Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-12-24
COMMUNICATED.

| : bMMI Nltftl Ed
| CHRISTMAS This day Of joy to all people
| in the civilized countries Is now Ill hand. HE
most NOTABLE. feature Of this annIlai festival Is
the custom Of giving presents. his l., "~'ecl-
| ally, gladstone day to all the lItt,c fJlHs- $40,
not to quite all either, Tor there are some p"2r
little girls and boys, whose parents or friends
are SO poor that they have not the n.sar> TO
make them any presents. These will be very
unhappy, especially if they remember oiinr
days of prosperity, in which they too, mad
their visits from Santa Claus II there are
any who wish to know how To be happier On
| that day, than they can be by The reception oi
u gilt, let such HUT up >olDr pour person who
is not likely otherwise to get any presents: aud
make them present before the Christmas day
is past, if possible. There arc many 10 whom
a pair of shoes, turkey, or even Loaf ol
| bread would bring such g!a1ncss as to make
the givcr feel that 1T is more blessed to give
than to receive" Try it, But there are some
parents who conscicutious!y rldlcule the Gus
tom of making this day for giving presents,
and especially forbid their children to speak ot
any such creature az Santa Claus or Chris
kringc. Some think it almost species oi
idoalry. Now while most, If not all children,
know very well that liza or pa or sister, brother,
uncle or aunt, or some other kind friend acts
the part Of this imaginary visitor, yet there Is
grra; charm Of pleasure to the chIld to get
these presents by some unseen hand, as II were.
There is another custom equally pleasant To
not only children but to many older ones, that
Of taking a short holiday Let all do So who
can. There arc some other customs that pre-
vail with most people OH this day that ought
not to be tolerated OF course We know that
those who make 0 prctentlonS to religious re
inemeut, or even to polite gcntlIlty. will de-
vote these days of hiarlty to the exhIa!a tlng
influences Of strong drink in almost every form.
But there are those in the ranks OF Professors
of religion who indulge III the pOtatluns oi tie
punch bowl or the cgg-nog. who would not
thick of doing SO on any other occasion. Macy
disspated young men who owe their thirst Tor
strong drink to the intrcateS OF some idcnat-
ing young lady on Christmas day would nUw
be sober and happy but for taking the Christ
mas egg-nog This is not the birth day of the
god of wine and strong drink. II it were really
the anniversary of the birth day Of Christ,
then it should be a day OF universal thanks
giving as we'll as OF present giving. And as II
was first con$ecratcd to that purpose, aud IS
generally so understood TO this day, it should
be used in way that would not help to cruel
| fy Him afresh on each annual return OF this
| day. But, says one, was not Christ born on
| the Z0tn Gay or DecelDDcT NC dushei, uu'
Learned men in all branches Of the church
have tried to determine on what day Christ
was boru but all 10 vain. No one could ever
fud it out There is not one word in The BOOK
of God to help US to find out what day 1t was.
There is almost conclusive evidence IN this
Book, however, that he was not born on the
25th day of December, nor In the winter at all.
The shepherds were out in the fields Keeping
watch over their hocks by night. This they
could not have done any time between the last
of November and the first of April, for two
reasons, first; there was no grass in the fields,
and secondly; the weather was too cold tor
either shepherds or hocks to be out. In l3ethe-
hem. where Christ was born, the degree OF
cold is about the same it is here on Christmas.
The latitude is few degrees further south.
but it is so elevated that many parts of Palcs
tine are far colder in winter than Virginia. This
would make it very cold night tor being born
in stable However, as no one can possibly
tell on what day the Savior was born, one day
will do as we'll as another to celebrate for this
purpose Remember the giver Of all good.
j LITTLE.
Alexandria, Va, Dec 9th, 1872