The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1897-01-09
HOLIDAY TIMES.
PespAfaeloas for the lQdwintsR esaooA o1
Eestivity.

ke0t1v16ys
With the passing Of All Saints day
and Halloween the holiday season draws
near. It has been the fashion Of recent
years to begin the season weeks be.
fore Christmas actually arrives. Christ
mas greens decorate the shops and are
displayed with holly and mistletoe
from Thanksgiving until the high tide
of the holidays sets in with Christmas
week All this time the holiday feeling
takes hold of all of US, and for the time
at least the golden rule becomes living
principle. Every one feels the new i'm
pulse which binds US closer to our fell
low men. The young, who are forever
hopeful, are filled with bright untic:pa-
tions of the season. The m.ddle-aged
forget their sordid cares-forget, al.
most, their struggle to keep the wolf
from the door-and join in the holiday
g]adness.
The blessing Of the holidays is seen
abroad in the cheerfulness and self
sacrifice with which home people bur-
den themselves down with bundles, all
to give pleasure to loved ones. Men
who superbly order all Their packages
sent home, take pleasure in carrying
home their Christmas bundles, all for
the pleasure Of introducing them Sc
cretly, to hide them away until the day
arrives.
There are those among US to whom
Christmas brings sad memories, to
whom Thanksgiving recalls scattered
household, but we cover our cares and
! sorrows for this beatific season ard re-
ioice with those who rejoice. Such sac
rifice of self will be power which shall
let the despoEdent into On atmosphere
Of courage and hope. A large portion
of these blessed weeks before Christ
mas is spent in preparation. OF holiday
gifts and holiday feasts for poor chill
dren. There are q myriad of miss ons
going forth on errands OF mercy at this
! season. @s# = -s~@a,. p ~
Thanksgiving day, the first fest:va
of the holiday season. is peculiarly an
Amencan feast day. Though it par
takes something of the nature of the
Jewish feast of the ingathcrirg, it is not
like that, purely religious festival. II
| is q season when families that are sep
arated meetagain under the old parenta!
| roof. Like all festivals of Puritan or gin
it is celebrated with religious otserv-
ances in New England. The Thanks
lAgiving sermon was formerly as nucsl
a part of the celebration of the day as
the dinner that followed. This day has
been compared to the Harvest Home
days of the English farmer or the "Kirn'
# Scotland. Both these Gays were pub
lie rcjoicings Of the entire community
in the completion of harvest, and wcrs
celebrated with considerable rout and
rabb!e. These were seasons CT p:ctur
csaue procession and merry drinking
bout, and not of religious and home OBJ
seryance.
I Let us all remember the holiday SEA
son in the holy spirit of good will te
men. 1t matters little what our cx
ternal giving may be, if we give *
Heaven agrNeful heartfor the blessings
that are showered upon us. Let us no
profare this season by vulgar ostenta
| tious gifts, which are beyond our means
and serve only to crafty our own self
esteem end pride. Let us meet the sea
son in the spirit Of Tiny Tim. with thu
prayer: "God bless us every one!"-
N. Y. Tribune. :.