The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-12-22

have some. Fill your glass again, with a
merry face and contented heart Our life on
It, but your Christmas shall be merry, and
your new year happy one.
Who can be insensible to the out pourings
of good feeling, and the honest interchange Of
affectionate attachment, which abound at this
season of the year, A Christmas family
party! We know nothing in nature more de-
lighttul! There seems magic in the very
name Of Christmas. Petty jealouses and
discords are forgotten; social feelings are
awakened in bosoms TO which they have long
been strangers father and son, or brother
and sister, who have met and passed with
averted gaze, or a look of cold recognition, for
months before, profer and return the cordial
embrace, and bury their past animosities in
their present happiness. Kindly hearts that
have yearned towards each other, but have
been withheld by false notions Of pride and
self-dignity, are again reunited, and all is kind
ness and benevolence! Would that Christ
mas lasted the whole year through, and that
the prejudices and passions which deform our
better nature, were never called sinto action
among those to whom they should ever be
strangers.
The Christmas family-party that we mean,
is not mere assemblage Of relations, got up
at week or two's notice, originating this year,
having no family precedent in the last and not
likely to be repeated in the next. Ii is an an
nua gathering Of all the accessible members
Of the family, young or old, rich or poor; and
all the children look forward to it, for Two
months beforehand, in fever Of anticipation
Formerly it was held at grandpapa's but
grandpapa getting Land grandmamma getting
old too, and rather infirm, they have given up
housekeeping, and domestcated themselves
with uncle George, so the party always takes
place at uncle Georges house, but grandmam-
ma sends in most Of all the good things, and
grandpapa always rcill toddle down, all the
way to Newgate market, to buy the turkey,
which he engages porter to bring home be-
hind him in triumph, always insisting on the
mans being rewarded with glass Of spirits,
over and above his hire, to drink " merry
Christmas and happy new year" 10 aunt
George. As to grandmamma she is very Sc
cret and mysterious for two or three days be-
forehand, but not sufficiently so to prevent ru-
mors getting afloat that she has purchased d
new cap with pink ribbons for each of the SER
wants, together with sundry books, and pen
knives, and pencicases for the younger
branches; to say nothing of divers secret adj
ditions to the order originally given by aunt
George at the pastry cook s, such as another
dozen of mince pies for the dinner, and
large plum-cake for the children.
On Christmas-eve, grandmamma is always
in excellent spirits, and after employing all
the children, during the day, in stoning the
plums and all that, insists regularly every year
on uncle George coming down into the
kitchen, taking off his coat, and stirring the
pudding for half an hour or so, which uncle
George good-humoredly does to the vocife-
ra"s delight Of the children and servants and
the evening con.i~las with a glorious game Of
blind-man's-buf, in in early stage Of which
grandpapa takes great care to be caught, IN
order that he may have an opportunity of dis
playing his dexterity.
On the following morning, the old couple,
with as many Of the children as the pew will
hold, 60 to church in great state, leaving aunt
George at home busting the decanters and
filling casters, and uncle George carrying bot
ties into the dining parlour, and calling for
cork-screws, and getting into every body's
way
When the church-party return to lunch,
grandpapa produces small spring of misle-
toe from his pocket, and tempts the boys to
kiss their little cousins under ia proceeding
which affords both the boys and the old gem
tleman unlimited satisfaction, but which rather
outrages grandmamma's ideas of decorum,
until grandpapa says, that when he was just
thirteen years and three months old, he kissed
grandmamma under misletoe too, on which
the children clap their hands, and laugh very
heartily, as do aunt George and uncle George;
and grandmamma looks pleased,and says,with
benevolent smile, that grandpapa always
was an impudent dog, on which the children
laugh very heartily again, and grandpapa
more heartily than any Of them.
But all these diversions are nothing to the
subsequent excitementwhen grandmamma in
cap, and slate-coored silk gown, and grand
papa with beautifully plated shirt-frll, and
white handkerchief, seat themselves on one
side Of the drawing-room fire, with uncle
Georges children and little cousins immune
rable, seated in the front, waiting the arrival
of the anxiously-expected visitors. Sudden
ly hackney coach is heard to stop, and un-
Gle George, who has been looking out of the
window, exclaims, Here's Jane !" on which
the children rush to the door, and helter-skel-
ter down stairs and uncle Robert and aunt
Jane, and the dear little baby, and the nurse,
and the whole party, are ushered up stairs,
amidst tumultuous shouts of" Oh, my - from
the children, and frequently-repeated warn
ings not to hurt baby from the nurse and
grandpapa takes the child, and grandmamma
kisses her daughter, and the confusion of this
first entry has scarcely subsidized, when some
other aunts and uncles with more cousins ar
rive, and the grown-up cousins hirt with each
other, and so do the little cousins too, for that
matter, and nothing is to be heard but con-
fused din Of talking, laughing, and merrment.
A hesitating double knock at the street.