The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-20
SEATTLE. WASHINGTON 1871.


over their dresses. The customary turkey
q mighty bird, enters, making an era at
tue dlnner, while later on a pIun mud
uihg, All ablaze, with a sprig of holly in
the midst, another sensation. Mince MES
are set on lire with the aid Of little alco-
ioi, "nich IS poured over them from a
small silver ladle.
The noblest as well as the humblest of
all English houses, especially in York
shlre, keep up the old superstition of light
ing the yuie log, "the ponderous ashen
Iagot from the yard, - and great i'll luck il
ioretoid II its flame dies out before Twelfth
Night. Framenty boiled porridge. with
nIllk, sugar, wine, spices and raisins is
served 1t was IN a cup of frumenty a.
every conscientious reader of fairy stories
VIII remember, that Tom Thumb was
dropped by his careless nurse.
IN America the young people are utiliz-
ing christmas day. as they do In England
VI there Is no frost), to 20 a-hunting
afternoon tea, under the mistetoe in the
naiI OF a country house, is generally taken
IN rldlug-habIt at these hunts
IN most families il is purely domestic
FESTIVAL, although as the tree has been en-
Joyed the night before when Santa Claus
noble, generous, German sprite-has held
ms reveis. there is no reason why grand
dlnher to ones friends should not be given.
Ana let us plead that the turkey. great
lie IS so much better roasted before a
WOOD ire There are some difficulties in
giving Christmas dinner in n large city
as nearly all the walters are sure to he
drunk, and the cook has also, perhaps.
been at the trumenty. Being a religious.
as well as social festival, it Is apt to
bring about confusion of ideas. But
everything else apart, il is children's day:
IL Is the day when, as Dickens says, we
should remember the time when its great
founder was child himself,
Inc best Christmas present to boy is
Dox OF tools, the best TO girl any mum Der
OF dolls, and after dressing and undressing
them, giving them q bath. taking them
through fit of sickness, furnishing them,
and giving them an airing in the park (for
little maldens begin to initiate mamma at
very early age) The next best amuse-
ment Is TO manufacture dolls house, and
here the box of tools comes in. He must
plane the box, the brother must, an old
wine box will do, and fit in it four COM
partments, each of which must be elabor-
ately papered. Then real carpet" must
he nailed down and then pictures hung on
the wall. These bits framed with gold
paper usually require mammals help. The
kitchen must be fitted up with tins which,
perhaps, had better be bought, but after
the 'Batterle de Cuisine" is finished, then
the chairs and beds should be made at
home. Cardboard boxes can be cut into
excellent dolly beds. Pillows, holsters,
mattress, sheets, pillow-cases, will amuse
little fingers many days.
When they get older and can write let
tiers postofiice is a delightful boon.
These are to be bought, but they are far
more amusing if made at home. Any
good sized card box will do for this pur-
pose. The lid should be fastened to it so
that when 1t stands up it will open like
door. A slit must be cut out about an
inch wide and from five TO six inches long
so as To allow OF the postage of small par
GELS, yet not large enough to admit even
the smallest hand. Children should learn
to respect the inviolate character of the
post from the earliest age.
On the door should be written the time
OF the post. Most children are fond of
writing letters TO one another, and this
will of course give rise to grand manu-
facture OF note paper, envelopes and post
cards, and will call forth ingenuity in de-
signing and coloring monograms and
crests for their note paper and envelopes.
An envelope must be taken carefully to
pieces to form flat pattern. Then those
cut from it have TO be folded, gummed to-
gether and a touch of gum put on the
flap, the monogram made to correspond.
1t Is wonderful what occupation this
gives for weeks. A paint box should he
amongst the Christmas gifts.
Capital scrap books can he made by
children. and old railway guides may he
the foundation, every illustrated paper the
magazine of art. paste pot, next to n
paint box. is a most seryiceable toy.
Children like To initiate their elders. 4
little boy of , years enjoys smoking 4
pipe a. he sees grandpa smoke. and knocks
out imaginary ashes as he does against
the door.
Hobby horses are profitable steeds and
can be made To go through any amount of
4. Il
amusing To ones elders than to the child
who wishes to do his own mechanism
boy can be amused by turning him out of
the house, giving him ball or kite, or
letting him dig ia the ground for the I'M
happy mole. Little girls. who must be
kept in OF a rainy day, or Invalid children,
are very hard TO amuse, and recourse must
be had To story telling, To the dear, delight
ful thousand and one books now written
Tor children. of which Alice in Wonder
land" is the flower anu perfection.
For children in groups, as IN asylums
and schools there is nothing like music,
songs, marches. anything To Keep them IN
time and tune. II removes for q moment
that institutionized look which has So I'M
happy an effect.
Al Christmas time let us invoke the
fairies They, the gentry, the wee people,
the good people" are very dear 10 the
real little. wee people Who see the iun and
do not believe Ia them any too much.
Those who make their homes under the
old trees and resort To tOadStoolS for
shelter, who make invisible excursions
into larmhouseS have afforded the Irish
nurse with no end OF legends. An old
nurse Will hold a magnificent position in
the nursery because she had seen Lypro-
Chaun, the little red man, beloved OF the
Irish.
The meaning of the Christmas green is
e.. If -