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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Mon. December 31, 1984 editorial comments A A PLEAGE 00 NOT ORINKK AND DRIVE -- HAPPY NOW YEAQ cA darren PORT PERRY STAR 74-85 chatterbox Are you or are you not sick of Christmas yet? You should be, if you're not. Everyone else is, especially my mother. The day after Christmas rolled around she was whining about taking down the tree. "What for?' asked Dad. "Why not leave it until New Year's?" asked.me. Mom looked at us, then looked at the tree, which was already wilting, plopping needles across the carpet like a chicken with a mild case of diarrhea. 'Oh, I dunno," she signed. Heavily. (Mothers always sign heavily. Have you ever noticed this?) 'Once Christ- mas is over (sigh), it's over." Profound words, no? But profundity aside, I disagree with her. Although December 25th, 1984 is history, Christmas, at least the spirit of Christmas, has not yet had the biscuit. Witness the stores of Port Perry, for example. It's hard to believe but I think I've spent more moolah after Christmas than I did before. And so have a lot of other people --- mostly the kind of folks who see a SALE sign and their eyes light up with the kind of fervour usually reser- ved for teenagers at a Twisted Sister concert. Also witness the hangovers of people who are still im- bibing leftover eggnog, leftover turkey, leftover plum pudding and the heaps and heaps of those terrible peel Christmas cookies that won't be eaten until Labour Day. But mostly, Christmas is not officially over until everyone in town has finished TALKING about Christ- mas. You know, like "How was your Christmas?', or 'What did you do for Christmas,' or "What did you get for Christmas?" This last question is one of the most commonly asked questions directed from the mouths of babes and other mercenary types jn the weeks following Christmas. Really, I don't know why people keep asking this question because they never really want to know the answer. I, for example, always ask this question, but could care less about the answer. I merely ask it to be polite but always end up depressed when the answer includes any of the following: a) fur coats, b) diamonds, ¢) money, d) money, e) money. Especially lots of money. Then I get really depressed. You see, once they get through telling me about their reams of presents they ask me what I got for Christmas. And I have to tell them about my new underwear, the orange in my stocking, and the three cans of deodrant my snarky brother traditionally gives me. Actually, I lie. I was spoiled this Christmas, by my en- tire family and my boyfriend Paul-baby's family too. But mostly by Paul-baby. Like, three months ago he tells me 'I've got your Christmas present." And I'm not going to tell you what it is." "Gimme a hint,""' I demanded. "Uh, uh." "A small hint." "Well, it'll help you pay your bills." * I think furiously. Money? Camera equipment? A calculator? A gift certificate for H&R Block? by Cathy Robb "Uh, uh." So for the next three months before Christmas, I go nuts. He says, "Well, I can't afford to do anything this Saturday because I spent so much on your Christmas present.™ I think, a cruise around the world? Liz Taylor's jewellry collection? A new Lada? "Uh, uh." Two months before Christmas I find out my sister Whiz knows what Paul-baby is getting me. So does my mother. Neither one of the finks will tell me what it is. "Will I like it?" I ask Whiz. "Yeah, I guess so, ' she says non-commitally. "Is it something I've asked for?"' I press. "No, I don't think you've mentioned it yet." "Is it an engagement ring?" I ask, excited beyond belief. "Uh, uh." And then, a couple days before Christmas, I run into Paul-baby's sister, Lydia, who is no help either. "I just love the present Paul is giving you," she says. Grinning. "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah. I have to control myself from taking a big bite of it." A big bite of it? Does this mean it's food? A one-year gift certificate to a grocery store? A can of pork and beans? An extra-large economy jar of peanut butter? "Uh, uh." So Christmas Day finally rolls around and I go to Church and go through all the other Christmas pleasan- tries but what I'm really dying to find out is what Paul- baby got me. Around 2 p.m. I head eagerly over to his house, where I am handed a card from the Christmas tree. The card tells me I'm going to have to earn my present. Meaning: ten routines on Paul-baby's rowing exercise machine. "Uh, uh," I say. "C'mon," Paul's family wheedles. "No way." I think, there's no way I'm going to em- barrass myself on that stupid machine in front of everybody. "Okay, suck,' sighs Paul-baby, pouting. "Go into the bedroom. Your present is there." So I do. Eagerly. And sitting in a chair is a giant bear. Holding a card. The card reads something about 'Yes, I am present. But in order to