By the
Trout Lake Newswriters
Pat Arnold, 395-2233
Maxine Bulick, 395-2101
Sarah Burr Arnold, 395-2669
I've never done this before, but I'm going to start the column with quotes -- familiar to you all, I'm sure, one from Charles Dickens and one from Dr. Seuss.
"'A Merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!!'" cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew... 'Bah!' said Scrooge. 'Humbug! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough...What's Christmas-time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books, and having every item in 'em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? If I could work my will,' said Scrooge indignantly, 'every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should! Much good may it do you! Much good it has ever done you!'
"There are many things from which I might have derived good by which I have not profited, I dare say,' returned the nephew. 'Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas-time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it HAS done me good and WILL do me good, and I say, God bless it.'"
"Every Who down in Who-Ville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all!...It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags."
Here in Trout Lake maybe we are Whoville. Some of us don't celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, but everyone I meet seems to feel, with Scrooge's nephew, that this is a good time, a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time. Individually and as a community we have suffered losses, will always suffer losses, but yet I think we are with Scrooge's nephew that this is a good time, a kind forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.
The Cantata tonight was the usual marvel of watching a choir of friends and neighbors sing beautifully and make those key changes, only this time it was Angela Pearson conducting, taking her turn in the procession of many previous conductors. Tomorrow night is caroling with soup at Jonah afterwards and Tuesday is the gift baskets for the less fortunate here in Trout Lake, and Wednesday is another evening of caroling and Thursday is the Christmas Eve service at the Presbyterian Church at 7. This year George Woodruff will not be ringing the bell, handing the rope to wanna-be bell ringers, turning the bell back over when someone pulls too hard, and smiling as if it was the most fun he'd had in years. But it will ring, in joy and in memory of all who are not with us.
There's a little bit of actual news. Put Cabin Fever on your calendar for the weekend of January 15-18, although I don't know exactly which days. Call Camden McMahon to volunteer.
The Trout Lake Area Business Association has elected new officers, who are: Rick Allen, president; vice-president, Don Warner; treasurer, Bev Meyer; and secretary, Mary Morris. The TLABA welcomes new members in the greater TL area as we re-vitalize the organization. They would appreciate any input on creative business-generating ideas. Call Rick Allen if you are willing to help. Computer skills are nice, but can be learned if you are not computer savvy. If the TLABA gets really savvy, they might even start using Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn!
Which reminds me, that we should note that Facebook actually has a Trout Lake group and a great many Trout Lake members. No Trout Lake page as far as I know, but if one does go up, let's make sure it's got two nice pictures of cows, one Jersey and one Holstein, possibly standing in a field of Echinacea. Can we get a group shot of the whole population?
I end with the newswriters' heartfelt wishes for all to enjoy a wonderful holiday season with hearts filled with love. Pat Arnold, newswriter.
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