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Yes, Virginia

Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? VIRGINIA O’HANLON.

VIRGINIA, Your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest

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7 beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

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New Year’s Day Tradition Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

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n New Year’s Day, you’ll find people throughout the South eating black-eyed peas and greens. Many former Southerners have spread this tradition to other parts of the country. If this tradition is new to you, you probably have lots of questions – how did the tradition start? What do the foods symbolize? How do I cook them? Here are some answers to get you started. ating black-eyed peas on New Year’s has been considered good luck for at least 1,500 years. According to a portion of the Talmud written around 500 A.D., it was Jewish custom at the time to eat black-eyed peas in celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It’s possible that the tradition arrived in America with Sephardic Jews, who first arrived in Georgia in the 1730s. Common folklore tells that the tradition spread after the Civil War. The Northern Army considered the black-eyed peas to be suitable only for animals, so they didn’t carry away or destroy the crops. There are a variety of explanations for the symbolism of black-eyed peas. https://issuu.com/alamodosomagazine

11 One is that eating these simple legumes demonstrates humility and a lack of vanity. The humble nature of the black-eyed pea is echoed by the old expression, “Eat poor on New Year's, and eat fat the rest of the year.” Another explanation is that dried beans loosely resemble coins. Yet another is that because dried beans greatly expand in volume, they symbolize expanding wealth. Clearly, a lot of people closely associate good luck with monetary gain. That’s where the greens come in (green is the color of U.S. currency). Any green will do, but the most common choices are collard, turnip, or mustard greens. Golden cornbread is often added to the Southern New Year’s meal, and a well-known phrase is, “Peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold.” Pork is a staple of just about every Southern meal, so it’s usually cooked with the black-eyed peas. The pork seems to be there for flavor as opposed to symbolism, but some theorize that because pigs root forward when foraging, the pork represents positive motion. Some people throw a dime into the pot and believe that whoever winds up with the dime in their serving gets extra good luck for the coming year.

INGREDIENTS • 1 pound dried black-eyed peas • 2 small smoked ham hocks or meaty ham bone • 2 medium onions, divided • 3 large cloves garlic, halved • 1 bay leaf • 1 cup long-grain white rice • 1 can (10 to 14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with chili peppers, juices reserved • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped • 3 ribs celery, chopped • 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, minced • 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin • 3/4 teaspoon salt CONTINUED ON PAGE 59

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Kitty City NM & Classy Cats a Rescue Duo PART 2 “Build it and they will come” is an understatement in animal rescue. Word quickly spread of a new cat rescue in town and in a very short time, Ed with his compassionate nature had taken in to many rescues. It was so hard to say no.

has its own deadly consequences.

During the next four years Kitty City NM continued to grow as did Ed’s Ed quickly learned two very important knowledge about cats, rescue and fund lessons about running an a cat rescue. One, raising. your rescue is only as good as its volunteers and he was going to have to solicit more Two of Ed’s sisters lived near Kitty City help. Without them and plenty of them he NM and became his most ardent supporters would not survive. and his most valuable bottle feeders. The two girls became experts at bottle feeding And two, Ed quickly learned that motherless babes and with their self-taught overloading a colony of cats can have knowledge and practical experience were deadly consequences. Due to the overload, able to help train other volunteers. created only by his compassion and big heart, some of the cats began developing In early 2010 Ed’s sister D’Ann stress related conditions and sadly some Dunigan left her career as a bank executive died as a result. and moved to Alamogordo to care for their elderly mother who was struggling with Learning to say no when someone is dementia. By July D’Ann realized she desperate is a heartbreaking lesson and wanted to do more and started to take an reality in cat rescue. interest in the rescue. Regrettably due to space and financial She approached Ed and asked what he constraints, it is necessary to learn to say no thought about opening a thrift store to more often than not. support Kitty City NM. Saying no is a very difficult and heart wrenching thing to do because in many cases it is a death sentence for the animal. Unfortunately overloading a colony also

Ed jumped at the idea. Up to this time, for four years he had been Kitty City’s only financial support. Pre-banking years, D’Ann had spent 20 years working for

