Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-12-28
TO CHRISTMAS GIvERS.

Suggestions As to Appropriate =.
Presents.
The gift which harmoni1es With IL 70
ture surroundings and jrst Cts In q va
cant spot is the one which IL 10 ;. val
ued. The same rule applies to ARTICLES
Of dress. To the young brunette, whose
evening gowns are generally pink or
crimson, the pale blue fan, although
lovely in itself, would not be as service
able as a palmer one which she could use
with her existing wardrobe. Before You
embroider the doilies or centerpieces for
the housewives table consider the color
of her china and try to bring your work
into affinity with her possessions.
The friends in mourning and the in
valid appreciate the thoughtfulness which
adapts the gift to their saddened lives.
The book, with its comforting message;
the potted palm to brighten the darkened
room, the soft knitted shawl or slippers
lin fact, anything that evidences consid-
Grafton for their feelings, and does not
jar by incongruity, is priceless.
Ii is astonishing to note how much is
frittered away on perishable trifles when
the Christmas gift, of all others, should
be something enduring. The elaborate
card and beribboned booklet are prac-
tically useless, aside from the remem-
brance whicli prompts their giving. Al
most every one has a collection of satin
hand painted vanities, lovely to look at,
but the care of which is the despair of
both mistress and maid. But some say;
''Other things are beyond my means, |
cannot afford to give substantial pres
ents. 1t is a fact that the shops, espe-
cially during the hot months, are filled
with at least three articles which delight
the hearts of homemakers the world
over, and which many young girls love
to collect against the wedding day
What are they, pray? Dainty individual
coffee cups. harlequin spoons and single
plates, suitable for the serving of fruits.
cream or salad.
Cooperation is a boon TO the average
purse. If the members of the family or
a set of friends accustomed TO exchange
gifts unite their finances, they can give
one handsome article in the place of sew.
eral makeshifts.
Good taste discriminates between the
needs of country and town and does not
send an opera glass or party bag to the
farmhouse. Neither does it give the boy
a book which he ought to like, but tries
TO select n to complete his favorite Sc
ries. Children's stockings are sometimes
filled from the standpoint of maturity.
Utility and not suitability governs the
choice of their contents. There has been
many a disappointed, sorrowful heart on
Christmas morning because the powers
that be, forgetting their own childhood,
had catered to the tastes of those of 40
instead of to those of A.
On the principle of Ike attracting like,
the most valuable gift too often finds its
way to the who needs it least. In
some cases good judgment dictates the
giving of money as the kindest thing to
be done. How often some poverty
straitened n has sighed over the ex-
pensive gift, IF | only had the money
this gift cost!' No field affords a wider
opportunity for the exercise of common
sense than Christmas giving. Women,
by exercising Judgment, not only benefit
themselves, but are a positive blessing
in their example TO the entire sex, and
yuletide of 1893 will be a happy one in
deed if common sense is more employed
in Christmas gifts.-A. l.. Fleming.