Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-12-02
gm noung Readers.
THE COMING MERRY CHRISTMAS

you d sermon Just now although 1t is the
best OF all glad themes, this birth of the
blessed child jesus and tell you how
thankful you should be for the gift of
Gods only Son, and how much of our
happiness is due to that gift; you are all
loving children and appreciate the many
blessings which come to you, and thank
the Giver of all Good for them, | know.
But perhaps way down in your loving lit
tie hearts you think: "Oh, deart I wish
/ had a hundred dollars to spend for
Christmas gifts: I'd buy mother a splen-
did present" Or: ooh, dear! [ wish /
had money enough to get that beautiful
present for father" And then, in your
:" good will to all men," you wish for a
great big fortune with which to satisfy
the wants of all the poor, hungry children
that have nc kind, indulgent parents like
yours.
l want to give you a few practical ideas
about this merry, merry Christmas, with
its nuts and candy and plum-pudding and
turkey, of which you all think so much;
l want to show you how you can please
the dear ones you love so much, even if
you have no fortune to invest and can't
make great, big" elegant presents. 1t
isn't the size or expense of a present that
constitutes its value. No, indeed; father
and mother prize small, or ever clumsily-
made, gifts if they come with the love of
the little hearts and hands that devised
them.
What a jolly, mirth- provoking name
Kris hringle is! 1t is so crisp and spark
ling-just like the snow that crunches
under your feet on a clear, frosty Christ
mas morning. Don't you always feel I'M
usually pleasant then? Yes, | can see
you up in the morning as soon as the sun
or sooner that you may be the first to
give the greetings of the day; and then
for a peep in your stocking! q hope, by
the way, that you will never be too old to
hang up your stocking; it is one of those
good, old-fashioned customs that ought
never to be abandoned.) Of course you
find Just the book you had been wanting,
and-oh, joy!-a pair ofbrand-new skates ;
won't you eclipse all the boys at the pond
now? And then comes a warm pair of
mittens-no n but grandmother knit
those, you may be sure. Then little sis
ter looks in her stocking and finds a new
winter suit for Topsey Maria A~ntoinette
and a Noah's Ark and a picture book and
but bless my heart! you know all about
that, while [ was to tell you what you
could do.
Mother says some day "she does wish
she had some place to put the newspa-
pers; they clutter a room so, lying
round everywhere" There is an oppor-
tunity for her boy to make a useful pres
ent. Get some stiff pasteboard-any mer-
chant downtown would be glad to give
you an empty box of large size; there is
the beginning; from this cut out two
pieces heart-shape or shield-shape or any
pretty form that you desire, enlarged
toward the top; cover both pieces with
plain dark paper, black or brown. If
you are like some children / know you
have a perfect frenzy for decalcomania, a
mania it is indeed with you. Now take
my advice and don't adOrn every avail
able vase and door-handle and ever tattoo
your hands and faces with them; be Just a
bit miserly for a while, and after you have
boundthe edges ofyourt two pieces with gilt
paper use these pretty little flowers and
figures to decorate the outer one of these
pieces. Green cord laced through the
sides so that the pieces will be closed at
the bottom and flare at the top, and q
long green cord by which to hang it from
the wall, and there you have a Christmas
present of which mother will be proud,
first, because you made it, and second,
because it is so useful. While | am on
this subject Of pasteboard | will give you
a hint of a cornucopia filled with various
colored lamplighters. They are very
convenient, and avoid the offensive odor
Of matches. Printers and book-binders
always have lots of long strips of col
ored paper good for nothing else, that
they are willing to give away to polite boys
who say please"
Do you know any invalid boy? You
do; and how often you have pitied him
as you saw his poor, pale face at the
window, looking SO wistfully at the stur-
dy, ruddy boys who were coasting SO
gayly down the hill. How often you have
wished that he could enjoy the sport too.
Maybe he is a poor boy with no brothers
or sisters to ONE in and tell him all
about it, so that he can enjoy your pleas
ures in the recital at least. Let me tell
you what you can do for him. Make him
a scrap-book. "You know what that is
"a Patent Office Report with half the
leaves torn out, and poetry and stories
pasted on the others" By no means; but
something that will interest him much
more--a picture scrap-book, with wood
cuts from pictorial papers pasted neatly
into a blank-book, and their interesting
descriptions added; pictures Of noted men
and places, and a well-arranged selection
of humorous pictures, for our poor little
invalid has not many bright spots in his
life, and we want to makehim smile if we
can. | assure you be will prize the book
very highly.
Boys like to whittle-why not carve
some pretty design in brackets from old
cigar-bOXeS? Or perhaps YOU have a taste