Christmas Past remembered
by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr. Contributing Writer
I am old enough to know something about December.
I am acquainted with trees, and snow and shoveling, overshoes and sledding, and shopping, cards, homemade donuts, and church, and especially celebrating Christmas and what that means for Christians all over the world.
This article will share a few thoughts
about Christmas from my childhood when many families hung onto an agrarian lifestyle and more about December in the late 1800’s when the New Hampshire residents were even more dependent on growing their own food.
When I direct my thoughts to my childhood Christmas I sometimes think of the pigs. The pigs, you see, were a 4-H project, meaning that it was my responsibility to feed them twice a day, including Christmas Day.
Our traditional Christmas morning from a child’s standpoint meant rising to check the contents in our stockings which were hung, not beside our nonexistent fireplace, but on a clothesline behind the kitchen stove.
I never did figure out how Santa could come down the chimney and get into the room to fill those stockings. I’m still working on that one.
After the stocking excitement died down there was breakfast and then the
merry Christmas From the Weirs times!
Everyone here at the Weirs Times would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas!
From our many loyal advertisers to our faithful readers, we realize that without you, the Weirs Times would not even be here and we are eternally grateful.
Over the past thirty-three years we have strived to bring you the best publication we can to entertain and inform, not just with our regular weekly columnists, but also with the input and contributions from you, our readers.
As we approach our thirtyfourth year we are honored to put out this publication every week and humbled by your support.
None of this would have been possible without you.
We look forward to a bright and happy future and we wish you all the best!
Thank you!
Merry Christmas!
OUT SERVICE
The Daniel Penny Verdict
To The Editor:
My wife and I frequently visited NYC to attend Broadway Shows. We rode the subway until we had the “Daniel Penny experience”!
One night, returning from a play, we entered a subway train. We sensed something amiss but remained on the train. A woman sat in front of me with her sweater on her lap with a gun under that sweater. Two suspicious males then appeared. Five plainclothes policemen came rushing down the stairs and entered our train car. One officer stood next to me. I saw his weapon. We exited the train at the first stop unharmed.
With respect to Daniel Perry the process is the punishment! Prosecutors (persecutors) enjoy immunity from liability for actions taken in pursuit of their official duties. George Soros bought many County Attorney Elections across the USA and has used this office to inflict injustice upon innocent individuals (think Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro). The Soros Criminal Conspiracy of Prosecutors explains the Daniel Perry case, which is the criminalization of self-defense to create societal chaos in America.
The media fails to report the judge in the Daniel Penny case had three opportunities to dismiss this farce: by a motion to dismiss before a jury was chosen, by a motion to dismiss at the conclusion of the state’s
case or a motion to dismiss at the conclusion of the defendant’s evidence.
Bailiffs often report jury deliberations to the judge and prosecutor. They probably knew the jury deliberations and surmised the jury would convict Penny of the lesser included offense. Instead of sequestering the jury, the judge released them to be intimidated by public outrage. The conspiracy backfired, for reasons that may never be known, Daniel Penney was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide for the death of Jordan Neely. Somehow justice prevailed!
Charles Bradley Laconia, NH.
Perversion of The Power To Declare War
To The Editor:
Mark Twain’s wit, perhaps, describes the dilemma the majority of the U.S. Congress has suffered for decades since December 7, 1941: “It’s better to keep silent and appear stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Our military sons and daughters show courage in filling their duty, even unto death, but our Congress has found a way to shirk theirs and call undeclared wars a patriotic fight. Per Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, “Congress shall have the power to declare war.” Instead, Congress passes the buck to the President by implementing such laws as the post-9/11 Authorization to Use Military Force, perverting the original intent of the Framers. In
essence, there is a congressional abdication of power to the President to start a war. The President, in turn, has been giving this power to the UN/NATO to obtain a Resolution.
It should be noted that during all these decades of congressional silence, ignoring their duty to declare war, we the people have been no better. Those who agree turn a blind-eye to the our Framer’s clearly defined process. Those who have disagreed with our nation being involved in undeclared war are called unpatriotic. We must overcome politicians loyal to their party platforms by demanding obedience to The Constitution they swear an oath to. For this law never lies to us and reserves military might as a last resort. Hamilton’s in Federalist No.78 renders his verdict: “Every act of a delegated authority, contrary to the tenor of the commission under which it is exercised, is void. No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid.” James Madison’s Helvidius 1793 Essays opine on this critical issue: “In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace to the legislature, and not to the executive department. Beside the objection to such a mixture of heterogeneous powers: the trust and the temptation would be too great for any one man.”
Assumed powers with no constitutional backing are simply not legitimate. We will never be See MAILBOAT on 28
This newspaper was first published in 1883 by Mathew H. Calvert as Calvert’s Weirs Times and Tourists’ Gazette and continued until Mr. Calvert’s death in 1902. The new Weirs Times was reestablished in 1992 and strives to maintain the patriotic spirit of its predecessor as well as his devotion to the interests of Lake Winnipesaukee. Our newspaper’s masthead and the map of Lake Winnipesaukee in the center spread are elements in today’s paper which are taken from Calvert’s historic publication. Locally owned for 30 years, this publication is devoted to printing the stories of the people and places that make New Hampshire the best place in the world to live. No, none of the daily grind news will be found in these pages, just the good stuff.
Published year round on Thursdays, we distribute 24,000 copies of the Weirs Times every week to the Lakes Region/Concord/ Seacoast area and the mountains and have an estimated 60,000 people reading this newspaper.
To find out how your business or service can benefit from advertising with us please call 603-366-8463.
8
It was a fabulous opening day at Mount Sunapee in Newbury. Kris skis the Westside Trail with its big views over the open blue water of Lake Sunapee and beyond to the White Mountains. For information about upcoming events and lessons visit MountSunapee.com.
Meeting friends at their home mountain for opening day was fun. All winter long my friends Kris and Jay are most often found on weekdays waiting in the lift line to be among the first to ride the chairlift to the summit of Mount Sunapee. They are happy to get up early to make the first tracks on the slopes.
Mount Sunapee
opened top to bottom on Wednesday, December 4th. I hustled to join my friends in the lift line for the Sunapee Express high-speed quad before it opened at 9 am. Another friend John was in the lift line so the four of us paired up to fill a chair.
Next to the lift a table with a DJ was blasting cool tunes. For a school day there were a
good number of kids in the lift line with us. We wondered if the youngsters liked the Grateful Dead too. Another table was set up offering complimentary hot chocolate and coffee and an assortment of muffins for everyone to enjoy while they waited for the first chair of the season to load. What a treat.
Just before 9 am we
noticed that Sunapee’s General Manager Susan Donnelly, along with other members of the Mount Sunapee staff were gathered near the lift–all wearing sharp looking blue Mount Sunapee/ Vail Resorts parkas. Promptly at 9 am they announced that the lift was open and led everyone in a loud cheer. All were
A breakthrough in Ear-Brain Technology™:
Intrigue AI mimics the cerebral cortex of the human brain to quickly and more accurately ‘fill in’ the gaps produced when our hearing system falters.
• Replicates how our “normal” auditory system works.
• Distinguish words and speech more intuitively and naturally.
• Hear soft sounds without distracting noise.
• Reduce the effort it takes to listen and hear.
NEW HAMPSHIRE F OOL
Last minute
by Brendan Smith Weirs Times Editor
As Christmas Day is upon us and most of us, hopefully, have successfully checked off all of the items on our gift list. Still, there always seems to be that one person on the list who it gets harder and harder to buy for each year.
I know I have often gotten down to the wire, trolling the aisles of the local department store at the last minute on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, the voice on the loudspeaker informing me that they will be closing in fifteen minutes.
This is when panic sets in.
The shelves are bare, articles of clothing tossed about willynilly by those who are desperately searching for something... anything...to give to that hard to buy for loved one.
Of course, one can simply buy a gift card, which in essence is the same as wrapping up a piece of paper that when opened by a loved one reads: “Merry Christmas. As you can see I put no effort or thought into this at all.”