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15 Montgomery Ward in and around the Chicago metro area and was confident she could run a thrift store. After getting the nod from Ed, D’Ann found a location at 921 New York Avenue. She wanted a classy store. She wanted a thrift store that people would feel good about shopping in and donating to. She wanted to name the business “Classy Cats Thrift Store”. Within six weeks D’Ann got the business license, got the utilities on and obtained enough donations from local Kitty City supporters to get the doors open. One of the most valuable things D’Ann obtained at the time was Charlie Chaplin. Since her store concept was “classy” one, D’Ann knew she would need a “classy” mascot. Where else would she go to get a mascot than Kitty City? Slowly walking thru each room of Kitty City looking for the perfect mascot, she spied him right away. There, sitting aloofly on a log was the most beautiful tuxedo cat. A tuxedo cat, now that’s classy! But wait, this dude was really classy. He sported a moustache and a goatee! Charlie agreed to the transfer of living quarters and the staff at Classy Cats soon learned that when they had asked him to come and be our mascot, he thought he heard “manager”. And to this day he is known as such. All complaints at Classy Cats are

directed to Charlie who has become an icon on New York Avenue. One day D’Ann was gone for personal reasons and a volunteer was running the store. As it was nearing closing time, she realized she hadn’t seen Charlie in quite some time. She began calling him and looking in places where he sometimes napped. After an exhausting and thorough search she came to the conclusion that he had gotten outside when a customer open the door. She started to trek up and down the block asking every single shop owner if they had seen Charlie. No one had. With her head hung low she knew she had to go back to the shop and make a dreaded phone call to D’Ann. STORY CONTINUES NEXT MONTH

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Christmas, be careful to do everything in moderation. You are highly practically-minded right now and can get things done, you are looking to wrap up things for the year efficiently.

December 2016 is the month for a good rest and to relax â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you really need a mental break over December to unwind as it has been a very busy and fast-paced year. While many businesses pick up pace over December meaning more not less work, if you can plan in advance, I would try and factor in some time off so you can have a breather at some point. Do not take on any ambitious party planning this December, leave that to your mom or your sister; go to their house and let them do all the work, you deserve a rest.

One drawback of December 2016 is idealizing the past and comparing the present to the past in a way that unfairly casts the past in too positive a light and the present too critically. Do not try and recapture the past or recreate it by trying to repeat places/people/events â&#x20AC;&#x201C; nothing is as good the second time around. Live for now and do not allow reminiscing to overshadow the joy of now. Family relationships and the mutual nurturing within the family circle are important for Sagittarius in December 2016. There is a strong emphasis on respect and on the simple things that really matter. Giving is important to you, and you are giving of yourself in relationships, which will help love to flow.

In December 2016 you will have to work hard to be efficient as machinery breakdown, logistical problems and even structural problems could affect your workplace. Be prepared is the and leave more time than you need for all deadlines and journeys. https://issuu.com/alamodosomagazine

Even if you cannot slow down as such and put your feet up, it is important to do things that are recreational and relaxing, and which allow you to switch off. There is the temptation to down the alcohol this

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Of Bats & Brooms! Story by Miss Alice of Victoria on New York Avenue Hey there, it's Miss Alice again, I want to change a bit. I've always talked about Willy, but today I'm going to talk about someone named Judy.

anything of it . Not to long after hat Margaret fell down the stairs but she caught herself.

Margaret thought Judy put that thought Okay let's go back to the early 1990's, I in her mind, so she could save herself. met a really nice lady named Margaret. She A little bit later, well actually several was fineable designer of fresh flowers. years later my daughter Brenda had her She had started out in her garage, then she found a tiny little building here around the corner, it's back half of the Classy Cat's building. Margaret moved her little flower shop in there. That was where she got her beginning. Later, that business was to become Alamogordo Flower Company. Well Margaret moved in and soon found out that there was a lady already in that space. Her name is Judy and she says she's a mountain woman. Margaret likes to clean. Margaret would be sweeping up her flower shop in the evenings and she could hear someone sweeping right behind her. If things would get out of shape to bad, Judy would put it back in shape again. Also there is a mezzanine that you could you could only get to by using the back stairs and Margaret had her desk or whatever up there and one day she had this feeling that , " I might fall" well she didn't

appraisal office in that same building. Judy would follow her up and down the stairs, that's the only time she would

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23 interfere with Brenda, up and down the stairs; Brenda's footsteps and then Judy footsteps right behind her.

