WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 13, 2018 13
MEMORIES OF
CHRISTMAS PAST
Christmas is almost here and and
there is much for most of us to do, gift s
to wrap, a few more cards to send out
and few more decorations to put up.
It is also a time to refl ect about the
troubles in the world. We can’t help
but to wonder about the message
which is, “Peace on Earth and goodwill
toward men,” yet where is it?
It is times like these that I think a
lot of of us perhaps refl ect on a gentler
time in our past. I, for one, found myself
thinking about a Christmas when
I was young and America was not so
troubled.
It was 1957 we were in the Cold
War atmosphere and I didn’t care
nor understand such things as I was
only 8 years old. I was living in a corner
house on 213th Street in Queens
Village. There was my mother and
my father and two blind borders my
mother took care of. We didn’t have
much money but we always has a good
Christmas. It was always full of love
and caring and sharing and plenty of
music, especially during the holidays.
We had traditions like a lot of families
do, one of which was to go out a
few days before Christmas and to buy
a fresh Christmas tree. That night
my father and I were about to go out
for the tree when my father’s car
would not start. It was a crisp, cold
night and snow was on the ground
and more falling. My father had
an idea so my mother wouldn’t feel
disappointed.
We would take my sled to a place
where they sold Christmas trees,
about a half a mile from the house on
Jamaica Avenue and Francis Lewis
Boulevard. When we got there, my
father picked out this beautiful
six-foot tree. He tied it on top of my
sled and we took it home through
the snow, while we sang Christmas
carols.
We got back to the house where
my mother had a special place in our
living room across from the fi replace
for our Christmas tree. Our job was
done once it was placed in a stand and
my mother, with tender loving care,
would decorate the tree with such
love for every detail.
It was a time when kindness and
love seem to bounce from house
to house and neighbors would
greet each other with a “Merry
Christmas.” Christmas carolers
would sing from house to house
and churches would be filled with
worshipers. I remember myself
singing in a church choir and being
in Christmas pageants where
one year I played a shepherd and
another year as a wise man.
I think Christmas meant a lot back
than. I just can’t help but wonder if
that kind of Christmas would return
again. The picture-perfect Christmas
may be laced with imperfections but it
was, I think, a little better then.
I can’t help but wonder if America
could return to family values and
goodness and to show kindness to
others and live out the true meaning
of Christmas which is, “Peace on Earth
and good will toward men.”
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Glen Oaks Village
A GLIMPSE AT OUR
FUTURE?
The vernal equinox, the fi rst day of
spring, is March 20, 2019, at precisely
5:58 p.m. Eastern standard time. It is
at this moment when the plane of the
Earth’s equator passes through the
center of the sun — or to put in layman’s
terms, it is the exact time when
the sun crosses the celestial equator,
the imaginary line in the sky above the
Earth’s equator.
Due to the late winter blizzards
in our country aff ecting millions of
people and covering many states here
last year, President Trump will have
declared spring will offi cially begin
this year on March 28, to coincide with
the traditional opening of the Major
League Baseball season.
Scientists and physicists and meteorologists
will vociferously oppose
this legislation, saying that the spring
equinox is an astronomical event. It is
not something that can be postponed
or rescheduled. Democrats will be up
in arms over this latest presidential
decision, claiming natural laws cannot
be violated and begging the Supreme
Court to intervene on this “orbital
debacle.”
Members of Congress have no comments
except to say “Let’s go Mets!”
and hope the Mets pitching rotation is
more stable than the Earth’s rotation
on its axis.
Mark Lane, Little Neck
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
A LOOK BACK
This 1945 photo shows the intersection of Myrtle and Cooper avenues
in Glendale, looking west toward the Glendale Memorial Triangle. The
triangle looks much diff erent now, as a new public plaza was recently
constructed there. Send us your historic photos of Queens by email to
editorial@qns.com (Subject: A Look Back) or mail printed pictures to A
Look Back, ℅ The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361.
All mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you.
SNAPS
ENJOYING LIGHTS IN KEW GARDENS
PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @hellhoundluke
Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! To
submit them to us, tag @qnsgram on Instagram, visit our Facebook page, tweet @
QNS or email editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps).
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