The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-12-22
CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

The streets, the stores, the shop!
and the expectant countenances o.
the juveniles all tell of the near ap
proaeh of Christmas. Every yeal
seems to bring out something new
especially for Christmas, and it APP
pears that each return of the blessed
holiday finds more abundance and
better articles for the occasion than
those of the last year. The dolls are
marvels of beauty-and expense
the books, from the little 6ve-cent
toy to the massive pictorial, are
beautiful to the point of elegance ;
the toys are far too numer-
GUS to mention and in
their variety are prestier, more
useful and more useless than ever.
Everything that can, by the sug-
gestiveness Of the dealer, be held
cut as Equitable for a present."
abounds in abundance. The goods
are far more plentiful than the
money; but there is always enough
of the latter to make something OF
show on Christmas; always
enough to purchase presents for
those to whom one feels that he
must give.
And here q few words about
Christmas presents. There is no
prettier holiday custom among
Christian people than this one of
making presents to friends.
It matters not what was the
origin of the custom. The practice
may have started through a spirit
Of benevolence, and this is probably
its source, the charitable showing
that they remembered the good
deeds of Christ by giving food to
the hungry and clothes to the naked.
Now, however. Christmas giving is
more social than benevolent, more
complimentary than charitable.
And who is sorry for the change!
There are three hundred and sixty
FIVE days in the year, on either one
of which good deeds may be per-
formed, when the naked can be
clothed and the hungry fed; there
is only one day when we
can compliment by Christmas
gift. The one is 8 pleasure of bust
ness and duty. the other the pleas
ure of frie0ship and love. With the
modern custom however, has come |
an evil element, that of barter and
exchange. The friend bestows a
gift this year, but receives none,
and next year no present. passes
between the former associates.
The gift that Mary receives is less
valuable than the one she bestoWs,
and her future selections are made
with remembrance OF the facts before
her. If this be not stopped Christi
mas-giving Will become low and
vulgar losing all that should make
it dear and charming. If one feels
that it is his duty 10 give, there is
no pleasure in the act: if he feels
ashamed because he cannot afford
to buy valuable gifts, what delight
could he have in making the most
expensive presents? II he feels
that his gift will be priced for its
intrinsic value only, he had better
not make the present, for all the
days of his life will he do himself
and his friend wrong in heart.
Two thoughts should be in mind
when selecting Christmas presents
first, as to the length of the
purse, and second, as to the likes
and tastes of the person for
whom you are choosing. It is
sinful, if not a crime, to make your
self unhappy and your creditors
miserable, by purchasing what you
cannot afford to pay for. The young
man may think it a very winning
act to send his lady-loye ffty-dol
lar toilet case. but her pleasure viii |
not he half so intense as his agony
of soul when he reflects that she
may learn how he borrowed the
money, or went without an over
coat that he really needed, IN order
to make a favorable impression on
her. If she were a good, sensible
girl she would at once set him down
as a foolish young man. Under the
she would think more
Of one Of the handsome Christmas
cards than of the costly set, which
proved to her that her /
over was something Of al;