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The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, December 20, 1967—SEC. C—PAGE 15 Water Is Key To Safe Tree If you want a prettier Christ mas tree this year, take care when you buy your tree and take care of the tree after you buy it. Buy a fresh tree. Your eye will tell you if a tree has started to turn brown. Kven if it is very green, tap the butt of the tree on the ground. If needles fall, select another tree. When you get the tree home, douse it with cold water. Then, recut the stem with a new diag onal cut at least an inch above the old cut. This opens the pores for drawing up water. Set the tree in water and keep it in water. The first day a tree is in water, it may take up a quart. Afterwards, it should be replenished with less er amounts. Select a location for your tree that is in the cool part of the room, away from radia tors, fireplaces, radios, TV sets, or other sources of heat. A variety of fireproofing materials are available for. Christmas trees — yet the most effective and inexpensive is plain water which keeps the tree naturally moist. Suggestions For Holiday Ham Ham is a headliner on many holiday menus and to day’s hams are leaner, juicier and easier to prepare than those on Grandpa’s farms. To bake your Christmas ham, place it fat side up on a rack in an open roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the thickest part, but make sure the bulb does not rest in fat or bone. Do not add water and do not cover. Bake the ham in a slow oven (325° F.). Basting is not neccessary, but if you wish, add your favorite glaze 20 to 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. A ”cook-before-eating” ham should bake until the meat thermometer registers 160° F. This will require 2V2 to 3 hours for a half ham, 2 to 2 t /j hours for a shank or butt portion. For heating a "fully-cooked” ham, the meat thermometer should indicate 130° F. Allow about 2 hours for a half ham, V/j hours for a portion. For canned hams, follow instruc tions on the can. TREE LEGEND There are many legends concerning the origin of the Christmas tree. One of the’hiost unusual is found in an old Ger man folktale. According to the story, a branch of fir was given to a forester’s family after they had offered food and shelter to a waif, who was in reality the Christ Child. The forester put the branch into the ground and it grew into a tree which always bore fruit and nuts at Christmastime. BY MIKE BENNETT Christopher Anderson lived on an island in the Pacific— by chance, not choice. He came by this situation because he was a member of the legion of itchy feet. He was a loner, a world traveler; a man who knew no one, a man no one knew. Christopher had recently left the comforts of civilization and set out to sail around the world in an outrigger canoe. Because he didn’t particularly like people, Christopher didn’t bother to tell anyone about his plans. Early one morning he stepped into the canoe and put out to sea. There was no one to miss him and the few peo ple who had seen him lounging around the docks or in one of the nearby bars knew only that he was gone and that an out rigger canoe was missing, loose who had any concern in the matter at all believed the canoe would turn up some where sooner or later. Not True They were quite wrong. The canoe came upon a rest less sea and was smashed against the jutting reefs of an unmarked island. \ The fire had been going several days. Tonight it would die. Christopher Anderson washed up on a small atoll. With low tides, he made his way across a series of reefs un til he found the largest island in the chain. It was not a big place; but it did afford fresh water, some edible plant life, and a shallow lagoon where Christopher could, when the urge of hunger became strong enough, catch a fish or two with a homemade spear. It was a nice island. Un fortunately, it was well away from the sea lanes. Islands and coral reefs kept ships far, far away. At first, Christopher didn’t mind. He could be as happy here as he could anywhere else in the world . . . for about a week. Came the tenth day, and Christopher’s feet were quite itchy. But all he could do was scratch. He began to think about, to hope for, even to pray for the sight of a ship in the distance. He scoured the island and the surrounding reefs, picking up every shred of flotsam he could find. He placed it in the center of the highest point of the atoll. One packet of matches, which he had kept in his pocket, in a watertight container, had sur vived with him. So had his wallet. After thoroughly drying in the sun each fragment of paper in his wallet, Christopher managed to get a fire going just as darkness began to settle over the islands—on his twelfth day. One Thing Perhaps because even the man who doesn’t care much still cannot completely aban don hope, Christopher had saved one thing from his wallet. A calendar. Each mor ning he punched a hole in the date. This morning he had made his last mark. He had punched a hole through Decem ber 31st. The fire had been going several days. Tonight it would die. Christopher had scoured far and wide, but could find nothing else to burn. So it was that on this very black night, the moon hidden by low-hanging clouds, Chris topher Anderson welcomed the New Year by watching his fire turn into glowing embers. Other people were doing things. Some welcomed the New Year with parties and celebrations. Some relaxed be fore the warmth of an open fireplace. John Whalen, first mate on an Australian tanker, leaned idly on the port rail staring out across the sea. For just a moment, he thought he saw a glow of light in the distance. "Can’t be, John old boy,” he said to himself. "That’s reef- land out there. Time for vou to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day.” He tossed a cigarette over board and started toward the galley. A cup of coffee would surely taste fine before bed time. Tomorrow was another year. John Whalen, like most people, hoped the New Year would be kind to him. But he doubted one day could make much difference one way or another. We hope everyone in the family, from Grandpa right on down to Rover, has a wonderful holiday season! H ATCH ETTE'S Office Supplies 6 Equipment Phone 276-0404 Newberry, S. C. S. W. (Brother) Brown Wholesale Distributor for AMOCO Newberry, South Carolina