Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1902-12-25
Christmas and It's GIFTS.

II is something OF a shock at first TO
| read that Christmas is in part the survival
OF heather festival and to learn that its
date was fixed for the 25th OF December,
not because that day was the Saviour s
/ birthday, which the early Christians vari-
ously celebrated in May or April and some
times in January, but because the heather
nations regarded the winter solstice as the
most important point OF the year, the be-
/ ginning of renewed life and activity OF the
/ powers of nature and OF the gods, who
were originally merely symbolical person.
ifications Of these. Moreover, II is almost
certain. they say. that the 18th of Decem-
Der cannot be the nativity OF Christ, for 1t
! is then the height of the rainy season in
Judea and the shepherds would hardly be
"abiding in the fields, keeping watch over
their flock by night"
To combat the deep-rooted heather feel
ing. the Roman church purified this
heather festival which il retained by add
ing its grandly devised liturgy with
dramatic representations OF the birth of
Christ and the first events OF His life.
Later originated Christ-trees, or Christ
mas trees adorned with lights and gifts,
and thus Christmas became a universal
social festival such as no other Christian
festival could have become.
Its lurking heathenism, nevertheless, very
soon broke out in the custom OF reciprocal
gifts, which has vexed succeeding genera
tions of people to this day and bids fair to
survive TO the end of time. A good fort
night before Christmas eve shopping
fever sets in that mounts to a positive
frenzy during the last few DAYS OF the
momentous week, and the stores are be-
sieged with eager mobs, whose friends-to-
remember outnumber their dollars in the
ratio of six TO one.
Elbowing and jostling each other they
swarm around the counters, turn every
thing wrong-side-out and upside-down,
ask to be shown the contents OF all the
boxes and bales on the top shelves and in
the cellar, price every last article in sight
or out OF sight, try to beat each price down
a little, and then either purchase a ten
cent handkerchief or make their way out
after informing the exhausted but still af-
fable clerk that they are "just looking
around little and may be in again to buy
something" Once in awhile the shop
worn dealer has the satisfaction OF seeing
a fussy buyer depart with a stable bundle
but barely finishes felicitating himself on
his clever methods with difficult customers,
when back comes madam, who has found
that the things she bought didn't look at
home just as they did in the store, and she
wants to change them all for something
else, and the whole weary business has TO
be done over again with no definite assur-
ance that permanent satisfaction will be
even then secured.
Really when you stop to think OF the
trials and tribulations OF the Christmas
clerks, not only for one day but for week
or more, such unfailing anna bility in the
most exasperating circumstances, such un-
ceasing interest in your wants, such UNI
firing efforts to make your quarter work
like a dollar, seem almost unnatural and to
furnish more than human display OF
Christian virtues.
The Christmas card has retired after q
long and honorable service, but the 25-cent
booklet is still with us and is doing voc
mans duty in distressing cases that call
for gifts without impoverishing the giver.
They are good for several seasons II care
fully kept and not sent back where they
originally came from or have been given
house room once before.
But in spite OF several economical de-
vices OF a similar nature, the average
pocket book comes out of a run OF Christ
housekeeping fever so attenuated that a
postage stamp in one pocket cavity forms
q noticeab BILE protuberance, and no one past
the comfortable belief in a gift-dispens-
ing Santa Claus is very sorry that Christ
mas comes but once year.