Gibson City Courier from Gibson City, Illinois • 13

IGIBSON CITY I t) Two-Time "Winner of 'Outstanding Illinois Weekly' Award GIBSON CITY, ILLINOIS, THURSDAY, DEC. 25, 1975 NUMBER 13 SECTION C-1 The Most Famous Resident in the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, population 300, is Santa Claus himself who receives well over 100,000 letters annually from children across the country and around the world. As Santa Claus in costume and Jim Yellig out of it, a 42-year career has been devoted to making sure letters are answered. Letters to 'Santa9 Overflow Mailbox Students hold playschool to learn child development year old youngsters with such activities as songs, finger plays, fingerpainting, storytelling, group games and a rhythm band. Santa Claus came to visit one day last week.

"The girls learn far more working with the children than just talking about them," explains Mrs. Noel Hutchcraft, instructor of the course. "They can see the differences in maturity from the two-year-olds to the four-year-olds; they've found which activities Applying what they have been learning in books, students in the Gibson City high school Child Development class are holding a playschool for additional experience in the preschool child's behavior. The first week was completed last Friday, Dec. 19.

The playschool will be held for two more weeks following Christmas vacation. Taking turns as teachers and observers, the students are entertaining the two to five- are popular, and which are not successful." Approximately 30 youngsters are participating in the three one-hour classes. Parents who wish their children to take part for the last two weeks of the school, Jan. 5 through Jan. 8, and Jan.

12 through Jan. 15, may call the school Jan. 5, after classes resume. Playschool sessions begin at 8:20 and 10:05 a.m. and 1:35 p.m.

The 10:00 a.m. session has the least students, currently, according to Mrs. Hutchcraft. Aj'- VT A ies and milk, and extend best wishes to Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Rudolph.

And, to the delight of children everywhere, all of these letters receive an answer from Santa Claus. This unique practice dates back to the late 1920s when Robert L. Ripley popularized the town by featuring it In an article in his "Believe It Or Not" column. After the article appeared, mail began to mushroom, especially letters addressed to "Santa Claus." Tourists with children also started to arrive and make visits to the post office with their Christmas mall, following in the steps of Ripley who also sent his Christmas cards through the office here as proof that there was indeed a Santa Claus as verified by the postmark. For over 40 years, children have met Santa himself, played by Raymond Joseph "Jim" Yellig.

Besides taking up the role of Santa Claus at the Santa Claus Post Office in the ear-lv 1930s, Yellig also embarked on -a project that now Involves much of the community of the Santa Claus, Ind. area. He noticed that the incoming letters were being stored away because there were too many for the postmaster of the day to answer and took pan in hand, along with his wife, to make sure children who cared enough about Santa Claus were answered. There's something special about Santa Claus in a small southern Indiana town where the famous Christmas legend has become somewhat of an everyday reality. This town with a population of about 300 year-round residents, and a family of deer, is the Jolly old gent's namesake home Santa Claus, Indiana as well as the home of his helpers, and the location of his overflowing mailbox.

A unique landmark at Santa Claus Is the U.S. Post Office, near the intersection of Indiana highways 162 and 245, and next to the entrance to Santa Claus Land. There is nowhere in the world where you can find a post office like this one. Its architecture is that of a stone-fronted fairyland castle in design and while the community has but slightly more than 300 year-round residents this post office each year is flooded with about four million pieces of mail. The bulk of all this mail comes around Christmas time to receive the cherished Santa Claus postmark.

Still others arrive addressed simply to "Santa Claus. 47579." Letters addressed to "Santa Claus" represent the tens of thousands of children's "want lists" that foretell visions of Christmas morning, promise cook i fi nfTH A jf sit A visit from Santa Claus highlighted the first For three weeks the two to five week of "school" for the youngsters year olds will learn from teachers in the child participating in the Home Economics class development class. Dftl I to) I i Blazing wishes for a Happy Yuletide! Warm thanks i Learning from each other, this child learns for the child's age, and just about how long he coordination from building with blocks. His wni be interested in one activity, "teacher" learns what activities are suitable LAUREL PING Gibson City, Illinois the Spirit of Christmas; the darkness of fear cannot blot out its light; hatred, envy, and jealousy cannot withstand it; greed and selfishness retreat from it. Nothing can halt its advent into the hearts of men.

Christmas still lives! Like a blanket of softly falling snow, Christmas covers the earth. Its radiance lights up a storm-tossed world with the brilliancy of new hope; it brings before the universe the potential goodness and greatness of man. Through the spirit of Christmas the ideals of the Master will yet transform the universe of man. Christmas ever leads humanity upward. Christmas still lives! Lavish Feast At Christmas.

In the year 1492, when Columbus was spending his day in the New World, King Henry VII gave one of his most sumptuous feasts. The King (1485-1509), the Queen and members of the court dined on no less than 120 different dishes with peacock as its climax! He observed holiday customs lavishly, to say the least, serving among the many delicacies a popular dish called "frumenty," made by adding sugar and spices to boiling hulled wheat. 4i -y Some Child Development class students got a "teacher" that toys which allow imitation of first-time experience in caring for and adults are popular, guiding young children. This child shows his mail within the next two weeks. Phrictmoe Cnirif Last year 857,905 taxpayers in "''bUlias apiHl central and southern 111 re- OomeS ThrOUgh ceived refunds amounting to Depressions, earthquakes, wars $320,627,038.

none of these can destroy Taxpayers urged to file early -m k. jw i is. tv yva ri 1 jffl .4 fcj ri Taxpayers who file their returns in January or early can expect any refund due in 6 weeks or roughly half the time late filers will have to wait, Ira S. Loeb, IRS Dist. Dir.

for central and southern 111. said. In urging taxpayers to file early he said individuals who delay filing until late Mar. or the peak filing time, may have to wait for their refunds as long as 8-10 weeks. Another advantage to filing early is avoidance of careless errors often made by last minute filers who are rushed.

These errors, which frequenUy involve incorrect arithmetic, use of the wrong tax table or failure to sign the return, can further delay processing of the return as well as the refund check. Loeb said taxpayers should begin now to gather records as receipts or cancelled checks to substantiate itemized medical deductions, charitable contributions and others. With records in order the taxpayer can begin to fill out the tax return as soon as the tax package arrives by (From left) Rich Young. Paul Goembel. Ed Wayne Brock.

Ben Downey. Bill Krmnetx. Kagleson, Morris Sisco, Charles Meti. Phil Ton Tucker, and Kicky Wagoner. Goembel, John Martin.

Merle Schaefer. "Merry Christmas May the ftappy spirit of Christmas continue through our year-round relationship. Thanks! ELECTRIC Emery Torrence Gibson City, Illinois altL Gibcon AAaioriab Dale O'Neal and fleve O'Neal. O'Neal Auto Repair.