The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-21
BUSINESS OF CHRISTMAS SEASON
 BETTER THAN THAT OF LAST YEAR

iness, and this year up to date we have done . much larger business than iast year, but most of this increase was res corded before the slump in cotton came. Since the fall of cotton the in- crease has been smaller.
 Our trade this year has been in hne goods. Our cheaper goods are remain ing on the shelves. There Is but ht-
 tie demand for them The class or presents, the class of all Christmas goods sold are much higher this year than ever before
 There has been no wholesale selnne of cotton because it is the Christmas season. But few of the farmers who have cotton on hand have sold 1t De- cause they needed money for Christ mas. Those who held their cotton are still holding 1t and Christmas can take care of itself
 Another noticeable feature of the business of this Christmas season Is that the Christmas season opened up earlier than ever before. The early days on which the people began buy ing Christmas goods surprised the mer- chants. Last week might have been Christmas week so far as the crowds and the sales were concerned. The streets were crowded and a good bus mess was done in every line of trade. As for this week. every day might have been Christmas Eve. The streets have been just that crowded. One thing that has contributed to the crowd and the increase of the business has been the splendid weather. Decembers past had and Decembers future can have no finer days than was yesterday. Barr ing the invisorating freshness. the lit- tIA r1tv vn nf In rnnrntnR and the late afternoon, the day was as fine as
 f 1t had come over untouched from Indian summertime.
 If the merchants had ordered the weather man to make them a day that would make the downtown district most attractive their pIans and specifications would have called for just such a day as yesterday. The day had its full share of the responsibility Cor the great throngs that crowded the streets from early morning until after the early dark of a winter day had fallen. Not only were the sidewalks crowded but the stores were thronged. Court Square was packed with country wagons until the afternoon, and the side streets had their full share of the vehicles that had brought the country shoppers to town.
 The morning and midday hours in the business district are used by the country and out of town visitors for shopping. The trains in the past few days have come in crowded with pas sengers. These passengers are in the main people from the smaller towns about Montgomery who have come to the city to buy their Christmas goods. They shop hurriedly and take a quick lunch to wind up their shopping and catch the afternoon trains for the re- turn home. The visitors who come in wagons and other vehicles also do most of their shopping in the morning and noon hours in order that they may get an early start for their trip back home over the splendid gravel road of County.
 The afternoon hours are monopolized by the local shoppers. The town housekeeper. the local traders are giv- en to doing business in the afternoon more than any other class of buyers.
 A clerk said yesterday, most of the city people have just started to buying. They have been coming down again and again, looking over the va rious stocks and speculating on what they may possibly buy. They are not ready to make up their minds yet and most of them in their visits to the stores have given the clerks addition al work without materially increasing the sales of merchants. They are waiting to the last day! Now on Fri day and Saturday these people will come into the stores to finally make their purchases. The stock will have been picked over. They will have to buy things that they would hardly have looked at before and they will pay prices that they would probably not thought of paying before
 Montgomery Is a believer in the symbols of Christmas. This is shown by the ever increasing sale of holly, and smilax. Wagon load af- ter wagon load of these Christmas greens came to the city yesterday. And wagon after wagon was sold on the street of the city.
 It was common sight to see finely appointed carriage or a stylish trap draw up alongside of ram shackle wagon while the daintily dressed occupant of the vehicle would bargain with the ragged driver of the wagon over bunch of misteltoe with gray berries or a holly tree with It's green leaves aglow with red berries. It has been fine year for holly The crop has been one of the bets in re- cent years. A dealer in that class of goods has pointed out that the holly crop runs along with the peach crop, that when there is a good crop of peaches there Is in the same years a good crop of holly.
 fine local market awaits the man who has smilax. holly and misteltoe to sell especially misteltoe. These things may come from Drudical SUD- erstition or some other sort of super sution' but that has no effect or bear lng upon the loyalty of the people to the traditions of Christmas.