The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-02-25
HOLIDAY TINES.
Preparations for the SIldwintsr season OF
Foativity


Festivity.
With the passing of All Saints day |
and Halloween the holiday season draws
near. 1t has been the fashion of recent |
years TO begin the season weeks he
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 inn
pulse which binds us closer to our fell
low men. The young, who are forever
hopeful, are filled with bright anticipa-
tions of the season. The middle-aged
forget their sordid cares-forget, al
most, their struggle TO keep the wolf
from the door-and join in the holiday
gladness.
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 and re-
ioice with those who rejoice. Such sac
rifice of self will be power which shall
let the respondent into an 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 myriad of missions
going forth on errands of mercy at this
season.
Thanksgiving day, the first festival
of the holiday season, is peculiarly an
American feast day Though it par
takes something of the nature of the
Jewish feast of the ingathering, il is not
like that, purely religious festival. II
is a season when families that are sep
. arated meetagain under the old parental
. roof. Like all festivals of Puritan origin
it is celebrated with religious observ'
ances in New England. The Thanks
: giving sermon was formerly as much
a part of the celebration of the day a'
the dinner that followed. This day hai
been compared to the Harvest Hom'
a days of the English farmer or the "kirn'
If Scotland. Both these days were pub
lie rejoicings of the entire communit.
in the completion of harvest, and wer
celebrated with considerable rout ant
e rabble. These were seasons of pictur
esque procession and merry drinking
bout, and not of religious and home oh
servance.
y Let us all remember the holiday sei
son in the holy spirit of good will
men. It matters little what our eS
ternal giving may be, if we give
Heaven grateful heart for the blessing
= that are showered upon us. Let us M
profane this season by vulgar ostenti
tious gifts, which are beyond our mean
ID and serve only to crafty our own sci
ID esteem and pride. Let us meet the sci
son in the spirit of Tiny Tim, with tt
90 prayer: God bless us every one!"-
} N. Y. Tribune.