Category Archives: Christmas

Written by Jason Aillaud and submitted by (mom) Cindy Lou Aillaud

I have thousands of fond memories of Christmas mornings from my childhood. There would always be an orange in the toe of my stocking, a few unwrapped surprise presents under the tree, cookie crumbs and a note from Santa Claus. The video camera would make its once-a-year appearance. A fire would be roaring in the woodstove. I remember those beautiful mornings and treasure them. But as an adult what I treasure even more are the Christmas Eves. They didn’t have the fanfare, I didn’t wait for them with wild eagerness, but they were the most special nights of the year.

Candlelight service was at 6:00 in a small log church the Lutherans and Presbyterians shared. We had a choir that would sing too loud or too soft or out of key, but each member was either married to, or the parent of, or the child of someone in the congregation so their performance was perfect. If we had a pastor that year, we would listen to his or her sermon, and I would try to make sense of it, and sometimes it resonated with me and sometimes it didn’t, but I always loved sitting there on the hard pew with my feet dangling over the starkly clean, plush red carpet feeling the warmth and love and closeness of my family: Mom, Dad, and Brian.

As the service neared conclusion small, white candles haloed with paper disks were handed out by the ushers. Some years I squeezed mine and the warmth from my small hands softened the wax so I could bend it into a J, other years I was careful to keep it straight. I always looked forward to the moment the flame was passed from one parishioner to the next. I felt so responsible and careful holding my candle, so grown up. The lights would be dimmed and the darkness of the Alaskan winter would almost overtake the church, but was conquered by the 100, or so, tiny flames. And then we would sing. Everyone sang and it didn’t matter if you were good or bad or shy because it was dark and the love and togetherness of the moment carried the tune and it sounded magical and angelic and perfect.

Sometimes wax would drip onto my hand through a hole in the disk and the heat stung, but no matter what, the sounds and lyrics of “Silent Night” healed it immediately and I kept singing. At the end of the song the church bell would ring for all to hear. Sometimes it would ring early and sometimes late, I never remember the timing being right, but it didn’t matter because the person outside ringing it was someone’s dad or uncle or grandpa or friend and they had missed the candlelight and braved the cold to ring it and they were proud of their role and it was perfect.

After the service, the children were given a bag of treats, usually a couple of candy canes and a piece of fruit, and I remember these being handed to me by the pastor who had a warm smile because he loved giving them away and seeing the genuine happiness on each child’s face. And the adults would talk and laugh and shake hands because for that moment they weren’t thinking about the stresses of the holidays. Everything was either done or it wasn’t and it would work out either way.

Afterward, we would load into the car, which had been started and warmed and we donned full winter gear a thick coat, hat, mittens, snow pants, and boots and we would take the long way home so we could see all the Christmas lights. The biggest displays were at the same houses every year, but every year we would look at the electric nativities and reindeer and Santa Claus and twinkling lights and I would be awestruck by their magical beauty. Every so often I would scrape some of the ice away from the inside of the car window to sneak a glance into the sky to check for Santa Claus who I never saw, but always wanted to and maybe this would be the year.

Wrapped in warm winter gear with everyone who mattered most close enough to reach out and touch we sang Christmas carols and sometimes Mom or Dad would hum or whistle a tune and Brian and I would guess which one it was. “It’s’ Rudolph’! It’s ‘Frosty’! It’s ‘Away in the Manger’!” I felt the closeness and love for one another as the carols resonated and I watched the Christmas lights twinkling and the stars burning through the otherwise pitch-black sky.

We’d pull into our driveway and our own Christmas lights would be twinkling a little more than they had on previous evenings and we’d go in where it was warm and Brian and I would put on pajamas and nestle onto the couch where Dad would read “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”. The family couldn’t sit close enough as we hugged our way through the poem and the feeling of being loved was so genuine and warm and perfect.

