-OINT OF, VIEW.
ARON STRUMECKI
The last real holiday

HE THING about the holiday season,
or holidays in general, is that they just

don’t hold a lot of meaning for me.

meaning to me at all anymore, and they
haven’t since I was a kid.

Any meaning they were intended to have
seems to have been lost long ago, or were
twisted beyond recognition by the advertising
industry. We no longer have Christmas and
Thanksgiving; it’s tree-day and turkey-day.
None of the rest are much better. The only
" possible exception may be New-Years, and as
far as I’m concerned, it’s the only one worth

~

kind of holiday entirely.)

liday left with meaning to spare.
Tn fact, as far as holidays go, It’s probably

manity has been celebrating the symbolic ril-

and hasn’t really changed much, or lost its
meaning, except for the date on which it was
celebrated, The ancient Babylonians used to

make resolutions pretty much the same as we
' do.

look back and reflect, try something new, or
find a way to improve. It’s a place and time to
think... contemplate about the lives we live,
ahead us and behind us, and is probably one of

of. It’s sure to bring out the
pher invall-of us. -

For me, especially since I always seem to
tend up writing something this time of year, I
always find myself playing “what if? one more
time, trying to figure out the possibilities of to-
morrow,

poet and philoso-

thoughts and memories of yesteryear as well. It
wasn’t that long ago I found myself on the fro-
zen beaches of Kelowna, watching the fire-
works burst and waiting for the invisible threat
of ¥2K. After all the hype, I was certain all I'd
find that New Year’s day was a riot and a
maybe the end of the world. Instead, what I
found was an unexpected amount of optimism,
cheer and goodwill for the future.

Last year I found myself back in the stran-
gely familiar streets of my hometown, coming
back to the one place that I never thought I'd
return to; looking for a future and a job. ] found :
out a lot of things, but the most important les- -
son I ieamed was that, sometimes it’s poad not
have expectations, and ta be open to the
things in life you never anticipated.

‘What | found was an unexpec-
ted amount of optimism, cheer
and goodwill for the future.’

This New Year’s day, after a lot of change
in myself, and the world around me, J find my-
self wondering about things once mare. So
much has happened.

It’s rather hard to sort it all out, especially
after September 11th. The world has shown
once more, that everything you know, and
often take for granted, can easily change in
the blink of an eye. Who knows what the fu-
ture has in store? ,

As for my own life, I find myself wondering .
what’s ahead of me, Looking back at my |
meagre, all-too-quick existence, I find myself
amazed by all the things I’ve learned, and all
the hurdles I’ve jumped. I remember, when I
was younger, how pissed off I’d get every time
someone would describe a “young author”, as
someone under 40. Now I'm beginning to un-
derstand why.

I guess I finally understand the value of ex-
perience in life. It’s truly something you can-
not teach to another person, no matter how
hard you try,
Having said that, 1 find myself contempla-
ling what it would be like to mect myself as
an old man, with all the experience and know-
ledge a person could ask for. I guess it’s like
Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future; who :
wouldn’t want ta know the future? Who
wouldn’t want to know how their life turned
oul? :

I guess I just love finding out the end of the
story, and in the end, that’s probably why I
love New Years so much, It’s the one time of
year we gel to check the life-story we have in
our head with the one we live, and adjust ac-
cordingly.

That’s what I plan to do.

saving. (Remembrance Day too - different

Say what you may, to me, it’s the only ho- -

the oldest and universal holiday as well. Hu-

ual of death and rebirth for over 4,000 years, :

For many people the New Year is a time to .

those things our society could use a lot more -

Of course it also brings back a lot of

Honestly, they just don’t have any special

July

Skeena Junior Secondary’s vice principal,
Art Erasmus, announced he’s taking a year off
to work full time overseeing 52 Rotary Clubs
as the district povernor.

Fook
_ The Terrace production of How f Learned to
Drive wins the Burnaby Trophy at Mainstage
B.C. The award is given to the runner-up in the
best overall production category.
; hbk

Nechako North Coast won best industrial
garden in the Greater Terrace Beautification
Society’s annual garden contest.