So the next morning, Mr Bill and I go on down to the shop to discover that save for a couple, all the bats had gone back to where ever it is that bats go to.

The fun thing is that there are some grand kids, Michael and Nikki ; oh 11 or 12 Margaret comes in a little bit later and years old. goes to back to her area to start cleaning first , and I hear her scream, There's a bat in To earn some money they would come my sink!” in on Saturday and they would clean the appraisal office. Nikki came two weeks and cleaned because Judy was always right behind her and helping her clean, and Nikki couldn't handle it. Michael was able to handle it because Judy would help him so he got all the fudge for cleaning the office. It was time for Margaret to grow, so she came Victoria's one day and she said, " You know there is this big building down the street here on New York Street, number 919. (It is a high building and if any of you have been inside and I know you have.) She said , “I can't handle it all by myself”, and I said “tell you what why don't we agree that Victoria will be with you for three years. You take the back of the building and I'll take the front of the building”. And that is what we did. We fit together like a hand in a glove. It was so much fun. So we're in there and doing good. One night at home really late, this gentleman called me and he said “Miss Alice, looks like there are bats flying around in your store.” I screeched. Can you imagine bats in your store? Mr Bill and I jumped in our car and we came over quick as a flash to the store, and

I had forgotten to tell her that there were bats flying in the store, so I got her calmed down and we called animal control , they came by and captured one bat. We found out a little bit later that a huge swarm of bats had descended on Alamogorgo, especially up at the space hall. There was bats everywhere. Well, being the entrepreneurs that Margaret and I are, we held our first annual Bat Sale. We had a blast. And, by popular demand, the following October, we had our second annual Bat Sales . It was a fun time for Margaret and I to be together and she went on to become Alamogoro’s only independent flower company. You can find her working up a storm and having a good time at Alamogordo Flower Company on Texas Avenue; and I want to say “Thank You Margaret”.

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Customers for Life Continued from Pg 39 Yup... we both knew who it was without even sharing it , There's not whole lot more to say other than , they visit us less and less frequently. I remember when they were my customers and we were serving their needs. I knew we would be serving them for a long time. But I never imagined that it would be this long. Thank you for allowing me to do so.

Long Distance Discount December 25th, 1911 https://issuu.com/alamodosomagazine

Rudolph, The Red Nose Reindeer Robert Lewis May (July 27 1905 – August 10 1976) was the creator of Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer. May grew up in an affluent, secular Jewish home in New Rochelle, New York. He had a brother and two sisters. One of the sisters, Evelyn May, is the grandmother of economist Steven D. Levitt. Another sister, Margaret, married songwriter Johnny Marks. May graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1926. Robert May’s parents were hard hit by the Great Depression and lost their wealth. Sometime in the 1930s, May moved to Chicago and took a job as a low-paid inhouse advertising copywriter for Montgomery Ward. In early 1939, May’s boss at Montgomery Ward asked him to write a “cheery” Christmas book for shoppers and suggested that an animal be the star of the book. Montgomery Ward had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money and be a nice good-will gesture.

May’s wife, Evelyn, had contracted cancer in 1937 and was quite ill as he started on the book in early 1939. May "drew on memories of his own painfully shy childhood when creating his Rudolph stories." He decided on making a deer the central character of the book because his then 4-year-old daughter,

Barbara, loved the deer in the Chicago zoo. He ran verses and chapters of the Rudolph poem by Barbara to make sure they entertained children. The final version of the poem was first read to Barbara and his wife’s parents. Evelyn May died in July, 1939. His boss offered to take him off the book assignment

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29 in light of his wife’s death. May refused and completed the poem in August, 1939. The Rudolph poem booklet was first distributed during the 1939 holiday season. Shoppers loved the poem and 2.4 million copies were distributed. War time restrictions on paper use prevented a re-issue until 1946. In that year, another 3.6 million copies were distributed to Montgomery Ward shoppers. In 1946, May received an offer from a company that wanted to do a spoken-word record of the poem. May could not give his approval (and be compensated) because Montgomery Ward held the rights to the poem. In late 1946 or early 1947, Sewell Avery, the company’s president, gave the copyright rights to the poem to May, free and clear. The spoken-word version of the poem was a big sales success. In 1947, Harry Elbaum, the head of Maxton Publishers, a small New York publishing company, took a chance and put out an updated print edition of the Rudolph (poem) book. Other publishers had passed on the book, believing that the distribution of millions of free copies had ruined the market. The book was a best seller. In 1948, May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, wrote (words and music) an adaptation of Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy Gene Autry. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas". https://issuu.com/alamodosomagazine

