The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-12-24
JACK FRosT's ABSENCE FAILS TO
AFFECT.
The Christmas Sentiment Abroad.
Some Compensations Of the Tropics.
Store Keepers Satisfied

Despite the lack Of the outward and
visible signs of Christmas as cOnVen-
tionally laid down in the story books,
Honolulu bears upon its face within
the past few days evidence of holiday
festivity that is pre-eminently that of
Christmas tide.
Sprigs of holly, cards with the legends
"A Merry Christmas" or Christmas
Gifts with here and there Santa
Claus or a representation of snowy
Christmas scene, are, aside from the
nature of the goods offered for sale,
about the only tangible evidences af-
fOrded of the merry season."
But that the Christmas feeling is
paramount in the hearts of the people
at large, is plain to see. To watch the
crowds young and old, fathers, moth
ers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters
and sweethearts going on shopping eX-
petitions and returning home with
mysterious bundles heaped high in
their arms, shows conclusively that it
takes more than mere differences of
climate to eliminate the feeling of
Noel from the citizens of this terri
tory.
1t is common to hear on the street,
or in the car, some older man remark
to his neighbor with "reminiscences of
the snowy landscape, frosty roads, and
roaring fires of his younger days,
This doesn't seem a bit like Christmas
does it?" to which his neghbOr replies
mo, not a bit. But the seat beside
both of them, and their own arms and
laps, are filled with parcels that would
half way stock a village toy shop If
they were unWrapped, while in their
inside pockets reposes some special
Christmas token for her who was once
their sweetheart now their wife.
All the family have different hours
for their shopping. Last night and
tonight the children are mostly left at
home. They were brought down last
week to see the window displays so
that fond parents might see what most
caught their vagrom fancy.
Afternoons are devoted by the ladies'
to purchasing surprises for their hus-
bands, present or future, brothers or
fathers and the evenings are made con-
jugal by the couples shopping together
on gifts that need no secret buying.
Sometimes the folks meet in the late
afternoon and go home together when
7 there is sly hiding of packages.
Hubby, when wise, bought his gift
and smuggled it into the house weeks
y ago where he has hidden it, as he fond
,ly imagines, safe from his wife's ken,
while she, who will affect delighted
surprise on Christmas morning, has
long ago ferreted it out and replaced
it exactly as it was. Oftener hubby
leaves it until the last moment and
comes home Christmas eve with a
guilty look and clumsy attempts to
divert his wife's attention from pal
pable package in his pocket.
On the streets there are many chill
dren wide-eyed at the sights, some
cliuging to parental hands, others va
grant in a certain sense of the word,
whose pleasure in Christmas and its
gifts is mostly confined to the imagina-
ton stirred by beholding them through
the plate glass windows. Honolulu ha:
but few of these however, homes are
scarce where some gift is not forth
coming and something extra provided
for the meal. The very climate that
makes it seem mot a bit like Christ
mas" bears to those who look beneath
the heart of things a blessing in the
absence of those waits and strays of
Northern Christmases, cold, hungry
ragged, freezing and starving to death
to whom the beautiful snow is too Otter
greeted with a shudder and frost is {
forerunner of msiery. There are COM
pensatiOns in the tropics and, as a
tram car wag remarked, "There is ice
on the sidewalks here in the early
morning anyway"
Tonight will be the big night in town.
Last night the jewelers. toy and book
stores and dry goods empOriums were
the most favored Today comes the
turn of the butcher, the grocer and
baker and confectioner. There is little
complaint among the shop keepers
Stringency tightened many purse string
but the spirit of Yule has loosened
them again.