The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-12-15
- He. keynote Of Christmas in the
home should be joy.
OF no other festival is this as

home should be JOY.
OF no other festival is this as
true as Of tnis great feast.
Thanksgiving calls FOR gratitude,
Easter for hope, the various national
holidays demand sensations of patriot
ism. but at Christmas we should feel,
everywhere and always. joy
Our fathers sang TO the tune of good
old Antioch on Christmas mornings.
JOY to the world" Get us sing # in
our aearts and live il in the home
This joy is not dependent upon out
ward circumstances or conditions. It is
of the heart. but. as from the hear
spring the motives Of our actions. this
time should be one Of joyful faces and
happy deeds.
II may be trite TO say that the mother
is the heart and soul of the home. but
Z repetition does not lessen the truth of
, the statement. She is also the mental
or spiritual barometer Of the household
by which the domestic weather IS reg.
istered.
Demand Happiness.
Z II she points to fair" there viii be
sunshine.
AS she is also the queen Of the Amer
lean home. let her decree and demand
happiness at this holiday season.
All decorations should indicate the
spirit Of the day OF days.
And as the joy is genuine. let the
decorations be real.
Avoid tinsel, paper flowers. and or
naments, artificial gewgaws OF all kinds
Select. instead, evergreen boughs, gls-
tening holly. and the always beautiful
mistletoe. Let the children or young
people make a pilgrimage to the woods
and bring home armfuls Of cedar
boughs and OF ground pine or running
cedar.
one OF the most effectively decorated
rooms have ever seen was In a coun-
try cottage. Yet the expense Of these
decorations was not great From the
nearby town were ordered the holly
wreaths for the three windows and a
few sprays OF holly to be used among
the cedar bOUghs
There was also a clump OF mistle
toe. This was hung from the chande-
lier in the center Of the room, and
the chandelier itself was swathed in
ground pine or running cedar.
This. as we'll as what they called
stacks of evergreen bOughs, was
brought by the boys Of the family from
the woods.
The four corners Of the room were
banked from floor to ceiling with masses
Of evergreen, and the space between
the mantelshelf and ceiling was filed
in the same manner
Outlined in Green.
The picture frames were twined with
running cedar. and festOOns Of this
ran along the picture holding.
Here and there, I'm the mass Of green
over the fireplace, shone bits of holly
with scarlet berries. Each window cas-
ing WAS outlined by green strings OF
ground pine.
In the center of the room was the
small Christmas tree. upon ta1e just
large enough to hold 1t comfortably. Or
this were hung the gifts intended FOL
the various members Of the family.
There were also tiny candles. which
were lighted at the moment when tb'
doors into the room were thrown oper
to the expectant little ones.
A tree in some forns large or small
IS. In some families. almost a neces
sity.
This is especially true where Their
are children.
Just why tree winch attracts hardl!
more than a few minutes notice shouts
be a subject of such JOY TO children il
one Of those mysteries the explanation
TO which we forgot when we put ava,
childish things. But the fact remain
that the average child wants tree.
Luckily. it is also true that he doe
not demand a large one. SO long a
there is enough of # to call it
christmas tree the small boy or glr
II satisfied.
This is especially fortunate for tn
nat dweller. as in many apartmen
barlors the admission of a large tire
would mean the exclusion Of all but on
beholder at a time.
City florists, approaching this fac
Keep on hand number Of little tree