Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-01-27
OUR LONDON LETTER.
Christmas Times i'm Merry
England:
AS DESCRIBED BY OUR FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENT.

AS DESCRIBED BY OUR FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENT.
IoNDoN, January 9th. 1S32--1n
England, as elsewhere, Christmas
comes but once a year" but with
the difference that the preparations
for it begin sooner and are more ex-
tensive, and that the festival itself is
more widely observed and lasts
longer than in any other country.
so long ago as last May, shops in the
crowded parts of London informed
the people that the Christmas
goose clubs had commenced" and
the people, by means Of these mvs-
lerious clubs. began 10 insure their
Christmas dinners-the goose, the
plum-pudding, and the bottle of
spirits, without which Christmas to
some would no more be Christmas
than the pudding would be Christ
mas pudding if it lacked the sprig
of holly In July came the first
installments of Christmas cards.
followed in October by the Christ
mas ANNALS, books and magazines.
From that time Christmas as All all
absorbing topic grew i'll importance,
until in the last weeks in November
and the first weeks in December it
drove every other topic from the
field captured all the shop windows
and gave such a delightful hustle to
everyday life, that everyone came
out to shore in it, the children,
whether rich or poor, to revel III an
tieipation, and the older people to
grow young again in pleasant recol-
lections. Then what visions Of
Christmas feasts were on all sides.
Such festoons of fowls and turkeys.
above such bulwarss of fat ducks
and geese There were dense for
ests of beef and mmtton to be seen.
blossoming in rosettes and ribbons.
and Attending glimpses in their long
avenues Of smiling. white-aproned
butchers. Then the fruiteress shops
were bravely decked in holly, and
piled high with oranges and all
kinds ot fruits, festoons Of dollhouse
grapes adjoining the windows and
encircling little signs which request
ed the passer-by q try one guinea
hamper. What Visions Of mince-
pies and plum-puddings are visible
in the grocers windows, with their
neat piles Of raisins in candied citron
forts, their boxes Of figs aud de
licious French fruits, temptingly
displayed! Even the public houses
called attention to their stores and
invite people to try their superior
Christmas mixing GIN, their fine
odd Tone and their Mountain
Dew while the wine and spirit
merchrnts showed tbs most wonder
full bargains in their Christmas
hampers, from ten and six pence up
wards. What lot there was t0 eat
and drink! But there were plenty
of toy shops and plenty of book
stalls, all full to overhowing with
Christmas gooda, and all doing
wonderful business. One could huy
French, German and American toys;
while as for children's books, each
shop window was Kate Greenaway
art gallery, with intervals of Walter
Crane, and occasional ghmPses of
"Tutli Frutli,' and AT Home
Every trade put forth its best goods,
ana every shop window contributed
its share to the decoration of the
crowded streets. Christmas comes
but once year and we must do our
best seemed to be the motto.
The week before the all-absorhing
day and the holly began 10 come in
and after it the mystic mistletoe.
Then the GRAND boys, with sprigs
of the latter in their hats, began to
kiss all the girls they met, and to
get their ears boxed for their pains );
the busy house wives got their fine
bunch of holly berries for the pud-
ding, and the bench of mistletoe TO
hang from the chandelier; the
waits = in the still hours Of the
night made their sleepless listeners
wish them further :; and Christ
mas seemed indeed, near at hand.
The day before Christmas and the
| final tonr Of the markets was made
-Leadenshall for its poultry, Smith
field for its beef, mutton and pork,
and Covent Garden for its fruit and
flowers. Shop-koepers were at their
wits end; post-men were staggering
under the weight of Christmas
cards; men who had never carried a
parcel before were seen to be laden