Evening star., 1898-12-24
"reminiscences ofthe Old Time Christ
mastide.
OBSERVANCE IN WASHINGTON
Fascinating Features Attending
Visits Of kriss KringIe.
THE PREVALENT CUSTOMS

The present generation, especially the
younger portion, may be able to celebrate
the merry Christmas times, in and about
Washington, in much more elaborateness
than was the custom of half a century ago.
but it is quite certain that the quality of
the enjoyment will not be in excess of that
experienced and crowded into the week by
the old-timers. Then the population was
scarcely one-eighth of what it is at pres
ent and one of the modern business houses
in the city would have then appeared as a
palace. Simple and plain were the build
ings, but not more simple than the ar
rangement of the goods fer sale. There
was little occasion for sightseeing at the
stores then, for there were no elaborately
dressed windows and the crowds upon the
streets, previous to the holidays, appeared
more intent on making their purchases
than in looking for Christmas displays.
The kriss kringle racket, having been i'm
ported by our German friends, had in the
forties taken firm hold of the native born
and other families. including the colored,
and the Christmas stockings, plain on the
mantel or on the tree was almost univer-
sally used. The mythical parsonage was
more real than now, for with the wide fire
places and f1ues it was an easy matter for
the child to belive that Kriss was a verita-
bic parsonage. The heating of dwellings by
furnace register had not then placed an OBJ
stacle in the way of their belief in him.
The facilities for playing the game of
kriss, excepting as to the more commodious
chimney 1t may well be imagined were
nearly as great as now. Then the house
keepers could not allow their purchases to
remain at the stores for delivery the night
before Christmas. but through mutual ar
ranSerent with neighbors the surprises
were hidden till needed for tree or stocking.
This feature had already taken such hold
on some families that there was no end of
childhood for long after the members were
groWn-up men and women their stockings
were hung on the mantel or the tree used
for the placing of gifts.
The toys of those days were few in num-
Der and simple in character. They were
mostly of wood tin and in comparison
with the candies, fruits and nuts of mod
ern times the quality and quantity were
mostly inferior. There were but few which
came IN such inviting packages as now
have. II is true We had holiday books but
those known as juvenile books were so very
limited and of so few varieties that to the
general public this class of book was almost
a novelty. OF course, these were to be found
in the stocking.
Visit of Kriss n Feature.
1t was not always that Christmas eve was
devoted to preparation for the visit of Kriss
alone. for often was it made the occasion
for a party. dancing or play, and the visit
of kriss some time in the evening was d
feature Though the character can easily
be made up by the modern costumer, it
was simple task for many families, then
possessing, as they did, raiment once worn
by their ancestors, to get up the character
In one of the old West End families the
uniform of great-grandfather. worn in
the revolutionary war, was an heirloom
On one occasion, when there a woman
six feet in height. but recently arrived from
Europe in the neighborhood she in
structed and induced to play the role. She
was thereupon arrayed in grandfather's
suit which, being much too small, made
of her the most grotesque figure of old
Saint Nick ever seen. Several parties
Were in progress. and so sue, essfully did
she perform her part 1t one that her friends
led her quite a round to others, and the
consequence was that the many children
who received gifts at her hands firmly be-
lieved that the visit was from a veritable
continental kriss and they boasted of this
over those who had only heard of the Ger
man saint.
The decorations of evergreen We're limited
and mostly of simple character. the usual
pine forest seen about the local markets
these days being unheard of. Nevertheless,
there were but few houses that did not aim
to have some ornament of green.
The schools of that period usually were
held up to Christmas day, some of them
commencing the holiday at noon Of the day
before. and some resumed their sessions
New Year day, even though that day should
be a Friday.
The Irrepressiblc Boy.
The boys were promptly out for "a time"
when the school doors were closed, and it
was seldom that with them the commence
ment of the festivities did not precede the
day by many hours. OF course the weather
had much to do with the outdoor fun, but
it required an extraordinarily severe spell
of weather to dampen the ardor of the old
time YOUTH to prevent him from running
at large. and making merry by all the noise
possible. There was powder expended by
firearms (an old-time fint-lock gun or
pistol often being used for the percussion
cap) and the firecrackers. costing levy
Q212 cents) per pack, were used sparingly,
seldom volley being set off.
The boy who had the use of pepper
box, though 1t required loading at the
muzZle. was the envied one.
To the racket made by powder there was
added what was called singing. but the idea
was noise, and the loudest-voiced boy was
reckoned for the time to be the best singer,
especially on the night before Christmas,
when the favorite refrain was I'VE Won't
Go Home Till Morning.
1t was late in this decade when a tin
ner's apprentice arrived in town to learn
the trade. and soon he gained the good will
of the boys generally by introducing a new
noise maker. This was an instrument on
the principle of the mouthpiece of a clario-
net, made of tin and wood, so small that
1t could be easily concealed. 1t Is related
that so great was the demand, after it's
capacity to make most unearthly sound
had been demonstrated, that he was kept
busy one entire night manufacturing them
1t was but short time thereafter when the
sound OF the hawk" could be distinguished
everywhere. and at the theaters a bum
actor would be sure to hear 1t. 1t soon
became an intolerable nuisance. and SO
generally disapproved by the older por-
tion of the community that a member of
the councils was induced to offer a resolu-
tion requesting the mayor to have 1t
abated. The consequence was that the fol-
lowing night, with one accord, boys from
every section of the city gathered about
the councilmans dwelling and gave him a
first-class serenade with the detested in
strument. The police force was present.
but Capt. Goddard and his men treated the
boys good-naturedly and allowed them to
blow till they were tired and the nuisance
was abated in few days. Thus the hawk
was favorite instrument for ear torture
for but one Christmas season.
On the Boards.
The theaters made much of the holiday
season. or rather they were made much of
by the public, for the custom was, even
though the performance was not first class,
| to crowd them Christmas afternoon and
| night. The National was the principal