The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-24
The KInaergar.en chrI.lmas.

The Kindergarten Christmas.
Christmas should be, from a spiritual
standpoint, the eliminating period of
the year It has been for centuries the
one great festival time when all mems
thoughts were turned away from self
and toward a great ideal, says Grace
Eliot in Post. But too often in our
homes the child loses this higher sig
nificance altogether. He comes to look
upon 1t IN a purely commercial way,
as a time when be can get as much as
possible out Of his parents for his own
personal qualification. Even the beau
tiful legend Of Santa Claus, which re-
veals to the child in symbolic form the
great Christ spirit Of love and unself-
ishness, is robbed Of its highest mean
Ing by the mothers final words: Nov,
Willie, what shall Santa Claus bring
you?" The little aristOcrat soon feels
that he Is entitled to receive-always
receive-while some one else must DO
all the giving.
But the kindergarten-trained mother
feels that such a Christmas time nur-
lures all too well the seeds Of SELFISH
ness and Indifference TO others while
robbing the child Of the greatest pleas
ure OF all--that Of giving.
AS the snowy nights come on the
bedtime stories become filled with the
Christmas thought. The mother tells
as only she can. the legends Of Santa
Claus, OF the Christ child, Of little
Gretchen and the wooden shoe. OF the
wonderful Christmas-tree land, all OF
which emphasize the JOY Of giving TO
others even though Ii involves labor
and sacrifice. These are far more val
liable than literal stories. for they con-
tain the great truth OF the Christmas
tide in an embodied form which the
child can readily grasp and which ap-
peals much more strongly to his imag-
ination.
Then, too, mother and child learn a
Christmas song ito please papa" So,
with that thought IN mind, she pre-
pares for the Christmastide long be-
fore it dawns, striving to bring back
the spirit Of that older time when
Christmas was a church festival and
not day OF mere excitement and self
ish pleasure.
Above all, let the child help deco
rate the Christmas tree. Even the lit
tie tot OF three can make chains OF
paper rings, tiny baskets OF cut paper
TO hold nuts or a beautiful chain TO
hang on the branches for papa or
grandma from the second gift beads.
The mother who has some knowledge
Of the kindergarten occupations Is at
great advantage. but almost any
mother has enough ingenuity 10 devise
plenty OF means by which her child's
self-activity can be developed In help
ing to decorate the tree Says Eliz-
abeth Harrison. "Self-activity Is the
foundation stone OF the kindergarten
system, and. in preparing for Christ
mas, see that your child does all that
he can do"
And SO. when her children are filled
with the Christmas spirit. the wise
mother SAYS. Now, how would each
child like 70 be a littie Santa CLAUSE"
That Is the finest thing Of all. Each
Is eager 70 plan just what he shall do
or just what he shall make to hang
on the Christmas tree to make papa
or grandma happy. Just here the
mothers duty lies in seeing that the
child attempts something Il is capable
Of doing. with her guidance II neces-
sary, and then In seeing that he does
IL Good intentions which evaporate
are as worthless as 20 intentions at
ail. and probably have a far more re-
laxing effect upon the character.
when the Christmas eve draws near
.et the mother put her child's own
toys and presents on the tree and add
TO Il ali tiat she can % make It still
more beautiful -gllded balls. silver
stars and ether ornaments that the
child himself has not aeen. And when
am 20 In to see the tree the child has
both the glad surprise OF its beauty
ard the joy Of having helped to make
Il so.
Do not imagine that be finds less
pleasure In the tree because OF al
ready having seen It. You must re-
member that It renresents to the child
! the most glorious thing In al the
world. and that. until ne outgrows It
altogether, Il seems transcendently
beautiful 70 him on Christmas night ia
just the proportion that he has learned
70 love its generous branches during
the Wnnkr OF uranarnfinu