There were 27 entrants overall this year in a
range of commercial and residential categor-
ies. The event acts as a bit of a dress rehearsal
for the city’s entrance in the B.C. portion of
the Communities in Bloom Contest.

August

Terrace’s annual summer celebration, Ri-
verboat Days, offered something for everyone
Aug, 3 to 6, with a parade, fireworks, and do-
zens of activities.

to ok
. Wally Humphrey, one of Terrace’s best-
loved painters, died Aug. 31 at the age of 77.
The former Englishman was inspired by the
natural beauty of the northwest.

September

Hundreds of Terrace residents turned out for
a National Day of Remembrance to recognize
the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S.

The gathering took place in front of City
Hall and featured an unusual moment for Ca-
nadians — the singing of the American anthem.

Ak otok

A Doberman puppy found lost and injured in
the summer found a new loving home in Kiti-
mat with the Reese-Hansen family.

“Spider” was nursed back to health at a

Two former U.S. residan

CHANCE MEETING:

Have a happy New Year.

FRIENDLY GIANT: Skeena Valley Fall Fair winner Carmela the Llama cozies
up to Tanis Place (centre) and Lara Hayward. PHOTOS BY JENNIFER LANG

ts Lorraine Merrill (teft)

PEACEFUL GATHERING: A boy's thoughtful face is
illuminated by candletiyht. He joined dozens of
others at a peace vigil organized by Northwest
Community College’s student association in Octo-
ber following the start of bombing in Afghanistan. |

MIRROR MIRROR: A young vsitor to the
Family Place’s Painting All Over event.

local vet’s clinic, but was expected to need a
lot of time to recuperate from her injuries in a
caring environment. -
kit bkk

The Terrace Art Gallery hosted its first ever
exhibition of work by art and painting students
at Northwest Community College. Instructor
Edward Epp voiced his disappointment that the
college will be cancelling the art program.

October

Terrace’s Heather Bellamy returned to Pa-
kistan to help Afghan refugees displaced by
the bombing attacks on their country. Bellamy,
a relief worker, works for Samaritan’s Purse in
central Asia.

Ahotohokk

Terrace’s oldest citizen, Harvey Doll, pas-
sed away at the ape of 104,

kikhik

Northwest Community College’s student as-
sociation hosted peace vigils at campuses
across the northwest in response to Sept. 11,
and the bombing of Afphanistan.

and Barbara Hammer met at the Na-*
. tional Day of Remembrance ceremony in Terrace following the Sept. 11 attacks. The two women said
they found the response of Canadians here comforting.

Here in Terrace, a small and quiet group of
concerned citizens gathered at the bandshell
in George Little Park, lighting candles and
singing songs of peace.

Fok ook

‘Terrace Minor Hockey. players: donate ay:
whopping: 1;500‘peunds: of patatoasita' the eegsiis)
race Churches Food Bank after the call went..:
out to restock empty shelves.

November

Remembrance Day ceremonies in Terrace
took on a new significance this year, when
local firefighters join veterans in the parade to
remember fallen colleagues in New York City
who perished Sept. 11.

tehokhokk

Gen Roberts marked her 60th year living
with type I diabetes. Diagnosed in 1942, she’s
managed to beat the odds — and her original
prognosis - through her vigilant attention to
blood sugar levels.

tock bok

Local TV star Tony “Tight Lines” Rutledge
revealed he’s signed up to do a national show
on Outdoor Life Network next fall.

December

Hundreds of celebrants turned out for this
year’s Kermode Christmas Parade of Lights,
an annual event that was bigger and better
than ever this year.

tothe k

Judges awarded four blooms — the highest
mark — to Terrace for its showing in this sum-
mer’s Communities in Bloom contest. That
means Terrace can now join the national com-
petition next year.

tohb kick

High school principal Geoff Straker an-
nounced he’s heading off to China early in the
new year to work at the Maple Leaf Interna-
tional School.

FLOYD FRANK joine
family members at the
park the carries his
name Aug. 21 to sea
the results of a clean-up
and trail restoration pro-
ject at Frank Park cone
by. local foresters,
Frank, now 97, donated
the land to the city In
1975, He'd collected
and planted numerous
evergreen tree specias
on the site,

ee