A S C A - Amarillo Senior Citizens - Welcome to the ... S C A Amarillo Senior Citizens Association...
Transcript of A S C A - Amarillo Senior Citizens - Welcome to the ... S C A Amarillo Senior Citizens Association...
A S C A Amarillo Senior Citizens Association
Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide
cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people
around the world have been observing it with traditions and prac-
tices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians cele-
brate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of
Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their
religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating
Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and
friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. The USPS has been
receiving, and respond-
ing to, letters to Santa
Claus for over 100
years. Each year, mil-
lions of children of all
ages send letters to
“Santa Claus, North
Pole, Alaska”.
Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?
Most Christians today probably can’t imagine Christmas on any other day than December 25, but it wasn’t always that way.
In fact, for the first three centuries of Christianity’s existence, Jesus Christ’s birth wasn’t celebrated at all. The religion’s
most significant holidays were Epiphany on January 6, which commemorated the arrival of The Wise Men after Jesus’ birth,
and Easter, which celebrated Jesus’ resurrection. The first official mention of December 25 as a holiday honoring Jesus’
birthday appears in an early Roman calendar from 336 A.D.
But was Jesus really born on December 25 in the first place? Probably not. The Bible doesn’t mention his exact birthday,
and the Nativity story contains conflicting clues. For instance, the presence of shepherds and their sheep suggest a spring
birth. When church officials settled on December 25 at the end of the third century, they likely wanted the date to coincide
with existing pagan festivals honoring Saturn (the Roman god of agriculture) and Mithra (the Persian god of light). That
way, it became easier to convince Rome’s pagan subjects to accept Christianity as the empire’s official religion
The celebration of Christmas spread throughout the Western world over the next several centuries, but many Christians
continued to view Epiphany and Easter as more important. Some, including the Puritans of colonial New England, even
banned its observance because they viewed its traditions—the offering of gifts and decorating trees, for example—as linked
to paganism. In the early days of the United States, celebrating Christmas was considered a British custom and fell out of
style following the American Revolution. It wasn’t until 1870 that Christmas became a federal holiday.
- Source: History.com
In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way
Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his
Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England
of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popu-
lar demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came
the return of the popular holiday.
The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were
even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result,
Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the
celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone
exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in
the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas
was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
Continued on next page
December 2013
P a g e 2 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor
rests.” Luke 2:13-14 NIV
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact,
Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
It wasn't until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented
Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and
nostalgia. But what about the 1800s peaked American interest in the holiday?
The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment
was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In
1828, the New York city council instituted the city's first police force in response to a Christmas riot.
This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was cele-
brated in America.
In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a
series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a
squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in
American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving's mind, Christmas should be a
peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Ir-
ving's fictitious celebrants enjoyed "ancient customs," including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule.
Irving's book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended – in fact, many
historians say that Irving's account actually "invented" tradition by implying that it described the true
customs of the season. Also around this time, English author Charles Dickens created the classic
holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story's message-the importance of charity and good will to-
wards all humankind-struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed mem-
bers of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.
The family was also becoming less disciplined and more
sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the
early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when
they could lavish attention-and gifts-on their children
without appearing to "spoil" them.
As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a
perfect family holiday, old customs were un
earthed. People looked toward recent immigrants
and Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see
how the day should be celebrated. In the next 100
years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all
their own that included pieces of many other cus-
toms, including decorating trees, sending holiday
cards, and gift-giving.
Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrat-
ing Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-
invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation.
Each year, 30-35 million
real Christmas trees are
sold in the United States
alone. There are 21,000
Christmas tree growers
in the United States,
and trees usually grow
for about 15 years before
they are sold.
In the Middle Ages,
Christmas celebrations
were rowdy and rau-
cous—a lot like today's
Mardi Gras parties.
P a g e 3 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
MILLER’S CLEANERS Quality Cleaning At Reasonable
Prices
1100 S. Taylor, Amarillo, Texas
Phone 374 –1490
Pictured: Linda Anderson. Not Pictured: Tina Blunt, Donna Hughes,
Debra Lomax.
The Swinging Seniors line dancing group meets every Tues-
day and Friday in the ASCA Main Hall, from 9:30 am until
11:00 am. Also, Swinging Seniors will have their Christmas
party Dec 14th 4:30 til 7pm in main hall. Please RSVP to
Sidney Boyce. We hope you all can come and join the fun!!!