Giving a check as a present is basically sending the same message except you can add one sentence to the sentiment: “And I didn’t even have to leave the house.”
As you search through the barren remains of the department store, time now ticking down to minutes you can count on your hand, you are strictly on your own. Not even one of the festively clad sales clerks with the Santa Hat and red garland necklace will do you any good at this stage of the game. You are basically the enemy now, still in the store eight minutes from closing, so they will do their best to avoid eye contact which could possibly
keep them from leaving on time if they were to offer assistance at this point.
Finally you find something. Maybe a kerosene powered metal hand warmer or a CD collection of the greatest Side B hits by one hit wonder groups from the sixties. Or maybe something else.
You hear the bell ring signaling the end of good cheer. It is closing time, but the rules of the game allow you to finish, even if it at your own risk. We appreciate your business, but now get out!
You head to one of the few cashiers left, who stares up at you with a bowed head.
“Did you find everything you needed today?” she asks with the enthusiasm of someone stuck in a traffic jam.
“In fact I didn’t, I was hoping you could help me,” you are tempted to answer just to see what chaos that might cause.
“Yes,” you say instead. “I was certainly grateful to see that you still had a solar powered combination nose hair clipper and wine opener still available this late in the game.”
“Would you like to purchase the three-year extended warranty for only $39.95?” she asks as required by department store law.
“Does that cover all moving parts?” you ask?
The lights are going off all around.
“I’m not sure, I’d have to ask my manager,” she says while looking straight though you hoping she really won’t have to move.
“Never mind,” you say. “I’ll skip the insurance and I’ll take my chances.”
She sighs a breath in relief and rings your purchase through.
“That’ll be $59.95.”
“Well worth it,” you answer sarcastically.
She doesn’t even ask if you’d like to donate a dollar to the
Fund For People Who Can’t Afford Extended Basic Cable Or Even One Streaming Service.
There are some advantages to shopping this late.
You slide your card and a beeper goes off.
“You have to insert it with the chip end,” she informs you as though you just tried to start your car using a paper clip in the ignition switch.
“Sorry, I forgot,” you say with a forced smiled.
A “I could care less smile” crosses her lips.
She bags the item.
“Merry Christmas,” you say.
“Merry Christmas,” she responds with actual enthusiasm as she is now officially done for the season.
You hurry towards the door, setting off the security alarm as she must have forgotten to disarm this valuable and sought after item.
Still, no one comes after you, no one cares. Let this one go. After all, it’s Christmas Eve.
You get in your car as a wave or relief sweeps over you. Then you start to think about Christmas. A great time to be with family and friends and to come together in peace, friendship and goodwill towards all men as we celebrate the birth of our savior.
It shouldn’t matter if it is a three week all expenses paid trip to Acapulco or a battery powered combination nose hair clipper and wine opener that you are giving as a present. It’s what’s in your heart when you give it.
Then you remember. In the chaos you forgot the wrapping paper. Too late now. The flimsy plastic bag from the store will have to do.
It really shouldn’t matter at all.
Merry Christmas!
“I Really Only Did It For The SocksStories & Thoughts On Aging”
Order your autographed copy today for $16.99 plus $3 shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like.) Make out checks or money orders for $19.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: Socks Book c/o Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247 Or order online at BrendanTSmith.com
(Autographed copies also avail. at the Weirs Times)
“I Really Only Did It For The SocksStories & Thoughts On Aging”
Order your autographed copy today for $16.99 plus $3 shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like.) Make out checks or money orders for $19.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to:
Socks Book c/o Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247 Or order online at BrendanTSmith.com
(Autographed copies also avail. at the Weirs Times)
What’s going on With bLaCk and hisPaniC Women?
by Star Parker Syndicated Columnist
One question emerging from the presidential election exit polls is the disconnect between Black men and women and Hispanic men and women.
Donald Trump received support from 21% of Black men and 7% of Black women, a disparity of 14 points. He got support from 54% of Hispanic men and 39% of Hispanic women, a disparity of 15 points.
There was also a disparity in Trump’s support among white men and women, but much smaller -- 7 points.
So why is Trump having far greater success among Black and Hispanic men than Black and Hispanic women?
It’s clear that the major issue that drove the vote in this election was the economy.
A Gallup poll done in October showed the economy as the number one concern of voters.
Per exit polling, 68% said the economy is “not good” or “poor” and 31% said it is “excellent” or “good.” Of the 68% saying the economy is not good/poor, 70% voted for Trump.
Per a Gallup poll published last March, 27% of Black women under 60 said they are planning to start their own business in the next 12 months, compared to 14% of Hispanic women and 5% of white women.
In the same survey Gallup asked, “Would you be interested in starting a business if you had the resources?” Among Black women, 57% said yes; among Hispanic women, 55% said yes; among white women, 38% said yes; 51% of all U.S. men and 44% of all U.S. women said yes.
The entrepreneurial aspirations of Black and Hispanic women are among the highest in the country.
Per Gallup, “while just 13% of men under 60 say they lack the financial and/or nonfinancial resources to start a business, a third of women in this age group (33%) say the same.”
Gallup continues that improving access of women to capital is important “when women-owned businesses still make up only 22% of employer businesses in the United States.”
I think that these entrepreneurial-driven Black and Hispanic women should care a lot about a healthy and growing national economy. Nothing is more important for business success and raising capital.
I would urge these women to
the deviLs are here
by Ben Shapiro Syndicated Columnist
(Last)week, a deranged 26-year-old anti-capitalist allegedly shot to death the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, on the streets of New York. The alleged shooter carried a manifesto with him, decrying the nature of America’s health care system: “Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.” The manifesto claimed that America spends more than any other country on health care, and yet “we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy,” and that this was due to insurance companies that “continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it. Obviously the problem is more complex, but I do not have space, and frankly I do not pretend to be the most qualified person to lay out the full argument.”
It is generally useless to argue with the criminally insane -- and the alleged shooter in this case appears to have experienced a mental break some months ago due to both drug abuse and severe chronic back pain -- but the problem is that the shooter’s view has become shockingly common. Many Americans believe that American health care is uniquely deficient; far more disturbingly, a certain cadre of elite Americans now cheer murder because they’re upset with the health care system.
The first claim -- that America’s health care system is uniquely terrible -- is simply belied by the facts. Health care, like any other service or good, is not free; it obeys the simple laws of economics, which suggest that scarcity is a basic condition of life. Health care is not unlimited, nor can it be made so absent extraordinary spending levels. The United States, as it turns out, follows the same pattern as nearly every other developed country: The more we make, the more
we spend on health care. That is just as true for the U.K. or Norway as it is for the United States. Furthermore, spending on health care is subject to the law of diminishing returns: additional moneys spent do not necessarily equate to additional life expectancy. That is true across countries as well. Finally, the United States’ population has a uniquely high proportion of overweight citizens, drug abusers and car accident victims. This affects overall life expectancy statistics negatively.
This doesn’t mean the American health care system is ideal. Far from it. Employer-based health insurance is a holdover from wage controls decades old; health insurers are not actually insurers at all -they are not in the business of assessing possible risk and then insuring against it; insurance regulations are abstruse and absurd, and the government’s subsidization schemes involve low reimbursement rates and shoddy coverage. The problems are myriad.
Which is why it is so absurd to lay the problems with American health care at the door of the “profit-driven CEOs.” It turns out that removing the profit margins on business does not make products, goods or services either more efficient or better. In fact, that precise ideology has crippled a variety of countries over the course of the last century.
What’s worse is that ideology often excuses murder. Because, after all, if health insurance CEOs are so cruel that they purposefully murder patients in order to earn a buck, why shouldn’t they be shot? That’s the logic of comedian Bill Burr, who says, “I love that f---ing CEOs are f---ing afraid right now. You should be! By and large, you’re all a bunch of selfish greedy f---ing pieces of shit.” Or Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who says, “Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far.”
This is the devil’s logic. If murder of individuals is justified by dissatisfaction with the
by John Stossel Syndicated Columnist
your tax doLLars not at Work
Government excels at NOT getting things done.
