FOR MANY, this Christmas is going to be tough. The recession has seen to that. But, if you think that we have an exclusive on tough times, let me take you back over a_half- century to the Christmas of 1942. By then, most of the world had been at war for more than three years. The defeat at Dieppe in August, 1942 with the tremendous loss of young Canadian lives, - would do much to. take the joy out of ‘that 1942 edition -of Christmas. ays OSi ey By Mike Filey Contributing Writer In fact, many were still mourn- ing the nearly 300 Canadians killed and 1,700 taken prisoner at the fall of Hong Kong on Christmas Day, one year earlier. Here at home, with Christmas Day just hours away, the newspa- pers of Dec, 24, 1942 were full of stories about massive Royal Air Force raids oa Tunisia and Bur- ma, RCAF raids on Turin in Italy ‘Make giving garbage free “+EACH YEAR* Christmas, Hanukah and other rituals of the =, Season lead to mounds of games, gadgets, gizmos and garbage. _ “About 40% to 60%. of pur- chases are made during November : and December. ; ~ - And. almost everything you buy will. leave. a trail of boxes, bags, able bags, boxes, baskets, con- tainers, or jars. Use a scarf, a tea towel, or a pair of mittens or socks to wrap your gift. Think about giving gifts that help support nature. Bird houses and bird feeders can provide hours of enjoyment. Give a subscription to gardening magazines. a ras and accounts of the Millerovo on the Rostrov-Moscow railway line. Of more importance to Cana- dian families was the on going “casualty lists’ in which a loved one might be found under the dreaded headings “KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE”; ‘‘MI1SS- ING”; “PRISONER OF WAR"; or the chilling, ‘““PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING. NOW, FOR OFFICIAL. PURPOSES, PRESUMED DEAD"’. The RCAF alone. had issued a total of nealy 450 ‘‘casualty lists’ since. the war started. In an effort to bolster patri- otism, a special chart appeared in the Dec. 24, 1942 Toronto Even- ing Telegram showing that since Canada had entered war in 1939, 134,242 Toronto area citizens had volunteered for service. Little did these same readers realize how that. number would swell as the war continued’ to rage. Nor did they have any idea of the total number that would never return home. Of loca! interest in that same edition of the Tely was the conti- nuing story about a navel action in the Caribbean involving HMCS Oakville, a Canadian navel cor- vette that had rammed and sunk a German submarine a few days earlier. The papers went on to report that members of the crew were to be decorated for their bravery. On the home front, rationing was going to have a severe impact on the Christmas of 1942. On Dec. 16, liquor restrictions went into effect and at the same time liquor advertising was ban- ned. Earlier in the year, tea and coffee had been rationed - while cake icing and frosting were ban- ned in an effort to conserve sugar. As tough as things appeared to be here, millions of citizens. in a war-torn Europe had it much, much worse. While Canadians had sent hundreds of gift items to the children in England in an effort to make Christmas a little brighter, many of the youngsters found themselves celebrating the Christmas of 1942 in a. strange ccuntry. ; ; Evacuated out of harm’s way, one of these youngsters was the subject of a photograph snapped by the Tely’s Nels. Quarrington that appeared in numerous Cana- dian, American and ‘British news- papers. Two-year-old | ‘‘war guest’? Simon Christopher Dew had just arrived at Toronto’s Union Station and attracted, perhaps, by the familiar English- style “‘bobby’’ helmet (which our police wore until well after the war) quickly made friends with ‘city policeman Harry Warton. (c)' 1993 Canada Wide Feature Service Limited. So don’t let: your wish list be : paper, plastic, strings and packing _-wasteful; .practice the three Rs: : things. Most: of the packaging will 1... find. its way. to the waste stream .and‘end up in the incinerator or the landfill. so - J: Say ““no’’. to’ extra. bags’ and boxes when’: you , are ‘shopping. Take. your ‘own shopping bag’ or _» placeall-Of your purchases in the first you receive. a . ; .- This holiday season the Greater Vancouver. Regional District (GVRD) wants you to think about o“oways’ you-can reduce the amount “Of garbage you produce, . “Give the gift of time. instead. Offer to. walk..dogs,: watch children, ‘or’ wash cars. Cook a. special‘meal or go shopping for a shut-in friend. Buy. tickets for a play, a’sports event or a movie. - Consider. wrapping ‘gifts in reus- 95 Plus GSI, PST. & nee Shipping & Handing Made in England for over SO | years, now available in Canada. -Cosimax.is constructed from ‘the highest quality double- dipped rubber. Stainless steel ‘cap:.and supple velour -covering. Soothes aches and ‘pains. Brings warmth and ‘comfort year ‘round. Extra large, stays hot longer. One to three weeks delivery. (while supplies last) Order by phone 988-3064 Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-5:00pm or send cheque or money order For 69.95 + 4.90 GST, 4.98 PST, 5,00 shipping and handling, Total $84.75 To Comfort House Marketing Ltd. {P.0, Box 86350, North Vancouver, B.C. V7L 4TS reduce, reuse and recycle. nn Va ey Centre Limited | Edition Christmas Racoon No Virginia ... these Racoons will not get into your garbage! But they'll look great on any holiday table or wrapped up under the tree! Yours FREE with a $50.00 purchase from Any Lynn Valley Centre Merchant. Pick Up Yours today at our Customer Service Booth Located Outside Zellers Mall Entrance. (Liquor Store purchase excepted) (Limited 1 per customer while quantities last) Limited Edition Christinas Raganns nay not be exactly as shows. Convenient Late Night Christmas Shopping Begins December Ist.