The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-12-22
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING.
BROAD STREETS NOW PRESENTING
HOLIDAY APPEARdNCE.
The Stores are Doing "A Rushing Business.
Busy Crowds of Christmas Purchasers
Crowd the Sidewalks.

And I heard him exclaim ere he drove
out of sight. Merry Christmas to all,
and TO all good night"
! The season OF peace on earth, good will
, toward men is nearly here
! Wednesday will be Christmas day, and
| as such will be observed all over this
world wherever Christian civilization
holds sway. The merriest of all seasons
+, has come, and right royal are the pre-
! parations that are being made for its
annual observance
UP BROAD STREET.
For the past week Broad street and in
| deed. cther business thoroughfares i'm
the city have been crowded with Christ
mas shoppers. Not for several years
have such crowds of purchasers and
promenaders been seen on the retail
streets. When l walked up Broad street
/ several times yesterday and Friday there
was multitude of people that could not
/ be numbered with less than five figures.
] 1t was a gOOd-natured crowd, and every
| man, woman, and child seemed to have
/ Christmas in their bones. The capital
| list brushed elbows with the pauper. the
/ society woman swept along next 10 the
street-waif; the small boy with his
| grandmother, and the distinguished per-
sonage with the plain, ordinary ndivid-
ual.. The street was in gala attire, and
all the shop windows were dressed in
| keeping with the season
Florists We'd with toy stores for the
| honors in the way of decorations, dry
! goods establishments, drug stores, book
! stores. and novelty establishments, all
| had on their Christmas clothes and
many of the Christmas exhibits tempt
! ed purchasers as they peeped in Hun
| dreds of girls tripped along merrily with
| their arms full of bundles and packages,
and the continuous stream Moved stead
| lily up and down the street without for a
moment observing the idea Of keep TO
| the right"
Veritably the sidewalks were r.le chan
nels in which flowed backwards and for
words, a continuous stream of busy peo-
pie, imbued with practically one idea,
that of Christmas and all the accesso-
ries in the way of good times. good fell
lowship. and good cheer, that come an
! nually with the greatest of all holidays.
IN THE TOY STORES.
/ took a peep into a number OF the
large toy stores. They were filled with
busy mamas and patient papas engage
ed in buying innumerable surprises with
which to FIJI the many little stockings
that will be hung up on innumerable
bedposts on Tuesday night.
What a wealth Of playthings. As l
stood 10 one side, out of the busy crowd,
and gazed upon the well-stocked shelves,
old memories began TO revive them
selves as here and there / recognized
| friends who were very dear and familiar
| to me i'm those DAYS when 1, too. dream
ed 1T was the night before Christmas
I There was my friend. Mr.. Jack-In-The-
Box, with his grinning face, large mead,
and elongated body, how well | remem-
Der him. Then the Noah's Ark, with its
varied collection Of stiff-legged animals
the bats. balls, guns. stick-horses. books,
marbles. tops. tin swords and boxes OF
games were 10 be seen I'm abundance, and
many a young heart will be made glad
on Christmas morning by these dear old
objects.
CANDIES OF ALL KINDS.
The candy shops. What a tempting
profusion of goodies" they offered, and
how the mouths Of the little ones watered
al the prospects of the bon-bons they
will find far down in the foot of those
fathomless stockings 1t occurred 10 me
TO ask a friend OF mine what would
Christmas be without a stocking, and he
promptly replied. a failure. / believe he
was right. for no one Will deny that the
two are closely associated, and have been
ever since there was stocking TO he
hung up. and a kind-hearted old Santa
Claus TO I'LL IT.
THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS.
The windows Of the flower shops with
their beautiful display of the same OF
the cultivation of the vegetable king
dom caught my eyes. There were those
glorious roses of opera and German fame,
1.-THE American Beauties" and next in
point OF numbers. the dainty violets,
viewed with their more glorious sisters
for public favor. These two flowers are
the most popular and a large number OF
orders have been placed with the florists
for quantities of them, all, of course. 10
be duly delivered on Christmas morn
ing. There were also profusion OF
beautiful lilies, carnations. potted plants.
ferns, and palms. all OF which go TO add
TO the beauty and purity OF Christmas
day.
A TINE OF LOVEMAKING.
l must not forget the jewelry stores
with their numberless trinkets of beauti-
full conceits In the way of silver orna-
ments. These stores are largely pat
ronized by the young man who has a
girl, and by the young girl who wants
a beau. Some people are bashful, and
they find Christmas most convenient
time TO declare their hidden feelings by
some pretty souvenir. res, many a ihdH
is married to-day. and | presume happiA
ly so. all as a result of Christmas and
silver toilet service for Mary. or what
ever else 1t may have happened 10 have
been.
IN THE MARKETS.
Now, turn aside for n moment from
what Is idealistc and let me take you
through the Old and New markets and
tell you Of the substantial part OF Christ
mas that l saw there First Of all. there
were the turkeys. Do you know as Il
gazed at big gobbler hanging up over
one OF the stalls by his once proud neck
the story Of Little Tiny Twins" turkey
came into my mind. and found myself
at once both associating feelings Of SEN
timent and satisfaction with this glorious
bird Oh thu craberrfea and celery. those