But politicians promise more things anyway.
Kamala Harris declared that our government would “build thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable!” This “Broadband Connectivity Agenda” was supported by “every House Republican on Energy and Commerce,” write Republican representatives.
Three years later, not a single person has been connected.
Why? Because, as Milton Friedman put it, “Few people spend other people’s money as carefully as they spend their own.”
Private individuals and businesses constantly adjust to save time and money. But politicians, spending your money, have little interest in that. They routinely add rules that make everything take longer.
You have to “hire certain people based on their color, their sex,” complains investor Matt Cole in my new video.
“You already have a talent problem, now you’re looking at only being able to recruit from a very small minority of individuals. Then you
have to do climate pledges. Then you have to hire from unions.”
“But diversity is good,” I push back.
That doesn’t mean that you should hire someone because of their race or skin color ... You have all these companies that could actually (build broadband), but its unimplementable with the restrictions. They just walk away.”
Eventually, I assume the government will install at least some broadband. By then, their cables may be unnecessary, because of satellite internet, like Starlink, which doesn’t require digging up streets.
“They could do it literally today,” says Cole. “You could have devices in these people’s homes within the next couple of months.”
Why don’t government officials do that? At first, Biden bureaucrats said, “Starlink failed to demonstrate that it had the technical and financial ability.”
When it became clear that Starlink obviously did, the administration suddenly called it a monopoly. The FCC chair sneered, “Our economy doesn’t benefit from monopolies.”
“First, they’re not functional, now it’s a monopoly,” says Cole. “The
damasCus dominos; syrian regime CoLLaPses
by John J. Metzler Syndicated Columnist
The Assad family dictatorship which has run Syria for 53 years and has withstood 13 years of bitter civil war, has now collapsed in just over a week. A sweeping series of Islamic rebel attacks starting in late November, captured key cities from Aleppo in the north to Homs and Hama which fell like dominos creating an unstoppable military momentum on the road to Damascus.
The recent round of dizzying Mideast events confronts the current lame-duck Biden Administration with complex policy challenges
amid a looming power vacuum.
Assad’s regime was both brutal and brittle. In the early stages of the so called “Arab Spring” in 2011, it appeared it would crumble quickly. It almost did. But contrary to the rosy-eyed expectations of foreigners viewing the Middle East, the core of the Assad security state held, with Russian and Iranian support to roll back or at least freeze rebel gains. Bashar al-Assad never won, but neither did the gaggle of Islamic fighters opposing him. Until now.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a passionate plea to the Security Council stated, “Syria is a crossroads of civilization. It is painful to see its progressive fragmentation.”
The civil war has raged for 13
years with hundreds of thousands killed on all sides and creating one of the world’s largest refugee crises. Among the Syrian population of 24 million there are staggering numbers of more than 6 million refugees and 7 million internally displaced persons. As this column always stressed the spillover of the Syrian crisis has been the massive asylum seekers flooding into Europe and neighboring Turkey.
Under the Assad’s, Syria was a secular Arab dictatorship; the ruling Shia Muslim minority, was close to Islamic Iran but not to the majority of the Sunni Muslim Arab world, nor Turkey. Nonetheless Assad allowed for his socialist regime to allow limited freedoms for Christians not seen in much of the region expect for Lebanon and
Jordan.
Let’s look at some of the losers and winners in this confusing Mideast puzzle.
Losers:
Islamic Republic of Iran: As mentioned Iran shared the Shia faction of Islam with the Alawite Syrians minority to which the Assad’s belong. Significantly Tehran has supplied weapons, cash and fighters from the Revolutionary Guard to support the Syrian regime. Equally, Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorists (largely Shia) have provided military units to underpin Assad’s rule. Today Iran faces a series of setbacks from its own corruption and military weakness.
The Tehran leadership is increasingly nervous about its own
Now In 5th Printing!
The Flatlander Chronicles
Weirs Times F.O.O.L columnist, Brendan Smith’s first book with over 30 of the best of his original Flatlander Columns. From learning to Rake The Roof to Going To The Dump to Buying Firewood for the first time and everything in between, Brendan recounts the humorous tales of his learning to fit into New Hampshire life as a Flatlander from New York.
Order your autographed copy today for $13.99 plus $3 for shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like the author to personalize your copy with.) Make out checks or money orders for $16.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: The Flatlander Chronicles, c/o The Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247. Order online at www.BrendanTSmith.com (Pickup autographed copies at the Weirs Times)
Letters From God
QUESTION
Is Christmas Moribund?
You have used a word that many may not recognize as meaning, “near death.” Amazingly, after all that I, along with my son, Jesus, and the work of the Spirit, have done to bestow life on your country, the celebration of Christmas is in many ways, moribund. It couldn’t be more obvious than at the epicenter of your government, the White House, pagan festivals have been celebrated as of late. Just this Christmas, in a celebration with children at the White House, you witnessed little children inadvertently rebuking the first lady for excluding Christ and only seeing Christmas as a celebration of “Happy Holidays.”
The children spontaneously shouted, in what would be a rebuke heard around the world, “Happy Christmas.” This fulfills my teaching that children who know my word “have more insight than all my teachers…” (Psalm 119:99).
Fortunately, however, the event of Christmas, our work on your behalf and the potential for life will never be extinguished. There will always be those individuals who understand what we did and will receive the gift offered on that day and benefit from it. There will also be times when acknowledgment of our work and receiving the gift given on Christmas will, from a small ember, ignite into a raging flame of revival for an entire nation.
It happed in Nineveh when my servant Jonah,
proclaimed the imminent destruction I was about to bring on their nation as a result of their sinful decadence (Jonah 3:1-10). It happened in Israel under Ezra and Nehemiah who revived Israel upon their return to their capitol city, Jerusalem, after 70 years of captivity for rejecting me and slipping into depravity (Ezra & Nehemiah). It even happened in your country during the first Great Awakening of the mid-eighteenth century. Your future will depend on you allowing me to revive you again. It will only happen if you, en masse, understand the meaning of Christmas and appropriate the precious gift I gave on that day.
Letters From God
Christmas should be celebrated sincerely, exclusively and supremely in your country because of the significance of what we, as the Trinity, did for you on that day. For all who have forgotten, never understood or even deliberately rejected the significance, as so many in your country have done, let me remind you. I created the earth and the heavens and everything in them (Genesis 1,2). I created humanity as male and female to share my image (Genesis 1:27). I gave them personality and an eternal soul. That soul was comprised of intellect, emotion and will. Unlike any animal, you are persons who were created to have a relationship with me, your Creator as your heavenly Father. I made you like me originally to be without the presence of evil, sin or death. I also gave you a perfect world and en-
vironment that was free from evil, sin or death. As the source of life, you derived life only through being in a relationship with me. The only condition for the continuance of this life was that you don’t sin and thereby lose what was essential for relationship with me and the life I provided for you (Genesis 2:1617). That condition was purity. I am without sin and can’t have relationship with sin. When the first man and woman chose to believe a lie and disobey me, they were immediately separated from me. They felt guilt, hid from me, lied to me, blamed each other and me (Genesis 3). One of their children would manifest this dark condition, by killing his brother out of jealousy (Genesis 4). Once separated from me, the life I once gave to them, ebbed out of them and would result in death in time, physically, and after death, being eternally separated from me. Unless payment could be made for sins committed so that the penalty for their sins would be removed death would be their destiny. They could not make this payment for themselves because they had already broken my standard of being without any sin. It was at that time, because I loved those I created and desired to once again bestow my life upon them that, together with my son, Jesus, and the Spirit, we devised a plan to make forgiveness of their penalty possible and restoration to life a reality (Genesis 3:15). That plan was to send my son, Jesus, who was himself God, sinless and eternal, to visit your sin-
ful world, live a perfect life and die at the hands of sinful humanity. Not for his sins but to pay the eternal debt for your sins, making it possible for you to be restored to me, a holy God, and the life, only I could give (2 Corinthians 5:21).