Sometimes, as an adult, the commercialism and competitiveness of Christmas can bring me down. But it is these small moments, these heart-felt Delta Junction Christmas Eves that remind me of what is truly special about the holiday. It is the true love of family and friends and even with great physical distance between us, there is that ever-present powerful feeling of love that will always hold us as close as we were in the car looking at the Christmas lights on those perfect Christmas Eves.

Merry Christmas to everyone and especially to my family, I only hope one day I can give as much as you have given to me.

Today, let’s not just think about saving money, but rather spending the money in the right
place on the right items. The holidays are around the corner and you, like me, might be struggling with ideas on what to get your loved ones.

Let’s make this a practical Christmas. Rather than spending your hard earned money on things that will catch dust, think about buying gifts that will help not only your loved one but also the local economy.

You’ve heard me tout the values of local foods before, so this year, let’s have a local Christmas. I have a dear father-in-law that is past the time of needing anything new in the house. He thinks buying books is an extravagance when he has a good public library and new shirts I buy him are often shared with others in the community. So, this year we’ll fill up his propane tank and maybe put a little payment on his electric bill. That, to a senior on a limited income, is pure gold in the gift department.

Let’s think of some other gifts that might not be high on your radar, but would hit
homeruns in the gift department.

How about a gasoline gift card (or a charge account) at your local gasoline station for your favorite teen? Nothing they’d like better than to be able to run around a little.

Everyone gets a haircut from time to time. If you know who they have cutting their hair, give them a gift certificate. Or, just go to the local barbershop; they will love to see you.  How about a manicure or pedicure? All will be much appreciated.

Utilities are a challenge for folks. Pay their phone bill, water bill or electric bill. For privacy considerations, the company probably won’t tell you how much they owe at any time, but plunk down money to be paid on anyone’s bill and they will take it. I have grown sons and as I’m paying my cable bill, sometimes I just pay a little on theirs. They are tickled because it frees up their money for other things and I’m glad to offer just a little treat to make their lives easier.

Many of our local stores offer classes from time to time on how to use items in the store.  Buy someone a class in sewing, fly tying or painting. Or, if you have someone who has always wanted to take the Master Gardener or Master Food Preserver class from Cooperative Extension Service, offer to pay their fees and clear their schedule (that means watch the kids, guys!) so they can take the class.

We have a ton of local restaurants that offer gift certificates. I had two elderly aunts in Colorado that I was always sending dust catchers for their holidays. One year, I called the church and asked where they commonly ate. That year (and every year after) I sent them a gift certificate to their favorite local restaurant.

Buy a gym membership for someone. Now, don’t use this as an opportunity to make a comment on someone getting a little thick around the middle, or you might be in trouble.  But if they go to the gym on a regular basis, drop a little on their bill.

Buy an oil change for someone’s car. Or, give them a gift certificate to a local auto parts store so they can buy what they need to do it themselves.

We have fabulous entertainment here in Fairbanks. Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre, Fairbanks Community Drama Association, University of Alaska Drama and a hundred
other organizations offer drama, song and dance, and musical events throughout
the year.  Buy tickets for an upcoming event. If it is applicable, offer to babysit so the recipients can attend.

How about hiring a local teenager to help for a day to put up the holiday decorations and clean the house after all the festivities? Or, if you are that teenager, offer your services as a gift.

Make a donation in their name at the local library, veterans’ center or hospital. A friend purchased a book and donated it to the library in her father’s name. That Christmas, he got a picture of his granddaughters giving it to the librarian.

The idea is to spend money locally on things and services that will be used, not something that catches dust or goes on a shelf somewhere.

Roxie Rodgers Dinstel is a professor of extension on the Tanana District Extension Faculty. Questions or column requests can be e-mailed to her at rrdinstel@alaska.edu or by calling 907-474-2426. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sees Candies have arrived and you can pick up your order at IGA starting today through Wednesday.  Lucille will be at IGA at 11am to 2pm Monday through Wednesday.

If you have placed an order last month with Lucille, now is the time to pick it up.  Be careful on the snowy covered, icy roads as you venture out this week.

