The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-12-24
CHRISTMAS EVE GAMES.
Some Jolly Amusement to Follow tn
ria<p Troo

Christmas Tree.
Christmas eve is the children's festival
and the Christmas tree may usher in the
merry making or be reserved for the
grand finale, but there is always a calm,
sooner or later, when What shall we
do next?' is the important question which
demands an answer.
Games" everyone cries in concert, and
games it is for a merry hour or two, and
one which may be played with much
laughter and many shouts of merriment,
says the Chicago Inter-Ocean, is pillow
dex"
In the first place it is great sport to
blow up the little rubber pillows, or bal
looms.
One balloon is all that is necessary for
the game although two or three are kept
in readiness in case of an accident to the
one in play.
Any number can play "pillow dex,"
and it is a game in which the old as we'll
as the young are interested.
Where no preparation is made for play
ing games, impromptu ones are in order,
and one of the best in this line is ''histori-
cal pictures" 1t is a game giving lit
Each member of the company is supplied
with a sheet of paper and pencil and is
called upon to try and represent some
well-known historical incident. Very
bad specimens of draughtsmanship are
sure to be offered and even the very worst
examples often provide good bit of
hilarity. Those people who fancy they
can do something in the way of sketching
will often have their mind disabused of
that vanity.
Another enjoyable game goes by the
name of 'the stool of repentance
One of the party leaves the room: the
others confer together to arrange some
purely imaginary offense with which to
charge the absentee-the more absurd
and malicious the better. The absent one
is called again into the room and placed
on the presidential chair. He must now
defend himself in as witty, and sar-
castle a manner as possible. II he
''spots" his accuser, he or she has to
leave the room and i'll their turn undergo
the same ordeal.
For want of better charges, such accu-
sations as the following can be preferred:
Conceit, modesty. self-esteem, dyeing the
hair, leaving the laundress' bill unpaid
for fourteen weeks. Highest offense of
all, the culprit may: be accused of writ
ing poetry. The penitent one may even
be asked to give his impartial opinion Of
his mother-in-law after she has paid
The blind Quad1ille" is generally vOt-
ed the drollest sort Of performance on
record; it invariably results in shouts
of uncomfortable laughter.
Its plan of procedure is this: Four
couples who are blindfolded attempt to
go correctly through the figures of a
quadrille. In this. however, they miser-
ably fail and wobble about In outof the
way corners of the room and fail over
furniture. in a condition at once help
less and ridiculous. For example, in the
ladies' chain. they imagine they are
performing it gracefully and properly.
but. OH dear. no! for they are scattered
about the room in various places. The
same grotesque antics form part of every
measure of the dance. Their attempts
to look dignifed are futile and the per-
Torrance is often concluded in an OBJ
scure corner of the drawing-room amid
ShOutS Of mprrimanf from, tho on-1oOE orc