That plan commenced with the seed of my divine Son, Jesus, placed and joined supernaturally with the seed of a human, virgin woman (Luke 1:26-38). After this supernatural conception and upon the birth of the child, celebrated at Christmas, for the first time in human history you had a sinless, substitute Savior who was able to remove your eternal penalty. That is why I had my servant John write, “For all who received him to them I gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12). But note carefully, I also wrote “He came to his own but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11). Imagine, even most of my Jewish, chosen people, rejected Christmas and my Son, Jesus, their and your promised Savior. History is repeating itself in your country. Will you come and adore my Son, born that first Christmas day, and receive from him, the gift of forgiveness? Your future and that of your Country awaits your decision.
I love you, God
These letters are written by Rev. Dr. Sam Hollo of Alton, NH
by Eric N Gibson Contributing Writer
What do Chicken Tetrazzini and Christmas at The White House have in common? Absolutely nothing! Just call it a hunch. But keep reading, as you too may find inspiration for your Christmas meal.
The Simple Feast The Simple Feast Simple Feast The Simple Feast Luisa tetrazzini and grover CLeveLand: an unLikeLy Pair
ACKERLY’S
Grill & Galley
In 1887 the 22nd president of the United States, Stephen Grover Cleveland, was half way through his first term in office. He was the first Democrat to hold the office since the end of the Civil War. He would later make history again as the first president to hold two non-consecutive terms, becoming the 24th president of the United States when he began his second term in 1893.
With Christmas just around the corner my mind strayed to the dinner meal. I wanted something easy, simple, and tasty. Above all, I desired something that would have a flavorful impact, a hint of refined elegance, but not ostentatious. Then I thought, what would they have served at the White House? Heading to the book shelf I pulled my copy of The
Original White House CookBook 1887 Edition to see how the Clevelands would have spent their Christmas. President S. Grover Cleveland and the First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland were recently married (June of 1886). December of 1887 would presumably be the couple’s first Christmas in the White House, 1886 having been spent at their 23 acre estate on the outskirts of DC nicknamed “Red Top” by the press.
Christmas Breakfast at the White House was of Oranges, Boiled Rice, Broiled Salted Mackerel, Poached eggs a la Creme, Potato Fillets, Feathered Griddle Cakes, Wheat Bread, and Coffee. Hmmm? Not exactly the breakfast of champions. Nor did this menu offer any inspiration for an upcoming Christmas repast. Dinner, to be served in the mid afternoon, was not looking too
enticing either. Oysters on Half Shell, Game Soup, Boiled White Fish with Sauce Maitre d’Hotel, Roast Goose, Apple Sauce, Boiled Potatoes, Mashed Turnips, Creamed Parsnips, Stewed Onions, Boiled Rice, Lobster Salad, Canvas Back Duck, Christmas Plum Pudding with a hard sauce made from wine or brandy, cream, butter, and sugar, Vanilla Ice Cream, Mince Pie, and assorted cakes, jelly, salted Almonds, and Coffee. I had honestly thought of skipping dinner in favor of dessert.
Moving on to a light evening meal, Christmas Supper at the White House in 1887 was Cold Roast Goose, Oyster Patties, Cold Slaw, Buns, Charlotte Russe, Peach Jelly, and Tea. Mmmm… Leftovers. Yuck! Aside from Charlotte Russe and tea, I was striking out. And yes, I did have to look up Charlotte Russe. Referring
to page 323 under the heading of Custards, Creams, and Desserts was a page filled with Charlottes. And not just one page but four pages of Charlotte and her many Russes prevailed. Further reading and research determined that a Charlotte and Charlotte Russe are types of confections that will typically incorporate the use of a sponge (cake) and a gelatine or custard. While my curiosity and my sweet tooth were both peaked I was still no closer to an entree for Christmas dinner. With a breakfast of “Baahh Humbug!”, a labor intensive dinner that lacked appeal to this family, and a supper menu of “Leftovers and Cake”, I was running out of options for an easy Christmas entree that would satisfy. Ruminating on this fact I decided to stay my research and switch to the task at hand: the current evening’s
83 Main Street, Alton
603.875.3383
Akerlysgrillandgalleyrestaurant.com
Stoneface - IPA
Moat Mtn. - Blueberry
Great Rhythm - Pale Ale
Baxter - Coastal Haze
603 - Amber Ale
COPPER KETTLE TAVERN
At Hart’s Turkey Farm
Restaurant
233 D.W. Hwy, Meredith 603.279.6212
hartsturkeyfarm.com
Fiddlehead - IPA
Guinness
Tuckerman Pale Ale
Allagash - White
Shipyard - Pumkinhead +6 More On Tap
D.A.
LONG TAVERN
At Funspot
579 Endicott St N., Weirs
603.366.4377 funspotnh.com
Oskar Blues - BA Ten Fiddy (2022 Vintage)
Stoneface - RIS 2024 Release
Schilling - Pierce
Hobbs - Hi, Jack!
Oxbow - Nightfall
Smuttynose - Key Lime Pie
+6 More On Tap
FOSTER’S TAVERN
403 Main Street
Alton Bay, NH 603-875-1234
fosterstavernbythebay.com
Tuckerman pale ale
Aqua Vue Haze
Allagash white
Maine Lunch
Guinness
Stoneface IPA +10 More On Tap
JOHNSON’S TAPHOUSE
At Johnson’s Seafood & Steak
69 Rt 11, New Durham
603.859.7500
eatatjohnsons.com/ newdurham
Lone Pine -Brightside
Widowmaker -Blue Comet
Shipyard -Smashed Pumpkin
Jack Abby -Red Tape
Muddy Road -1762 Porter
Northwoods -Autumn Buzz
+30 More On Tap
MORRISSEYS’
Porch & Pub
286 S. Main St., Wolfeboro 603.569-3662
Morrisseysfrontporch.com
Morrisseys’ 20 Year Lager by Great North
Smithwick’s
Guinness Harp
Concord Craft Safe Space +11 More On Tap
PATRICK’S PUB
18 Weirs Rd., Gilford 603.293.0841 Patrickspub.com
Patrick’s Slainte House Ale
Great North - Moose Juice
Guinness
Clown Shoes - Bubble Head
603 - Winni Amber Ale
Tuckerman - Pale Ale
+9 More On Tap
PUB 23
6 East Side Drive, Alton Bay,NH 603-875-2110
Tuckerman - Winter Ale
Maine Beer - Lunch
Michelob Ultra
Bud light
Budweiser
Blue Moon
THE WITCHES BREW PUB
At The Craft Beer Xchange
59 Doe Ave., Weirs Beach 603.409.9344
FB @craftbeerxchange
Jack’s Abby – Blood Orange Wheat
Golden Rod – Mango Cart
1911 – Raspberry Cider
Kettlehead – Dreamstate
Able Ebenezer – Lady of the Lake Lager
Last Chair – Powder Bear
+30 More On Tap
** Tap listings subject to change!
Luisa Tetrazzini and Grover Cleveland
BIRDS For The
New England’s Wild Birds & Their Habitats
What’s the best FieLd guides?
by Chris Bosak
Contributing Writer
Gift-giving for birdwatchers has changed so much over the last few years.
It wasn’t long ago that a good field guide was the ideal gift for the birder on your list. The only question was which field guide to get. Sibley, Peterson, Audubon? The field guide debate was always fun to watch from the sidelines as birders extolled the virtues of their favorite. Can it fit in your back pocket? Are they photos or drawings? Does it show the various plumages?
Now, physical field guides have all but been replaced by digital ones on the phone. It happened in the blink of an eye. One year, birders are flipping through the pages of a book trying to confirm a species; the next, they are scrolling through their phones.
As an old newspaperman, I am very slow to adapt and accept many new technologies, especially ones that threaten to replace traditional media. But, I have to admit, the new field guides on the phone are far superior. That’s up for debate, of course, but that’s my take these days.
I do still enjoy flipping through a field guide in book form when I’m reading for pleasure or killing time. When I’m lying in bed before sleep, I will take flip -
A tufted titmouse grabs a peanut from a snowman.
ping through pages to scrolling on a screen any day. (Or should that be night?)
