Christmas at North Scarborough Rotary Club

The photo is of the Christmas Tree that is donated every year by the City of Halifax to the City of Boston as a thank you for their generous help when the Halifax explosion demolished the city during December 1917

Rotary Club of North Scarborough

Anthem: Peter Masson
Grace: Kevin Moore
Toast to Rotary, Queen & Canada: President Rocco

Attending: 20, when I counted, including guests

Marbelous Draw:
The number of marbles are shrinking but Steve Zelinski, who joined us to-day, just didn't have the touch to retrieve the mutant marble.  His prize was $5.00

Seargeant @ Arms:
Al Meredith and David Seemungal were on the hunt for happy bucks and fines.

Program:
Kevin Moore was introduced in a seasonally appropriate way by Gerd Wengler who sang his introduction with a bit of a twist on O Tannenbaum - O Christmas Tree.

The program included a number of Christmas carols, and reflections on, the Virgin Birth, Cyber Monday, Sandy Hook and the never ending gun violence in the USA. Christmas at the Front in 1914 was another piece of history which Kevin recalled when British troops met in "No Man's Land" with their enemy the German soldiers.  The front line soldiers sang the Christmas carols that both were familiar with in each language, shared their Christmas rations and even joined in a pick-up football match until the ball was deflated when it struck some barbed wire. Their officers were aghast that this breach of military discipline occurred but was prompted by the mutual holiday to celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace.  This was the only time that Peace broke out until the Armistice took place four years later on November 11th 1918.  

By that time the battlefield toll had risen to 37 million casualties!

Attached is the link to the recorded program. You will enjoy our Rotarians and guests singing with gusto.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kqshfu31e1ypah4/Rotary%20Christmas%202013.MP3

Let there be Peace on Earth and let the spirit of the Christmas season prompt us all to share well wishes throughout the year ahead.