The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-25

Nowhere in the world is Christmas
more heartily o. more universally OBJ
served than in merry England. True,
it is in a somewhat subdued manner
compared with the celebrations in
most other nations, for the English
man takes his pleasure sadly" but to
him and his it is genuine pleasure,
nevertheless, and pleasure the aver
age Englishman on this occasion, at
least, tries TO extend to his dependents,
and even to his horses and dogs.
The traditional Christmas weather in
John Bulls home is clear, frosty and
bracing, with a heavy mantle of the
beautiful snow covering the land, but
in reality it is only about one Christ
mas out of ten when that ideal mater
ializes More frequently a drizzling
rain descends. the sky is cloudy and
the vision is obstructed by fog of more
or less density.
Notwithstanding this the most desir-
able place to spend Christmas is in the
country. IN the cities it is a close
holiday, as close as Sunday. Business
is entirely suspended the streets are
deserted, and even street cars only run
semi-occasionally. The theatres are
closed, there are no public balls or
public amusements on that day or
night, and the nearest to dissipation"
or innocent fun, outside the homes, is
perhaps a sparsely attended second or
third-rate sacred concert in the even
ing.
ALL ENGLAND GOES TO CHURCH.
On Christmas morning all England
puts on it's best clothes and its most
respectable and decorous mien and
goes to church. Some go to worship,
some go to hear the music, which is
usually good, and others-and prob
ably the Others" are in the majority
go because It is respectable and the
proper thing to do. Church is over
about 1 o'clock and the balance of the
day is spent in the home circle, in
Teasing and nerriment.
Christmas is seen to best advantage
in the country, in those stately homes
of England famed N song and story
the wide world over, and every city
man and woman, too, who has country
cousins or whose parents live out of
town, appreciates the cordial invita-
tion to spend a merry Christmas with
them. The trains for a week before
the great Christian festival are crowd
ed with travellers. and laden, too, with
Christmas cheer and Christmas remem-
brances. This is the time when the
members of the family scattered far
and wide in every nook and corner of
the world are heard from, and there
are few families in England of which
some members are not in foreign lands.
Some are soldiers, maybe in India,
Egypt. Africa, Australia, or where not.
Some are sailors in the great navy or
merchant service that makes England
the mistress of the seas. Some are
seeking. fortunes in various chimes and
subduing continents for the glory Of
their mother country; but wherever
they are at Christmas time, in thought
they are at home in old England.
AT THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S
In the home of the country gentleman,
the squire and the gentleman farmer
the time-honored manner of observing
Christmas is religiously observed For
a week or two before the festival
the members of the family and
the servants are occupied in
decora ting the house inside and
ont with mistletoe, holly and ever
greens as a basis, and by way of relief
flags, bunting, etc, are used. The
stables and other outhouses, which, as
a rule, are kept in fine condition, also
come in for share of the decorat ine:
and then the parish church mas to be
attended to. The vicar and the curate,
with their female relatives, take
special pride in the appearance of the
church on Christmas morning, and in
the work they are willingly aided by
their parishioners, particularly the
feminine portion thereof. The farmers
sosas gather and haul the mistletoe
and the holly, and the ladies and young
men aid with will in making the
quaint old edifice look its best when
the Christmas morning sun floods it
with its wintry rays.
The first duty on Christmas morning
is the distribution of the mail. which on
that day IS no small task. The mem
bers of the family are up early and
waiting with impatience for its ar
rival The letters and packages are
eagerly opened, just as they are in
the American home, and the little
folks, who had hung up their stock
inss the night before in a conspicuous
place, so that cid Father Christmas
will have no difficulty in finding them.
are eagerly examining the presents
with which they have been filled by
the venerable old gentleman, whose
American counterpart is Santa Claus.
Then the Christmas church bells
ring out their merry chimes, proclaim
ing the glad news that Christ was born
today, and young and old, rich and