Granada Pioneer, Vol. II, No. 17

              Page   14_________________PIONEER  Christmas  EDITION__________December 24, 1943
A   SHORT STORY
	BUT   ONCE   YEAR
Christmas eve, 1943….
   The black, heavy clouds hang low...
The icy wind whistles its frigid call...
    I turn and gaze at the script before
me.   It reads: "You are cordially in-
vited to attend…” Gosh, another one!
A low murmur escapes my lips.
   Tossing the invitation aside, I pick
up a magazine and flop on my cot.
   “Did you see the letter that came for
you today, Ken?”
   “Where?”  I jump up.
   Joe’s familiar scribbling soon fumbles
in my hands.
   “Dear Ken:”  it starts.
   "Gee, but it’s going to be a lonesome
Christmas  for me this year.  Relocation
may have its good  points but...
   "Remember those days back home? The
brightly decorated avenue, the hustle
and bustle of the late shopping crowd.
The huge, gay window displays welcoming
you to the wonders of toyland. The
Christmas trees, hollies, swaying to the
delightful tunes of the heavenly carols.
   "The youthful laughter and joy in the
early morn. The rustlings of the paper
wrappings from the many parcels. Glee-
ful exclamations imbued with contentment.
   "The parties, the dances, ice skating,
chop suey joints, hamburgers and pop…
man, that's what I call a real Christmas
vacation.
   "I can never forget those things,Ken.
Guess nobody can. But when you're out
in a strange place, alone, those things
take on a new meaning--whether you like
it or not.You start to really appreciate
all those"little things"-the things you
took for granted-things you thought just
"came with the holiday season."
   "You are lucky,Ken. You have socials,
dances,banquets,.. You get that holiday
spirit unconsciously. Why, you have
Christmas   right  at your  doorstep..."
   It  all   comes back to me now-
   The avenue, window displays, toyland,
youthful laughter…the dances, parties,
ice   skating,   hamburgers  and  pop…
   --Sure,   I   remenber.....
********************************************
   I get up slowly.  Pick up the invita-
tion, coat...
    "I'm stepping out, ma..."
   A tender, heart-warming wind grazes
my skin. My eyes turn to the sky. The
stars are twinkling brightly....
             --Jack Ito
SHOPPING  HINTS  FREE?
	BY  ALLAN  ASAKAWA
   What kind of gifts can
you give for Christmas?
  With our low monthly
income and our purchasing
power limited,it's a prob-
lem. Just the other day
a spend-thrift junior miss
asked  me for a loan.  Not
having any ready cash on
me, I told her I would get
her a loan (alone) that
 night.  I later found out
that she was an artist.
You know, an artist likes
to draw her salary even
though the figures are
small.
   Now  for  some prize   sug-
gestions     for     last-minute
shoppers.    In these cold
winter night s what could
be     better  than  giving the
gal a camel's hair coat.
Any damsel will be tickled
to death.  A strapless eve-
ning gown will certainly
make a fine gift for the
glamour girl, but on second
thought it's risky because
she may sue for non-support.
Therefore it is advisable
to look at her back-ground
first. To be on the safe
side give her a suspender
so that  she may be self-
supporting.
   Relating an incident at
the variety store recently,
a young man asked me if
lipstick was too expensive.
In reply I told him,"Don't
worry,  you'll  get it all
back.”  From past experiences
I have found out that lip-
sticks flavored with fruit
juices are bad because she
may give you the raspberry.
I am quite certain that
some   ladies   would like hair
nets, but sometime it’s
difficult     to obtain them
at net   price.  But,   if  you
look above your head, you’ll
find a ceiling price.
  With the  present  short-
age of steel, any man will
accept razor blades. Al-
ready a number of men have
gone to the extent of using
their shoulder blades.  A
hair brush set would be a
splendid gift, provided of
course you don’t get the
brush off.  If you know of
any    person    who wishes to
wash his hands without get-
ting them wet, then give
him a pair of rubber gloves.
   Wonder clocks make swell
gifts, Yes, if you should
receive one, you'll always
be wondering what time it
is. Nevertheless it is a
timely and striking gift
tho at times alarming.
   Musical instruments are
just the thing to be given
for Christmas.  Since so
many people have good taste
for music why not give him
a shoe horn.   Last Christ-
mas I donated a violin to
the high school, of course
there were no strings at-
tached  to   it.
   A  candid     person always
asks   for   a  camera,   because
it's a snap for him to take
pictures.   P. S. If you
should receive a photo of
a man you dislike, then
frame him.
   If you are thinking of
giving a golf shoe, look
out  for  that hole-in-one.
My final suggestion, for
you Christmas shoppers, is
to make your purchases C.O.D.
I say this because C.O.D.
means ''Call On Daddy" when
the  bills   arrive.