Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A — Wednesday, December 23, 2009, The True Citizen
inions
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The Pledge Of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which
jit stands, one Nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all.
★ -A'’*’*- ★ ★ ★ ★
The little Christmas Tree
that decorated itself
By Roy F. Chalker Sr.
(Editor’s note: The following Christmas story was written many
years ago by the late Roy F. Chalker Sr)
Once upon a time, just before Christmas, there was a little tree,
one of many, in a group being sold to eager families for their
very own Christmas trees.
Some of the trees were large and some were small. Some were
graceful and some were shaped like a heart standing on its head.
Some were very dignified and were not only meant for chil
dren. while others were jolly looking - just like Santa himself.
But. one little tree was slightly bent and not very attractive at
all. It was hidden over behind all the rest, not likely to be seen. It
shyly looked at all the beautiful trees around it and was glad they
were finding families to spend Christmas with. At least they would
be dressed in baubles and tinsel and be beautiful and have many
gifts at their feet.
The bent little tree was happy for everyone as it watched fa
thers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers patting and
selecting while children urged them on.
But slowly, all the other trees were being chosen while the lonely
little tree became more lonely. Finally, it was too much. The little
tree began to cry. As the tears fell on the green branches they
stuck and froze into beautiful diamonds, which glowed and
sparkled in the late evening. But. no one could see. because the
little bent tree was hidden from the people out front.
But then, a quiet little boy came to the man selling trees. He
stood to one side for a long time before he could muster the cour
age to say, “Mister, I only have a quarter. Do you have a tree I
can buy?”
“Yes. You can have that little crooked tree you will find at the
back of the lot. It’s not much of a tree but you can have it for
nothing.”
The little fellow’s face lit up as he hurried to find his tree. To
his happy amazement, he found the most beautiful tree in the
world. It was already decorated with the finest array of sparkling
jewels and it had a very special glow of its own - as if it were
bubbling over with happiness. It was no longer ugly.
It became the centerpiece of Christmas happiness for a special
little boy and his family. And. the tears it had cried were turned
into permanent jewels - permanent at least for all the Christmas
Holidays.
And this is how a lonely little tree decorated itself.
Looking Back
(True (Ktitzett
P.O. Box 948 • 601 E. 6th Street
Waynesboro, Georgia 30830
Telephone: (706) 554-2111 • Fax: (706) 554-2437
Published every Wednesday by TheTrue Citizen, Inc. Pe
riodical Postage Paid at Waynesboro, Georgia (USPS
642-300)
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The True
Citizen, P.O. Box 948, Waynesboro, GA 30830.
Roy F. Chalker
1915-1994
Roy F. Chalker Jr. Bonnie K. Taylor
Editor & Publisher General Manager
Elizabeth Billips
Associate Editor
Jill DuMars, advertising composition and computer pho
tography; Susie Barefield, classifieds and circulation;
Betty Belk, accounting and bookkeeping; Lavonna
Drawdy, advertising composition and design and adver
tising sales; Lisa J. Chance, page designer; Anne Marie
Kyzer, staff writer; and Tres Bragg, staff writer and ad
vertising composition..
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RFD
10 years ago: December 22,1999
Officers of the Georgia Historical Society unveiled a marker
on the Courthouse square in honor of the bicentennial of George
Washington’s death, and commemorating his visit to Waynesboro
during his Southern Tour in 1791.
The Liberty Square Historic Association placed 13 solid teak
benches on Liberty Street, with plans to add 30 trees and 11
wrought iron trash receptacles in the near future.
25 years ago: December 19,1984
The City of Sardis changed the name of its major thoroughfare
to Charles H. Perry Boulevard. Perry, a resident of Sardis since
1925, was recognized for many years of generosity and civic
involvement.
Jim Bailey, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Bailey, was hired as a
pilot by American Airlines.
Local realtors said rental housing availability in the county was
almost non-existent. They cited demand from construction work
ers at Plant Vogtle and an overall lack of rental units in the county
as the cause.
50 years ago: December 24,1959
Winners in the annual Christmas decoration contest included
Mrs. Bill Parker. Mrs. R.C. Neely and Miss Mary Nell Jenkins.
Candidates announcing for the March 9 Democratic Primary
included Mrs. John R. Dinkins, tax commissioner; E.M. Price,
Judge of City Court; John Ward, coroner; D. J. Cliett, sheriff; A.H.
Gnann. school superintendent; Raymond DeLaigle, clerk of Su
perior Court; and John J. Jones, ordinary of Burke County. County
- See Looking Back, Page 5A
By Bonnie K. Taylor
General Manager The True Citizen
I want to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year! If it were not for you readers, I would not have a job.
nor would the remaining nine others at The True Citizen office.
