It seems every year about this time before Christmas I start to think back to times long ago when our lack of technology and the slower pace of life seemed to draw us closer to the true Christmas spirit. Take for example the era that was illustrated in the paintings of Norman  Rockwell, a time before television, and rotary telephones and radios were all they had then and many children were probably waiting for a new Radio Flyer sled for Christmas. The evenings for many in the community, young and old, often were taken up in the winter with ice skating on the local rink.