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SEC. C — PAGE 2 The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, December 22, 1966 II itn Ma r i/ his <\s- ])<>usc(l icijc. hciny great irith child. And so it teas, that, irhilc they iccrc there, the dags ucre accomplished that she should he delivered ..." By Sam Smith In the shallow depth of a jungle foxhole, the Christmas spirit is a hard thing to come by. In fact, if it wasn't for some wise guy, like the "preacher" over there, you wouldn't even know what day it teas, as if it made any difference. Lost. Cut off from your company. Burrowed d >wn in a muddy hole that the enemy may any moment come to re claim for his own, you can but gaze up at an empty night sky and try to close your ears against the monotonous sound of his voice. ". . . And Joseph also went up from Calilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into .Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and Uncage of David) .... Nuts. It must be near day light. We’ve been in this hole for hours. Seems more like months, though, w h a t with "the kid” over there calling for his mama when he’s asleep and crying out loud when he's awake. And Preacher, him reciting just like he was read ing it out of a book. How does a guy get like that, anyhow? Boy! Fat chance we got being delivered from here. Five get you ten we’ve been marked off already. Operation mess- up, that’s us. What starts off as a simple patrol winds up a one-way ticket out of the war . . out of the whole picture. Why should they take us prisoner? The way they move around, we'd be too much excess bag gage. Look at sarge. Is he wor ried? How can you tell? That lump of tobacco in his left jaw hasn't moved in an hour or two. Neither has his eyes. II 1 couldn't hear him breathing. I'd think he was dead. Well, come tomorrow morning . . . "And she brought forth hei first born Son, and wrappea him in swaddling clothes, ana laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them ir the inn. ’’ No room in this cotton pickin' foxhole, either. Reb, there, snoring like he was safe at home in a feather bed. That guy could sleep on a rock pile. First in line for chow and pay, first of all to hit the hay. Nice guy, though. Maybe he has the right attitude. Why worry? Not much you can do about things. .Just rock along, get your share of everything you can, speak only when you’re spoken to, don't volunteer for nothin’. " . . .And there were in the same country shepherds abid ing in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ” And keeping watch is what they're doing out there. Wonder how close they are? Surely they know we're here. They broke off the search at twilight, but you can bet they’re not far. Come daylight, they’ll zero in on us, for sure. We haven’t got a prayer. "And. lo, the angel oj the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them ...” There she comes. That first break in the sky. Can’t be long now'. The trees are beginning to take shape. 1 know 1 can see movement. There’s no breeze. Too big to be a bird. It is; it must be; it is them. "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, ivhich shall be to all people. ” That cooks us. It’s broad daylight now. 'Phis is it. Wake up, you heavy-eyed sky- : jumpers, you’re about to be pounced on. "Hey, hey, you guys, heads dowm. There’s mail coming in. It’s ours. Listen to them mortars bang. Hey, Sarge! Reb! Kid! Hey. Preach! Look up! Look up! Choppers, man, choppers. Come on here, you whirleybirds! Merry Christ mas, you egg-beaters. Merry Christmas to one and all!” FIRST NEW YEAR The first to welcome each New Year are the residents of the Chatham Islands, New Zea land. MARTIN FEED & SEED CO. 630 Caldwell Street Phone 276-4011 Newberry, S. C. Centuries ago, Romans decorated their homes, public build ings, and temples on festive occasions, and we have followed this ancient custom. In most communities, at Christmas there are beautifully decorated store windows, often depicting the holiday scenes. The merchants along New York’s famous Fifth Avenue vie with each other in original ity and spare no expense in the creation of luxury and beauty. The final displays attract such crowds that special roped-off areas are necessary and the public is kept moving by uni formed guards. In many cases the air is perfumed with some special fragrance and music accompanies the changing scenes of animated figures in side the windows. Weeks before Christmas a giant Christmas tree is set up with much ceremony in the center of Rockefeller Plaza, decorated with huge colored baubles, and the lighting of the tree is the official opening of the Christmas season. The en tire length of Park Avnue is lined with its own lighted Christmas trees, and it is a beautiful sight in snow. Many New York skyscrapers, always dramatic against the night sky, are also aglow with red and green lights in honor of the occasion. While New York goes all out for brilliant, sophisticated Christmas emphasizing luxury with a touch of frivolity, other cities celebrate in their way. In some where traffic hazards do not prevent, the downtown streets are festooned with col ored lights, bells, stars, candles, and other yuletide emblems. Many American cities are famed for their distinctive street decorations, which visitors of ten drive many miles to see. For instance, since 1920, the city of Fresno, California, has featured its Christnvas Tree Lane. This is slightly less than 2 miles in length and is said to be the longest in our country. The project began on a small scale, but by 1930 the great cedars lining Van Ness Avenue had been lighted with colored bulbs for a quarter of a mile. Then, in 1959, more than 300 stately trees had been festooned with lights, and over 121,000 people visited the unusual scene. PEOPLE’S DISCOUNT C0RP. 1400 MAIN STREET—NEWBERRY, S. C.