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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2008 7 GRAPEVINE with Mike OLeary The Way I See It TOP TREES: The former Kinsmen, now Men of Heritage, are still busy selling Christmas trees in the Hide House parking lot. Close to 200 hundred beautiful trees are still available with proceeds going to Heritage Acton and other local projects. Showing some of the great trees still available are Dave and Josh Martin, along with Clude nadon and Tom Cooper. - Angela Tyler photo Now that the doorknobs in Ottawa have settled down with the bonus being commissar Rae dropping out of the lib- eral leadership race, the rest of us can concentrate on the im- portant things in my life. As of today (Thursday) theres only 13 shopping days until Christ- mas. No I havent done any yet but I expect to finish this coming weekend. Always the optimist! Theres an excellent case to be made for shopping in our little town. Granted the cost of gas is more reasonable these days, but surely you dont want to increase the greenhouse gas effect by driving more then is absolutely necessary, For that matter, able bodied people can do a lot of their local shopping on foot. I would suggest those so inclined, to wear galoshes over their Birkenstocks. Over the years I have heard far too often that there isnt enough retail in our town to do your Christmas shopping. Not so my friends, not so. There are a myriad of places to shop if you are creative. One obvious place is the world renowned Hide House. I know people who think its too expen- sive. Right now, however, there are bargains to be had. Actons junior department store Giant Tiger has some unique gifts as well as a fine selection of cloth- ing and groceries. We have two fine drugstores in town both with extensive cosmetic depart- ments as well as thoughtful gifts and candles. As many of you know, I was in the gift and stationary business for more years then I want to admit. In my experi- ence Country Reflections is as fine a boutique as exists in this country. And for gifts from Hol- land try, what else, The Holland Shop. Their chocolate is to die for and the deli counter is first rate. Unfortunately My Cottage Deja vu at St. Joes Longtime parishioners s at St. Josephs Church had a sense of D vu at Saturday and Sunday masses on the weekend when Father Kevin Cull was there to preach at the annual Advent Retreat. A great nephew of the late Father V.J. Morgan, who was pastor at the Acton church for over 30 years, the family resemblance was noticeable even to the bushy eyebrows, as he said. Father Cull is now the direc- tor of vocation for the Diocese of Hamilton. He recalls visit- ing Acton and his great uncle when he was young and being greeted at the rectory door by Father Morgans pet St. Ber- nard dog. As director of vocations, Father Cull has 18 mostly young men studying for the priesthood for the Hamilton Diocese including Brendan McGrath of Acton who will be raised to the Diaconate in a ceremony in St. Anns Church in Ancaster, where he has been interning, Brendan will be ordained as a priest in May of 2009 and has selected his home parish, St. Josephs for his first mass. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bill McGrath of Acton. Mother Goose program The Acton Ontario Early Years Satellite is again offer- ing a 10-week ParentChild Mother Goose program aimed at fostering a strong bond be- tween adult and child. Two trained facilitators will lead the fun interactive program through the introduction of rhymes, songs and stories. Par- ents and caregivers of infants under a year old have an op- portunity to gain confidence in calming and soothing a fussy baby, make new friends and enjoy time with their baby. The program is offered each Tuesday from 10am 11am and runs for 10 weeks from Jan 6 March 10. Theres no fee. Call Jennifer at 905-873- 2960 to register. All Night Vigil St. Albans Church is hav- ing an all-night Advent Prayer Vigil in the church this Friday, Dec 12 from 8:30pm to 8am the next morning, Sat. Dec. 13. The vigil will be followed by a breakfast in the church hall at 8:30am Saturday. Students/teachers face off McKenzie Smith Bennett public School teachers have a unique way of getting to know their students on a per- sonal level and break down any perceived barriers. Every Friday morning early, the teachers face off against the grade 8 students in a hockey game at Acton arena. Not only are the kids participat- ing in great physical activity and improving skating and hockey skills, they are learn- ing some life skills and having fun with the teachers beyond the classroom. The games are led by teacher Matt Jones who takes time before they hit the ice to give advice on respect- ing other players, working in teams, playing fair and giving it their best. A Christmas Carol J-Force Acton Bapt is t Churchs youth choir, is presenting the musical, A