The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-22
= = s : 3 !: CHRIS I>NlAS.

A real old Southern Christmas dinner!
The term seemed to carry with 1t the
odor of savory viands, the merry laugh
of gay lads and lassies; the futter OF
frocks and bright ribbons, soft strains
from mellow violinS, the memory OF
rooms deeked with eyergreens and holly
"a happy and festive spirit reigning ev
erywhere.
This was my dream of Southern Christ
mas day, for I have never had the good
fortune to make one of the merry party
which yearly meets at some far famed
hospitable mansion, and an idea Of the
gayety and good fellowship was all I
could claim.
To wider understanding of Southern
holiday festivities I am indebted to one
of the gentlewomen of the South hos
tess famous in her day for her lavish
and enjoyable hospitality-Mrs. Charles
H. Gibson, who, as the wife of a Mary
land senator-himself a famous gourmet
figured prominently in Washington's
exclusive diplomatic circle for many
years. Her home was the scene Of great
gayety, and her dinners were famous
not only for their perfection of detail
and arrangement, but for the charming
persons who gathered about the hospita-
BILE board
been as widely copied as the bon mots
of the after dinner speakers, and her
punches have been drunk in teaStS to
famous Southern beauties by the nation s
most celebrated men.
So I called upon Mrs Gibson. who Is
in charge of Fiske hall, Parnell college,
and asked her to talk about a Christmas
dinner in the South.
She received ne in a dainty little room,
all green and white. The green tapes
tried walls and the colonial woodwork
made a fitting background for the ma
hogany tables and chairs which had been
in Mrs. Gibson's family for more than
200 years. The whole seemed to be a bit
of old Maryland transplanted from the
banks of the Chesapeake.
1t was cosy and comfortable within,
and as we sat toasting cur feet before
the crate fire Mrs. Gibson forgot her
present quiet surroundings in reminis-
cences of the family reunions Of the past.
Imagine a great wide rooted mansion,
pillared with stately white columns, and
topping a hill overlooking winding
river. From three sides stretch the roll
ing, cultivated fields, cut here and there
by narrow ribbons of roadways. The
branches of the trees are bending beneath
the weight of the f1eecy white snow.
d
Christmas" and great is the rejoicing
when this happens, for then the roads are
alive with merry sleighing parties, and
the air is echoing to the crisp jingle of
sleigh bells from morning until long al
ter the pale moon has come and gone.
In the great house. there are great
hustle and an ever increasing activity
The married sons and daughters, WITH
the newest baby for grandmother to pass
aori,, IN or
DAYS before Christmas, and the road to
the station is well beaten by the hoofs
of the old carriage horses.
Down in the quarters busy brown
skinned children are trotting about. rum
ming errands for important, pestefeo
.smammies.'' and trundling loads of ever
green and holly with which to decorate
the "great house" The great wide hall.
which is such a we'll known feature OF
all colonial strupctures, is usually the CEN
ter of all activity, and there the frames
of the old family portraits are hung with
evergreen. and the carved mahogany
baluster Of the shallow stepped, polish
ed stair is twined about with the crisp
green until half its old-fashioned beauty
is hidden from sikht.
The great drawing room windows are
hung with fat wreaths of holly, tied Win
huge bows of soft white ribbons, ana the
dining room,a where so much OF the hoh-
day time is spent, comes in for its most
important share of holiday decorations.
A real Southern house party of relatives
only is seldom made UP of less than
20 or Is persons, and it is easy to guess
at the hustle and fun of getting SO large
a family together about Christmas
tree. the size of which must be In pro-
portion to the load of gifts it is expected
to hold
Selecting and bringing in the Christ