St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-12-24
fur Mr Children.
Merry, Merry Christmas.

| now you can please the dear ones VOI
love so much even if lou have no for.
tune to invest and can't make great
big elegant presents. 1t isn't the SiZ,
or expense of Il present that constitute,
to its value. No. indeed father aHC
mother prize small or even clumsil,
made gifts if they come with the love
of the little hearts that devised them
Wha; Il jolly, mirth- provoking name
Kris krlnglc is. 1t is So crisp ana spark
ling just like the snow that cr,IncIe.
under your feet on clear, frost,
Christmas morning. Don't you always
feel unusually pleasant then Yes.
can see You up IN the morning as soon
as the sun or sooner that You NAV he
4 inst To give the greetings of the dav
and then Tor peep in your stocking
| Il hope. by the way, that you will nev-
CT he too old to hang up your stocking:
| 1t Is one of those good, old fashioned
customs that ought never To he ;iban-
d"ned.) OF couIse you find lust tn,
! book yOu had been wanting. and oh
| JOY IA pair of bran new skates wont
you eclipse all the BOYS at the pond
now And then comes Il warm pair oi
mIttens no one but grandmother knit
those, Nou may be sure. Then little
sister looks i'll her stocking and finds Il
new winter suit for Topsey Maria An
tolnettc. and Il Noah'> Ark. and IL pie
tut-hook. and-but bless my heart
You know all about that. while was
to tell Nou what Nuu could do.
Mother says some day she docs wish
she had some place to put cNspapcrS :
they 'cluttcr Il room so. living round
eve erywhcrc." There is an .pportunilv
ton her hoy to make Il useful present.
''"l some >titf pa>teboaId-anN mer-
chant wonid hr glad to give Nou an
empty box of large size there is the
beginning; from this cut out two pieces
heart rt-shapr oI shicld-shapc. or ANY
pretty form that You desire enlarged
toward the top: cover both pieces with
plain dark paper, black or brown. II
Nou aIc like some children know, yoll
have a perfect frenzy for dccalcomaiii.I.
Il mania il Is indeed, with You. Now
take my advice. aud don't adoIn every
available vase and door handle and
even tattoo yom hands and faces with
them; he just bit miScrll for Il while.
and after You have bound the edges of
Your two pieces with gilt paper. use
these pretty littl" flowers and figures tu
| decorate the outer one of these pieces.
tirccm cord Laced through the sides 81
that the pieces will bc closed at the
bottom and flare At the top. and a long
green cord by which to han" ii from
the wall. and there You have Il Chris,
mas present of which Nour mother will
hc proud. first. hccaII>c yuu made il.
and second, because it is 50 useful
/ With, | ,,l,
board will give YOU hiut of Il cnrmu-
copia filled with various coloI1d lamp
| lighters. They are very convenient and
avoid the the odor of matches. Printers
and book binders always have lots OF
long strips. that they are willing to
give away to polite boys who say
please
Do yon know any invalid boy? You
do; and how often YOU have piticd him
aS Iou SAN his poor pale face at the
window. locking 50 wiStfullN at the
sturdy, ruddN boys who were coasting
50 gailN down the hill. How often on
have wished that he could enjoy the
SpoIt too. Maybe he is poor boy
with no brothers or sisters to come in
and tell him all about it. so that he
can enjoy Your pleasures in the recital
at least. Let me tell you what YOU
can do for him. Make him Il scrap
book. You know what that is-a Pa
tent Office Report with half the leaves
torn ont, and poetry and stories pasted
on the others BY no means; but
something that viii! interest him much
moIe-a picture Scrap-hook, with wood
cuts from pictorial papers pasted neat
! ly into Il blank book, and their interest
ing descriptions added pictures of no
ted men and places, and Il well ar-
ranged selection of humorous pictures
for our poor little invalid has not many
bright spots in his life. and we want to
make him smile if we can | assure
you he will prize the book very highly
Boys like to whittle-why not carve
some designs in brackets from old ci-
gar boxes? Or perhaps you have a
taste for carpentering; no doubt some
little brother would admire IA two ol
four wheeled cart of your manufacture
or some little sister would take untold
pleasure in play house made by heI
and many others of like nature you can
construct ut Il tritiing expense.
And what presents can little girls
| llldht w HN tntlI ndllc IL leElOU. III
know somebody who received dish
mop on Christmas. That person priced
it very highly, too.) Tides of all sorts
for the aunts and cousins. Then you
can knit warm wristers for YOUR big
brothers, and reins for the boy who
likes to play horse. OF late years those
pretty worked notices have become
very popular: but don't comsideryOur-
self under any obligation to frame
them if you are unable to afford it,
Neckties and pinballs and scissor cases
are always acceptable. You can dis
play an unusual amount of taste with
little expense in the preparation of toi-
let sets Let me describe two of the
prettiest | have seen rece:.tly. The
first was of white muslin, three mats,
IL cushion, watch-stand, cornucOpia fol
combings, hair-pin basket and perfume
case and jewel case. The mats were a
square of pasteboard covered neatly
with white cloth, and then muslin
worked in dots with pale green worsted
put over the upper side of that, and 4
rutfie one and half inches wide around
the edge, the hem of the rutfie being
whipped over with the worsted, and
where it is sewed to the mat covered
with twist of green and white w"rs
ted. The muslin for the cushion is pre-
| :, manner All the