Swinging Seniors
HIGH SCORES FOR OCTOBER
6640 Ann Beach / Rayma Watson
6590 Carroll Brigman / Mary North
GRAND SLAMS
Carroll Brigman / Mary North - 2 Grand Slams
ASCA Bridge
P a g e 4 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
ASCA Pool Club November Pool Tournament
10 Ball • Race to 65 Points
1st Place - Roy Cole
2nd Place - Andy Bourassa
ATTENTION POOL CLUB MEMEBRS!!!
The annual meeting will be held on December 3, 2013, at
12:00 PM in Room 113 (Conference Center) of the ASCA
building. No food or drink will be provided.
The agenda will include the following:
1. Officer nominations and election (officer terms
are (Jan. 1 to Dec. 31).
2. Financial Report
3. Membership Report
4. Suggestions (If you have a suggestion but cannot
attend the meeting, you can put it in written form
and give it to one of the current officers).
We hope to see you at the meeting!
Bill Evans
Temporary President
Leaves are still falling, green, yellow, orange and brown.
Soon snow will be blowing. But we are staying comfortable
inside while we quilt , and enjoy the fellowship. We elected
new officers. Our president is now Pauline Stone, and our
vice president is Jyeton Lowery.
We still have several people with health problems, and a few
have had surgery and are recovering. We sure miss them.
Bessie had back surgery, and is home and doing much better.
Corine is still doing her therapy for her shoulder. Helen is
very well, and Seba is feeling much better. Pam is still travel-
ing, but comes back when she is home. Shaista Layeeque has
moved back to Pakistan, her home country. We sure miss our
friends when they are gone. We hope everyone is back soon.
We would love to have new quilters and visitors come to see
our new quilts. Few things are impossible to diligence and
skill. Great works are performed, not by strength, but perse-
verance.
Simple Quilting Tips
* When basting quilt layers together using long stitches, be
sure to use a thread that contrasts with the quilt so you can
easily see it and remove it later.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21 NIV
- Juanita Cato
Quilters Pool Club
HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN DECEMBER
Louita Collier - 12/10
Jeannine Bewley - 12/15
Iris Eldridge - 12/26
P a g e 5 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
Katherine Revious - 12/29
Games & More
Winners First Monday Winners Last Wednesday
Edna Faulkner / Tom Nance Jim Pope / Edna Faulkner
Runners Up Runners Up
Jim Pope / Bill Sliter Tom Nance / Glynn Carver
Winners Third Monday
Glynn Carver / Jim Albert
Runners Up
Bill Sliter / James Stroud
Come and join us, we would love to have more players!!! We
play Mon. - Fri. from 8:00am - 11:00am. We also have three
tournaments the 1st and 3rd Mon., and the last Wed.
Dominoes
Christmas Cheer
Christmas snow, lights aglow
Jesus’ birth, Peace on Earth,
Winter snow, the wind did blow,
On ice drive slow, to Games & More go!
Come and join in the card playing fun! We play table
games Mon, Tues, & Fri. Come celebrate the December
birthdays with us on Dec. 6th.
RWP Games & More Reporter
Shaista Layeeque, world traveler and
member of ASCA, took part in all ta-
ble games, including dominoes, bridge,
samba, quilting and crocheting, and
will be missed. She was most friendly
and helpful in all games, especially
dominoes. samba and crochet. Her
father was a bridge champion. She has
returned home to Pakistan after a 22
hour flight.
Continued at top of next page
Shaista has 3 daughters, 1 son, and 8 grandchildren.
She has been here for 2 years with her daughter Dr. R.
Rahmon. She will be missed, and we wish her all the
best!
RWP Reporter
Amarillo Senior Citizens Association members
Loretta W. Cole and Carol W. Brigman, and Games
& More and ASCA member Ramona W. Price re-
cently lost their brother James N. (Jim) White on Oct.
29, 2013. He was 82 years old. Our thoughts and
prayers are with his family.
P a g e 6 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
DOMINOES
President: Jim Pope 373-5121
Meets every Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 11:00AM
No dues or fees except for tournaments.
“42” CLUB
President: Sharon Goar 570-6917
Meets every Tuesday and Thursday 12:30PM - 3:00PM
Cost: $.50 each time.
“88” CLUB
President: Joy Rainey 359-3643
Meets every Wednesday 12:00PM - 3:00PM
Cost: $2.00 per month.
TABLE TENNIS
Contact: Betty McSpadden 359-0865
Meets every Tuesday and Thursday 6:00PM - 8:00PM
Saturday 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Cost: $1.00 each time.
