The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-12-18
HOW TO HAVE A MERRY
CHRNSTNMAR.

Christmas is coming and the children
all over the land are looking forward to
it, and wishing for this and for that :;
giving very broad hints 10 parents and
grand parents and indulgent uncles and
aunts and planning the merry gather
lngs of that day with their games and 80
cial, happy converse. No doubt all these
children think it very unnecessary for
stranger to volunteer to tell them hO,o to
have merry time at such season. But
want to tell you a way in which the
children of one Sunday-school made
Christmas very much happier for them
selves, and besides made all the bright
ness of the day for hundred and fifty
other children and wonder, if, reading
of what they did, some of you would not
like to add to your Christmas pleasures in
the same way.
Our Sunday rather wanted q
Christmas tree and it's usual accompani-
ments; but there seemed to be very good
reasons against it, 80 We proposed a COM
promise to the children, which was &C
cepted with high favor, and three or four
of us, with the aid of the children, set
about carrying it out. We were to have
tree and big dinner from two to six
o'clock on Christmas day the children
were to give it all instead of having it
given to them; and we were to gather in
all the poor children we could find in the
city to receive and to enjoy. Two of the
larger boys, one of whom could have the
use of his fathers team, went into the
country for tree. guess they thought
fhQrn n hQ
children by the size of the tree they
brought us. Others of the boys fastened
the tree up in position in the large lecture
room Of the church. On the morning of
Christmas day some of the teachers went
to the room to receive the children's do
nations and trim up the tree. With faces
made bright by gifts received, and others
now bestowed, they came to us bringing
things which were nearly all old-old
books, old pictures, old toys, which had
lost their value to them, because replaced
by new ones. Fond mothers brought us
"Jennie and Rose and Victoria"
with noses little snubbed, limbs dislo-
Gated and missing, and bangs thing
of the past, yet still dollies to do any lit
tie girls heart good to fondle and mother;
bits from dolls wardrobe; Noah's ark,
with matched pairs of disjointed "birds
of the air and beasts of the field :" bright
picture cards jack-straws and letter
blocks; and then the hoods, and the
warm jackets, the shoes, and the comfort
able underwear. One brought basket
of tapers to light the tree; another
bushel basket of popcorn, and the bags
to put it in, which four little girls spent
the afternoon in making. Another
brought well-used jack-knife with the
request that it be given to the poorest
looking child who came, cause, he said,
it had been such good knife he wanted
some other "fellow" to have some fun
with it. There came, too, quantity of
new clothing, warm and serviceable,
which thoughtful older friend had sent
our tree began to groan beneath its
weight, and look as tempting as many
one of far greater value.
About eleven o'clock the provisions for
the dinner came pouring in these we had
asked the fathers and mothers to give us.
Turkeys and chickens, hams and bread
and butter, pies, cakes, candies, nuts and
oranges-all the good things which be-
long to Christmas dinner We set four
long tables in the dining-room of the
church, and still had enough to spare.
All the time we had been working, chill
dren, forlorn and neglected, had been
gathering on the walk in front, and peer
ing in at the windows; finally coming to
the door to ask admission. But we were
hard-hearted and would not let them in
where we were, though we did take them
into an adjoining room, which was warm
and comfortable. At two o'clock we
opened the door of the dining-room, and
from that time until FIVE admitted steady
stream of children, real "poor children"
not tramps or impostors. How their
eyes glistened as they saw the tables
Some had their mothers with them, who
waited while they ate; for we could not
feed the adults until the children had
enough. Oh, what busy, CHEEKY, happy
roomful Of people that was Somelingered
outside and had to be coaxed to come
in; two young lads said that if they could
do anything for us to pay for their dinners
they would be glad to have something to
eat, and were reluctant to take it as a
Christmas gift. Just the way some of
US want to pay for Gods Christmas Gift
TO us) Seeing the children enjoying
their dinners, loosened the tongues Of
their mothers, and we heard some sad
stories of suffering and want. When the
children had eaten all they could, we filled
hundred and fifty good sized paper bags
with provisions and gave one to each
child to take home Then we fed the
mothers, and still had left so we sent out
baskets of food to poor families that were
known to some Of our teachers.
After the eating was all over, all went
into the room where the tree was. The
windows had been darkened and the ta-
pers on the tree lighted. We thought
the children looked happy while eating,
but they were rapturous; and their COM
mentsi / cannot take the space to write
them, but / doubt If Aladdin with his
wonderful lamp ever saw anything half
80 beautiful or enchanting as this Christ
mas tree of discarded playthings, seemed
to those children.
We let them sit down to look at it q
little while, and meantime sang to them
the familiar Gospel hymns and Christian
melodies. f'.
4.