But in the field, the phone field guides are the go-to choice. You can find the bird in question faster as you don’t have to look at the index and then thumb through to find the pages. With a phone, just open the app, type in a few letters in the search bar and click on your bird. With a phone, you get multiple photos of the bird in all the various plumages: male, female, immature, seasonal. The description is right below the photos. Most field guide apps also have the various songs and calls of the bird in question. Click a button and hear what a whiteeyed vireo sounds like. That makes identification in the field so much easier to be able to see photos of the bird and hear actual audio of the bird. Due to the obvious limitations of a book
field guide, you get only a description of the song or call or a rough translation of what it sounds like in English. Some field guides even put in histograms, which I could never interpret anyway.
Phone field guides also allow users to keep a record of the birds they see and save the lists for future reference. Of course, that existed long before field guide apps, as people simply wrote down the birds they saw in a notebook and referred to the notebook when necessary or just for fun. To me, that’s still the better way to do it. There’s something more gratifying about writing down your list of birds, rather than typing into a phone or computer.
All this is not to say field guides are no longer good Christmas gifts. They are. They just aren’t as good as phone apps while in the field. Everything else
that makes field guides great still holds true. And there’s a strong argument that can be made that field guide books are indeed better in the field because the photos or drawings can highlight distinctive field marks.
There are many other gifts to consider getting for your birdwatcher. Binoculars, spotting scopes, bird feeders (or houses or baths), apparel, decoys, art, bird books, and just about anything you can imagine that features birds as the motif. This can include ornaments, card decks, bedding, shower curtains, pajamas, hats, magnets, coffee mugs, and the list goes on. Like I said, just about anything you can imagine. Feel free to contact me via the email below if you have any questions about your last-minute birding gifts. Have a great holiday season, everyone. I hope it’s your best one yet.
meal. Opening the fridge there sat the remains of a roasted chicken from the prior day, and that’s when it hit me, admittedly much more blatantly this time, … Leftovers! Why not serve leftovers for Christmas? Well, not exactly my first thought, but I did begin to think along the lines of a simple, easy to make, flavorful dish that was a crowd pleaser. And that is when Chicken Tetrazzini came to mind.
Tetrazzini is an American pasta dish named for the famed late nineteenth / early twentieth century Italian opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini. It could be said that Tetrazzini had many indulgences in her life: opera, food, and the “affections of numerous suitors” were but three. With a robust figure photographs of the period show that
Tetrazzini carried herself with a dignified poise and charm befitting her immense world popularity. She had a passion for singing, a beautiful coloratura soprano voice, and, as noted by some critics, despite her stout frame she displayed remarkable youthful energy
on stage.
While conjecture and speculation surrounds the details as to the where, when, and who was first responsible for bringing Tetrazzini (the pasta dish) to the table, there are some agreed upon similarities. First, it was created in the early 20th century by
CHICKEN TETRAZZINI
PORTIONS:12 Time: Approx. 90 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Thin Spaghetti
1 pound Cooked Pulled
Diced Chicken
1 10 oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 10 oz. can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 Cups Sour Cream
½ Cup White Wine
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. Mixed Italian Seasonings
1 ½ tsp. Black Pepper
½ tsp. Old Bay
1 ½ Cups Mozzarella Shreds (divided 1 cup / ½ cup)
TT Salt (optional)2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
½ Small Onion diced
2 Stalks Celery diced
6 Med to Lg. Mushrooms
Sliced (optional)
½ Red Pepper Diced (optional)
1 Cup Chicken Broth / Stock
1 Cup Frozen Petite Peas
1 Cup Cheddar Shreds
3 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese
Parsley for garnish
— PREPARATION—
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a baking dish by greasing the bottom and sides with a light coat of butter or cooking spray.
- In a large pot, cook spaghetti according to the directions on the box. Drain, return to the pot, and set aside.
- In a large pot, melt the butter and then add the vegetables. Saute until tender then add the chicken broth / stock and bring to a simmer.
- Add the condensed cream soups, sour cream, white wine, and lemon juice to the vegetables, stir while bringing to a bubble. (Do not boil.) Add the seasonings (herbs, pepper, etc.) and ½ cup Mozzarella. Allow to melt and then add the peas. (For a thinner sauce you can add more stock).
- Add the chicken to the sauce and vegetables mixture and continue to heat for an additional few minutes. Add the sauce combination to the Spaghetti.
- Mix thoroughly and then pour into a greased baking dish.
- In a bowl combine the remaining Mozzarella with the Cheddar Cheese and then sprinkle evenly over the top of the spaghetti mixture.
- Sprinkle on the grated Parmesan.
- Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven.
- Remove the tinfoil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes to lightly brown the top.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
a chef to honor the renowned opera singer when she began touring the United States. Whether its origins are in San Francisco or New York is not certain. Second, Tetrazzini, (the pasta dish) was on the menu of a restaurant in close proximity to an opera house where Tetrazzini (the singer) performed. And Third, Tetrazzini (the pasta dish) was so well re -
ceived by patrons that it became a mainstay of many high end restaurants for a number of years after the singer’s popularity had waned.
Eventually Tetrazzini (both the entree and the singer) faded from the limelight. Luisa Tetrazzini, even though she had enjoyed an illustrious and profitable career on the world stage, would pass away amid hum-
ble surroundings in Milan in 1940. With no children and minimal belongings, she left few possessions behind. Her fortune, it seems, had been spent in legal battles with her third husband.
Tetrazzini (the dish) is one of those entrees whose popularity ebbs and flows. A pasta dish with a white sauce it was (and still is) the
by Mike Moffett Contributing Writer
A recent FOX NFL Sunday pregame show featured former Patriots Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Julian Edelman together on the panel taking questions and having fun. It was great to watch.
Former Pats coach Bill Belichick’s name naturally came up and the former New England stars were asked about rumors that Belichick was looking at taking a college coaching job at the University of North Carolina.
Laughs all around.
“No way,” said Brady. The consensus was that Belichick is profoundly ill-suited for the college game. College coaches don’t draft players, they recruit them. Can you imagine Belichick doing a home visit and bending a knee to some skeptical parents and their pampered star son to make the case as to why their boy should go to Chapel Hill? Ha!
Coach Bill is going on 73 years of age— almost 50 years older than his girlfriend, Jordan Hudson. Somehow that relationship doesn’t enhance his bona fides. Neither did the recent Patriot “Dynasty” television series. And neither does the fact that he had a losing record before Brady as well as after Brady.
Autocratic Coaches, Belichick And Knight (And George Patton)
The notion of Belichick returning to coach now draws some laughter, despite Bill having taken nine teams to the Super Bowl. His star has dimmed. The mighty can fall.
Still, there is a hunger and a longing for that tough guy authoritarian who can come in and kick ass and turn things around. Think Vince Lombardi. In 1959, the no-nonsense New York Giant offensive coordinator took over a Green Bay team that had won but a single game in 1958 and immediately turned a losing franchise into a winner and then a five-time NFL champion.
Think Bobby Knight. Also known as “The General,” Knight went to Indiana University from West Point to take over a struggling Hoosier program that had suffered through three straight losing seasons. Two years later, in 1973, Knight’s Hoosiers were in the Final Four.
Think George Patton. (Also known as “The General.”)
The 1970 Patton mov-
ie remains an all-time classic. That Academy Award winning film captured how the charismatic autocrat took over a downtrodden American army in North Africa and quickly turns that outfit—and later other outfits—into victorious, invincible forces.
The desire for that asskicking, no-nonsense, charismatic leader to step up and lead has animated countless millions of people throughout the ages. Think Alexander the Great. Julius Caesar. Napoleon. Alpha males who wanted and needed to lead.
Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is of that “alpha male” ilk.
Given how very badly things ended for Alexander, Caeser, Napoleon, Patton and so many oth er historic alpha males, we hope and pray that Trump’s journey con cludes in a better way.
In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye on Bill Belichick and see where the sports currents take him.
