The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
Merry Christmas.

A merry, merry Christmas to each and
every one OF The Calls children, scat
tered all the way from San Diego to Siski-
you!
Wouldn't it be jolly good fun, though,
if you could all be gathered under one roof
to celebrate this day of the children's
Saint?
A great big roof it would have to be,
built just on purpose. verify believe.
You see it would have to be broad enough
to shelter everybody in California-for I
never noticed that the big folks liked very
much being left out of the Christmas fes-
tivals did you?
And then it would have to be so high
why almost as high as the very sky itself.
Because, of course, for such big crowd
as that would be we'd have the very big
gest of the big redwoods that grow on the
mountains for Christmas tree.
Perhaps we should have to have two of
the biggest ones-a pair of giant twins.
Then, of course, we'd have to have
giant Santa Claus to hand the presents
down-iust a regular old man of the
mountains.
And then, if we got one OF those great
around, we should have to build a pretty
big place for him to walk around in. All
old fellow who is used to just stepping
over from the peak of one mountain to the
peak of another, surely wouldn't like very
well to be cramped up into little bit of
room, do you think so?
Oh, well, well. well. Since it would be
such lot of trouble to get up the right
kind of party, suppose we just play some
thing.
Let's play that we are all gathered to-
gether under one roof, and that roof Is
the deep, wide sky that's stretched over
dear old California. or over the dear old
world, if you can think so far and wide as
that.
Now that you come to think of it, doesn't
1t seem as if Santa Claus really must be a
giant about as tall as the sky? If he isn't,
how does he manage to get all the way
around the world in a single night, put
ting presents in everybody's stockings?
It's all very well to say he drives his
magic reindeer, and SO he does, too, in all
the frozen lands. Anybody who has ever
lived where there is snow at Christmas
knows the sound of those magic bells
Jingle, jangle, jingle, jangle," all in the
middle of the night But those reindeer
couldn't whiz across the ocean, because
that doesn't freeze over.
A giant could step across, and he could
step over the great, wide deserts, where
snow never falls.
He could pick oranges down south with
enc hand, too, and toss them over into the
other hand that was away slp north. where
the children never saw any oranges before
It's wrong for me TO talkit you so much
about Santa Claus. Little people realIy
know great deal more about the good
Saint Nick'' than big folks do, and you
can read some of the things they know on
this very same page.
What was really meaning to saw was
something like this: Don't let us forget.
after all. what Christmas is really about.
There's picture at the sop of the page
that tells the story-the whole beautiful
story.
1t is simple little story, toe, and easy
TO remember.
1t is only that long ago a little babe was
born who lived and died to teach people
doctrine of love.
Perhaps doctrine is hard word. but
it isn't hard for children 10 love each other.
is it?
The worst of it is that l suppose we've
got to love people who don't seem to US
very pretty nor very good.
We've got to remember taat we are keep
ing this Christmas feast In honor of GA be
who wanted to be loved, Int who grew up