THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 1, 1995 TAG: 9412300234
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
SUNDAY, DEC. 18
8:15 p.m. - Hillhaven Nansemond Nursing Home, Suffolk``Joy to the world, the Lord is come,'' sing the carolers, strolling through the halls of the nursing home.
Men and women, teenagers, young children and toddlers smile and wave as they pass each room, sometimes stopping to speak to someone they know.
For the group from Suffolk Presbyterian Church, the Christmas tradition is special. First they gather at the church to wrap presents for needy families, then eat pizzas before going out to sing.
Through many of the doorways, the carolers catch a glimpse of residents waving back from their beds or chairs, their faces bright with smiles.
``We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas,'' the strains echo through the halls as the procession winds its way back to the front of the building.
``I was waiting for you,'' says a woman in a wheelchair in the lobby as the carolers circle around her and continue singing.
- Susie Stoughton
MONDAY, DEC. 19
1:56 p.m. - North Main Street, Suffolk The driver, an avid reader of personalized license plates, notices a nifty one - ``HAPPYE'' - and glances up to see who's so jolly.
And what to her wondering eyes should appear, but St. Nicholas himself, minus his miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
Complete with his red suit and cap, the smiling St. Nick - so jolly and quick - lays a finger aside of his nose and, giving a nod, around the corner he goes.
- Susie Stoughton
TUESDAY, DEC. 20
9 a.m. - A service station on Carolina Road
The man is filling the gas tank, looking at the swiftly moving numbers in the ``sale'' section of the pump.
Another man comes over, looks around like someone hawking French postcards, then whispers, ``There are some gas stations on East Washington Street. The gas is only 99 cents.''
That is followed by a whispered but angry discourse about the high price of fuel. The man filling the gas tank nods in agreement - but he has already paid. And the pump numbers keep rolling along.
- Frank Roberts
THURSDAY, DEC. 22
10:30 p.m. - Suffolk Circuit CourtEven convicts deserve a Christmas, Judge Rodham Delk decides. A young man, convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, is in the courtroom awaiting sentencing. Fifteen years, Delk orders, with 10 years and two months suspended.
But that isn't all. The man is allowed to report to the Western Tidewater Regional Jail on Monday morning - the day after Christmas - so he can spend the holiday with his family.
``But I promise you this,'' the judge says. ``If you're not there at nine o'clock in the morning, I won't suspend any of that.''
The man nods in agreement.
``It's Christmas,'' says prosecutor Randy Carter, who recommended the delayed sentence to the judge. ``I didn't want to be too much of a grinch.''
- Robert Little by CNB