Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-01-19
CHRISTIANS IN ENGLAND.
The Journals Correspondent Relates Her
Experiences in an English Home.

Dee 2G. 1897.
Christmas is here once again and I
wish every reader Of the Journal Il
merry Christmas ana Il happy New Year
Everybody looks forward to this sea-
son of the year Young people on ac-
count of t-lc freedom from school and
lessons as well AS the presents and par
ties Father Christmas always brings.
The Older and more Sedatc people even
if they don't care for festivities them
selves generally like to see the young
folks enjoy themselves.
In England families always gather to-
Sether at Christmas time no matter how
widely they may be separated. People
who live in towns always try to spend
Christmas and New Year in the coun-
try.
Preparations for Christmas begin very
early in the month There is the plum
pudding and the mince meat TO make,
and for Il time everyone is busy Stoning
raisins and chopping suct. When at last
the pudding is mixed each member Of
the family must go into the kitchen to
give it Il stir for luck wishing at the
same time. IT your wish is to be grant
ed YOU will get it before Christmas day
/ but after that It's of no use to hope for
You are sure to be disappointed.
Plum pudding always plcases children
for brandy is poured over ii and it is set
on fire and brought to table blazing. a
small spriG of holly is always stuck in
the top. Sometimes various small arti-
cles are put into the pudding and al
ways cause lot of merriment. The usu
al things are Il thmble, a silver six
pence. button and a wedding ring. The
first signifies an old maid the six-pencc,
that the person who gets it will be al
ways lucky: the button means Il bach
clor; and the person who Gets the ring
will be welded first.
Mince meat in this country is quite diff
fcrent to what We Americans consider
mncc meat. and m bound to confess it's
not nearly as good as ours 1t is largely
composed OF currantS and candicd peel.
with not suspicion of meat and very
little apple in ii. 1t is not made into
pies like ours, but into it'll" round tart>
not unlike turnoVerS, ana generally
there is a great deal of crust in proper
tiOn to the meat. After the pudding and
pies come sweets. fruit ANA crackers
without end. Everyone likes crackers
and it $ not long before every person at
the table, young and old alike, Is
adorned with Il paper cap more or less
srotcsquc. The mottoes. too. cause
great deal Of fun and laughter.
OF course there is always a Christmas
tree for the little ones ANA how they al
ways enjoy taking OFF the presents.
spent Christmas this year with some
English friends. and had typical Eng
liSh dinner in the middle Of the day 50
as to enable the servants To have the
evening free. There are TWO children in
the family and after tea we all adj
J"urhed t" thc nursery whore the tire"
was ser up ne servants AL came up
ana ri'h "i INC children made n lltttc
Srcrch- after which the presents were
distributed by them. and SIC pulled
crackers ana played games until ii was
tim" for tn" little ones Ia <" to bed
ami we gro"n-upS were very glad of 4
rest, In III" evening VIZ had several
parties of var"llors some ot which were
very good white some were atructotgs
They all sang the old. old hymn "Whiir
Shepherds Watched Their FIncks H..
Night" untu wc an wished thr, ma
chosen something new.
The Christmas p;utnmimcS arc ..
great institution in E.uuI;,nd rbrv ,r,.
not done in pHntoInilno ~ ~ NAM. su,,
GcSts although they may have been dom,
SO formerly n.,ntnn,i,n,, ,,,,, b. i,,II'
called a pl.y for thr pini i ;,iw,,H.s t'it,.;,
from one of the GA fairy stories ANA al
this foundation is buiIt ~, Of SAM. inl..s
and dancing They nrt intended far
children hUt the grown IN, children rui.,
them quite lis much prury LAM tbclIr
in London j. celebrated far IL MANN
mime ana has never brpn nxrnlI.d IN. am.
ut her theatre, Every child In L,un1.nd
looks forward to III. nantn,ntr1ns nc Xxi
greatest uoSsibln tr,,f ,'rha,. .,lu.a,... H..
ciu on December 56tliF which * also ,
holiday and i. called Rovi,u d.y
should explain that In England j t,hriet
mas present is always called !, e,bri5tn31
box ON Hoxin. dan nn,l,- Wv, r.
done ANYTHING for yon dnrin" tba v,hnt.
wear. callS and tsl<1 ynu I'll, = t'bri.,,,i
box t,ycrvbodx comes ,hn hnt.hnr
baker and ,.and1e-sti.l- nak.r ms
say that think it-s npI,- Iuotbe, f.,,,, 80
hrneinp ~, a ,..r,. IA ,,,s,,,,
thouph ,v.rvnnn ',.,1i,, M - ~" 81
yet Il handsome rbristmas hoy fror, ,.,,tt,
hnils. On, Two. ~ ;hs,,, ,,titii,,,+i,