Butte record., 1856-12-27
Chrisfuas Eve.

What jingling of merry bells, and what
hosts of joyous recollections, does the men,
tion of Christmas times suggest The name
alone, is suggestive to us away out here in
this .' land of beans and money" for all the
merry bells that have jingled on our listen
ing ear during a 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 Sc prairie schooner ;"
We first saw the light in a land where sleigh
| bells ring out their music on frosty Christ
mas Eve, and Merry Christmas is ehmed
out from belfries and families and friends
hold little merry meetings, and talk and
laugh over re niniscences Of times foregone,
and innocent little boys and girls hang up
long Christmas stockings in anticipation Of a
visit from that mysterious distributor of su-
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
ale slaughtered in great numbers and ex-
cited boys bring ont their last years skates
and sleds; and children of larger growth
repair old harnesses and sl,ighs, and make
great preparations for Christmas sleigh
ride
But all these are but as &c shadowy ina es
of the past.n In lieu of sleigh-rides and ska
ting the best we can anticipate is dreary,
dismal ride in numbering stage, or on
plodding mule, through mud and rain; end
in place of - social reunion of kind
friends and relatives, We must be content
with an extra dinner" at somebody's res
taurant, and few drinks Of somebody IS 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 a season for an Sc unprece
dented rush of business in the grog shops,
and when men who in their boyish days en-
loved Christmas as we did, have resolved in
to men of the world and laugh with derision
at the innocent, " puritanical' customs and
enioyments of their childhood's Christmas.
But we have coDformed to this state of
things, and are as much Californian in
theory and practice as the most incorrigible
forty-niner, and in the very coviction of our
degeneracy, in fact subscribe to this Califor
MIA ritual and indulge as best We can in the
enjoymeDts 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
SO boyhood's home have been superseded by
the habits of degenerate age, we hvae sub
mitlei to the {" will of the Majority" and
expect to " balance" and assist in fulfilling
a command from a dancing master to go
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
of this fair village are congrega-
ted to dance attendance" to the incoming
Christmas.