Arcanum News: Once again the holiday season is here

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Once again the holiday season is here. It is that time of year that we all celebrate by going shopping.

According to the commercials on TV, this is how the “season” must be celebrated since they started reminding us the day after Halloween. It wasn’t always called the holiday season and it used to be celebrated very differently.

Christians used to call it “Christmas” and celebrated the birth of Christ by going to church. Jewish people called it “Hanukkah” and went to synagogue to celebrate the re-dedication, and atheists called it “a great excuse to drink in superfluous amounts” and went to parties.

In the old days, Christian people would greet each other with an enthusiastic “Merry Christmas.” Jewish people would offer an equally enthusiastic “Happy Hanukkah” and atheists would be greeted with an urgent “Hey watch out for that wall.” Today, we greet each other with a standard “season’s greetings” or “happy holidays” to be “politically correct.”

Oddly enough, the gifts I remember the most have very little monetary value; in fact, my fondest memories of Christmas are the hugs, kisses and smiles of my extended family at my grandmother’s house enjoying her delicious cooking. Merriam Webster defines a gift as “Something voluntarily transferred from one person to another without compensation”. So technically, I guess hugs and kisses, spending time with others and smiling are in fact gifts. Maybe shopping isn’t really what Christmas is about after all. May you and your family find your Christmas spirit and share it with all those around you.

Does your family have traditions for Christmas Eve? Our family tradition includes attending church services each year to begin our celebration. Perhaps you will be alone and would like to or have company that would like to attend a local church service but need to know service times. I would like to request that local churches in the Arcanum and Pitsburg area let me know of their special service times so that I can notify members of our community. Please feel free to contact me via email at [email protected] or telephone 937/692-6188. Thank you!

Attention Senior Citizens of the Arcanum-Butler Local School District! On Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., Arcanum Schools will host their annual Christmas Luncheon for the area senior citizens. Senior citizens of the Arcanum-Butler Local School District will enjoy a nice lunch and some great entertainment from the students of the Arcanum-Butler Local Schools! This free lunch will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the cafetorium.

AHS basketball scheduling update: The boys’ basketball game vs. Coldwater originally scheduled for December 2 will now be played December 17 at Coldwater at 6 p.m.

Arcanum-Butler Local Schools will be open to the public for adult walking Monday-Thursday evenings from 6-8 p.m. now through March 30, 2017. Walking will be restricted to the first floor tiled hallways.

The Friends of Historic Bear’s Mill continued to ring in the holiday season with their traditional Candlelight Walk around the millrace this past weekend. If you are looking for a truly unique gift visit their gift shop for some one-of-a-kind gifts this year. Featured this year are Inside the Mill, a special holiday artist series, ADORN the Home, debuts which features local artists Julie Clark, Loretta Wray and Dionne Fleming stoneware, pottery and sculptures. Artist Terri Logan joins the series with ADORN the Body metal and stone jewelry. Historic Bear’s Mill is located north of Arcanum at 6450 Arcanum-Bear’s Mill Road.

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” ~W.T. Ellis

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” ~Dale Evans Rogers

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By Vickie Rhodehamel

Arcanum News

Vickie Rhodehamel is a volunteer citizen columnist, who serves The Daily Advocate readers weekly with her Arcanum community column. She can be reached by calling 937-692-6188, by e-mail at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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