Oroville daily Butte record., 1856-12-24
Christmas Eve.

What jingling Of merry bells, and what
hosts of joyous recolections. does the men
tion of Christmas time. suggest. The name
alone, is suggestive to US away out here n
this " land Of beans and money" for alF the
merry bells that have jingled on our listen
ing ear during six years sojourn in these
auriferous diggings, have either jingled in
front of an eating house or on. the backs of
mules tugging along a prairie schooner"
We first saw the light in u land where sleigh
bells ring out their music on frosty Christ
mas Eve, and Merry Christmas is chimed
out from belfries and families anu friends
hold little merry-meetings, and talk and
laugh over "reminiscences Of times foregone,
and innocent little boys and girls hang up
long Christmas stockings in anticipation of
visit from that mysterious distributor of SUI
gar -plums and rocking horses, old Santa
Claus. Frugal housewives bring to light
from out the hidden recesses of closets and
cupboards, great stores of plum cakes and
frozen mince pies and turkies and chickens
are slaughtered in great numbers; and ex-
cited boys bring ont their last years skates
and sleds and children of a larger growth
repair old harnesses and sl,ighs, and make
great preparations for o Christmas sleigh
ride
But all these are but as shadowy ima~es
of the past" In lieu of sleigh-rides and ska
ting the best we can anticipate is dreary,
dismal ride in numbering stage, or on a
plodding mule, through mud and rain; and
in place of social reunion" of kind
friends and relatives, we must be content
with an extra dinner" at somebody's res
taurant, and a few drinks of somebody's egg
nogg as a substitute for the ancient wassail-
bowl. Having learned to our sorrow that
Santa Claus is a humbug, and not having
any long stocking to hang up. and indeed no
chimney corner to hang it up in, we must be
satisfied with hanging around billiard sa-
loon, or what's worse, our printing office and
making ourself delightfully."- miserable with
the remembrances of Christmas as it used to
be, and becoming savagely contemptuous of
these degenerate times when the good old
day has become season for an " unprece-
dented rush of business" in the grog shops.
and when men who in their boyish days en-
ioyed Christmas as we did, have resolved in
to men of the world and laugh with derision
at the innocent, puritanical customs and
enjoyments of their chldhood's Christmas.
But we have conformed to this state of
things, and are as much a Californian in
theory and practice as the most incorrigible
forty miner, and in the very coviction of our
degeneracy, in fact subscribe to this Califor
mia ritual and indulge as best we can in the
enjoyments. so called, made and provided.
We have once in our distinguished career,
been blessed with the assurance that we
tripped upon the light fantastic pedal ex'
tremity with more than ordinary grace
and elegance, and despite our real convic-
tions that the time -honored customs of our
boyhood's home" have been superseded by
the habits of degenerate age, we hvae sub
mitled to the " will of the majority" and
expect to balance" and assist in fulfilling
a command from dancing master to ego
down the middle" and if some unforeseen
circumstance doesn't prevent, we shall pro-
ceed TO let ourselves excessively loose to-
night about the time that the " beauty and
chivalry" of this fair village are congrega-
ted to /" dance attendance to the incoming
Christmas.