The morning times., 1895-12-15
THEeALvE DRAGEE.
Marie Antoinette Sugar Plums Are
Among Christmas Novelties.

| Marie AntOfnette sugar fluInS Are
| Among Christmas Novelties.
| 1t is just as much the fashion as ever
| to In ciude bonbons in the list OF ac-
/ ceptable holiday gifts. No woman thinks
| her stocking worth investigating unless
| its whole length Is well sweetened with
| candies, and children share this feeling.
| SO il you are casting about, in not very
| original mind, for a seasonabie souvenir,
| confectionery in some guise will give as
| much pleasure as the latest OF costly novel;
ties to the recipients
The dealers in bonbon merchandise be-
| gan preparations for the holiday trade
| a month ago. If the square, plain five
| pound box OF the best assorted sweeties
doesn't seem just the right thing for the
| friend on your list you can take look
at The new bonbonnieres. This season they
| are chiefly of china and the painted. jar
| diniere bowls first in favor. These are
| long deep dishes, square and standing on
four legs. The miss behind the counter
heaps the bowl with chocolates, covers
them over with green straw, grass and
long green SILK ferns and ties masses OF
green ribbons about the bowl itself. This
forms one of the table centers at the Christ
mas dinner and after the chocolates are
disposed of, is to be filled with earth
and growing ferns. The chocolates them
selves are chiefly big square Genesees,
made up with maple sugar and soft round
balls, compounded OF chocolate mixed
with a liqueur and called Bulbuls. This
because to eat one before singing helps to
smooth the voice.
Another favori,e Christmas bonbonniere
is a turkey, a papier mache fowl, filled with
marrons. Sometimes the turkey is served
just as he would appear from the basting
pan and a spring lays him open down tie
breast bone.
Again, he may arrive the morning of the
twenty-fifth, clothed in all his feathers with
miniature holly wreath around his neck
and spray OF mistletoe IN his bill.
The novelties in bonbon boxes are star
shaped, made OF thin, satin-like wood,
and painted or etched in pyrographic work.
Some young men have surprise in store
for the object of their admiration, who
Christmas morning will find Feat little
likeness of herself burned into the Eox lid,
with her initials below. The moon-shaped,
square and oblong satin and paper boxes
are painted with charming water colors or
Santa Claus bicycling or taking himself
about in a horseless motor carriage on his
holiday errands. Cupids snowballIng each
other, filling stockings, wreaths of dane
ing girls and Circassian beauties are favor
ite paintings on the seasons boxes, While
the baskets are braided of colored ribbons;
these fold up and are caught by twohandles,
like those in which English workingmen
carry their tools.
But the delight of these gifts lie chief
ly in the boxes contents. There is a
new dragee named after Calve. This is
white French cherry, filled with a
delicious spicy, green cream and un-
doubtedly Favored with cordial. Next
after these in Importance are the Marie
Antoinette sugar plans, round pink
sugared balls that break open in the
center 10 show each half filled with an
entirely different flavor. Some of these
bonbons are wrapped in a bit of silyered
paper, which, when carefully removed
spread out and held up to the light, re-
veal perforated faces, the identity OF
which you are invited 10 guess. The
sultanas are all crystalized fruits, high
Iy spiced and wrapped in squares of gold
and silver tissue, or striped gauZe, waXed
to prevent injury TO the tiny melon, or
citron larded with bits OF orange peel
folded inside. All the inside, of a tam
BOURNE shaped box filled with sultanas,
is wound with a long strip of gauze or
tissue and the bonbon tongs are two
pronged forks.
When some sentimental couple halt for
the appropriate rights under mistletoe
bough a furious bang and shower OF ca ndies
will Just for q Jest be set over their heads
by the joker of the evening, provided with
gunpowder bonbonniere. These are
made exactly in the shape of what old
fashioned children called popping kisses,
only quite gigantic in size. Those for
the Christmas germans are nearly as long
as broomstick, but larger in circunIfer
ence,- fringed at the ends, with two pro-
,ruding ribbon loops. By pulling on these
a tremendous explosion bursts the cylin-
der OF decorated paper and sets the sweets
flying in every direction. They are to
be the favorte additions to the Christmas
trees and children's parties for Christmas
pya