POKER CLUB
President: Ken Worsham 418-4497
Wednesday: Texas Hold’em 2:00 PM - 4:00PM
Thursday: Dealers Choice 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Cost: $1.00 each time. (Awards on Point System)
QUILTERS
President: Pauline Stone 355-3557
Meets Tuesday and Friday 8:30AM - 2:30PM
GAMES AND MORE
President: Carolyn Wilson 353-2085
Monday: 1:00PM - Mexican Train, Hand & Foot, Back Alley
Tuesday: 1:00PM - Back Alley
Friday: 12:00PM - Samba, Hand & Foot
No dues or fees.
ASCA BRIDGE
President: Bob Higby 353-2067
Meets Monday and Saturday 12:30PM - 3:30PM
Cost: $1.10 each time.
BEGINNING BRIDGE
Contact: June Bedell 355-0274
Roena Key 654-8833
Meets Tuesdays 1:00PM - 4:00PM
This group has multiple levels of Bridge players, new and still
learning.
SWINGING SENIORS LINE DANCERS
President: Janete Reese 358-8808
Meets every Tuesday and Friday 9:30AM - 11:00AM
Cost: $1.00 each time. First 2 times in attendance are free.
BINGO
ASCA Office 374-5500
Join us on Wednesdays at 10:00AM.
Everyone is welcome!
POOL CLUB
President: Bill Evans 373-6740
Open to play any day and hours ASCA is open. Monthly
tournaments scheduled.
Cost: $3.50 per month (Three Month Minimum), or $35 per
year.
PUZZLE CORNER
ASCA Office 374-5500
Everyone is invited to stop by and put a piece of the puzzle in
progress.
GOOD TIME COUNTRY WESTERN DANCE CLUB
ASCA Office 374-5500
Meet every Friday night 7:30PM - 10:00PM
Music from Blue Denim 2
Cost: Dues are $20.00 per year; Dance is $6.00 for members,
$7.00 for non-members.
Amarillo Senior Citizens Association • 1220 S. Polk, Amarillo TX, 79101 • 806-374-5500
WEDNESDAY BRIDGE
President: Kay Mayo 355-5653
Meets Wednesday 12:30PM - 4:00PM CROCHET CLUB
President: Lou Ann Cagle 655-2584
Meets Thursday at 1:00PM DUPLICATE BRIDGE
President: Carolyn Blum 359-5307
Meets Wednesday 1:00PM
December 1, 2013
Dear Friends,
The holiday season stirs up pleasurable images of families together enjoying each others company. But
for some seniors, distance, illness or finances prevent them from going to spend time with family
members.
The Amarillo Senior Center is a very important part of many older adults’ lives. Numerous members
come to the Center every day to eat lunch, socialize with friends and often spend the rest of the afternoon
engaged in activities offered at the Center. For some seniors, this is the only meal they will have for the
day.
Far more important than any achievement or event is the fact that we have a place where we can gather,
grow and share the events in our lives, whether they are sad or joyous.
Today we are writing to ask for your help in the short term. Membership dues alone are not enough to
support our center. They don’t cover our operating expenses, much less the myriad of programs and
support services we provide. Your participation in any amount in our End of Year Appeal is crucial to
maintaining ASCA, which is more than a building, more than a place for social gatherings.
It’s the destination of choice for active seniors over 55.
The need to support senior citizens will only escalate through time. Will you please assist us as this need
increases? Your gift will make a difference in someone’s life.
We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2014.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Moss Charlene Cole
ASCA Board President Interim Executive Director
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
Loretta W. Cole, Carol W. Brigman and Ramona W. Price in
Honor of James N. (Jim) White
P a g e 7 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
POTLUCK DINNER
Christmas Potluck / Bingo will be Monday, December 16th at
5:30 PM. Ham will be furnished. Bring a dish (enough to
serve 10 people) to go with ham. The cost is $5.50 for each
person not bringing food. We hope you can all come and
enjoy!
Genece Files, Beverly Faubion, Billy G. Hill, Guy Don
Stone, Richard Briley, Dolly Bruce
NOVEMBER NEW MEMBERS
America Supports You Texas had a great turnout for their
Veteran Day Breakfast fundraiser at ASCA on Sunday,
November 9th before the Veterans Day Parade.
AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU TEXAS
We will be having a mesh wreath making class on Tuesday,
December 10th at 1:00 pm. The class will be taught by Jackie
Farrell, County Extension Agent with Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension, Randall County. The registration fee is $15 dollars
plus the cost of supplies. You may get a list of supplies in the
ASCA office. To register, please call 806-468-5543, or email
[email protected]. We hope to see you there!
MESH WREATH CLASS
Marlene Gilliam is an accomplished singer and songwriter,
and the daughter of the late Hawkshaw Hawkins, of the
WWVA Jamboree and the WSM Grand Ole Opry. She will
be here at ASCA on Wednesday, December 11th to sing
some wonderful Gospel music. Please join us in the ASCA
Main Hall at 11:00 pm to hear her wonderful gospel music!
