The White Falcon - 24.12.1964, Page 3

Thursday, December 24, 1964
WHITE FALCON
3
Early Warning Squadrons 13
To Stand-In For ‘Rudolph’
Santa will have little trouble in his trip South this year.
Navy Airborne Early Warning Squadron Thirteen has
agreed to provide navigational and communication aid to
Santa and his eight reindeer on Dec. 24.
Crew 2 of AEWRON 13 will leave Argentia, Newfound-
land on Dec. 17 for Keflavik, Iceland, where they will pro-
vide the services requested by^"
the Jolly Old Man.
Sometime on the evening of
Dec. 24 the Combat Information
Team (CIC) of crew 2 will pick
up on their radar scopes the
sleigh and eight reindeer of Santa
as he leaves the North Pole for
his trip south.
The flying platform for the
radar leading and navigational
assistance will be the EC-121P
aircraft, an Airborne Early Warn-
ing aircraft used in the extension
of the Distant Early Warning
Line off the coast of Iceland. The
CIC team will lead him south. The
Navy crew will also be responsi-
ble for forwarding wind and
weather information to the Jolly
Old Man so that he can make
his rounds before the deadline.
Other assistance provided will in-
clude the relaying of required po-
sition reporting to Oceanic Con-
trol Centers, and altitude clear-
ance. In this age of advanced
science it is necessary that this
information be provided so that
other aircraft will be steered clear
of the fast moving reindeer and
sleigh.
The following letter was sent
to Capt R. E. Larson, commanding
officer of AEWRON 13, by
Tommy Tinker, Chief Elf in
charge of advanced planning:
Dear Sir:
As you know each Dec. 24
my boss, Santa Claus, leaves
the region of the North Pole
for his flight south to the de-
light of the children around
the world. In years past we
have had difficulty with near
mid-air collisions, and clear-
ance with Oceanic Control
Centers. It is requested that
assistance be given so that this
problem will not occur again
this year. Santa will require a
radar lead and communication
relay to the Centers. His esti-
mated time of departure will
be 10 p.m.
It is hoped that this assist-
ance will be available.
Tommy Tinker
Since crew 2 was scheduled to
be in Iceland from Dec. 17 to
Jan. 1, LCdr N. L. Halladay,
patrol plane commander of crew
2, agreed to take on the job. The
officer who heads the all important
CIC team is Ensign J. M. Kavulia.
Mr. Kavulia will be in direct con-
tact with Santa once he is within
radar range.
Capt R. E. Larson, command-
ing officer of AEWRON 13, made
the following statement:
“It is with pleasure that
AEWRON takes on this task. We
are proud to be a part of such an
important operation.”
The operation has been named
SADOS (Safe Arrival, Departure
of Santa.)
Christmas
Mean
Served from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Chilled Tomato Juice
w/Lemon Wedges
Turkey Rice Soup
Crisp Saltines
Baked Virginia Ham
Roast Young Turkey
Raisin Pineapple Sauce
Cornbread Dressing
Giblet Dressing
Fluffy Whipped Potatoes
Buttered Green Beans
Glazed Carrots
Tossed Fresh Vegetable Salad
w/French Dressing
Waldorf Salad
w/Mayonnaise
Chilled Cranberry Sauce
Mixed Pickles
Mixed Olives
Parker House Rolls
Hot Sesame Rolls
Butter Patties
Fruit Cake
Ice Cream
Hot Mince Meat Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Molasses Whipped Cream
Assorted Mixed Nuts
Assorted Mixed Fruit
Hot Coffee
Hot Tea
Fresh Milk
Christmas is here:
Winds whistle shrill,
Icy and chill.
Little care we;
Little we fear
Weather without,
Sheltered about
The Mahogany Tree.
—William M. Thackeray,
The Mahogany Tree
Long’s Look At Santa’s Mailbag
by Wayne Long
Dear Santa,
Please send us a win. Any kind will do.
The Team of AFRTS
Dear Santa,
Please send me a new whistle. I wore the old one out. I could
also use another striped shirt.
Chet Juzcnik
Dear Santa Claus,
Please send us one giant-size first aid kit. We will need it
after the 27th of December.
The Cleveland Browns
Dear Santa,
We could sure use all the pages of copy you would like to
send us.
The White Falcon Staff
Dear Mr. Santa Claus Sir,
We would like to have a new broom and dustpan. We will
use it to clean up the Field House in the evenings.
The Friendly Field House Crew
Dear Santa,
We don’t need anything. We will get our present on the
27th. Regards anyway.
The Colts
Dear Santa Claus,
Please send me one six-foot, six-inch center. All he has to
do is pass, run and shoot. I will use him to win games.
Coach Robinson
Dear Santa,
Please send out my very best Christmas wishes and hopes
for a Happy New Year to all my friends. Also thanks for making
this a good year all the way around.
Your friend,
Wayne Long
Christmas In Iceland:
Although Iceland’s origin and history is largely Scandinavian,
while that of the United States is a conglomeration of races, we find
many striking similarities in the traditional Christmas celebrations
of these two countries.
Spent At Home
The holiday is mostly a family festivity, celebrated in the home
rather than in public places.