Christmas Carol, at the church on Sunday, Dec 21 at 7pm. The choir is composed of kids from age 3 to 17 years. They perform two musicals each year, one in December and another in June. A special love offering will be taken to send J-Force members to Kingdom Bound 2009 Christmas Day dinner The committee for the an- nual Community Christmas Dinner is planning this years 6th annual dinner on Christ- mas Day at Beth-El Christian Reformed Church at 1pm. Christmas is about being together and the dinner is free and transportation can be pro- vided. They also do deliveries and specially invite everyone who is on their own Christ- mas Day. The turkey dinner depends on volunteers who donate dishes which have been much enjoyed in the past. Theyre extending an invita- tion to provide dishes for the dinner again. Simply call Paul- ette Switzer at 519-853-1047 if you wish to donate. RSVP to Ann Adema at 519-853- 3687 if you know of someone on their own or unable to get out. Night at MSB Students, parents and family of McKenzie Smith Bennett school (MSB) are set to gather for the annual family craft and concert night at the school, 69 Acton Blvd., on Tuesday, Dec. 16 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Stations will be set up through- out the school where students can create holiday crafts and ornaments with their families. A concert will feature inter- mediate and senior bands, the primary choir and more. Calendar coming Watch for the 2009 edition of the historic Acton calendar which should be in the Christ- mas issue of The New Tanner. The calendar is published by Heritage Acton and is eagerly looked forward to each De- cember. Dreams is closing in the new year. They still have a good selection of giftware, so this is your chance to drop by to say goodbye and drop a few bucks at same time. Dollar Stretcher Daze has a good selec- tion of home dr and stocking stuffers. Our Sobeys store is all decked out for the holidays and its a rea- sonable sized store. Ive only been in that cavernous grocery (??), down the hill once. I left there wishing I have taken a lunch and went home to take a nap. Watch for Sobeys specials in their fly- ers. Hint, if they have steaks on again stock-up. Theyre great. Taking the family out for a meal is always appreciated and you can get gift certificates to put under the tree. Mill St. Cross- ing and Tanner Pub offer a full service menu and, even more important, a good selection of draft beer. Although both serve Guinness, the selection of import brands at Mill St is more exten- sive. Mill St also has the Lasby room at the back for more intim- ate parties. Taking the family out for din- ner or lunch was something Mary and I always enjoyed. Quite hon- estly, I do believe she enjoyed it more then I. We have a number of family restaurants that serve good home style cooking. Lilys, the new Thai restaurant, Andys, Leathertown Tavern and Rallis Burger are but a few. The toasted western sandwich at Rallis burger is ginormous for the famished. Flowers are always thoughtful and appreciated gift, especially for the someone who has every- thing. Locally, Blooms Away, Blue Springs and the Sobeys flower dept. can help you pick just the right bouquet or plant. For the car enthusiast how about a gift certificate from Toth Motors for an oil change or tune-up? For the do-it- yourselfer something from Home Hardware, which also has a gift department, Leathertown Lumber, or NAPA (Formerly Carquest) on Hwy 25, north of the tracks. For that matter, a gift certificate from any of the mech- anical shops in town would be appreciated by the car enthusiast to keep old Betsy running. We have take out food running from Pizza and other delicacies, subs, burgers, fries and the al- ways popular Chinese food for those who would prefer to snug- gle beside the fire with a movie which can also be rented here in town. If youre really generous a new car from Achilles Mazda in the driveway Christmas mor- ning will have the family calling you super Santa. Of course, if something gently used would suit your gift bag better, the Ac- ton Motors and Sunnys has a decent selection. The bottom line is that shop- ping locally is good for all of us. These merchants support our charities, our schools, hire our kids and neighbours. I know that times are tough and many of us are on a reduced budget this year. What I am saying is that there is a vast array of reasonably priced items in our town and you dont have to travel hither and yen to find them. Plus, You help the lo- cal economy. Money spent on Christmas or other occasions, has a com- pounding effect on job creation. Im not suggesting you over- spend your budget, but rather ask you not to hoard your avail- able cash. Remember, if we dont sup- port our retail the terrorist win. Both the Bay St. and overseas ones. Theres one person we sure dont want to see unem- ployed. Santa. Shopping locally - good for the heart!