MARLENE GILLIAM GOSPEL MUSIC
MEDICARE FRAUD
Laurie McAfee from the Area Agency on Aging will be here
Wednesday, December 11th at 3:00 pm in the North Seminar, to
give a presentation on Medicare fraud. Medicare fraud, waste
and abuse affects every American by draining critical resources
from our health care system. Last year alone, the Medicare pro-
gram and beneficiaries lost $60-$90 billion as older adults were
targeted by scam artists. Please register for this class in the
ASCA office, or call 374-5500.
Make your plans now for the Grand Canyon in April!
P a g e 8 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
Susan Richardson
Carla O’Brien
ASCA Board of Directors
PRESIDENT - Stephanie Moss
VICE PRESIDENT - Charlene Cole
TREASURER - Janete Reese
SECRETARY - Myrt Feagley
DIRECTOR EMERITUS - James Jones
Betty McSpadden
Margaret Dean
Ken Pounds
Ramona Price
Bill Cornett
Charlie Cox
FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
Family Support Services will be here on Thursday, December
12th at 1:00 pm in the North Seminar, to give a presentation for
volunteers, focused on women. If you are interested in volun-
teering please come by for this 30-40 minute presentation.
FOR RENT in Palisades, furnished 1 bedroom
apartment for senior lady $575/month
includes utilities, share washer & dryer. Details
call Donald Beierle, 806-220-7072.
PART TIME HELP, experienced to advertise
on YouTube, Twitter & Facebook. Details call
Donald Beierle, 806-220-7072.
P a g e 9 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
ACROSS
2 They help Santa
3 He has a very shiny nose
7 Kind of songs we sing at Christmas
8 We put these on the tree and around the house
9 The reindeer pull this
10 We are given these
12 Bright and shiny, we turn them on
14 We send these by post
DOWN
1 Jingle …
4 Dasher …, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner,
and Blitzen
5 We hang these by the chimney
6 The day after Christmas
11 We decorate this with baubles
13 This sometimes goes on top of the Christmas tree
A quick test of intelligence. Don’t cheat, because if you do, the test will be no fun!!! There are no tricks. Read the sentence
below.
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE OF YEARS.
Now, count aloud the F’s in that sentence. Important, count them ONLY ONCE: DO NOT GO BACK and count them again.
ANSWER: One of average intelligence finds three of them. If you spotted four, you’re above average. If you got five,
you can turn your nose at most anybody. If you caught six, you are a genius. There is no catch. Many people forget
the “OF”s. The human brain tends to see them as V’s and not F’s.
P a g e 1 0 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
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Christmas Word Search
Sudoku: Easy Sudoku: Medium
Medium Answer
Easy Answer
P a g e 1 1 B e c a u s e y o u h a v e a l o t o f l i v i n g t o d o A S C A N e w s
Unscramble the words and fill in the boxes. Place each letter with the corresponding
number in the spaces at the bottom to make a sentence. All unscrambled words begin
with the letter “S”.
SFCRA
SAOENS
SVEHOL
ESASTK
SEDL
SIGLEH BSLEL
NSOFEAWLK
SONNWMA
SORONMTWS
30 11 10
21 9 13
19 3
4 12 18 20
25 7
5 29
28 1 8 15
2 27 14 17 23
6 22 24 16 26
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
.•.
• 18 19 16 20 21 22 5 23 24 25 10 26 27 28 24 29 30
ANSWER: One kind word can warm three winter months.
(Physical Address)
1220 S. Polk, Amarillo, TX 79101 (Mailing Address) 1217 S. Tyler, Amarillo, TX 79101 806-374-5500 Fax 806-379-8028 www.amarilloseniorcitizens.com
Amarillo’s Senior Community
A S C A
MARK YOUR CALENDAR DECEMBER 2013
• Our Christmas potluck dinner will be on December 16th at 5:30 PM in the Main Hall, we will also
play bingo. The ham will be provided. We hope to see you all there!
• The ASCA Bridge Christmas party will be on Saturday, December 7th at 10:00 AM in the
Conference Center. The Swinging Seniors’ party will be December 14th at 4:30 PM in the Main
Hall. The Pool Club will have their annual meeting on Tuesday, December 3rd at 12:00 PM in the
Conference Center.
• Wednesday, December 18, ASCA Board Meeting at 4PM in the North Seminar.
• Thursday, December 19, President’s Meeting at 10AM in Room 119D in the ASCA Office.