< 16 Heavenly hosts
❉
for a certain hotelier of two millennia ago. Or, ask yourself this—would you want to be the innkeeper who told the savior of humankind he “should’ve called in advance”? The Bible describes it unscandalously enough:“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” But the message is loud and clear: Small-
Innkeepers the world over have been apologizing for this guy for the last 2,000 years...
business owner sends Blessed Virgin Mary, her non-union contractor husband and their impending child/son of God into a livestock trough because he can’t be bothered to dust off a futon or two from the garage. True, Joseph didn’t make a reservation; true there was a Pharisee convention in town and all rooms were booked. And you can talk until you’re blue in the face about how the Bethlehem fire marshal puts limits on room capacity for a good reason. But sheesh, turning away
❉
“THE GREAT
HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY”
Ken Toscanini Includes Oil Filter Change & Tire Rotation on Most Cars & Light Trucks t 8 4ZOUIFUJD #MFOE 0JM 1SFNJVN PJM mMUFS TPNF PJM mMUFST DPTU FYUSB t -VCSJDBUF DIBTTJT JG BQQMJDBCMF t *OTQFDU USBOTNJTTJPO nVJE QPXFS TUFFSJOH nVJE NBTUFS DZMJOEFS CBUUFSZ nVJE XJOETIJFME EJGGFSFOUJBM nVJE t 3PUBUF BMM XIFFMT DPSSFDU UJSF QSFTTVSF t *OTQFDU CFMUT IPTFT t $IFDL CSBLF DPOEJUJPO t $IFDL IFBEMJHIUT
Vince Ippolito
25
$ EXPIRES 12/31/2010.
50 EXPIRES 12/31/2010.
OFF
OFFER ENDS 12/31/2010.
40
20
30
$ EXPIRES 12/31/2010.
0Y^PU :[ H[ > -YHUJPZJV :HU 9HMHLS 7HYHKPZL +Y *VY[L 4HKLYH 18 PACIFIC SUN DECEMBER 3 - DECEMBER 9, 2010
OFF
$ EXPIRES 12/31/2010.
3VTIHYK :[ :HU -YHUJPZJV 3HZ .HSSPUHZ (]L :HU 9HMHLS
OFF
EXPIRES 12/31/2010.
9LK^VVK :[
=HSSLQV ( 9VISHY +Y 5V]H[V
Thanks, but no thanks?
Due to its secular nature and guiltfree emphasis on consuming massive amounts of grayish-brown gravy, Thanksgiving has become the holiday of choice for many Americans over the age of 12 (not to mention the Dutch, Liberians, Filipinos and Norfolk Islanders who also celebrate Thanksgiving). Of course, the first Thanksgiving, circa 1621 near Plymouth Bay, isn’t easily analogous to modern Thanksgiving get-togethers
❉
Women couldn’t eat, but they were allowed to pass around the onion dip. (i.e., your family doesn’t later commit genocide against the other families at the table), but the spirit of sitting down with various folks you’re not incredibly fond of for an afternoon potluck holds true to this day. When such Pilgrims as William Bradford, Edward Winslow and Miles Standish joined Indian chief Massasoit and nearly 100 other Patuxet tribesmen for threedays of patting themselves on the back for not starving their families to death, the menu would have been typical guy stuff (women weren’t invited to this day of culture awareness). Venison, duck, turkey, swan, lobster, cornbread and pie were all likely devoured—none of those cheesy casseroles the women always bring. Some modern scholars question whether the “first Thanksgiving” feast ever actually took place—Gov. Bradford was apparently quite fond of declaring religious days of thanks on a regular basis. And the number of texts in existence from any Pilgrim mentioning Wampanoag Indians being on the guest list at any of Bradford’s parties can be counted on one finger. Whether the first Thanksgiving really took place or not, the legacy of Squanto and his buddy Miles Standish lives on in that quivering dish of lime Jell-O with the mandarin oranges standing between you and the main course. —Jason Walsh Report more memorable holiday moments to Jason at jwalsh@pacificsun.com.
❉
$
$
OFF
EXPIRES 12/31/2010.
EXPIRES 12/31/2010.
10
$
OFF
OFF
Jesus, Mary and Joseph on Christmas Eve... and it’s a biting chill this time of year in Judea.
*OPEN SUNDAYS