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Coming to Ruidoso

Annual Gelunde and Torchlight Parade with Fireworks at Ski Apache December 28 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Build your best snow-riding dummy, tie him to a pair of skis or a snowboard and watch him fly down the hill and off our giant ski launch! Then, hang out for our torchlight parade down the Capitan Trail followed by a spectacular fireworks show and more! Viewing and judging take place from 1-3 p.m. and entries are judged based on distance, air, creativity, take-off, landing and crowd response.

310 Main Rd, Ruidoso Phone: (575) 257-2165

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Carrizozo Golf Course OPEN YEAR ROUND The 9-hole Carrizozo Municipal Golf Course in Carrizozo, NM is a public golf course that opened in 2007. Carrizozo Municipal Golf Course measures 3319 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 100 and a 0 USGA rating. The course features 2 sets of tees for different skill levels. The greens are bent grass and the fairways are bermuda grass. Highway 380 East, Carrizozo, NM

Phone(s): (505) 648-2770

Towing & Auto Repair

973-4870 6470 Highway 380W Carrizozo, NM

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History of Christmas Trees

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he evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals (pagan and Christian) for thousands of years. Pagans used branches of it to decorate their homes during the winter solstice, as it made them think of the spring to come. The Romans used Fir Trees to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia. Christians use it as a sign of everlasting life with God. Nobody is really sure when Fir trees were first used as Christmas trees. It probably began about 1000 years ago in Northern Europe. Many early Christmas Trees seem to have been hung upside down from the ceiling using chains (hung from chandeliers/lighting hooks).

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35 Other early Christmas Trees, across many parts of northern Europe, were cherry or hawthorn plants (or a branch of the plant) that were put into pots and brought inside so they would hopefully flower at Christmas time. If you couldn't afford a real plant, people made pyramids of woods and they were decorated to look like a tree with paper, apples and candles. Sometimes they were carried around from house to house, rather than being displayed in a home. The first documented use of a tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations is argued between the cities of Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia! Both claim that they had the first trees; Tallinn in 1441 and Riga in 1510. Both trees were put up by the 'Brotherhood of Blackheads' which was an association of local unmarried merchants, ship owners, and foreigners in Livonia (what is now Estonia and Latvia). Little is known about either tree apart from that they were put in the town square, were dance around by the Brotherhood of Blackheads and were then set on fire. In the town square of Riga, the capital of Latvia, there is a plaque which is engraved with "The First New Year's Tree in Riga in 1510", in eight languages. A picture from Germany in 1521 which shows a tree being paraded through the streets with a man riding a horse behind it. The man is dressed a bishop, possibly representing St. Nicholas. In 1584, the historian Balthasar Russow wrote about a tradition, in Riga, of a decorated fir tree in the market square where the young men â&#x20AC;&#x153;went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflameâ&#x20AC;?. The first first person to bring a Christmas Tree into a house, in the way we know it today, may have been the 16th century German preacher Martin Luther. A story is told that, one night before Christmas, he was walking through the forest and looked up to see the stars shining through the tree branches. It was so beautiful, that he went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas. There is another legend, from Germany, about how the Christmas Tree came into being, it goes:Once on a cold Christmas Eve night, a forester and his family were in their cottage gathered round the fire to keep warm. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. When the forester opened the door, he found a poor little boy standing on CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 https://issuu.com/alamodosomagazine

