... and the finishing touch to any enjoyable Christmas season
is saying to our loyal friends, “Thanks and have a very
Merry Christmas.”
BERING SEA ENTERPRISES
Paul A. Mandeville, family & Staff
Phantasy With A Moral: Nobody
Can Really Mess Up Christmas
By Hal Boyle
NEW YORK (if) — Once upon
a Christmas Eva Santa Claus got
mixed up.
He was late taking off from
the North Pole. When he landed
his sled by the chimney atop the
first home on his route, he reach
ed impatiently for his spectacles
to see which packages belonged
there.
But his spectacles were gone?
"I must have dropped them,”
said Santa. “I’ll go back and
look.”
Back his reindeer flew as
Santa peered anxiously down into
the snow. It grew later and later.
Still he could see no sign of his
spectacles.
“What’ll I do without my
specs?” Santa said, his red nose
turning blue with worry. “I can’t
see the addresses on the pack
ages.”
He asked all his reindeer in
turn if they could read, and each
shook his head no and stamped
foot.
“Well, I can’t wait a moment
longer,” said Santa. “I’ll have to
do the best I can.”
So over the roofs of every land
he flew, dropping off at each
home packages he pulled from
his bag by guess-work. When
Santa got back to the North Pole
he was so discouraged he wouldn’t
even drink the steaming hot
toddy Mrs. Claus had prepared
for him.
Morning came, and the greatest
uproar mankind had ever known
arose. Nobody in the whole world
had gotten his own gift. Every
body had gotten somebody else’s
present.
Telephones everywhere jangled
in complaint. The Parliaments of
every foreign country were called
into emergency session. So was
Congress. So with the United
Nations.
What could be done? It would
take weeks or months for the
mailmen to correct the errors
Santa had made in a single night.
And meanwhile Christmas would
be ruined.
The statesmen debated and de
bated. Finalley at noon a small
boy stood up in the gallery of
the United Nations and piped up:
“Why don’t we just keep what
Santa did bring us? As long as
you get to open a package, it’s
still Christmas.”
The diplomats hesitated a mo
ment, then leaped to their feet
and cheered. Why, of course that
was the only possible answer.
Everybody at heart wants some
thing that belongs to somebody
else. That’s only human nature.
So around the world the the
word was flashed: “Everybody
open everybody else’s present—
and keep it or trade it.”
So everybody did open every
body else’s present. And were they
surprised!
Grandmas and old maids opened
their packages and found dolls
in them, and thep wept with
pleasure and said, “it has been a
long time since anyone gave us
a doll.”
Little boys were delighted to
find their packages contained
■ cufflinks and grown-up ties like
their daddies wore. And the
| fathers were pleased to see they
I had gotten a real electric train,
I something no one had sent them
I in their own childhood,
i Little girls thrilled to find their
packages held long-heeled shoes
; and black lingeries like mamas
usually get.
Everybody who opened up
everybody else’s present found it
was just what he wanted all his
life. Every heart was a bell of
joy.
There never had been a happier
Yuletide—and all because Santa
Claus got mixed up and lost his
spectacles.
Moral: Nobody can really mess
up Christmas.
Li. CoL Williams Sends Greetings
Lt. Col. Harold I. Williams, last
commanding officer of Marks Air
Force Base and so popular that
Nome declared a “Col. Williams
Day" before he departed, sends
greetings from his home in River
side Calif, to his many friends
And now it’s Christmas again! It’s strange how quickly
this day of all days slips up on us but each year, we real- i
ize we soon will be observing another great occasion. |
We find ourselves more grateful for the opportunity of |A
serving you. You have been very generoi# with your Kffl
patronage of our drug store service and products. May I
this truly be a happy Christmas for you. P\
r
For the privilege of sen- j
ing your drug needs the
past year, we say thanks. j
Only the finest products
and most reliable drugs
and prescripticns at all
times. J
I
NOME DRUG AND JEWELRY STORE