Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-12-19
CompIicating Christmas.

Ihere must De some TdulCbh ANU
growing departure from the right and
best way of celebrating Christmas
when each recurring year we hear
larger number of men saying, We'll,
I'll be 'truly thankful when this Christ
mas business is over" And they are
led to this remark generally by seeing
their wives, mothers, sisters CIR daugh-
tiers reach Christmas utterly tired out,
With the prospect of a siege of illness
as soon as Christmas is over. And it
must be confessed that this state of af-
fairs exists in thousands of homes.
Christmas is the last of all days
which we should complicate. If the
spirit of simplicity was eXhaled in any
life ever lived on earth it was in the
life of Christ. No being ever taught
the subIimity of simple life more
forclbly; no other life has shown the
heights reached by simplicity of living
applied to high ideas. The command
ing grace of his life hes in the force of
His simplicity. Because He lived and
all mankind rejoices 'cn the day Of His
birth, and proclalms it day of con-
gratulations, good wishes and general
merrymaking. We give presents to
each other because, Through tokens of
His love for us, we have learned how
TO love others. Love tokens; heart
offerings; these are what we call
Christmas presents; and they are on
ly such when they are given in the
true spirit And one of the compl-
cations of the day arises here The
real meaning of the word present
hals been lost in all too many cases;
we give from other motives than the
right one; we give here from obllga-
ton; we give there because others
have given to us; we give to fit the
conditions of those upon whom we be-
show, and frequently go beyond our
means; we give where the heart does
net go with the Offering. And there
we take the day away from it's setting;
we pervert it's meaning; we are un-
true to ourselves and to others; we
place a burden on ourselves; we hear
ourselves trying TO decide not what we
would like to do nor what our hearts
prompts us to do, but what we must"
do, what we feel we ought to do, what
will be expected of us. We compli-
cate Christmas, and in doing this we
our lives and the lives of
our friends And in the midst of the
complications we lie down worn out;
tired of the many perplexlng questions
whlch Christmas has brought.
Much as we need simplicity in all
the phases of our living, its greatest
need is sometimes felt at Christmas.
And it seems a pity that We cannot
make a beginning there, We could if
we would simplify this question of
if we would leave out of our
all but the natural
promptings of our hearts. 1t is not
chat we should make Christmas like
ether days. On the contrary it should
be day set apart from all others.
But let us employ scme common sense
with whatever innovation we make.
Then we can enjoy it, We go to .ex-
cremes TOO much, we impetuous Amer
leans TO be sensible does not mean,
as some think, to be prosy or uninter-
eAaing 1t means just the reverse.
are always more enjoyable
when they have some reason behind
them; when they are based on COM
mon sense. And Christmas would
mean infinitely more if simplicity were
the rule.-E. w. Box in Ladies' Home
Journal.