There is a small tree which normally stands on a table and gaily-
wrapped presents are placed around it. After everyone has opened
their presents, the whole family clasps hands and parades around the
tree singing Christmas hymns.
Ptarmigan, a grouse-like bird or smoked lamb with boiled potatoes,
comprise the main course of the traditional holiday menu. This offing
is attended by such morsels as pea soup, red cabbage, jam, cakes and
cream pastries. Lighted candles and candy in brightly colored bags
add further to the festive atmosphere.
Christmas is Iceland’s national feast. Church bells toll in every
steeple. Everyone dresses up for the occasion and religious services
are attended by huge happy throngs.
Christmas Eve is the first day of Christmas and is celebrated
reverently. On this night it is improper to play noisy games because
at this time people are supposed to concentrate on the sacredness
of the Holy Birth.
The second day of Christmas is the day reserved for having friends
at home. There is much gaiety and many parties. In fact, the celebrat-
ing may last until Jan. 6 because the Yuletide season here in Iceland
is 13 days long.
Myths Of The Season
Christmas is the mother of all feasts in Iceland. It is the highlight
of the year and as such there are many old customs, beliefs and folk
tales that go with it.
A vast amount of colorful custom and folklore is found in Ice-
land’s history. Much of this differs a great deal from “modern” to-
day. In times past, farmhouses, furniture and clothing were very
thoroughly washed before each Christmas season. During these days,
people often wore the same clothes the year ’round and this, in many
cases, was the only time they were washed.
As an example of this, a tale is told about a certain elderly lady
who wore the same shawl every day of the year. Every Christmas
she would cook a lamb for the Yule feast. After cooking the lamb,
she would wash her shawl in the same water she had used for cook-
ing. She would then dry the shawl and immediately put it back on.
Her husband, upon coming home and seeing her in her cook-water
washed shawl would remark, “My! How you always pretty yourself
up for Christmas!”
Christmas night is indeed filled with wonder. Animals talk, the
dead rise from the grave, water turns to wine and seals become
human beings, their original form.
There are many supernatural beings which move about among us.
A Holy Family Affair
These are both good and evil spirits.
The bad spirits,—the gnomes—are the mischievous ones who come
nine days before Christmas and begin leaving on Christmas Eve.
Gryla, or Hag, is the witch mother of these pesky little gnomes.
Gryla comes and steals away into her mountain hideout all those
little children who don’t behave themselves.
In the country during Christmas everyone went to Mass while
one person was elected to stay and look after the farm. This person
would turn on all the lights to Drepare for the elves. These elves
would frolic and play; if a person joined the elves he would be
spirited away, never to be seen again. On the other hand, if the home
wasn’t clean or bright enough, or if he annoyed the elves in any way,
he would be found crazy or dead the next day.
Despite all this, the spirits are, everything considered, nice to have
around. A farmer will walk around his property three times and
then invite the elves into his home. The elves put on parties and
dances. Only if they’re offended will they rain havoc upon you.
Holy Protection
Of all the supernatural beings who roam on Christmas night, none
can harm you while you are reading from the Bible. An example
of how holy objects or thoughts will protect you is indicated by the
tale of three children sitting by the fireside one Critsmas night.
An evil gnome suddenly appears in their midst. The two older
children are terrified. The other child however, who is too young to
know fear, asks, “Are you Jesus Christ, Who was born on this night?”
Upon hearing mention of the Holy Name the gnome immediately
disappears from their midst.
Jan. 6 is called the 13th because it is the 13th day of Christmas.
Bonfires are lighted across the countryside while people dressed as
elves dance around the fire. The good spirits, the elves, are said to
be more handsome than human beings and some of them intermarry
with humans. Their homes are among the mountains and stones of
Iceland.
Back To Today
Reflection upon these tales shows they are not so different from
the stories told back in the United States. They are all slanted in a
picturesque manner toward cleanliness, love of man and love of God.
Common gifts between friends are books, many of which are
published just in time for Christmas. These may include many foreign
works translated into the Icelandic languages, ranging from novels
to poetry. This stems from an exceptional love for books, the con-
tents of which give many important points of observation on distant
countries of the world. Christmas cards are now being used extensively.
The island’s geographical position has brought to the postmaster
at Reykjavik, the capitol, a yearly flood of letters addressed to “Santa
Claus Workshop, Iceland, North Pole.” For many years, most of
these letters from lands as far away as Australia and Iraq were
answered with Christmas cards from the Icelandic Ministry of For-
eign Affairs.
World’s Hottest Story
Hits AP Newswires
Several years ago, a staff of
newsmen on a large metropolitan
daily was working the Christmas
Eve night shift when they were
alerted by the Associated Press to
stand by for a story.
It was a few minutes to mid-
night when the message came
from the clacking teletype ma-
chine: BIGGEST STORY OF
THE YEAR ON WAY.
Night reporters and rewrite
men stopped what they were doing
and crowded around the teletype.
Editors from the city and tele-
graph desks also showed concern.
A few minutes silence followed.
Then at midnight the AP machine
began to vibrate and a simple
message written:
Bethlehem, 25 Dec. (AP) — A
CHILD IS BORN.