Weekly Phoenix herald., 1884-12-25
CHRISTMAS CARVINGS.

| past concerning CHIlslHnaS uoy Much of this is interesting. in single
 doses, but when the thing is repeated it spells ones appetite for Christ
 mas dinner.
 As a general destroyer of tom-tur>
 keys and cranberry sauce the world
 over, the day has no equal. Unlike Thanksgiving Day, it is not pecu-
 liarly an American institution,
 though the tom>turkey is. It is a mooted scientific question, however,
 as to whether the tom>turkey was
 not a special providence for Thanks
 giving Day, and whether beef should
 not be the peculiar aliment where upon Christmas rejoicing should be based. The day is practically an
 English institution, and an eminent
 writer has said, in effect, that, 10 be
 English IS to be beefy, hence the deduction that Christmas should be
 beefy, Tn a gastronomic sense. There was, however, another inn portant dish that occupied the seat
 of honor ill the capacious stomachs of the early Christianized Anglo> Saxons about Christmas time; this was roasted boar's head; don't mistake; the head was roasted; the boar cut no figure in the case after he had lost his head, though he
 occasionally cut various figures in the epidermis of his pursuers before ho consented Is furnish them the needful for the occasion. There is some question at the present day
 ss to whether this was not rather s hoggish custom among the fore~ fathers of our race Unlike Mark Anthony, who only wanted the ears of his audience, they wanted the whole head of an unwilling audi ence, and, furthermore, in view of the fact that in the asthetic present age, the custom is entire abandoned, and the whole hog is put upon the dish, the old custom must have been hoggish indeed, However, one can> not but have some respect for the olden custom after all, for it was decidedly "brainy," which can hard~ ly be said of the custom of to day; but, as it has gone out of fashion, it is most probable that brains are not a necessity of the present Christmas day; stomachc, however, is in de. mand in unlimited quantities, and the two-brains and stomache-sel- dom can agree to become part and parcel of the same corporation
 People used to drink some in those days too. The called the stuff was- sail; we call it tangle-leg; their term meant, in a general way, some- thing that made cheerful; our term means something that makes a fele lew imagine that mistake has been made somehow in his legs and the anatomy within them IS all back bone with the guys cut; in fact, he feels as though pretty much all his anatomy was backbone in state of uncertainty. As to whether the | early beverage or the later has the effect of developing the spirit of the occasion most fully, the philosophy | of the present day scarcely seems to consider; in fact, digestion seems to have more to do with the business than philosophy, anyway.
 They were accustomed to give gifts in days, as we are now 8 beautiful and generous custom. They had not developed all it's beau- ties in those primeval Christmas days; stomache ache, an article of exquisite delight of the present time, was then entirely unknown, and hence much pleasure of the occasion was lost. Then, too, Jonah had not been bcaved long enough for people to know how to indulge in that delight. What bushels of fun they missed, and how plentifully thelr favored sons are supplied with those delights now. More than that fel- low can get proboscis printed red, or an optic dressed in ebony now days; history is entirely silent as 10 those delicacies in earlier times; doubtless the ancient Christmas jewellers did not enjoy them.
 But Christmas, in the abstract, was a season of joy then as it IS now the old timers did miss much of the beauties of the present day. The world is doubtless better for the lay. It's the enly day of the year hat gets even on the miser and sel- ishness; they bring nothing into it md take nothing out of it except as objects of pity. Its one of the days hat gets even on the gornand
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