Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-12-08
Caln1age
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. ID.

mon. when all are looking forward to
the Joys of the approaching holidays,
the preacher draws a practical lesson
concerning gifts, which applies to all
classes. The text Is John xiv, 49,
whatsoever ye shall ask in my name
that will do"
Many years ago the beautiful custom
was started of giving Christmas pres
ents. May 1t never become obsolete!
This custom dates as far back as the
first Christmas day, when the three
wise men came journeying from the
east and brought their presents OF gold
and franlncense and myrrh ana lalu
them at the Saviour's feet.
This beautiful custom of Christmas |
giving is practlced not only In the
homes of the rich, but also in the cot
tages Of the poor. 1t Is practiced not
only among the young, but among the
middle aged and those in the twilight
Of life. But. though Christmas giving
means much to all classes OF people III
Christian lands, | believe that 1t means
the most to those homes where there
arc a lot of children and where money
is not overplentlful, as was the case
in the homes of our fathers and moth
ers. where our brothers and sisters
and ourselves grew up side by side.
When mention the Christmases or
our youthful homes the vivid scenes
come back to us. They food the minds
and hearts with grateful memories.
First we think of the preparations Ior
those Christmases. Our fathers In
come was not very large. The daily
demands made upon his wages reduced
that income to the utmost. The shoes
md the stockings had to be bought for
many little feet. The bread had to be
| baked not by one loaf or two loaves,
but by the dozen loayes. The healthy
appetltes Of your fathers growing
family were simply enormous. Medl-
cine had to be bought and the doctors
bills met for the care of your sick SIS
ter. The wood and the coal had to be
mt into the bin to drive the cold out In
those bitter January and February
| nights. No wonder your father ana
mother had to figure very close how 10
make the Income meet the necessary
outgo. Thus there was not very much
money to spend for the Christmas
presents. A little money had to be
| made to go a great way. Now, how did
lour mothers bridge over the difficult
ties? This was the way they did 1t:
| A few weeks, or, rather, couple OF
l months, before Christmas our mother
would call all the children together.
Then she would give to each pencil
and paper. Then she would say: NOW,
nv son. want you to write upon that
paper n list Of all the things that you
would like for Christmas. DO not
make your desires too great. linen, II
your father and mother can afford 1t,
from among those lists we will make
our selections and give you what you
want. Otherwise we may buy you
something you may not desire" linen
our mother would take the lists that
our brothers and sisters and we mac
made. Every day after the work al
the home was done mother would &c
! shopping My, how tired she used &C
look when she returned! She woulc
be too tired to eat. Then those mys
terious bundles would come home from
the store and be piled away In tn'
closet, which would be locked as tlgn
os the one In which the tabled Blue
beard kept the decapitated heads o.
his murdered wives. We remembe
how. as boys, we used to try to peer
through the keyhole Of that door an'
hold a lighted match just under tn
knob TO try to see what was behin'
[ that unturnable lock. The longer AM
the more often we looked the slowe
that Christmas day crawled around.
On Christmas Eve.
Then that going to bed on Christina
eve-why, it did seem as though "
never could get to sleep. When W
Law awake we could hear the strang
bustlIng downstairs and the rumDiin
Of the delivery wagons coming ana g
,np And when we got out or De
} inst TO look over the banisters 10 Sc
what was going on our mother woul
catch sight Of our little nightgowns e'
cry time and cry: Frank, Is that you
Are you out of bedf' Then we woul
be so frightened that we could not al
- swer her. All that she could hear wa
pattering of little feet as we scu
ried back to the bed nest. But after
long time. after 1t seemed as tnoue
we had lain awake for at least thlrt.
six hours we awOle. 1t was Chrls
mas mornlng-then the stockings
the bedpost. filed with candy ana
few toys. which we grabbed the
the hurried dressing and the hurrl'
breakfast. Mother and father new
let rs have our toys Until after Drea
Ast and Christmas prayers. Then u
fomilv formed into line, the younge
at tbe head and our brothers and s.
ters going up in steps until the III
ended. with mother and father la
Then the door of the back parlor swul
open. ,,a,
Then the Christmas tree-the dine
ont chairs filed with bundles, ea
with the owners name marked up'
them and the name of the giver attac
ed Then from every part OF the roo
can be heard the same cries or deiig
as the different bundles are opens
then the kisses and the hugs. b
after the presents have all been exa
Ined and we have time to stop a
think we find that for the most p'
the presents we received were sele
ed from the lists we gave to motr
weeks or perhaps two months ago.
YES. that list was q very important
which we gave TO our parents.
made our Christmas day happy
blessed.
I1nr