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L is for Letters written to a friend up north In hopes that the presents will come pouring forth The youngest children learn this magical tale And year after year keep their faith without fail
Love In the holiday season, love seems to be everywhere. It is in the families gathering around a table for dinner. It is in the eyes of a boy who is rushing over to thank the person who just gave him a present. It is in the smile of a girl who still believes in the spirit of the holiday. Someone once sang, “All you need is love.” When he was killed 25 years ago this December, the outpouring of love was fantastic and heartbreaking. Love conquers all. Love is all around. Love is the answer. Let Love Rule. It’s all there in four little letters. If you look for it, we’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love, actually, is all around.
Jeffrey Lam To date, he was one of three Marines from Queens that have been killed in Iraq. Oakland Gardens native Jeffrey Lam died at the age of 22 Nov. 8, 2004. The youngest of three children, Lam married his high school sweetheart in June 2003 and was deployed to Iraq around the same time his first daughter was born. He graduated from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science and then furthered his studies at Pace University before joining the Corp. Lam died in a non-combat accident, when a bulldozer he was operating fell into a river. He was reportedly trying to save another Marine’s life when he died. Lighting Celebration The annual Bayside Hills Holiday Lighting Celebration will be held Sunday, Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. It will be on Bell Boulevard and 51st Avenue at the mall. On hand will be a contingent from the Oakland Jewish Center Hebrew School handling Chanukah, and the Choir from the Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish Children’s Choir leading us in the singing of Christmas carols, and decorating our Christmas tree. On hand will be State Sen. Frank Padavan, Assemblyman Mark Weprin, Councilman Tony Avella, CB 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece, Santa Claus, and plenty of refreshments. As a special added addition, the Oakland Jewish Center, 61-35 220th St., will conduct a Chanukah party following this event. All children and their parents are invited. Letters To Santa We all have memories of writing letters to Santa, racking our brains to include the things we most wanted, telling Santa how good we’d been, addressing the letter to the North Pole – and waking up Christmas morning to find a stack of presents under the tree. It didn’t matter if the gifts weren’t those we wrote for Santa to bring. We still believed that he read our letters and made it into our living rooms (chimney or not!). Today, there are a number of ways to communicate Christmas wishes with Santa, by mail, by phone, or via the Internet. If you wish to write to Santa in the traditional way, just send your list in a stamped envelope to Santa Claus, North Pole, USA. Officials at the U.S. Post Office assured us all letters would reach Santa and his Elves in “plenty of time” for his annual Christmas Eve deliveries. For more options, or to reach Santa via the Internet, log on to Santa Claus.com Lots Of Liquor The hassles of shopping, the pressures of preparing dinner, the hectic excitement of children, the forced confinement with family members—it’s no wonder the liquor has become an essential tool to survive the holiday season. But the holidays do afford a good opportunity to enjoy other, more interesting drinks than the usual scotch or screwdriver. Egg Nog is perhaps the most famous of holiday beverages. While stores often sell a non-alcoholic version of this treat, most agree it goes down smoother with a little liquor. Most recipes call for cognac and bourbon mixed into an egg and cream mixture (with plenty of sugar thrown in for good measure). Just don’t drink too much; it’s about as healthy as fried chicken dipped in mayonnaise. Spiced wine and cider are also holiday favorites. A simple recipe takes cider and adds a little rum, sprinkles some cinnamon, and then says to heat gently before serving. Fruity wines can be prepared in a similar fashion. And of course, there’s also the time-honored tradition of spiking the punch. So drink up and have fun. Just be careful at those holiday parties…nowadays everyone has a camera on their cell phone. Living Nativity Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bayside holds a living nativity every year, and this year’s begins Dec. 16. To find out more, call (718) 229-1310 or stop by 36-01 Bell Blvd. LaGuardia Community College The Theatre Department at LaGuardia Community College is presenting performances of two Christmas favorites this holiday season. The first is a presentation of Dickens “A Christmas Carol,” at 2 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the college on 33rd Street and Queens Boulevard in Long Island City. The college will present its annual performance of the holiday favorite Nutcracker ballet on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 2 p.m., on the Long Island City campus. For information or to purchase tickets for either performance, call the Theatre Department at (718) 482-7200.
Lohri Festival At the Hindu Center in Flushing, as the temperatures drop this winter the Lohri Festival will just be heating up. This celebration of bonfires, with origins in the winter wheat harvesting traditions of Hindu communities from northern India, mark the coldest day of the year, when the earth is at it farthest distance from the sun. This year, according to Krishna Dikshit, head priest at the Hindu Center, the important Hindu holiday begins Jan. 13. “We build a fire and people come near the fire to do their prayers,” he said. “Everything is pure in the fire, you know? It celebrates the creation of the world.” The fire figures prominently in the Lohri celebration, as Hindus gather around the flames to pray, sing, dance, enjoy special treats and spend time with relatives.
Roger Ling One of only a handful of Iraq War soldiers buried in the Washington D.C. Arlington National Cemetery, Roger Ling was killed Feb. 19 2004 by a homemade explosive. Ling, 20, had just weeks earlier survived a roadside bomb attack, where he helped save the life of his lieutenant, but soon after, the soldier was struck again and the Douglaston native did not survive. Ling was assigned to the Army’s Company C, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, based out of Fort Riley, Kansas. As a Cardozo High School graduate, one of Ling’s classmates and fellow member of the Army, Max Misch, posted on the fallenheroesmemorial.com Website, that Ling was “one of the only true friends that I ever had.”
Wai Lwin Killed in Iraq alongside his friend, Azhar Ali on March 2, 2005, Army National Guardsman Wai Lwin was just 27 years old when the vehicle they both were in was struck by a roadside bomb. As a Douglaston resident, Lwin came from a family of Burmese immigrants and was buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in Pinelawn. Both Lwin and Ali, who were the same age, became friends during boot camp and were assigned to the “Fighting 69th Regiment” based out of Manhattan. Shortly after Lwin’s mother heard the news of her son’s death, Thein Law told the Tribune, “My son always wanted to be a soldier.” Last Minute You never want to leave anyone off the Christmas list, but its bound to happen. So where do you go? One last minute gift idea is any DVD movie with Tom Hanks. One of the finest actors of our generation, Hanks has a resume with comic and dramatic performances that will satisfy all tastes. If that doesn’t work, pick up the latest copy of the Queens Tribune. For the next few weeks, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will list a series of gifts available at local retailers. Many of them are open late, right up until Christmas Eve. Don’t panic. We’ve got you covered. |
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