We thank you for your loyalty.
In keeping with the true meaning of the sea
son, I believe it is appropriate for the follow
ing to be my Christmas column.
The greatest story ever told ... Luke 2: 1-20
And it came to pass in those days, that there
went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that
all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when
Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his
own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with
child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were ac
complished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son. and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was
no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And. lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory
of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them. Fear not: for. behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heav
enly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men.
- See RFD, Page 5A
Don Lively
THE SOUTHERN SAINT NICK
There’s a little known tale about Christmas in the South that
has been lost to history.
Through exhaustive research I am able to
share it with you as we celebrate the Season
once again.
As World War II drew to a close millions of
American servicemen returned to civilian life.
The Baby Boom occurred. We know all about
that. 1946 saw more American couples get
married than in any other year before or since
and the result was millions of babies born in
the next few years.
That’s documented history.
What’s not so well known is the calamity that the birth explo
sion caused.
The Catastrophic Christmas Crisis.
In the years following The War, the jolly old man at the North
Pole suddenly found himself so far behind that he was forced to
hire subcontractor Santas all over the world.
The man chosen for the job in the Blessed South, a trusted
distant cousin of the true Santa, was born on the floodplains be
tween two great rivers in South Carolina. His parents were proud
Low Country natives of Germanic origins so they named their
firstborn son accordingly.
Santee Cooper Claus.
When Santee was first approached by the real Santa to take on
the enormous task, he was skeptical. There were no reindeer in
the South. No snow. No sleighs. How could he possibly get the
job done?
Santa, impatient to get back to the North Pole, bestowed on
Santee, for a period of one year, all the magic that he would need
to carry out his mission.
So, he set forth.
For transportation, instead of eight tiny reindeer he tried eight
huge whitetail bucks but before the Christmas Season arrived,
many of the deer had been served up in steaks and roasts.
He tried Thoroughbred horses from Kentucky but they proved
to be too prissy.
He settled on eight Mississippi mules, ornery but reliable, just
like the folks from the state where they were bred.
He finally located an old sleigh at an auction barn in Ludowici
but the runners kept getting stuck in the red clay, so he settled for
a flat bottomed pirogue boat from the Louisiana Cajun country.
Utilizing the famed Dixie ingenuity he rigged the boat, which
had endured only a few gator chomps, behind the mules and took
a test flight.
It actually worked.
There being a shortage of elves in the South, Santee hired Geor
gia Tech engineers to design the new toys.
Skilled craftsmen from the University of Georgia built the toys.
South Carolina grads mapped out the routes and planned
Santee’s schedule.
Clemson and Auburn folks were brought in to clean up after
the mules.
To carry all of the gifts to the millions of homes throughout
Dixie, Santee, once again called on the magic of Christmas. He
turned a common Piggly Wiggly grocery bag into a sack big
enough to accomplish the task. The cute little pig logo could be
seen for miles. The enormous sack was secured to the pirogue
boat with a thousand rolls of duct tape.
Possessing not one shred of red clothing, Santee convinced his
wife, Peggy Jo Claus, who he’d met at a Cracker Barrel in Ten
nessee, to dye his best pair of Sears and Roebuck overalls crim
son.
It made a passable Santa suit if you didn’t look too close.
When the big night arrived Santee kissed Peggy Jo and boarded
his boat. On command the mules rose into the air and the South
ern leg of that memorable Christmas was underway.
The only problem occurred when the mules tried to fly over a
stand of exceptionally tall Georgia pines. The weight of the toys
was too much. Santee had anticipated such a possibility. He im
mediately tossed out three Claxton fruit cakes which lightened
the load by approximately half a ton.
The rest of the trip was uneventful as Santee delivered mil
lions of presents down thousands of chimneys, mostly Daisy BB
guns and Barbie dolls. After all this was still the South when
boys were still boys and girls were still girls.
At every home, instead of finding cookies and milk left by the
kids, Santee found barbecue sandwiches from North Carolina,
pralines from Charleston or Savannah and homemade sweet tea.
How the Southern folks knew that something was different that
Christmas remains a mystery for the ages.
After that year the true Santa was able to catch up and Santee
Claus went back to his real job driving a Coca Cola truck, but to
this day, many folks remember that year as the one when they
heard the call from the skies on Christmas Eve:
“Merry Christmas to all o’ yall, and to all o’ yall a good night.”
My sentiments exactly, from my house to yours.
Don Lively is a retired police officer and freelance writer. He
lives in Shell Bluff. Email Don at Livelycolo@aol.com.
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