Whitewater News & Opinion for December 11, 2019

12.4. Sympathy to homeless people and anyone out in the cold and snow.

Get well to Richard Dunbar. He is at Whitewater Ranch. Dixie Moore is here as well. Farewell, and God bless to Nancy Olson who is moving to a town near Bozeman. She will be near her daughter and soon to arrive grandbaby! Congrats to them.

There was a delicious dinner party at the North 40 Sunday for Nancy Olson's moving.

Basketball season is here. Whitewater “Penguins” and North County Mavericks are traveling to games.

Dallas and Ashley Green went to Lustre to see Sommer and Rory play with younger teams. Good luck to all teams.

Happy birthday to all birthdays in December, especially to baby Jesus, born on Christmas Day!!

If you are mailing gifts, especially to Canada, mail them early. On a side note, postage to Canada is really expensive. I know this as I just sent gifts to Canada family.

Remember to give to your favorite charity this season. During the holidays we all enjoy special food and drinks a couple of mine are Divinity, Christmas Divinity, and Pretty Holiday Divinity. Visit the Phillips County News office to get a copy of these recipes.

12-11. Sympathy to the family of Cash Taylor, the young man who was killed in an accident recently. Please drive carefully everyone.

On Thanksgiving, over 100 people attended a dinner at Malta Lutheran Church. It was a really delicious dinner with turkey, dressing, bye, and all the trimmings. I went, ate, and enjoyed with others.

Later that day, I went to the Siewings’ house to help Paul and Leona celebrate their wedding anniversary. Congratulations to them! We played and sang the piano and Charles played the Jarama. It is like a drum, but it has three different tones! Charles plays really awesome. Charles and Darlene were family of the Siewings. We had a nice time.

Many folks traveled over Thanksgiving. Carolyn, Margie Olson's daughter, spent Thanksgiving with Margie. How nice. Carolyn lives in Wyoming.

Janice and Kurt Reichelt spend Thanksgiving with family in Colorado.

Happy birthday to all December birthdays as well as to all December anniversaries.

The Whitewater Baptist Church now meets at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays and 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. Whitewater Lutheran Church we'll have a Christmas program during church on December 22nd, 2019 at 11:15 a.m. All are welcome.

Here is a story from my book "Hills Beyond Whitewater Creek."

Chapter 42 Christmas love 1940 to 1950

Another past event was when the entire town went caroling! We began at one end of town with a few people and ended up at the other end with about 50 people. We gathered as we went. Then we went back and covered the town again, having hot chocolate cookies or other treats almost everywhere we went. it was snowing and a few nights it was 20 or 40 below! but we always saying the old Carol's, “The First Noel Hark” the “Herald Angels Sing” among others. Another time we had a hayride and actually went to the country homes, singing all the way. The temperature was below 15, but nothing could freeze out our happy warm hearts and voices.

Another highlight was the shopping trip to Malta, 40 frozen miles away to purchase simple gifts, and more importantly, to view the scenes of Christmas. The colored lights in the stores and homes, the window decorations in the various stores, all depicting the season, and Santa giving out candy if we happen to be in town the day he arrived.

We purchased small, simple, inexpensive gifts, possibly a thimble for Mom, a white handkerchief for Dad, a men's Comfort brother, a tiny bottle of cheap cologne or bubble bath for sister, and if there was any cash left, a fancy bar of soap or a cookie cutter for Mom. Lest, we had no money at all, we made small homemade gifts, maybe a pincushion for Mom - one year I made canisters by painting various sizes of old, coffee cans and pasting decals on them.

One year I made a letter holder for Dad by pasting old colored cards or wrapping paper on a cylinder of cardboard. those gifts were made with love. We wrap them and hid them in secret places, and the suspense was killing!

Although children still make gifts school, they do so because their teacher orders them to, not because they really want to; because if they did not, their parents would still have gifts nowadays as money is plentiful to buy gifts. And TV and extracurricular activities take up the time children would have to make gifts.

Probably the highlight of the season was Christmas Eve. We all went to church, and then traditionally trim the tree. Simple because in the early days we did not have lights. some people use real candles, but mom thought they were too much of a fire hazard, so we did not use them. We use tensile, some colored balls, strings of homemade garlands and paper, icicles, strings of popcorn, and always on top of the tree, as if it works to guard the home, stood the angel beautiful, saintly, white with a Golden Halo. After trimming the tree, we open some presents; but the ones from Santa always waited for morning.

Following was lunch, sandwiches with oyster soup, salad, cake, and eggnog. Delicious! Christmas was a wonderful time.

Have a nice week.

Helen A.