The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-12-12

bIllISil 10y al
old-time celebration on Christmas
day. Nowhere will the festive season
be more thoroughly a family function
| than at Sandrongham, where the
queen has never missed having a
| Christmas tree. Included in the fam
lily gathering will be the children OF
the Prince and Princess of Wales and
a number of other royal offspring
whose fathers and mothers used to en-
| joy the same Yuletide festivities as
guests of Queen Victoria at Osborne
House.
In society circles the fivefOot fir on
the dinner table will be replaced by a
neat dwarf shrub, and from its frosted
branches will hang the most modern
of packages, containing perhaps dia-
monds in one form or another, gold
thimbles, a jeweled heart. pins or ear
rings.
No one in all England is fonder OF
giving presents than King Edward and
no one displays better taste in their Sc
lection. To his many intimate friends
he gives dainty little jeweled pencil
cases Of enamel, tortoise shell and dia-
| mond knickknacks, bangles and un-
common lucky charms. Cigar cases
and cigarette holders are also among
| his favOrite gifts. Queen Alexandra
| usually remembers her favored &C
quaintances with her photographs
tastefully framed in chiseled gilt and
some Of them bearing her monographs
/ in brilliants. The queen takes the
| greatest pains to buy suitable gifts for
| all kinds of people. and like the late
| 10 n r
remembering her household servants
and the tenants at Sandringham
Windsor and the other royal estates
with useful presents such as articles
| of wear. The king and queen always
| include among their Christmas gifts
| liberal donations to their favorite char
| tiles, including hospitals. homes for the
| aged and other public institutions.
| The king and queen of Italy bought
| a number of Christmas presents while
| in London. In addition to exquisite
| gifts for some of their most intimate
| friends the royal trunks took back tc
! Italy some English dolls and other
| playthings to delight Princess YOlande
! and her baby sister.
! Meantime Christmas shopping is GO
| ing on even more briskly than last
| week. which is rather remarkable as
| it was predicted that the holiday trade
| this year would be dull. At present
| the shops are simply impossible to gel
| into. Some of the big ones are al
most Impossible to get ont of ana
when the task is accomplished it is
always with a much lighter purse
Particularly crowded are the army
! and navy stores, Harrods and other
we'll known places. Fashionable dress
! ed women may be seen jOStling anC
struggling with one another to get at
! tentlOn, in many cases coming out hot
perspiring and exhausted after vair
| efforts to buy presents.
Queen Victoria always avoided the
Inconvenience of shopping by com
| manding the tradeSmen to wait upOr
her with samples of their best wares
| in order that she might make her Sc.
| lections. The present rulers, however
while they follow this example te
some extent, prefer to view the sights
of the shop windows personally and il
is no uncommon sight to see Queer
| Alexandra, accompanied by Princess
| Louise or some other members of the
royal family. visiting the fashionable
| west end shops. Princess Victoria
| who is the most democratic membe,
| OF the family. is often seen shopping
| and each Christmas she never fails tc
Solect exquisite gifts for all of her rel
atives and wealth of playthings fol
her little nieces and nephews of whom
she is very fond. The list has beer
added to since last Christmas The adj
dition is tiny one in the person a
| baby left last spring by the story visit
ing the home of Princess Cherries OF
Denmark, and who must now be figured
in for Christmas presents with the
four children of the Prince and Prin-
cess of Wales, and the two little girls
of Princess Louise.