American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-12-11
Onr Bous aud girls.
THE COMING MERRY CHRISTMAS.

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 Oliver of all Good for them, l know.
But perhaps way down in your loving lit
tie hearts you think: "Oh, dear! wish
had hundred dollars to spend for
Christmas gifts: I'd buy mother a splen-
| did present" Or: "Oh, dear! 1 wish l
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 no kind, indulgent parents like
yours.
I want to give you 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
| / want to show you how you can please
the dear ones you love so much, even il
you have no fortune to invest and cant
make great, big" elegant presents. II
isn't the size or expense of present that
constitutes its value. No, indeed; father
and mother prize small, or even 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 Kringle 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 un-
usually pleasant then? Yes, 1 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 peep in your stocking! Il 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
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 one but grandmother knit
| those, you may be sure. Then little sis
ter looks in her stocking and finds new
| winter suit for Topsey Maria Antoinette
and 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
| pers; they clutter room so, lying
round everywhere" There is an oppor-
tunity for her boy to make 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 OF brown. If
you are like some children 1 know you
have perfect frenzy for decalcomania, a
mania it is indeed with you. Now take
nv advice and don't adorn every avail
able vase and door handle and even tattoo
your hands and faces with them; be just a
bit misery for a while, and after you have
| bound the edges ofyour 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 a
long green cord by which to hang it from
| the wall, and there you have Christmas
| present of which mother will be proud,
| first, because you made it, and second,
because it is so useful. While l am on
this subject of pasteboard will give you
hint of a cornucopia filled with various
cslored 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.
or sisters to come 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
| into a blank book, and their interesting
descriptions added pictures of noted men
and places, and well-arranged 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 hewill 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 taste
| for carpentering; no doubt some little
1 a
| wheeled cart of your manufacture, or some
little sister would take untold pleasure in
a play house made by her Every best
brother" All these things and many
others of like nature you can construct al
a trif1ing expense.
| And what presents can lie girls make
Why, their name is legion. Il know some
body who received a dish-mop on Christ,
mas 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 consider yourself
| under obligation to frame them if you are
sslnable to afford it. Neckties and pinballs
and scissors-cases are always acceptable.
You can display an unusual amount OF
taste with little expense in the preparation
of toilet sets. Let me describe two of the
preftiest have seen recently. The first
was of white muslin, three mats, a cushion
watch-stand, cornucopia for combings'
hair-pin basket and perfume case and
jewel case. The mats were 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 ruffie one and a
half inches wide around the edge, the
hem of the rutfie being whipped ovel
with the worsted, and where it is
sewed to the mat covered with d
twist of green and white worsted. The
muslin for the cushion is prepared in d
similar manner. All the other articles art
extras and can be dispensed with if you
desire. Another inexpensive and yet equally
pretty arrangement can be made from tidy