Chapel Hill? Some other campus? It’s hard to imagine. Still, I love the imagery of Belich-
ick making a recruiting visit to some household in the Tar Heel State and having a mother of a 17-year-old dictate terms to the coaching legend.
“Do your job, Bill!”
Sports Quiz
In what Olympic event did George Patton compete in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics? (Answer follows)
Born Today
That is to say, sports standouts born on December 19 include baseball Hall-of-Famer Al Kaline (1934) and
General George Patton.
perfect medium for leftover roasted chicken and turkey. In the 1950’s and 60’s Tetrazzini, it seems, could be found on the buffet line of nearly every function hall across the nation. It was cheap and easy “eats” with a high acceptability factor. With a variety of “Cream of Something” soups hitting store shelves, white sauces no longer had to be made from scratch. Tetrazzini (the dish) was again riding a wave of popularity as casseroles gave the working mom of the 1970’s and 80’s a quick easy meal ready
for the busy family. With multiple generations now having experienced Tetrazzini it continues to gain in popularity, destined, like its namesake, to become a classic on the American cultural scene.
There are many reci-
pes for Tetrazzini. It is a forgiving recipe that welcomes additions and substitutions depending upon the needs and wants of the audience served. This rendition uses a host of ingredients, staples of the pantry mostly, along with some fresh vegetables, colors to accent the holiday season, along with the prerequisite leftover poultry. It can come together in as little as 90 minutes and is deliciously simple, allowing you to create on the fly. Be it for Christmas past, Christmas present, or Christmas yet to be, served with a simple Garlic Bread I think you will agree that Tetrazzini provides the perfect encore be it a classic stately dinner of goose, turkey, or roast chicken. Or perhaps just enjoyed as a simple Christmas feast. Merry Christmas!
survival.
Moreover Hezbollah’s calculated gamble to attack Israel massively backfired and has seen its leadership and fighters decimated by the Israelis throughout Beirut and their southern Lebanese enclaves.
Russia: In the beginning the Assad’s were a classic Soviet client regime and one of Moscow’s most valued assets long before Putin. Thus Soviet conventional and chemical weapons were put at the Assad’s disposal since the 1970’s. During the civil war when the Syrian army was losing the battle, the Russians intervened with massive air power and some troops reinforcing the Latikia/Tartus enclave in the northwest. Since Moscow’s intervention in 2015, Islamic rebel forces were often vanquished and the country “stabilized” along sectarian lines.
But following Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine in 2022, Russian military resources and forces are focused closer to home. Assad’s collapse presents a major military and political setback for Moscow; all Russia gets in return is the exiled Assad family.
Winners:
Turkey: The Turks share a long frontier with Syria and have borne the brunt of supporting Syrian
refugees. To be fair Turkey has hosted over three million Syrians with the caveat, you shall return home when the situation stabilizes. Well, President Erdogan has many reasons to support the Islamic rebels, through which he sees the return of these refugees to Syria. Since the recent fighting the UN humanitarian agency says over a million people have been displaced. Erdogan supports a callous calculus here too. Turkey is trying to neutralize armed Kurdish factions to create a “safe zone”
buffer carved from Syria.
The Al Nusra Front, an Al Qaida affiliate, morphed into the militant Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) which toppled Assad is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. UK and the United Nations. Many of the insurgents are Islamic jihadi’s not aspiring Arab Jeffersonian Democrats. This is likely an accident waiting to happen. The HTS militants are a witches brew of hardline factions we have yet to decipher. HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani proclaimed in Damascus,
the new Syria would “be a beacon for the Islamic nation.” Few in the West understand the magnitude of a largely Sunni Muslim militant movement seizing Syria and its wider ramifications for the Middle East.
John J. Metzler is a longtime United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Separated Nations; Germany, Korea, China.
invitation to Christmas dinner in giLFord
Continuing a decades-old holiday tradition in the Lakes Region, Hope Ministries of the First United Methodist Church, with the help of the Laconia Rod and Gun Club, and many other community members invite people to dinner on Christmas day (Wednesday, December 25) at the church off of Route 11-A in Gilford.
The dinner is for anyone who wants to share a part of their Christmas Day with others. All are welcome – singles, couples or families. The doors of the Gilford/ Laconia Methodist Church will open at 12:30 for fellowship and appetizers. At 1:00 p.m. dinner will be served in the church’s Fellowship Hall, featuring baked ham, vegetables, rolls and homemade desserts.
The meal is free but reservations are
callinadvance.)
quired. Please contact the church office at (603) 524-3289 or
email office.nhhope@ gmail.com by Wednesday, December 18th. If leaving a message, include name, phone number and the number in your party. Church office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 1pm.
As always, volunteers are needed to help with set up on Tuesday, Dec 24th and serving and clean up on Wednesday, Dec 25th. Please call Carol at 603 455-9455 if you are interested in volunteering. Financial donations are appreciated to ensure this wonderful tradition continues. Please drop off at the church office or mail to the church at Hope Ministries at FUMC, PO Box 7408, Gilford NH 03247.
Decorate your own wreath class
Check out the new wild bird supplies,including bird seed, bird feeders, bird baths and more.
Great gift ideas for the entire family
Local Fresh trees, wreathes, kissing balls, swags all locally grown poinsettias, boughs, holly berries
New fleece lined winter mittens, hats, scarves, headbands Christmas trees sales open late Fridays with a campfire
Black Friday Specials Available, like Buy $100 Gift Certificate and get $20 Gift Certificate Free.
HOLIDAY HOURS: Mon. - Sat. 9-5, with extended hours Fridays thru Christmas, Sun 10-3
seLeCtion and Care oF
Living hoLiday trees
by Melinda Myers
Dress up a potted dwarf spruce, Norfolk Island pine, lemon cypress or topiary Rosemary or lavender plant for the holidays and enjoy its beauty all year. Add a bit of garland and
a few small ornaments for a festive effect. Norfolk Island pines have long been decked out and displayed for the holidays. Smaller specimens can be placed on a tabletop, and larger ones can be
used as indoor floor plants when space allows. Grow Norfolk Island pines in a cool well-lit location free of hot and cold drafts. Occasionally, turn plants growing in front
See MYERS on 22
of
ZZAvoid
often resulting in dry brown needles and branches. Use a gravel tray to reduce your workload and
increase your growing success. Place pebbles in the plant saucer and set the container on the pebbles so it rests above any excess water that collects in the saucer. Water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil slightly moist. The excess water that collects in the saucer increases humidity around the plant.
The Loon Center
Tabletop lemon cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest Wilma’) trees have filled the benches at garden centers and florists for the past few holiday seasons. Their fragrant chartreuse needles and upright conical shape make them a cheery addition to your winter décor. Grow them in a brightly lit location near a draft-free window and water thoroughly when the top few inches are dry to the touch. Those who garden in zones seven to ten can move them into their landscape or add them to their outdoor containers after the danger of frost has passed. This dwarf variety can eventually reach six feet tall and three to four feet wide.
Enjoy the beauty, fragrance, and flavor of a topiary Rosemary tree. Grow it in a brightly lit location and water thoroughly when the top few inches of soil begin to dry. Regularly trim the branches to maintain the upright tree shape. Use clippings to season your favorite holiday dishes.
Consider growing a tree-shaped lavender plant this holiday season for its attractive foliage and calming fragrance. Grow your lavender in a south-facing or other sunny window. Find a cool spot in your home away from hot and cold air drafts. The cooler air helps increase your indoor growing success. Water it thoroughly when the top inch of soil is dry to the touch. Pour off any ex-
cess water that collects in the saucer.
If you want a tree that can be moved outdoors into the landscape or a container in hardiness zones two to six, consider growing a tabletop dwarf Alberta spruce tree (Picea glauca ‘Conica’). Grow it in a very cool bright location indoors. Water thoroughly as needed pouring off any excess water that collects in the saucer. If the buds break and new growth appears, wait until the danger of frost has passed to move it outdoors. Just change out the seasonal decorations and enjoy it on Valentine’s Day, Easter, and any spring holiday celebrations. Grow it outside in a sunny location protected from winter wind and sun to prevent the needles from drying. Watch for spider mites which are a common pest on this landscape plant.