When: Performance will be
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
Time: 7:00pm
Where: ON STAGE @ the
Fort Greely Middle School
On base (it will be an open post for this event.)
Tickets will be sold around town for $12.00 ea.
Under 6 yrs. old are FREE
M&W Gifts, Karla King at (907)505-0269 or at the door on Saturday.
Or call Mary Lou Longwell @ (907) 322-3995

Happy Holidays!

To start with Happy Three Kings Day to our wonderful daughter-in-law Dielisse and to all the Puerto Rican families that are now a part of our little community that we call home.

Three Kings Day has become a sacred yet distant memory. Puerto Ricans in the United States have revamped the holiday–choosing to embrace both their American and Puerto Rican cultures–by combining both Christmas and Three Kings Day.   

Although celebrated by other members of the Latino community, the holiday is especially close to the hearts of Puerto Ricans.  

Three Kings Day, or El Dia de los Reyes Magos, celebrates the Biblical story of the three kings, Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, who followed a star that led them to Bethlehem, where they brought baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The journey is believed to have taken 12 days, beginning on Dec. 25 and ending with their arrival on Jan. 6. 

In Puerto Rico, the Three Kings are to children what Santa Claus is in the United States–the gift bearer. But rather than bringing Nintendo Wiis and PlayStation Portables, candy and small gifts are handed out to children with the intent of reinforcing the importance of the birth of Jesus, as opposed to the commercialized idea that is often associated with Christmas in the United States.  

Many Puerto Rican families in the United States have chosen to abbreviate Three Kings Day, combining the holiday with Christmas–setting up both a Christmas tree and a traditional nativity scene. Others may begin celebrating on Jan. 5, the eve of Three Kings Day, known as Ví­spera de Reyes in Spanish. As a part of Puerto Rican tradition, on the eve of Three Kings Day, children leave a shoebox filled with grass, sometimes accompanied by a glass of water or freshly polished shoes, under their bed or by the door to help the three kings and their camels along on their journey.   

When children wake up on the morning of Three Kings Day, the grass and water will have been replaced with candy and small gifts, believed to have been consumed by the three kings and their camels. Family and friends will then gather for a feast and to sing the rosary and folk songs. 

But visit Puerto Rico around this time of the year–especially San Juan–and you’ll find yourself in the midst of 12 days of nonstop festivities: lively music, dancing, a feast of roasted pork, pasteles, pigeon peas, rice and coconut flan.  

The festivities begin after Christmas Day at midnight with a group of carolers accompanied by guitars, maracas and congas moving from house to house, entertaining. The observers show their gratitude by rewarding them with food and drinks. Many families also host dinner parties and these festivities continue every evening until the eve of Three Kings Day, when there are parades and the singing of the rosary until dawn. On Three Kings Day, the nativity of Jesus is acted out with the Three Kings being played by real-life fathers and the baby Jesus being played by the youngest baby. The day will then conclude with a huge feast.    

Although the celebrations in the United States are incomparable to those in Puerto Rico, communities with a large population of Latinos are quite festive as well. In New York City, El Museo Del Barrio’s annual Three King’s Day Parade is held in Harlem.   

For Puerto Ricans and individuals of Puerto Rican descent, Three Kings Day is about preserving culture.

This information has been printed from Diversity Inc

The Christmas Gift  ~ By Glenna F Mckinley

Born this night a world of sin,
The Prince of Peace the Redeemer of Men.
This child of God, that was sent from on High.
To be born of Mary to suffer and die!
 
Rejected by men from the day of His birth;
To suffer and die on Calvary’s tree.
For the sins of the world to set me free.
From Bethlehem to Golgotha, he never complained
Laughed at! Spit on! Mocked in shame!
 
He was born of a woman, but He knew no sin,
This babe in the Manger the Savior of Men

We are sorry for the inconvenience, but this event has been postponed until further notice.  Photographer had to go to the lower 48 for a family emergency.

Photos will be taken during the December 11th , Alpha Omega Life Care, Inc. Community Childrens Christmas Party.

