The Hammonton Gazette 122414 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, December 24, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” Gabriel J. Donio, Publisher Gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief Dan russoman, Sports Editor Benny mendez, Staff Artist marysusan Hoffman, Paul J. macrie iv, michael Hozik, Donna Brown, Joseph Bruno, Lauren Bucci, Lauren crescenzo, Zack Brown, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. to reach a staff member, call 704—1940 or fax at 704—1938. the mailing address is P.o. Box 1228, Hammonton, nJ 08037. eDitoriaLs merry christmas The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093—6181 We would like to take this time to wish our readers a Merry Christmas. To all residents who celebrate holidays of every faith this time of year, we wish you a happy holiday. To those who do not celebrate any holidays, we hope you enjoyed the year. Christmastime in Hammonton is a warm and special time, when people gather together with their families and friends, sharing in the memories of years past and looking forward to the years to come. If one were to drive around the town on Christmas Eve, they would see church parking lots filled with cars, and houses with cars parked around them. The windows of those churches and houses would be filled with light. Inside the houses, there would be music and singing, laughing and eating. Christmas trees and decorations would shine brightly. If you were driving by, maybe you would smell the smoke from a blazing fire. Our less fortunate residents have seen the charity extended by fellow Hammontonians, and they too will enjoy some of the peace and blessings of Christmas this year. There has been much sadness and difficulty in the past year globally, nationally, statewide, countywide and in our town. It seems that no one has been immune to the sting of loss. At Christmastime, hope prevails. It lifts us up despite the many challenges we all face. Merry Christmas, Hammonton. May the coming holiday bring you peace, happiness and joy. a patron of the arts Carmelia DeFiccio-Ziegler could often be seen in the Hammonton Arts Center in the restored former Hammonton Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 station on Bellevue Avenue, along with her husband, Karl Ziegler. She was one of the most influential members of the arts organization, and its continued growth owed a great deal to her patronage and personal volunteerism. An artist herself, DeFiccio-Ziegler dedicated her time to promoting local artists through programs that exposed the town and region to their works through showings at the arts center’s gallery and its annual plein air contest. Her tireless efforts to promote the arts helped elevate the Hammonton Arts Center into one of the linchpins of the Hammonton Art District downtown. The arts center is a hub for local and regional artists, making it and the art district a key component of downtown revitalization. DeFiccio-Ziegler also aided in the effort to revitalize downtown Hammonton during her years of service on the board of the Hammonton Revitalization Corporation, the non-profit that oversees MainStreet Hammonton. In addition to the arts and downtown renewal, she was a member of St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Parish’s St. Anthony of Padua Church. Her obituary asked that donations in her memory may be made to St. Joseph High School, 328 Vine Street, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Hammonton has been made a more beautiful place by the work of the many artists who have been encouraged and cultivated by the Hammonton Arts Center. Carmelia DeFiccio-Ziegler was one of those artists, and was also a patron of the arts who made it possible for the arts center to grow into the local institution it is today. She will be missed, but her legacy lives on through the arts center and the art displayed inside it. PersPective/temPtations All my life I have been careful about succumbing to the temptations of life. I have not always been successful and have fallen into some. Oscar Wilde famously said, “I can resist anything except temptation.” We all know the end of his life. Temptation is the hardest thing in life to resist. I have watched myself and in spite of watching myself, I have succumbed to temptation. Just when I think I have overcome everything and have stepped beyond temptation, I find myself tempted. It is not being tempted that is difficult, because everybody is tempted. The hymn writer said, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin.” So the temptation is not sin, it is how I react to that temptation. I must say I have had some abundant help from the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage whose major role in life is to keep me from yielding. She has kept me from who knows how much yielding I will never know. I do know this, I do not want to yield to some temptation and then have to face her. Enough said. But this is the holiday season, celebrating Christmas and everything that goes with it. One major activity that goes with this kind of holiday is eating. Now eating is something we do all the time; at least I do. It is not the eating; it is what I am eating that poses some problems. The Christmas holiday offers so many cookies and cakes and pies that I cannot eat them all, but I try. Oh boy, do I try. “Don’t you think you have had enough cake?” She always asked me in the middle of eating a piece of cake. If my mouth was not full with cake, I would like to tell her, “No, I don’t think I have had enough cake and when I do I’m certainly not going to tell you.” You all know where that will get me! What I want to know is simply this; how much cake or cookie or pie is really too much? It is a simple question and I would like to have a simple answer. Where I get into trouble is when my wife and I go to some Christmas party. I feel as a responsible partygoer I need to taste all of the cake and cookies that the gracious host has provided for us. That’s just the way I think about it. I believe it would be insulting to go to a party and not eat all of the party vittles, at lease sample them. My wife, as you may guess, has an altogether different view of it. She has this strange notion that when I go to a party, particularly when she is accompanying me, the less I eat the more I honor the hostess. According to her, I should leave a party hungry. My idea is simply that if it is a holiday party with Christmas cakes and cookies the calories are on hol- iday and do not count. At least I am not counting them. I think at Christmas time bookkeeping should be put aside and the enjoyment of the season should be foremost. If the host comes to me in the middle of a party and asks me how I liked her cake, I feel I have the responsibility to give a very educated critique of the cake. I owe it to her. After all, she took the time to bake it and I should take the time to eat it and enjoy it and critique it. Giving my honest opinion about the Christmas vittles is a very important part of who I am. It is after the party that I encounter the greatest difficulty. That is, explaining to my wife why I ate so much cake and cookies and pie. She does not very much accept the, “I just do not want to be rude,” explanation. This is one of the few places in life that we differ or I should say that I stand up and differ. I know that while I am at the party indulging in the delicacies all I will get is a poke in the rib and one of her “looks.” I can handle that. After all, Christmas delicacies are worth it. It is when I get home that I have to deal with the Christmas temptations I yielded to at the party. For several years and I plan to use it this year, I always respond by saying, “I’m going to make a New Year’s resolution not to eat cake anymore for the rest of the year.” How I get away with this New Year’s resolution is that I make it two days before the end of the year. And so, for the rest of the year, which includes two days, I will eat no cake or cookies or pie while the world stands. Temptation is not a serious thing unless backed into a corner and forced to yield to that temptation. The Bible Says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Temptations never count unless for some reason I yield to the temptation. the rev. James L. snyder silver springs shore, Fla. The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores, Fla.. Call him at [phone] or e-mail [email protected] or website www.jamessnyderministries.com. The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704—1938.  Or by email to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.