These plants also make great gifts for the holidays and for the host or hostess. You and your gift recipients will enjoy the beauty of these plants throughout the holidays and beyond.
Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers. com.
603-279-7114
GIVE THE GIFT THAT WILL
246 D.W. Hwy, Meredith 1181 Union Ave, Laconia SparkleCleanCarWash.com Maynotbecombinedwithotherdiscounts.Offer ends 1/31/25
Buy 3 Basic washes for $30 3 Supreme for $40 or 3 VIP for $50
Please join the St. André Bessette Catholic Community as we Celebrate the Birth of Our Savior St. André Bessette Parish - All masses held at Sacred Heart Church, 291 Union Ave., Laconia —MASS SCHEDULE FOR CHRISTMAS 2024— Christmas Eve Tuesday December 24: 4:00 p.m.,
COME CELEBRATE E THHE REASON FOR THHE SEASON AT ST. JOSEPH PARIISH, BELMONT Fr. Marc, Fr. Dick & the Pastoral Staff
PLEASE JOIN THE ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY AS WE CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR ST. JOSEPH PARISH, 96 MAIN STREET, BELMONT MASS SCHEDULE FOR CHRISTMAS 2024 Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24 4:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m.
Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25: 9:30 a.m. MASS SCHEDULE FOR NEW YEAR’S 2024/2025 New Year’s Eve, Tuesday December 31: 4:30 P.M. New Year’s Day, Wednesday January 1: 9:30 A.M.
Souvenir T-Shirts, Handbags, Jewelry
Décor and More!
Yours truly and friends Kris and Jay all bundled up and enjoying the morning skiing at Mount Sunapee.
excited to ski and ride. It was a beautiful day. It was perfect weather for skiing. The sun was shining, it wasn’t too cold and the clear view over Lake Sunapee all the way to the snow
capped White Mountains was grand.
The snow was great covering the trails edge to edge and groomed nicely.
John took off because he had less than an hour to ski and wanted
to maximize his number of runs and we never caught up with him again. The three of us didn’t race right down.
We stopped to admire the view and take a few photos.
We made six runs in
a row and we had our boots off in the lodge before 11 am. It was Kris and Jay’s first day and that’s a good effort. As we left the ski area cars were driving into the parking lot. I am sure these late arrivals still found plenty of great snow.
Mount Sunapee’s Women’s Workshop is back this season. There are two 5-week sessions being offered for skiing and snowboarding. The first session begins January 9th and the second session on February 13th. The weekly 2.5 hour workshops are for Intermediate through advanced skiers and riders. The cost for the workshop and multi-week adult 5 day lift ticket is $424. Rental equipment can be added to the package. For more information and to register on-line at MountSunapee.com.
A couple days later on Friday I made it to my home mountain’s opening day at Pats Peak and their first day was just for passholders. I even made it in time to wait in the lift line and cheer when the lift opened for the first time this season. At the lift doughnuts and hot cider wereserved compliments of the Common Man–coming soon they will be operating a slopeside deli.
Also new this year at Pats Peak are that the lift tickets and season passes are RFID cards. The lift ticket/ RFID opens the newly installed gate that allows access to the lift.
The new system seemed to work very well and the lift line moved quickly and PATENAUDE from 3
Governor-elect Kelly Ayotte speaks to the Ski New Hampshire Winter Kickoff event held at McIntyre Ski Area; she was introduced by Governor Chris Sununu. Sununu and Ayotte are skiers! Retiring Congresswoman Annie Kuster and State Senator Jeb Bradley were honored for their contributions to New Hampshire’s ski industry.
smoothly. They had top to bottom skiing and had novice skiing open on several trails on the Valley slopes and the carpet lift trails. A few terrain park rails and features were set-up too.
The sun was in and out and the temperature was below freezing. On the trails yet open it was a snowmaking madhouse factory. Only one place did we have to ski under a snow gun but everywhere I could see swirling snow and hear the snow guns.
I skied five runs top to bottom and then head-
Snowboarders hanging out at Pats Peak with the snow guns blasting nearby. For more information about events and lessons visit PatsPeak.com.
Thursday nights. I race on Mondays. We had our Captain’s meeting last week and it was fun to see everyone in the Sled Pub and to go over the rules for this season. If you’d like to join the fun some teams are looking for a skier or snowboarder— contact race@patspeak. com and they’ll help you find a team.
Lots of more ski areas have had their opening days and it is looking good for a white Christ-
ed over to Valley slopes to ski a couple more. At all the lifts RFID gates have been installed.
The snow was great and I hated to leave so soon but I needed to get back to work. I look forward to skipping out on weekday mornings to ski the Peak with my friends.
Pats Peak will be celebrating New Year’s Eve with skiing, snowboarding and tubing with lifts running until 8:45 pm and Fireworks at 9:20 pm.
Pats Peak’s Adult/ Corporate Racing Series begins January 6th with racing Monday through
NOW TAKING HOLIDAY ORDERS
mas. Mount Sunapee and Pats Peak have made lots of snow and many more trails are now open.
A lone skier on the Cyclone Trail at Pats Peak. For snow conditions for New Hampshire ski areas and Nordic Centers visit SkiNH.com and click on Conditions
See ya next year. Have Fun.
Amy Patenaude is an avid skier/outdoor enthusiast from Henniker, N.H. Readers are welcome to send comments or suggestions to her at: amy@weirs.com
PATENUADE from 24
chores had to be completed before we could open our presents that were under the Christmas tree. That meant I had to feed whatever pigs we had at that time, usually two, and maybe bring some wood from the woodshed into the house, and wait for the dishes to be washed before the presents could be opened. So the pigs are remembered when I recall Christmas Past.
I also found that the residents of our area of New Hampshire in December of the year 1878 seemed to have pigs on their minds and in their work. It seems to have been the butchering season, something I can understand some because the pigs we raised 50+ years later were for food. My Dad hired others to do the butchering and I won’t go into the details of that procedure. I do remember that my Dad did, with knives and saws, cut the pig into its various meat portions. Certain pieces were put into crocks with a salt brine to make salt pork.
The hams were smoked in a home-made smoker made from an empty wooden barrel and smoked from burning corn cobs. The only pork at our Christmas dinner was the salt pork my Dad ate because he didn’t eat poultry, but the rest of our family of eight partook of the two roosters we consumed as the meat part of the meal.
It seems as if back in the day, that is, back in 1878, farmers from the Bristol area. would report the weight of their butchered pigs to the Weekly Enter -
prise newspaper. J.A. Haynes was reported, in the December 14, 1878 edition of the Bristol paper to have killed a nine month old pig that weighed 365 pounds. S.K. Worthen killed a hog of nineteen months that weighed 614 pounds. C.G. Robinson of New Hampton killed his 7 months old pig which weighed 329 pounds, and Damon Fifield of Bridgewater added his contribution to the big hogs “competition” by butchering four of them that dressed sixteen hundred pounds. Abner
Fowler of Bristol, in that year of 1878, raised 2,000 pounds of pork to sell at market.
Returning to my pig chores, most of them under our care were raised to provide meat for the family and were not pets. The exception was Susie K., a young sow provided to me by the Kiwanis Club which I was to raise so she could produce piglets. Susie became a big pet and was allowed the freedom that the other
Sign of the times- Note my Mother left for my brother when he mistakenly took the wrong boots.
pigs did not have (but sometimes took) to walk around the yard. The ten piglets were a delight though at a young age were sold to find homes elsewhere. Pigs were really a small part of Christmas, though in 1878 and somewhat in the days of my childhood, three-quarters or so of a century later, an important product of small family farms in New Hampshire.
