletoe, a custom which provides much merriment at Christmas family parties, owes its origins to the culture of Norse, the warlike people who ravaged Europe for centuries. Mistletoe was thought to be sacred by ancient Europeans. Druid priests employed it in their sacrifi ces to the gods, while Celtic people felt it possessed miraculous healing powers. In fact, in the Celtic language mistletoe means all heal. It was thought mistletoe not only cured disease, but could also render poisons harmless, make humans and animals prolifi c, keep one safe from witchcraft, protect the house from ghosts and even make them speak. It was also thought to bring good luck to anyone privileged to have it. Norsemen had a symbolic myth about mistletoe. The story goes that mistletoe was the sacred plant of Frigga, goddess of love and the mother of Balder, the god of summer sun. Balder had a dream of death, which greatly alarmed his mother, for should he die, all life on earth would end. It is related the tears she shed for her son turned into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant. In her joy Frigga kissed everyone who passed beneath the tree on which it grew. The story ends with a decree that who should ever stand under the humble mistletoe, no harm should befall them, only kiss a token of love. Later, the eighteenth-century English credited mistletoe not with healing powers, but with a certain magical appeal called a kissing ball. At Christmas time a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she couldnt expect to take a trip to the altar the following year. Mistletoe kiss an old Norse custom Carols always special part of our Christmas Carols, according to the Gage Canadian dictionary, are songs or hymns of joy and not necessarily associated with Christmas. Most people in Canada, however, would equate Christmas and carols as synonymous. Christmas music, espe- cially the carols, is a very special part of the Christmas celebration around the world. Caroling is a Christmas tradi- tion that allows the beauty of music to be shared. Many ancient carols were composed to commemorate or retell the stores and customs surrounding the Christmas celebration, before books were printed and before most people could read them. Some of them were dance forms, from which the word carol derives. There are two categories of carols traditional and reli- gious. Examples of the former evolved in England during the medieval period. Traditional carols were sung in the language of the people, rather than in Latin, and were less religious. They were derived from tradition- al drinking feasting or folk songs, straying from the reli- gious themes found in music of the church. In the early days, car- ols were sung by waits, or bands of men and boys singing outdoors, usually for money. By the 14th century these traditional carols, often accompanied with dancing, were fi rmly entrenched as part of the festivities surrounding Christmas. Carols, or hymns, are still very much an essential part of the caroling repertoire. Some of this devotional and inspir- ing music has been composed by world-famous composers such as Handel (Joy To The World), Bach (How Bright- ly Beams the Morning Star) and Mendelssohn (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing). Their lyrics generally focus on the birth of Christ as told in the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew. Martin Luther wrote the words to Away in a Manger. What is probably the most authentic Canadian Christmas carol was originally called Jesous Ahatonhia com- posed by Jean Brebeuf, Jesuit missionary to Huronia, in the 1640s, with Huron words and a French tune. It has since been translated into French as, Jesus est Nee, and in English as, The Huron Carol. No matter where they origi- nated or how many times they are played or sung, Christmas carols never seem to lose their appeal, even though shopping malls and plazas play them well before the Christmas season. During World War I , German and British troops faced each other over ter- rain terraced and destroyed by trenches and shell holes, soldiers on both sides are said to have taken up the carol Silent Night started by one lone German soldier, his heart no doubt back in his native Bavaria. The war was forgot- ten and there were dreams of heavenly peace. Merry Christmas to everyone! From the staff of The New Tanner.

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