The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-12-26
Making Pain o. Plaasare.

Under the head of a word about
Christmas, Susan Anna Brown writes
to The Century some very sensible
susgesssN.. about celebrating Christ
mas. She says very truly: When
what was designed to be q pleasure
becomes q burden, it is time to stop
and examine it carefully, and see if it
is the thing itself, which has grown to
be such a weight, or whether it is
simply an awkward manner of carrying
it. We venture to suggest the propri-
ETY. Of putting this question to ones self
about other things besides Christmas
but for the present and at this seaso,
let us confine ourselves, rs does Ths
Century correspondent, to the colebra-
ton of Christmas.
Certainly" she continues, "there
must be something wrong in any cele-
bration of Christmas which results in
serious fatigue of mind and body.
During the first three months of the
year, nothing is more commonly given
as a reason for i'll health than an over
strain during the holidays. "She got
so worn out at Christmas" or she work
ed too hard in finishing her Christmas
presents" or "the week before Christ.
mas she was tired out with shopping
are which appear as surely ss
January andS February come. The
question must occur sometimes tc
every one, whether all this worry
and wear of heart and hand and brain
are really worth while. Is there not
some better way of celebrating this day
of days than for women to wear them.
selves out in making or buying pretty tri-
fes for people who already have more
than they can find room for? Setting
aside all effort of eyes and fingers, the
mental strain is intense. Merely to de-
wise presents for o dozen or more people,
which must be appropriate and accept
able, and which they do not already pos
sess, and which no n else is likely to
hit upon, is enough to wear upon the
strongest brain; and when ones means
are not unlimited, and the question OF
economy must come in, the matter is still
more complicated. The agony of in
decision. the weighing of rival merits in
this aal that, the distress when the
artict, which is finally decided upon does
not Sc N as fascinating as one had hoped
the e. less round of shopping, the pack
ing to send to distant friends, the frantic
effort to finish at the last moment some-
thing which ought to have been done
long ago, result in a relapse when oil is
over into a complete WEAKNESS of mind
and body which units one for either
giving or receiving pleasure. Now, when
all this is looked at soberly. does it pay?
Cannot the keeping Christmas, for
example. be made to consist of other
things than gifts? Let the giving be for
the children and those to whom our
gifts are real necessities. As q people
we are very negligent in the matter of
keeping birthdays. If these festivals
were made more Of in the family, espec-
tally among the elder members, we
should not find that we were loosing
the ~blessedness Of giving and the happi-
ness of receiving, even if we did omit
presents at Christmas time. In many
large families o mutual understanding
that the Christmas gifts were all to be
for the children would be an immense
relief, although, perhaps, no one would
be quite willing to acknowledge it.