Reminder of Christmas ‘Reason for the Season’

From the 1947 film “The Bishop’s Wife,” we thought Crescenta Valley residents might enjoy this brief Christmas Eve sermon titled “An Empty Stocking.”

“Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child’s cry. A blazing star hung over a stable and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven’t forgotten that night down the centuries; we celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, the sound of bells and with gifts. But especially with gifts. You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer, and Uncle Henry could do with a new pipe. We forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled – all that is except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up. The stocking for the child born in a manger.

“It’s his birthday we are celebrating. Don’t ever let us forget that. Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most, and then let each put in his share. Loving kindness, warm hearts and the stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.”

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Doug & Shelly Starling

Glendale

The Best Place in the World

I concur wholeheartedly with Mike Lawler’s tribute to the Crescenta Valley (Treasures of the Valley, Crescenta Valley Rocks, Dec. 11). I have friends and family who relocated years ago and still miss living on LaCrescenta’s alluvial fan. In 1915, we were privileged to have an internationally renowned artist settle in our midst. His name was Seymour Thomas. He married the lovely Helen Haskell, who had once been the valley’s first school teacher, in 1887. Thomas was a painter of presidents, statesmen and scientists. His portrait of Woodrow Wilson presently hangs in the White House. He personally designed St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church. When asked why he preferred to live here, Thomas wrote: “I spent years traveling around the world searching for the best place to live. I looked for climate advantage in every country on the globe and, when I returned, I found it right where I had started from … in the LaCrescenta Valley.”

Art Cobery

La Crescenta

Thanks from Glendale Beautiful

On behalf of everyone in Glendale Beautiful, many thanks for Isiah Reyes’ excellent reporting and photos of our recent annual event, the Fiesta de las Luminarias, at the Casa Adobe de San Rafael.

The lovely grounds of the Casa at 1330 Dorothy Drive are available for small or larger outdoor events; visit http://www.glendaleca.gov/government/city-departments/community-development/parks-facilities-historic-sites for information on the parks, facilities & historic sites maintained and reserved by Glendale’s Community Services and Parks Dept.

Glendale Beautiful’s volunteer docents assist the city in preserving and presenting the Casa, which is open the first Sunday of each month (and in July and August, every Sunday) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for tours and self-guided visits. Please contact me to discuss scheduling a visit in the Casa on another day/time in conjunction with an event on the grounds.

Roberta Medford, Vice-President

Glendale Beautiful

We live in a caring community

The Crescenta Valley community came together two weeks ago to send homemade Christmas goodies to an Air Force unit in Jordan. The airmen in Jordan are part of a Communications and Tech Support Unit. The CV Weekly (Dec. 17) was very generous in their reporting about the activities of American Legion Post 288 and we appreciate it. But it’s important for the community to know that there were a number of residents in the Valley who responded to the Crescenta Valley Chamber’s Facebook request, as well as other community groups that joined in this labor of gratitude. The CJSF students at Rosemont, students at Fremont Elementary School, local officers of Glendale PD, the Crescenta Cañada Rotary Club, and VFW Post 1614 joined the Chamber and American Legion Post 288 to send 25 packages of Christmas cookies, candies, cards and a few scarves and stocking caps to the Air Force unit in Jordan. The chamber was very generous in their support of the shipping costs.

All of us in the Valley are very fortunate to live in a very caring community and, when you get a chance to help a neighbor, friend, or co-worker, do it with a big smile in your heart. After all, it’s the Crescenta Valley way.

Lynn McGinnis, Commander

American Legion Post 288

Montrose Magic

What a town! Generosity and customer service extraordinaire.

A few weeks ago I parked on Wickham Way to go to Merle Norman Cosmetics and a woman parked behind me. While I fumbled for money for the parking meter, she pulled a quarter out of her wallet and put money in the parking meter at my space before I could get my coin out of my wallet. What a gracious “pay it forward” gesture.

On Dec. 18, I was in Faye’s Store on Honolulu just after they opened at 10 a.m. Two women were already in the store; one woman was in a wheelchair. As I completed my selection, I overhead them extend a note of appreciation to the clerk for opening the front door five minutes before the store was scheduled to open. It was brisk morning and no doubt they wanted to complete their purchase before it got busy.

I sincerely doubt, that if this occurred at the doors of a “big box” store, anyone would open the door five minutes before scheduled opening.

Montrose – the best town for shoppers!

Maria Gero

La Crescenta