Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1906-12-07
Calnaqe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. D. D.

III JRa1 Va A-A~ A@IAA Nt%NAAAA1 hoAAAAg y
the preacher draws a practical lessor
concerning gifts, which applies to al
classes. The text is John xiv, 10
Whatsoever We shall ask in my name
that will I do"
Many years ago the beautiful custom
was started of giving Christmas pres
ents May it never become obsolete!
This custom dates as far back as tho
first Christmas day, when the three
wise men came journeying from the
east and brought their presents of gold
and frankincense and myrrh and laid
them at the Saviour's feet
This beautiful custom of Christmas
giving Is pracuced not only in the
homes of the rich but als8=in the cot
tages of the poor 1t is practiced not
only among the young, but among the
middle aged and those i'm the twilight
Of life. But. though Christmas giving
means much to all classes Of people in
Christian lands. I believe that it means
the most 10 those homes where there
are a lot Of children and where money
is not overplentful, 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 Of
our youthful homes the vivid scenes
come back to us They flood the minds
and hearts with grateful memories.
First we think of the preparations for
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
and 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 lOaves. The healthy
appettes of your fathers growing
family were simply enormous. Medi-
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
put into the bin to drive the cold out in
those bitter January and February !
nights. No wonder your father and |
mother had to figure very close how to .
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
our mothers bridge over the difficult
ties? This was the way they did it,
A few weeks. or. rather, a couple of
months, before Christmas our mother
would call all the children together.
Then she would give to each a pencil
aud paper. Then she would say: Now.
my son, want you to write upon that
paper a list Of all the things that you
would like for Christmas. Do not
make your desires too great. Then, if 1
your father and mother can afford it. {
from among those lists we will make 1
Our selections and give You what you {
want. Otherwise we may buy You j.
something you may not desire" Then
our mother would take the lists that a
our brothers and sisters and we had ],
made Every day after the work at v
he home was done mother would 90
shopping My, how tired she used to
oOk when She returned! She would t,
De too tired To eat Then those mys t,
erious bundles would come home from p
he store ana be piled away in the q
loset. which would be locked rs tight v
S the one i'm which the tabled Blue b.
,eard kept the decupitated heads of W
is murdered wives. We remember in
ow. rs boys. we used to try to peel; fl
trough the keyhole of that door and m
old a lighted match just under the III
mob to try to see what was behind OF
lat unturnable lock- The longer and b;
he more often we looked the slower al
nat Christmas day crawled around. W
On Christmas Eve. IT
Then that going to bed on Christmas OF
It did seem as though we he
ever could get to sleep When we II
~ awake we could hear the strange III
ustling downstairs and the rumbllng NJ
the delivery wagons coming and GO III
*. And when we got out Of bed u
list to look over the banisters to see ~
hat was going on our mother would III
itch sight OF our little nightgowns ev- IN
y time and cry Frank is that you? III
re you out Of bed?" Then we would IN
: so frightened that we could not an "'
yer her. All that she could hear was W
pattering OF little feet as we sour
ed back to the bed nest. But after
ng time, after 1t seemed as though
e had lain awake for at least thirty
K hours, we awoke II was Christ
as morning-then the stockings by
e bedpost, filed with candy and a On
w toys, which we grabbed; then -
e hurried dressing and the hurried AZ
Mother and father never -
( Us have our toys until after break NJ
st and Christmas prayers. Then the -,
mlly formed into line, the youngest ~
the head and our brothers and sis -
rs going up in steps until the line =.
Ided, with mother and father last.
len the door Of the back parlor swung %
zen. -,
Then the Christmas tree-the differ ".
It chairs. filed with bundles, each ", w.
It'll the owners name marked upon 49,