Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25
Turkey and 'Possum, Hot and Brown,
Side by Side.
EVERYBODY HAPPY as TIE DAY
Uncle Tamson Gets His Share and
Poor Are Not Forgot.
W H r L OF JOY

Christmas day in the south opens with
all the children of the household astir by
4 o'clock in the morning. From then on
until midnight it is a day of festivities,
every minute enjoyed to the utmost by
young and old.
The stockings are hung Christmas eve
night in the dining room. If the family of
children is not large the stockings hang
from nails driven in the woodwork of the
hfepiace Up to ten years of age the chill
dfen hang up stockings or substitutes for
them Some of the older ones may have
heard stories that there is no such thing
as santa Claus, but they wisely say moth
ing ana hang up the stocking so as to
come in for the candies. fruits, nuts, ETC.
with which old Santa Claus fills the stock
lirgs.
Mother, father and the chi dren sit around
the cracking fire of oak and pine wood on
Christmas eve night. As the flames lean
up the chimney, father tells stories 10 the
nttle ones of Santa Claus and his reindeer
| .eaH' row they come out of the far north
to visit and make happy the children of
| the southland. Mother buses herself at
preparing to put the smaller ones 10 bed
| They demonstrate when the night gowns
are brought in. and ask how Santa Claus is
10 come down the chimney if the big fire
turns all night. Father tells them that
the fire will be out i'm plenty of time and
mother advises them to go to bed and TO
sleep.
Santa Claus at Work.
At last the little ones are to bed. and
mother and father sit around the fire talk
ing about the pleasures in store for the
children. From an adjoining bed room n
small Voice pipes out Papa" He inquiries
what is wanted, and is told: Willie won't
go TO sleep. He is going to stay awake and
"atch Tor Santa Claus" Father says that's
| naughty In half hour no talking is
| Eeard in the rooms and the house is ouiet
| Father and mother alone remain awake
Ihey don't close their eyes until Santa
| CiauS has filled every stocking and left
.nliiss 'hal he cannot get in the time-hon-
orcd recepta cles. These include toys and
| fireworks of all kinds. The name of each
| cnild is put on the toys Willie's new wagon
mas card bearing his name Inside of the
| wagon are his fireworks and whatever else
Santa Claus has brought him. The same
method is followed with the others. The
stockings are for small toys, candies. fruits
| nuts, etc
By.4 o'clock the next morning one of the
children is awake. He shouts to all the
others TO come on, and makes for The din
ing room. They get to the dining room
about the same time and hurriedly inyesti-
| gate their own stockings and their specjaI
| gifts All the time eXc!amations of delight
are emanating from all parts of the ROOM
Each Is busy ascertaining what he or she
has received, and munching at a piece of
candy or an apple. Then they begin to
find out what the others have received
| The days festivities are on.
| In ten minutes or more the oldest bows
are i'll the yard with a shovel full of fire
Goals and the popping of firecrackers be-
gins. Even the girls take part. There is
| no more sleep for father and mother for
| the servants in the house in the back yard.
Uncle Tamson and the Boys.
Old Uncle Tamson mumbles from his bed
in the servants house: Il declar dat dem
1~,ir a II
soon with them, however and they make
him do all kinds of things. He brings
fresh fire for them and makes remarks
about the pretty fireworks At the same
time he is kept busy lodging firecrackers.
| He adds to the fun by making il appear
that he is awfully 'feered Nv dem crack
| ers.'
| Daylight brings a temporary cessation of
| the noise, which has included the beating
| of drums and blowing of horns, added to
by similar noises from neighboring yards,
| where the same scenes are being enacted.
| Father and mother rise about daylight, as
it is impossible TO sleep longer, and the
children bring all the presents and eatables
| to show them
| BY daylight also Aunt Mandy. the old
! oolored cook, is in the kitchen, and Uncle
| Tamson has built roaring fires in the din
| ing room. fathers room and the parlor.
| The blazeS threw fantastic shadows over
the walls This is before daylight has pen
| etrated the rooms. Uncle Tamson watches
| the shadows and tells stories of hobgob-
| Inns and Christmas days "tefo' de war"
| He does not have a full audience of the
| children, as some are busy in the yard
| testing their new toys. Only those who
| have run in to warm their hands audi
| tors, but Uncle Tamson doesn't care about
| the size of his audience.
| While mother and Aunt Mandy are pre-
| PAIRING the breakfast, father goes to work
to make bowl of eggnog: That Is the
Christmas drink in the south. Uncle Tam
| son watches this with intense interest, and
| smacks his red lips when the whisky is
poured into the mixture of eggs and sugar.
| il st before breakfast all the grown people
| the number eing frequently augmented by
| the arrival of neighbors or kinspeople. have
| a glass. The little ones are given a smaller
quantity.
Visited in Moderation.
| Throughout the day the eggnog bowl is
| kept replenished and is visited in modera-
| ton Uncle Tamson is always on hand
| when these visits are made and gets more
| than his share the result being that by IL
o'clock in the morning he is in the best hui
| nor possible. He forgets his old age and
| at the request of the head Of the house
| shows what be can do in cutting the pig
| ecn wing" or dancing the Georgia buck"
Breakfast is always good. 1t consists or
| two or three kinds of meats, hot watfieS
and the hottest and lightest of biscuits
| Aunt Mandy has done her best in getting
| it ready. The children eat little, their
| appetiIes have been destroyed by the cam
| dies and other things they have eaten.
| Dinner is the great and glorious meal Of
| the day. Mother does little else but re-
| main in the kitchen all DAY seeing that
| every thing is properly prepared. The meal
is served about o'clock, a little colored
| girl assisting Aunt Mandy and the mistress
| of the house.
The centerpiece is, of course. the finest
| turkey which can be procured. Thanking
| this on one side is a small roast pig. and
| en- the other is a fat 'possum. surrounded
| on every side by the yellow sweet potatoes
which have been cooked with it. These are
the principal dishes. Naturally, there are
| salads, cakes, pies, vegetables, etc. but I'm
| Gle Tamson, who comes in to punch the
| fire, looks at nothing but the three big
| dishes of meats. His eyes glisten and his
| mouth works convulsively. He thinks 1t
| will be long time +" TO de white folks git
| GUN" and give him a chance.
Il declar's ter goodness" murmurs Uncle
| Tamson to himself, hits ouffeck shame
| ter cook all dem good things at one time.
| Now dars dat possum. l jess could eat on
| n 81 hour Hrs de 'hOut