The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-16

The" Twentieth Century Christmas
Box includes one whole month of
sentiment and surprise, so the Christ
mas fairy who wishes to prepare one
for the approaching season must be
up and doing. The distinguishing fea-
ture of this idea is that the box musr
contain present for each day in the
month, beginning with Dec. /, and
ending with New Years Day, and it
goes to the absent member of the fam
lily, one who is so far away that 1t
becomes inexpedient ito go home for
Christmas 1t is a capital holiday
scheme, calculated to go far towards
curing Christmas inconsistencies.
cat our boarding house." said the
woman with the idea, last winter
there was a little school teacher who
lived so far away from her home that
she couldn't make the trip, and her
family gladdened her heart with one
of these boxes. She was to open just
one gift each day, and only the one
marked with the date, and to say that
she was in a rare state OF expect
ancy all the month is putting it
mildly. Every morning she appeared
at breakfast in a glow of happiness
from the subsequent revelation in the
shape of some unexpected mysterious
article folded about with tissue paper
and violet ribbon. One morning 1t
was a book of verses, and another it
was a sprig of something brought
from the grave of the Brownings, or
it was a passe-partout picture of
some favorite author, or it was bit
of pottery or a tiny bit of bronze, all
trifes which the little school teacher
loved and appreciated, sent by her
dear ones who knew her tastes. 1t
was the sentiment in the box that fas-
cinated every one and small mouse
colored woman was transformed into
a positive luminary. The box proved
so wholesome and widely influential
a factor in that boarding house that
at Christmas time a tree materalized,
and even the grouty old bachelor who
abominated noisy children bought a
beautiful doll for the little girl who
had never done anything but what dis
turbed him.
There is a multitude of ideas ready
to clamor for attention directly a box
of this kind is in course of prepara-
ton. Suppose 1t is for a dear boy or
girl who is away at college. Let the
box itself be lined inside with bright
four sides. In the bottom of the box
is placed the New Years gift. This
may be a calendar for the year. On
this is built layer upon layer of gifts,
the nature of which must depend upon
the means at hand and the character
and tastes of the recipient. If there
are seven members of the family at
home then there is a charm in each
one presenting four gifts, each select
ing a certain day in each of the four
weeks. Even though the gift is not
expensive there is the delight in
opening a mysterious package, and
the more unexpected it is the greater
the charm. The best present of all
is of course for Christmas Day, and
indeed there may be one from each
member of the family on that occasion.
Even a very useful and practical arti-
Gle which seems to have little SEN
timent attached may take on a holi-
| day. air by association with tissue
paper and tied with ribbon and some
| clever sentiment in verse added. In
the pockets for the shoes is a place for
| a pair of comfortable knitted bed
shoes or for a substantial pair of Slip
pers, and there is a place to tuck away
| a laundry bag and a silk handkerchief
! and a scarf pin, in fact everything that
! suggests itself, If 1t is no more impor-
| tant that box of bon bons. A
canned plum pudding will serve ap-
| propriately at Christmas time. but il
is not wise to place food that may
prove perishable in the box unless il
is placed near the top, so that an early
| date may entitle it to attention
| Christmas box of this description i.
warranted to keep it's recipient in q
| glow of expectancy during the holi-
| days and to be the next best thing Il
/ a family reunion.