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fl Twas the night before Christmas and there in his chair
? a father was moaning and tearing his hair,
While up in their beds the kids wondered why
! on the night before Christmas their daddy should cry.
The money'd been paid, the gifts had been bought.
and all had seemed perfect ? or so Dad had thought.
He'd gone to the car, put the toys on the seat,
then walked to the market for good things to eat.
Then back to the car, and what did he find?
. Some thief in the night had stolen him blind.
Santa Claus won't be the only person tiptoeing around
during Christmas carrying gifts. Instead of giving gifts,
some people will be engaged in the process of "taking,"
that is, stealing them. Thieves such as these will be sneak
ing through darkened parking lots at busy shopping malls
prying open car doors and trunks in search for goodies.
By taking to heart a few pointers, you may be able to
avoid a scene such as the one described above.
* When you are out shopping and find it necessary to
leave your car unattended with gifts inside, always lock
your purchases in the trunk. Although professional thieves
can reportedly pry open trunks in 30 seconds or less, the
trunk is still the safest place for your valuables because it
,f removes the visible temptation for would-be robbers.
J * A move that will thwart some thieves is this : after you
make a purchase and return to the car with it, put it in the
trunk and then drive to another parking place, even if it is
in the same mall. And try not to leave the car unattended
ifor any length of time. If you are shopping with a group of
* friends, take turns watching the car if there are valuables
inside.
? Whenever possible, park your car in a brightly-lit,
well-traveled area. And if you lock your car, always take
the keys with you. The only thing worse than losing your
Christmas gifts is losing your entire car.
Possibly the hottest item this Christmas for thieves is the
CB radio. By taking precautions such as removing your
antenna and radio from the car when it's left unattended,
you can avoid the theft of this valuable item. Ask your CB
dealer for other suggestions.
Above all, enjoy this holiday season, and make your gifts
reach those who deserve them.
Decorating Idea
Greens, leaves, berries
and seed pods.
Here are some ideas for
making these items an in
teresting part of holiday
decor.
A rope of evergreens is
easy to make and might do
well over your door frame,
manUe or along a stair rail.
Materials needed in
clude: rope long enough for
* your needs, short lengths of
wire from 15 to 18 inches,
short sprays of evergreen,
balls, bows, red berries or
H bells.
Place a bunch of
evergreen against the rope
and fasten in place with
wire. Repeat along the
length of the rope and drape
as desired.
Locate places where ad
ditional decorations ? ber
rie, balls or bells ? would
be effective and wire them
on.
Fasten the decorated
rope in place with tape,
tacks, corsage pins or small
nails.
Lengths of evergreen can
also be wired together as a
spray and decorated with
bells, balls, or ribbons.
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^CoHectors Seek Old Toys
WASHINGTON - Kids,
beware of your toys,
especially if they're old
hand-me-downs. A sneaky
grown-up may lure them
away from you.
Nostalgia, a booming an
tique market, and general
inflation have created a
soaring demand for old
toys, the National
Geographic Society
reports. What may have
been a Christmas delight of
yesteryear, is a collector's
dream today.
Doll houses, toy banks,
electric trains are all hot
items. Mechanical play
things dating from the 19th
century command a
premium. A bank shaped
like a firehouse so en
thralled one collector that
he paid $500 for it. At the in
sertion of a coin, a gong
sounds, the doors fly open,
and a horsedrawn fire
wagon pops out.
BRING BIG MONEY
A sale of antique toys in
Los Angeles managed by a
prestigious British auction
house recently brought in
more than $31,000. Other
toy auctions are planned in
Europe, the United States,
and Japan.
To the avid collector
money isn't everything.
"Gathering old toys," said
one devotee, "is like stamp
collecting. There's more in
terest to it, because there's
a history behind each item.
They don't become obsolete
the way so many modern
toys do."
Few of the faithful who
rvimmage through antique
stores, flea markets, and
house sales expect to
find playthings in mint
condition.
On the contrary, there
seems to be even more of a
demand for well-loved
sagging teddy bears with
patchy fur then for unmar
red ones with plush skins
and plump bodies.
As one folklorist com
mented: "A toy in perfect
condition is a pathetic
thing. The toy which never
knew the delight of a child
has lost some of the essence
that gives it meaning and
genuine value."
Adults and children alike
lavished love on toys in
Colonial times. Most of the
tiny animals, doll houses,
carts, and rocking horses
were hand-crafted by
devoted fathers for their of
fspring. Once in a while if a
settler could afford it, he
splurged on a sophisticated
toy from Europe.
The toy or mechanical
bank craze started
sometime in the 1870s.
Clowns swallowed coins
and rolled their eyes. A
deposit encouraged dogs to
wag their tails, and the
right piece of money placed
in an eagle's mouth flapped
the bird's wings.
Not long ago one budding
collector thought he had
found a real treasure. It
was a classic 19th-century
bucking mule bank. The
mule kicks a coin into an
open barn door and a small
dog appears. The collec
tor's joy was short-lived.
When he examined the bot
tom of his acquisition, he
saw: Made in Taiwan.
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A Seasonal Greeting to all of our wonderful
friends. We want to wish you the very best.
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It's that joyous and gladsome time of year when we open our hearts and
homes to one and all. sharing our blessings large and small. May yours
be the rtch delight that comes with partaking of the spirit of Christmas.
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Holiday Driving Tip
It's holiday time again
and if you're like many
Americans you will be tak
ing to the open roads to visit
family and friends. And the
longer the drive the greater
the chance that you might
fall asleep behind the
wheel. So be prepared.
If you are getting drowsy
while driving, the best thing
you can do is to pull off the
road and rest a while. Walk
around a little, have a cup
of coffee, and even get a
bite to eat. But don't con
tinue your trip until you feel
If for some reason you
can't pull off the road, a
series of exercises
developed by a University
of California doctor can
help keep you alert and
awake.
The series for highway
drivers suggests that at the
first sign of drowsiness, the
driver should start wrig
gling his toes. The hands
are next and should be ex
ercised by gripping the
steering wheel tightly and
then relaxing.
This should be followed
by alternately focusing the
eyea on the road ahead and
then on the dashboard.
Neck muscles can be exer
cised by moving the head
from side to side while
keeping eyes on the road.
The series ends with the
driver taking deep breaths
and sitting straight with his
back arched against the
back of the seat.
These exercises will keep
a tired driver awake but
remember, the beat adviee
is still to pull off the road
and get some needed rest.
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We're never too busy
to pause and wish
you the best for this
holiday season.
Thank you for letting
us serve you.