go with you I need something to wear. So look in the closet and whatever you find with a red ribbon on it is yours." And did I look in the closet? Is the Pope Catholic? There, finally, wrapped in red ribbon, was my present from Paul-baby. And that's all I'm going to tell you. If you really want to know what I got for Christmas, you're going to have to ask me. Happy New Year. Past and Future At this time of year, most newspapers take the op- portunity to look back on the events of the past 12 months, and make some predictions of what may transpire in the year ahead. In Scugog Township, the past year can probably be characterized by the lack of any "hot, burning' local issue. There simply was none. About the closest thing we had to a controversial issue was the condition dur- ing the summer months of Lake Scugog itself: clogged with weeds. Everybody talked about the weeds. Nearly everyone had an opinion as to what caused their phenomenal growth and what can be done to get rid of them. The local council, to its credit, took some steps in 1984 to try and find some answers to this problem, by setting up a task force made up partly of people with some expertise in water and lake quality. The Task Force had its first meeting early in December. If there was one message coming out of that ~ first meeting, it was that the problem of the Lake Scugog weeds is a complicated one with a great many factors, and a solution to this problem (if indeed there is one), will be equally as complicated. Still, the Task Force has agreed to meet again in January, and the members at that time may have some concrete suggestions. Also, the local council to its credit has taken the in- itiative to replae the municipally-owned marina on the 'Port Perry waterfront. That was a positive step as the old structure was in a state of dis-repair, and hardly a credit to the water- front or the community in general. The local council had been hoping to start construc- tion of a new marina this past fall, but the project had to be delayed until 1985. However, we feel that once this facility is completed, it will do much to enhance this community. With 1985 being a year for municipal elections, we suspect the local council will not want to find itself em- broiled in any controversial issue. However, we would suggest that the time is coming in the not-too-distant future, when there will have to be a serious examination of recreation facilities available to the people of Scugog Township: specifically improvements-to the -baseball diamonds and/or construction of a new diamond. Also, it is becoming evident that the Scugog Arena is being used to the maximum, and a second ice pad may be necessary. These are important issues that demand serious at- tention. Obviously, recreation facilities must keep pace with a growing population and what appears to be a re- kindled interest by people of all ages in organized sport. But for the most part in 1984, the local council kept busy with the routine work of running this Township. Several new development proposals created some con- troversy, but they were *'local" issues and hardly grabb- ed the imagination of the majority of the people in Scugog. We suspect that this pattern will continue through 1985, and we won't see a return to the time a few years ago when the council chambers were jammed with irate taxpapers, and the letters to the editor column of this paper was filled week in and week out with writers tak- ing sides on a local issue. Itis our firm belief that the quality of life in Scugog Township is second to none, and if one needs evidence of this fact, just look at the number of people who are moving to Scugog. The growth has been steady, and most people who decide to make their home here, soon discover that they made the right decision. Itis a fine community to live and work; a great place to raise children, and for others a pleasant place to retire and enjoy life. If all this sounds a bit like cheer-leading, so be it. There is nothing wrong with sounding the trumpets of prnise once in a while. We are confident that the Township will continue to flourish in 1985 and the years to come. As for Canada, we are not sure what the New Year will bring. The people of this country voted for a radical change in government last September and we believe that vote was a clear message that change was long over-due, not just in substance, but in style. Brian Mulroney has told the people of Canada that the first priority of his government will be to put the economic house in order. Who can quibble with that? But we believe that a change in attitude on the part of all Canadians is important as well. The people of this country have bickered and squabbled among themselves to the point where Canada was in serious danger of breaking into self-centered regions. We bickered about everything: the economy, language, (Turn to page 6) i AN cts, aa fa oN do ol ab