For many, especially the children, snow was a welcome part of Christmas, and there would be speculation about whether we would have a white or brown
Christmas. Mid-December of 1878 saw New Hampshire hit by a severe storm that caused much water damage and limited travel. The Weekly Enterprise reported that “the roads were badly washed in many places, and the New Hampton stage was obliged to come to Bristol on the south side of the river, owing to the bridge acrost ten mile brook being swept away.” The Groton stage driver, Charles Marston, made a detour, using the sugar loaf road to travel to Hebron. He couldn’t cross Fowler’s
Boxing Gloves I received at Christmas ( with the requirement that I share them).
My siblings and I in front of the Dana Meeting Hose across from our home in New Hampton.
River with the stage, so with difficulty crossed by boat and walked to Bristol with mail bags on his back. The water in Newfound Lake was said to be at its highest ever. Railroad tracks were washed out with a number of accidents, including a freight train with two engines that went into the river in Wentworth. In Bridge-
water some of the pupils of District 8 went to school in a boat.
A reporter found that there was a “rush of Christmas trade” in William George’s store in Bristol where he was surprised to find “an endless variety of novel and useful articles for sale.” His list of available items for sale included “his regular line of dry goods, millinery,
boots and shoes,....a large assortment of toys, vases jewelry, inlaid jewelry boxes, perfumery, and perfumery cases, clock and perfumery case combined, music rolls and folios, writing desks, stuffed birds, drums, traveling boys, portemonnales, worsted goods, hosiery and gloves, woolen scarfs, and slippers.”
At the Fowler &Company store he found “their usual large variety of holiday goods for sale, consisting in part of perfumery, vases, books, diaries, autograph and photograph albums, backgammon boards, and a great variety of toys and books for the children.”
The Bristol M.E. Church , on Christmas day, at two o’clock in the afternoon, conducted their annual sale of the choice of pews. And pigs were not the only items that were allowed space in the newspapers
of 1878. Mrs. Benjamin Wells had a lobster cactus with 180 buds and blossoms, and George H. Fowler and O.F. Fellows caught 10,000 live shiners on one day in November. Bridgewater resident Mrs. Mary Hammond made 135 pounds of butter in six
months from milk supplied by her four-yearold heifer, and fellow town person Samuel Dalton raised a turnip that weighed 18 pounds.
My space is running out so I have little room to write about Christmas’ past of the 1940’s
and 50’s with the importance of family and family values and traditions we kept.
May your Christmas celebration in 2024 be merry and meaningful as we celebrate the birthday of the One Who came to be our Savior!
listen to a recent interview done with one of the country’s greatest entrepreneurs, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, done at the New York Times DealBook Summit.
Bezos has never been known as a conservative or among the backers of President-elect Donald Trump. He owns The Washington Post, which is a left-of-center paper.
However, in this interview, Bezos speaks positively about the election of Trump and specifically talks about the importance of deregulation to improving the economy. “He (Trump) seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. ... If I can help him do that, I’m going to help him.”
He also observes that our country “has the best risk capital system
in the world ... You can raise $50 million of seed capital to do something that only has a 10% chance of working.”
Bezos discusses his own experience, starting from nothing, building a business in a world of new technology and becoming one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.
He describes raising his first million dollars for Amazon by meeting with 60 venture capitalists, of whom 22 agreed to put up $50,000 each. Bezos emphasizes that the way out of our economic problems is economic growth. And here he emphasizes the importance of deregulation and gives a vote of confidence to Trump. So why, when there is such disproportionate entrepreneurial spirit among Black women, did only 7% support the
candidate who one of the nation’s most successful and legendary entrepreneurs says will deliver the economy the nation needs?
Certainly, Black and Hispanic men are getting the message.
It’s time for Black and Hispanic women to get it and start focusing less on identity politics and more on what experience tells us will work.
Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.
system, we no longer live in a republic. We live in an anarchic, Hobbesian world of violence of all against all. It turns out that life is filled with grievances and hardships. If the response to such grievances and hardships is murdering CEOs, what precisely is the limiting principle? Why not shoot bank CEOs for their decision-making? Why not murder oil company executives or hedge fund CEOs?
The answer to flawed policy is better policy. But if you wish to see the American system torn down from within, you’re better off advocating bloodlust and murder. And unfortunately, there are an awful lot of Americans who seem willing to tear down the American system itself
rather than attempting to discuss rational solutions to intransigent problems.
Ben Shapiro’s new collection, “Facts and Furious: The Facts About America and Why They Make Leftists Furious,” is available now. Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and cofounder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author.
capable of self-government by allowing this generational violation to continue. Stand up for generations to come. Educate your Washington delegation. They need an education on the Constitution that you will learn attending the many “Constitution Is The Solution” seminars in New England. Contact Mathew Rhodes Field Coordinator for the JBS at mrhodes@jbs.org .
Russ Payne Merrimack, NH.
THE CLASSIFIEDS
* Art * Antiques Fine * * Jewelry * Silver * Judy A. Davis Antiques
One Item or Entire Estate ~ Cash Paid For:
All Antiques: American and Continental furniture, paintings, oriental rugs and bronzes. Historical documents, old books and maps, nautical items, barometers and sextants. Old prints, movie and travel posters. Old photography, cameras and musical instruments. Gold and Silver U.S. and foreign coins Civil war and all military items, guns, swords, medals and old flags. Old advertising, wooden and metal signs, vintage whiskey and wine, old weathervanes, old pottery, old jugs, crocks and textiles, lamps and lighting, glass and china.
Old toys, banks, trains, sports memorabilia and comic books.
Over 40 years experience in the antique business. Chinese and Asian arts, jade, ceramics, oriental textiles, furniture and art.
Classic car s and motorcycles, gas pumps, oil cans and signs 25 year s and olde r.
All estate and contemporary jewelry, diamond rings, brooches, Patek, Rolex, all watches and charm bracelets. All Fine Gold and Silver Jewelry. Sterling silver flatware, tea services, trays and all
and gold.
reality is, they didn’t want that to be the solution.”
Didn’t want it to be because Biden Democrats didn’t want to give money to Elon Musk.
Now Musk has a friend in government. Maybe things will change.
But government giving contracts to friends is not good policy. It’s also not a smart way to get things built.
Government pumped billions into “highspeed rail.” Fifteen years later, they’re still talking about the future.
Bureaucrats wasted $500 million of your money on the solar company Solyndra, which then went bankrupt. They wasted millions more trying and failing to create “synthetic fuel.”
More recently, Biden doled out $7 billion to build 500,000 EV charging stations. Two years later, they’ve built seven.
Republicans joined Democrats in funding a CHIPS Act, meant to bring chipmaker jobs to America. It isn’t working. Most chips are still made in Taiwan.
“Even if they get what
they promise,” I point out to Cole, Congress appropriated “$53 billion for 115,000 promised jobs. Almost half a million dollars per job!”
“You expect nothing else from government,” he replies.”
With Republicans in charge, some say things will be better. But the problem isn’t just Democrats; it’s government.
Trump’s steel tariffs destroyed American jobs by raising the price of steel.
Politicians should just stop subsidizing certain businesses.
Maybe Elon Musk
will convince Trump to do that. He’s actually tweeted the U.S. should “remove subsidies from all industries,” including his own! Good for him. That would be great.
End the $30 billion handed to Big Agriculture, useless subsidies for “clean” energy, government-guaranteed loans politically to connected businesses, etc.
Maybe Trump will end that part of the Deep State.
But I won’t hold my breath.
Once politicians are in power, they always want to do more.
With your money.
Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom. He is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”
MOFFETT from 13
Celtic star Kevin McHale (1957).
Sports Quote
“Don’t tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they’ll surprise you with their ingenuity.” – George Patton
Sports Quiz Answer
George Patton finished fifth in the modern pentathlon in Stockholm in 1912.
State Representative Mike Moffett was a Sports Management Professor for Plymouth State University and NHTIConcord. His e-mail address is mchlmoffett@yahoo.com.
SUPER CROSSWORD
B.C.
by Parker & Hart
PUZZLE CLUE: TEEPEES
MAGIC MAZE
THEME THIS WEEK: “OO”WORDS
Answers on Page 28
The Winklman Aeffect by John Whitlock
