Mountain View Mirror - Online
December 1998
"I want to know how, as you travel about,
Giving gifts here & there, you never run out.
How is it, dear Santa, that in your pack of toys,
You have plenty for all of the world's girls & boys?
Stays so full, never empties as you make your way
From rooftop to rooftop, to homes large & small,
From nation to nation, reaching them all?
And Santa smiled kindly & said to the boy,
"Don't ask me hard questions. Don't you want a toy?"
But the child shook his head, and Santa could see
That he needed the answer. "Now listen to me,"
He told the small boy with the light in his eyes,
"My secret will make you sadder, & wise.
"The truth is that my sack is magic. Inside
It hold millions of toys for my Christmas Eve ride.
But although I do visit each girl & each boy
I don't always leave them a gaily wrapped toy.
Some homes are hungry, some homes are sad.
Some homes are desperate, some homes are bad.
Some homes are broken, & children there grieve.
Those homes I visit, but what should I leave?
"My sleigh is filled with the happiest stuff,
But for homes where despair lives, toys aren't enough.
So I tiptoe in, kiss each girl & boy,
And pray with them that they'll be given the joy
Of the spirit of Christmas, the spirit that lives
In the heart of the dear child who gets not, but gives.
If only God hears me & answers my prayer,
When I visit next year, what I will find there
Are homes filled with peace, and with giving, and love
And boys and girls gifted with light from above.
It's a very hard task, my smart little brother,
To give toys to some, and to give prayers to others.
But the prayers are the best gifts, the best gifts indeed,
For God has a way of meeting each need.
"That's part of the answer. The rest, my dear youth,
Is that my sack is magic, And that is the truth.
In my sack I carry on Christmas Eve day
More love than a Santa could e'er give away.
The sack never empties of love, or of joys
'Cause inside it are prayers, and hopes. Not just toys.
The more that I give, the fuller it seems,
Because giving is my way of fulfilling dreams.
"And do you know something? You've got a sack, too.
It's as magic as mine, and it's inside of you.
It never gets empty, it's full from the start.
It's the center of lights, and of love. It's your heart.
And if on this Christmas you want to help me,
Don't be so concerned with your gifts 'neath your tree.
Open that sack called your heart, & share
Your joy, your friendship, your wealth, your care."
The light in the small boy's eyes was glowing.
"Thanks for the secret. I've got to be going."
"Wait, little boy," said Santa "don't go.
Will you share? Will you help? Will you use what you know?"
And just for a moment the small boy stood still,
Touched his heart with his small hand & whispered, "I will."
The Neighborhood is placing an order for official adult nametags. The cost will be $2.00 per nametag. This not only pays for the cost but the shipping and handling. These are official on your adult Girl Scout uniform, and are nice to wear when you need to be identified as a Girl Scout but are not in uniform. Nametags must be paid for in advance before the order is placed. We still need 2 more names in order to place the order.
The training for Cookie Managers will be held at Hearthwood Elementary on Monday, January 4th. It will take place just prior to the regular Neighborhood Meeting and will start sharply at 7:00 p.m. Each troop needs to have at least their Cookie Manager present for this vital meeting! Sign-ups for open sales will occur during the regular Neighborhood Meeting.
The January Neighborhood Meeting will be held on Monday, January 4th at 7:30 p.m. Regular meeting place at Hearthwood Elementary in the Media Center .just after the Cookie training!
A Service Unit (Neighborhood) in Texas has a project trying to make a chain 40 miles long for Thinking Day. They propose to try to break the Guinness Book of Records record for a paper chain. It takes 5 chains to make 2 feet!! PLEASE help them out by joining in!! It is real easy to do and YOU can help break a World Record!!!!
All you need to do is have EVERY Girl, Leader or registered adult GS/GG (YES even the men who are registered can do this!!!)make a yellow or gold 1 1/2" wide x 14" long piece of paper and write the following information on it and mail it to us. They will do all the work in connecting them together!!
Write:
They will take the pieces of paper and make them into ONE huge chain of scouts!!!!
Where to send these links!!! Mail to: :
The 5th annual Older Girl Retreat is almost here. Plans are shaping up, menus being made, and kapers being assigned. The cost is $11.00 for the weekend. This includes food. If you missed the last meeting contact Roxanne Goulston or Judy Clark to find out what you missed.