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38 he door step, lost and alone. The forester welcomed him into his house and the family fed and washed him and put him to bed in the youngest sons own bed (he had to share with his brother that night!). The next morning, Christmas Morning, the family were woken up by a choir of angels, and the poor little boy had turned into Jesus, the Christ Child. The Christ Child went into the front garden of the cottage and broke a branch off a Fir tree and gave it to the family as a present to say thank you for looking after him. So ever since them, people have remembered that night by bringing a Christmas Tree into their homes! In Germany, the first Christmas Trees were decorated with edible things, such as gingerbread and gold covered apples. Then glass makers made special small ornaments similar to some of the decorations used today. In 1605 an unknown German wrote: "At Christmas they set up fir trees in the parlours of Strasbourg and hang thereon roses cut out of many-coloured paper, apples, wafers, gold foil, sweets, etc." At first, a figure of the Baby Jesus was put on the top of the tree. Over time it changed to an angel/fairy that told the shepherds about Jesus, or a star like the Wise Men saw. The first Christmas Trees came to Britain sometime in the 1830s. They became very popular in 1841, when Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's German husband) had a Christmas Tree set up in Windsor Castle. In 1848, drawing of "The Queen's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle" was published Godey's Lady's Book, Philadelphia in December 1850 (they removed the Queen's crown and Prince Albert's moustache to make it look 'American'!) Thus bringing the Christmas Tree to America.

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AND BEYOND The next customer I'll tell you about My name is Simon Chavez,.I have is George Carrillo. worked here at Western Auto Tularosa for 42 yrs. I started in 1974; it was White's The reason I am telling you about Auto at that time. these customers is since they have passed I can remember way back, we had a on, they have come to visit. They come couple of customers in particular that I to visit Joe and I. would like to talk about. About George he didn't do a lot of In mid to late 70's there were some business here,but he'd come in regularly. really good customers, the first one was He was a deputy sheriff, you know. Rumaldo Gileas. He use to buy I can figure out why Rumaldo would everything for his house here. come by , we were pretty close , very We use to sell furniture here and he supportive. Same with Marcial. George would buy everything from furniture to wasn't as close but he still came to visit. appliances. He would check with me first, I don't remember exactly when they if I didn't have it, he would give me the passed away but shortly after that, Joe opportunity to get it for him. and I would be sitting , the door would He would encourage family and friends open, ringing the bell letting us know a to come buy from me first, he was very customer had come in. supportive of me. If he knew somebody But there was no one there, and the needed something he would send them door would close by itself. over here. If they didn't come get it from me, he would get after them. Joe and I looked at each and knew who had walked in. Without talking to He tell them you go buy it from Simon. each other, we both knew who it'd be Another customer during that time, visiting us, even though we didn't see Marcial Porvecio. He had a farm next to them. It felt good to have them visit. the creek and he would buy a lot of stuff Rumaldo would come by more often from me. then the other ones. Marcial came a few We always carried our own accounts, so times, George minimal. if he'd get in bind, he'd come in talk to me We have never been able to associate and in a little while he'd say you know I'll their visits with any particular time or come by next month. event, it's just random. He would come by the following The door would open and I'd look he month and if something had happened and couldn't do the payment, he say I am would come in , Joe and I would look at each other, we knew who it was and going to sell a cow. A few days later he after they'd leave we'd talk about the would come by with the payment. He always took care of his bill. Like Rumaldo situation , Hey that was George. he was very supportive of me.

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Ad from Carrizozo News, December 22, 1911

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Story by Jeff King Alamo Stamp & Coin 1701 10th Street Alamogordo