Have professional photos taken by Carol Watkins with cast member(s) and stage sets from the recent performance of the “Nutcracker”

Photographer will be on site from 3 – 6pm
Price $5 – $15 variable for # of photos and people

Please call 895-4104 for more information.

Gifts will be given to children from babies to 7 years old.  Come and celebrate Christmas!

What a night! What individual and group performances! What a spectacle! What color and drama! Classical ballet came to Delta!

We believe little in talent, but we believe a lot in motivation, dreams,hard work, and practice. And the net result of those, to which we were treated on Saturday, exemplified all of those.

The dreams, hard work, and practice, practice, practice of the performers, the Production Manager, Mr. Dennis Castello MFA, and the many, many contributors and angels too numerous to list by name, was before us to enchant and delight.

Classical ballet has Principal dancers, ensemble dancers, specialty dancers, and often some non-dancing story-line support persons. With apologies to those not mentioned by name, even though deserving, there
are some whom we must recognize individually. So many on stage were so very good, and so commanding of our attention, so mesmerizing, that we are hard put to select the principals, Those named are only mentioned in order of appearance.

The roles of Dream Fairy and the Arabian Dancer, both presented by Ms Virginia Landry, were absolutely superb! The Ice Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy, danced by Ms Anne Steele were both dazzling. We fervently hope that both of these young women will continue their studies and grace the world of ballet in years to come. Don’t relinquish the dream, ladies!

And Oh, my, the Mouse King, presented by Mr Andrew Rovan, was suitably ominous, and his Prince was elegant. He, too, will continue to develop his artistic skills, we hope.

The young ensemble dancers presenting to us Snowflakes, Icicles, French Shepherds, and Cookie Angels were delightful and charming, and the Flowers were elegant, graceful and synchronized. Once again, apologies to those not mentioned individually–the entire production thrilled and saturated the senses! One runs out of superlatives and adjectives! All of you were simply GRRRREAT!.

Finally, when all was done, and the Standing Room Only crowd surely had developed painful hands from applauding, the last group was presented for recognition. The choreographer, the set designer, the scene artist, the chief worrier, the wardrobe mistress, the props and costume keeper, the principal instructor, the traffic director, the one-who-inspires-young-persons–OOPS! Sorry–those are all one single person! Mrs
Mary Lou Longwell grinned fetchingly, curtsied classically, waved and announced “…see ya next year…” and exited with her traditional floral spray.

It was Grand. It was charming. Whatever you do, don’t miss it next year!

The photo at the top is just a sample.  Please click here and print out your coloring page.

Contest Information
Entrants must be between the ages of 1 to 10 years old.
Coloring pages are due at the Chamber of Commerce office by Friday, December 17th.

Entries are separated by the following age groups for judging purposes: 1-3; 4-5; 6-7; & 8-10.  Judging will take place prior to noon on Monday, December 20th.
Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place winners of each age group.  Winners will be identified by place ribbons.

Winning coloring pages will be displayed at the Delta Community Library from December 20-27.  All other coloring pages will be displayed at various Chamber member businesses.

Winners may claim prizes on December 23rd prior to 4 P.M.

Mail coloring pages to: Delta Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 987, Delta Junction, AK 99737 or hand deliver to: Jarvis West Building (2855 Alaska Hwy), Suite 1B
(They may be slipped under the door if after hours)

Presented by the Delta Chamber of Commerce
Location Sponsor: Delta Community Library
For Questions Contact Dani at 895-5068

Sale Dates: Now thru November 10

Customers will have their orders the week of December 5th.
Terry Detzel does the fundraiser for the Delta High School.

Come on out and order your See’s Christmas Candy. Contact Lucille by phone or stop by IGA where she will be hosting a table through November 10.  You will see Lucille sitting at IGA Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am-1pm.

For your convenience we have made an order form for you to print off. Mark your order and take your order form along with your check made out to Soroptimist to Lucille at IGA. Click here to print the order form.

 All proceeds support Breast Cancer Detection, Women in Crisis, and WICA. Contact Martha Tuharsky 488-9185 or Lucy Stock 895-4262 for more information.  Soroptimist International Fairbanks.