Camp Critters is the theme for this years Neighborhood Campout to be held at Arrowhead. Things are already starting to take shape, but we still want your input. We have some wonderful ideas for activities and food, and you will surely not want to miss this great event! In your plans for your cookie profits, dont forget to include the cost of the campout!
Materials needed:
Directions:
Take a tube sock and turn it inside out (we did it both ways and the girls like them wrong side out best). Place beans or wooden circle in bottom of sock - this help the snowman stand upright. One of the girls dads is a carpenter so he cut out a bunch of circles from about an inch or so thick wood that we placed in our snowman. The size of the circle was about that from a juice container or maybe a little larger. Stuff the sock with fiberfill or similar product up to the banding at the top. With the rubber band close the top of the sock - wind it around several times so that it is tight. Fold the top of the sock down over the sock to form the hat. You will cover the opening part with a pom pom. Tie the ribbon a little above the middle to form the head. Decorate with wiggle eyes, buttons down the front, sequins, pom pom for the top of the hat, the girls used markers to add a mouth and rosy cheeks. We had used pinking shears and cut some small patches of material that some of the girls put on their snowman for a country type look.
This was easy, fun and cheap and the girls enjoyed it. :)
--Cheryl Thienes
Mix 1 part Liquid Starch (be sure to use one that has Borax listed in the ingredients!) to 2 parts regular glue (school glue makes a putty that is slimier, more like Flubber); add a drop of liquid food coloring, if desired.
Give the girls medicine cups - having them measure out 2 t. glue and add 1 t. starch, food coloring, and then have them take a craft stick and stir...towards the end, they will have to knead the mix to get it right, but it is fun. Then the girls can decorate film canisters with this little saying:
Have trouble getting the girls to remember Scout meetings, let alone everything they need for the meetings?
Each girl will have an envelope with her name on it in which Scout Bucks are kept. To start the program out each envelope will have 2 free Scout Bucks in it. At the beginning of each meeting pass out the envelopes and award the Scout Bucks as they are earned, or take them away as they are forfeited. The envelope will remain with the troop leader between meetings.
The Scout Bucks Bag is filled with small trinkets, gift certificates, miscellaneous that pre-teen girls like. What you would choose to put in would be dictated by troop finances; sometimes McDonalds and Burger King in the area are very forthcoming with donations of certificates for things like free French fries, a soft drink, etc. A craft store has lots of novelty items such as pens shaped like lipsticks, colorful pencils, erasers in weird shapes, small notebooks.
To make it cost effective you can attach a fairly high price tag to things - for example a lipstick shaped pen with an actual cost of 89 cents would cost 5 Scout Bucks. You can purchase a few things with dues money so they can have something to shoot for and then purchase the rest as cookie money comes in. Troops that have used this idea have discovered an unintended consequence has - to wake a few parents up as well.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 1 Count the light bulbs in your home. Give 1 for each. | 2 How many pop cans have you used today? Donate 5 for each one. | |||||
| 3 Make a money bank house out of a small milk carton. No donation today. | 4 Put 5 in your money bank for every member in your family. | 5 10 for every bird in your home. | 6 Did you have a night time snack last night? Donate 5 if you did. | 7 Did you play an organized sport today? Donate 25. | 8 Did you wear your uniform to your meeting this week? If you didnt donate 25. | 9 Do you have a clothes washer in your home? Donate 25. |
| 10 Donate 10 for each pair of running shoes you own. | 11 Did you eat three meals today? Donate 5 for each meal you ate. | 12 $1 for automatic lawn sprinklers. | 13 Did you drive or were you driven to school today? If you did, donate 5. | 14 Donate 5 if you have a dishwasher in your home. | 15 Did you eat a chocolate bar or some candy today? Donate the cost. | 16 Donate 25 for each dog or cat in your home. |
| 17 Donate 5 if you share a bedroom, 10 if you have your own bedroom. | 18 Did you have dessert today? Donate 10. | 19 5 for every tap in your home. | 20 Donate 25 for each television in your home. | 21 Did you watch television today? Donate 5 for each hour you watched. | 22 Donate 1 for each CD or tape in your home. | 23 Did you have a shower or bath today? Donate 5. |
| 24 10 for each garden hose. | 25 Do you have a clothes dryer in your home? Donate 25. | 26 Do you own a wheeled vehicle (i.e. bike, car, motorbike)? Donate 5 for each wheel. | 27 How many pop bottles have you used today? Donate 10 for each one. | 28 Have you watched a video this month? Donate 5 for each video you watched. | 29 Did you go to a movie theater this month? Donate 10 for each time you went. | 30 Donate 5 for each pair of black shoes that you own. |
| 31 If you havent donated this month, contribute $2 to JLWFF. |
-- Girl Scout Handbook 1958
The shop will be closed December 24 - January 2 for inventory.