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Take The Higher Price! Everyone knows that prices vary widely on virtually any item. Merchants constantly change prices on stock which has not sold in an effort to make a sale. However, it is not generally as well known that the merchant just has to change the price, not necessarily lower it! The price that a customer will pay is basically related to his perceived value of the item. Some true examples of actual transactions I have made in fifty years of retailing follow. One of my favorite true stories happened over 50 years ago. At the time I had a small coin shop in Santa Monica, California, selling only foreign coins. In 1964 Dansco issued a new album which held all the coins ever issued by Panama, which resulted in greatly increased demand for the coins. One day a man brought in a 1904 silver dollar which retailed in uncirculated condition (brand new) at the time for $10. His coin was deep jet black. I asked him if I could try cleaning it with silver dip and offered him $6 if it became bright silver color or $4 if it stayed black. He agreed and I paid him $4 as it stayed black. It sat in my counter for 4 weeks at $6 with no interest. As I had a small shop with limited display area I wished to sell it, so I dropped the price to $5, $4 and finally $3 in successive weeks with no results. No one ever even asked to see it. Finally, I took a sharp look at it and decided it was really a nice uncirculated coin with no traces of wear though still jet black, so I priced it at $10, the full retail price. First thing Saturday morning a regular customer came in and asked to see it. He looked at it carefully with a glass and remarked on its quality, and asked if it had been there before. I told him he had seen it four times at $6, and once each at $5, $4, and $3, but now it was $10. He asked me if I would take eight, and I said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;not on your lifeâ&#x20AC;?. He paid the $10. He had never looked at the coin because he believed that his set could only be nice if he paid full price. Another similar story occurred in the 1990s in my store in Colorado. One day I was sitting at my desk reviewing a number of Buffalo nickels which had been packaged and priced by an assistant. I noted a scarce date coin which was extra fine, worth $20, but which he had priced at only $4, the price of a badly worn coin. Just at that time, a customer came in looking for that exact date, among others, in extra fine for his collection. I had not had the time to re-price it, so I showed it to him with the remark that my helper had mispriced it, but I would honor the price shown. He just glanced at it and said he required a better one. When seated in front of him, while I showed him some other dates he sought, I removed the nickel from its holder on my lap, stapled it in a new holder and priced it at $20. I worried a little about what I would do if he asked to compare it to the four dollar coin, but it was not necessary. He looked at the nickel carefully and was excited about how nice it was and cheerfully paid the $20. Again, he valued the coin only because he paid the price.

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45 Other examples of price versus value concern jewelry. When my father retired in the late 1960s, he and my mother ran a small jewelry and gift store. One of their friends was a very elderly lady who could no longer wear her rings because of severe arthritis. She asked my dad to melt the rings and make a breast pin with the diamonds she could wear. He spent several hours on it and it was beautiful. When she came to pick it up she was somewhat upset. My dad asked her what was wrong, and she replied that she really wanted a better pin. He had only charged her $50 because she was a friend and had little money, but he learned that she had expected to have to pay at least $300. Being an accommodating sort, he agreed to do some more work on it. Two weeks later she picked up her $300 pin and was absolutely ecstatic about it. The work my dad did on the revision consisted of getting up and putting it in the safe, and going back for it two weeks later! She had saved her money to have a $300 pin and did not value it at first because the price was not right. My last tale also involves jewelry. After my father died in early 1974, I took a couple of weeks off and held a half price sale to liquidate the jewelry stock for my mother, who continued the gift shop but could not handle the jewelry. I found two small 14 karat gold pinkie rings with pretty red stones priced at $50. They were identical on small cards. As an experiment, I marked one down to $25, but I re-priced the other at $100 and marked it down to $50. I put them side by side in the case. One morning a man asked to see them and noted they looked the same. I did not want to lie to him and told him they appeared identical and probably one had the wrong price. While I waited on other customers he stood pondering the two rings for almost two full hours and finally bought the $50 ring. He had no concept of their value, but at $25 the one was too cheap to give to his wife. At $50, the price was right! Other examples will come to mind. People are trained to worship celebrities, so when one puts his or her name on a garment, for example, a $20 pair of jeans is suddenly worth $50 or even $200 or more, and some people buy them! Other people take pride in paying full price for cars, instead of asking for a discount, because the value to themselves is determined by the price paid. People with the opposite mind set will purchase their car as cheaply as they can, and take pride in beating the dealer down in price. Thus you see, there are many shades of meaning to The Price is Right!

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1905

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El Paso Times December 1970

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New Year’s Day Tradition Black-Eyed Peas and Greens Continued from page 11 PREPARATION ● In a large Dutch oven or large saucepan, combine the black-eyed peas, ham bone or ham hocks, and 6 cups water. ● Cut 1 of the onions in half and add it to the pot along with the garlic halves and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but not too soft and mushy, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. ● Remove the ham bone or hocks, cut off the meat; dice and set aside. ● Drain the peas and set aside. Remove and discard the bay leaf, onion pieces, and garlic. ● Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, and simmer until the rice is almost tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. ● Mince the remaining onion then add to the rice along with the peas, tomatoes, and their juices, red and green bell pepper, celery, jalapeno pepper, Creole seasoning, thyme, cumin, and salt. ● Cook until the rice is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the sliced green onions and the reserved diced ham. ● Serve with hot sauce and freshly baked cornbread. For a New Year's Day meal, add Mustard Greens or Turnip Greens, along with coleslaw or a tossed salad. ● Serves 6

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