McHenry County News FRE
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Volume 6 Issue 1
December 31, 2015
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Christmas Clearinghouse in Action By Anne Eickstadt, Correspondent
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otary’s early December Tag Days event collects funds to assist families and senior citizens to have a Merry Christmas. Saturday, December 19, sees hundreds of volunteers brave the cold and the snow to deliver food and toys to the right places. “It’s quite an operation,” says Kim Larson. “I’m in charge of coordinating the list of recipients. This year we’re going to be serving about 1110 families. The number is down a little, so that’s good.” “We couldn’t do it without the Moose Lodge,” Denise Graff Ponstein tells me. “They are providing breakfast for our delivery drivers. We have a budget of $5400 this year and we are giving toys to over 1900 kids. Toys for Tots helps us. We get a lot of our toys from them. We also receive toys from local companies that collect them for us. Then we can spend more money on food.” These two seasoned Rotary Christmas Clearinghouse women are constantly in motion even as they talk with me. “If you came back
in an hour, I wouldn’t have even a minute to talk to you.” Larson stays at the front to keep things moving while Graff Ponstein takes me to see the lower level of the building. The old Farm & Fleet building is currently owned by Harley-Davidson whose Woodstock showroom has moved across Route 47 to the old K-Mart building. I am astounded by the sea of food boxes and gift baskets that cover the lower area. A constant stream of volunteers moves these boxes to conveyer belts which glide them towards the open door “They get a whole turkey dinner and a box of food. They receive: a turkey, 2 cans of green beans, 2 cans of creamed corn, 2 boxes of stuffing, milk, a loaf of bread, rice, pancake mix, scalloped potatoes, cereal, chicken noodle soup, a bag of fresh potatoes, carrots, saltines, and 6-8 fresh fruits or vegetables,” Graff Ponstein tells me. Volunteers pack these boxes and baskets into lines of cars, SUVs, vans and trucks for delivery by still more volunteers. The vehicles are directed into position by volunteers
photo by Anne Eickstadt
A conveyor belt transfers boxes of food from indoors to the loading area for the volunteers.
positioned all along the way from the street. Then the flow of traffic is directed back out again in a magnificent display of experience by the men keeping everything in the parking lots going
smoothly. “We thank the community of Woodstock and the surrounding area. It warms our hearts that, for 43 years, they have embraced and supported Christmas Clearing
House.” Further information about the Christmas Clearinghouse and Rotary Club of Woodstock can be found online at www. rotaryclubofwoodstock.com.
Where did New Year’s customs get started?
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By Anne Eickstadt, Correspondent
appy New Year! It’s time to eat, drink and make lots of noise. But does anyone remember where these customs started? Today, Italians ring church bells, North Americans sound sirens and blow party horns to bid the old year farewell. In the early American colonies, it was the sound of pistol shots which served that purpose. Guns were fired in ancient Thailand to frighten off demons and the Chinese used firecrackers to rout the forces of darkness. Food and drink can symbolize good fortune, prosperity and the richness of the year to come. Ring-shaped treats such as donuts symbolize ‘coming full circle’, green food symbolizes the color of money and beans represent coins. In Spain, they eat 12 grapes at midnight for prosperity, the Dutch have ‘olie bollen’ fritters and the Irish enjoy ‘bannock’ pastries. Rice promises prosperity in India and Pakistan. In Gaelic, ‘wassail’ means ‘good luck’ and is drunk in parts of England. The Scottish enjoy spiced ‘hot pot’ for the
same reason and, in Holland, toasts are made with hot, spiced wine. The French use champagne and kiss at midnight to mark the first moments of the new year. The purifying effect of fire is used in many countries to drive away the bad spirits of the past year so that the new year can arrive unsullied and uncorrupted. The Scottish festival of ‘Hogmanay’ has parades of men swirling enormous blazing fireballs over their heads as they march through the streets. In Panama, they burn effigies of celebrities and politicians on bonfires. New Year’s resolutions are said to have their beginning with the Babylonians as early as 2600 B.C. as a way to reflect on the past and plan ahead. In Scotland, an important part of the new year celebrations is the custom of ‘first-footing’. The first foot to cross over the threshold after midnight will predict the next year’s fortune. Those considered especially ‘fortunate’ as first footers are: new brides, new mothers, anyone born on Jan. 1, and those who are tall and dark (and handsome?). If you would like to influence the coming year, you can also try some of
these customs: On New Year’s Eve, wear brightly colored underpants – yellow or green for money or red for love [South America] Open your doors and windows so negative energy will leave and good energy will enter your house. Do not remove anything from your house on New Year’s Day – some believe that you will keep on losing things if you toss anything out. Do not wash your clothes on New Year’s Day or someone in the household will die that year. Keep money in your pocket to keep money flowing in. You can also scatter coins on the floor if you prefer. Fill your water containers. Having empty containers cause you to have an empty life throughout the year. Wear polka dots for luck. Do not eat chicken or fish for your New Year’s Eve celebrations. These animals are foragers and, in the Philippines, that means bad luck for the next year’s food supply. If you are not superstitious and would still like to influence the coming year,
consider taking part in one of the many Polar Bear Plunges on New Year’s Day. Most of these raise money for charity so your efforts will have an effect for those in need of a bit of assistance. You will also have a good feeling about yourself as a great beginning to the fresh start of the New Year.
Happy New Year