This area can be filled with things that your troop is doing. Please submit your news no later than one week before the next Neighborhood Meeting
Due to the shortened submission period, no troops have reported any current news. Be sure to submit your news for the January newsletter no later than December 28! Im sure you will all have something to report! Starting in January submissions will be accepted from girls and adults alike at all levels (except Senior this remains a girl submission ONLY).
One girl brings intelligence- the challenge of her sparkling mind keeps me continually learning.
One girl brings laughter- the challenge of her ready wit keeps me from taking myself too seriously.
One girl brings simplicity- the challenge of her unquestioning acceptance keeps me honest.
One girl brings skepticism- the challenge of her "show me" attitude keeps me from ever trying to bluff my way through something.
One girl brings curiosity- the challenge of her continuing questions keeps me on my toes.
One girl brings kindness- the challenge of her radiating warmth keeps me from forgetting the importance of hugs.
One girl brings super activity- the challenge of her boundless energy keeps me moving and free from laziness.
Every girl brings with her a precious gift. Grant that I may always look for, and nurture, that precious gift in every girls.
Written by Helen Keech, Division Commissioner for Opeongo Division, Ontario
How much do you know about some of the most popular Christmas carols? If you can answer all of these without having read the historical notes first, you can give yourself the ranking CarolMaster!
ANSWERS: Look elsewhere in Issue for answers.
Merry Christmas! Joyous Kwanzaa! From Troop 72 |
~Stilts~ |
# = Council Event - not all events listed. Please check your G.R.E.A.T. Guide for more information.
Neighborhood Chair
.Deb W
Registrar
Carol J
Brownie Program Consultant
.Natalie L
Junior Program Consultant
.Helen S
Treasurer
Jan A
Family Giving
Katherine R-D
Cookie Team
.Linda S, LeAnn C
Neighborhood Camp Chair
..Judy C
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! | The music is from a 2nd chorus of a cantata by Felix Mendelssohn written in 1840 to commemorate John Gutenburg and the invention of printing. The words are from a 100 years earlier (1739) by Charles Wesley. |
| Jolly Old St. Nicholas | This traditional American carol is generally considered anonymous, although it may have been written by Wilf Carter (cowboy singer "Montana Slim") |
| It Came Upon A Midnight Clear | The words for this American carol are based on a poem written by Unitarian minister Dr. Edmund Sears in 1849. The following year, inspired by the poem, Richard Storrs Willis, a composer as well as editor and critic for the New York Tribune, wrote a melody called "Carol" to which the words were adapted. |
| O Holy Night | Written by Adolph Charles Adam, the French composer best known for his ballet "Giselle". At the time it was frowned upon by church authorities who denounced it for a lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion". |
| Silent Night | Written on Christmas Eve in 1818 in Obendorf, Bavaria. The organ at St. Nicholas Church was broken; the village was snowbound; and the repairman could not get there in time to fix it for the evening service. Joseph Mohr, the vicar, was determined they would not be without music. He quickly wrote the words and gave them to his friend, the church organist, Franz Gruber. Gruber immediately wrote the melody and arranged it for 2 voices, choir and guitar in time to be performed that night at Midnight Mass. By 1955 it had become the most recorded song of all time. |
| God Rest You Merry Gentlemen | When Scrooge, in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", heard this cheerful carol, he grabbed a ruler and the singer fled in terror. It is traditional English going back to the 16th or 17th century. |
| What Child Is This | This melody is the beautiful "Greensleeves". It dates from Elizabethan times, possibly even earlier. The song was played while traitors were hanged in the Shakespeare play. |
| Jingle Bells | The words and music were written in 1857 by James Pierpont for a Thanksgiving program at his church in Boston. It was so well received that the children were asked to repeat it at Christmas. It's been a Christmas song ever since. |
Here's where you can find out more about adding music to your own page!
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