Yolanda Nilsen

Anna Masgay

By MARY THERESE BIEBEL
marytb@leader.net
 Friday, December 21, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3 





You've never heard of Rudolph, Dasher and Dancer suffering from shopper
fatigue - maybe because they know how to take a break. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you want a calmer, simpler holiday this season, just say no to one more
trip to the mall. Instead, gather the little ones for a reading of Clement C.
Moore's ``A Visit From St. Nicholas.'' Make a suet cake to treat the backyard
birds. Or imitate Santa's antlered crew and play some reindeer games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The folks at the Pocono Environmental Education Center at Dingmans Ferry
demonstrated that Prancer and Vixen spirit last weekend when they put on a day
of old-fashioned family fun. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For one ``reindeer game,'' kids sat in a circle while one child walked
around the group, lightly tapping each player and chanting ``Santa, Santa,
Grinch.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Anyone designated a Grinch had to jump up and race around the
circumference, hoping the child who tapped him - who also had to run around
the circle - wouldn't beat him to the open space. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The game resembles ``Duck, Duck, Goose,'' camp director Mike Brubaker
admits. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Reindeer games - basically any mildly competitive activity designed to burn
energy - can be adapted for home use, where children might like to wear a set
of toy antlers if they're available. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Yule log &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you have access to field or forest, a quest for a Yule log can be a
pleasant diversion. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the Environmental Education Center, adults scouted out a large log
beforehand, marked it with a big red ribbon, then let the children search for
it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Burning a hefty piece of wood was a custom in both England and Persia,
Brubaker believes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``They'd burn it and hope the ashes would keep evil out of their home.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Feeding the birds &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While you're outdoors, you might want to share your bounty with the local
fauna. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Birds like nuts, popcorn and suet, said Jim Hoyson, an active member of the
Audubon Society. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Never heard of suet? Well, a butcher might be a good source for the hard
fatty substance that surrounds the kidneys in cows and sheep. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you don't know any butchers, it might be easier to trim fat from a raw
steak. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Put the fat into an old onion sack to prevent scattering and hang it from a
tree branch in your back yard, Hoyson suggests. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Or take that fat, render it and mix it with oatmeal, bird seed or
raisins. When it solidifies, put it out in block form or cake form.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hoyson has heard that letting birds share in the holiday bounty may have
been an old-time custom from the Scandinavian countries or Germany. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Even if you're not interested in feeding the critters, you might want to
turn detective and see how many you can spot and record. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Christmas bird count will take place Dec. 29 in Bradford County and
another in the Nescopeck Mountain area Jan. 5. Call the Audubon Society at
836-2734 or 788-1425 for details. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Your efforts may be rewarded by the sweet warble from a feathered throat.
And that just might prompt you to try some singing of your own. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All together, now &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Invite friends over, pass out the song sheets and indulge in the
traditional carols that most people know by heart. Serve hot chocolate or
mulled cider. If you're really lucky, someone in the group will be able to
accompany on an instrument. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And don't worry if you have a splendid voice or not, Susan Jordan advises.
Just sing, and enjoy the camaraderie. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While any size group can enjoy caroling, Jordan is particularly fond of a
singalong planned for 6 p.m. Christmas Eve around the lighted tree in
Stroudsburg's Courthouse Square. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We don't really rehearse,'' she said. Anyone is welcome to gather round,
pick up a song sheet and join in. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Close to 30 tuba players have registered to play along, because the event
is part of a national ``TubaChristmas'' movement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It should be a glorious sound,'' Jordan said. ``They usually don't get a
chance to shine.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jordan, who is artistic director of the Pocono Lively Arts program, expects
200 to 300 singers will participate. The event is timed so that, after a half
hour of singing, people can walk to any of several nearby churches for
Christmas Eve services. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We've had some rainy Christmases and some cold Christmases,'' but people
always come,'' she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Annual rituals &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When Jordan's children were growing up, her husband would read them the
Scriptural account of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, where Mary gave
birth to Jesus and laid him in the manger. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Children enjoy such annual rituals, Jordan said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other families have long-standing traditions of decorating a cake with
candles and singing ``Happy Birthday'' to Jesus or listening to Dickens' ``A
Christmas Carol'' or Moore's ``A Visit from St. Nicholas'' before they hang
their stockings and get ready for bed on Christmas Eve. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Borrowing traditions &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It might be interesting to adopt a custom from a culture not your own.
Holiday folklore books are full of ideas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So what if you're not Italian? The little ones might enjoy putting straw
under the kitchen table in honor of the animals who shared the stable with the
holy family on that first Christmas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So what if you're not Swedish? Your oldest daughter might feel important
serving breakfast to the family on St. Lucia's Day (Dec. 13), though, for
safety's sake, you might want to skip the wreath of lighted candles she would
traditionally wear. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps a flashlight will do. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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