Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-12-31
BY WILLIAM EVERETT.

RSSIlOn winch 4 DelleNe 10 pS NSlS hS"A
ly correct, that the general celebration
Of Christmas festivities in New Eng
land began about 1841. The writer said
he first read Twas the night before
Christmas in 1916. l read 1t myself
in that year. 1t was of course con-
sidered. as far as this country was
concerned, to be essentially a Dutch
festival. We had all read the CHRIST
mas papers in the sketch BOOK, put
whatever glory the day might receive
in England, St. Nicholas had come to
us from Holland through L
can add nothing new about this ques-
ton. But l should like to revive, be-
fore it is entirely forgotten, the MEM
DRY Of another family festivity, when
the present celebration Of Christmas
has swallowed up. Not altogether as
1t seems to me TO advantage.
The boys n girls so years ago had
two winter festivals. Thanksgiving and
New Years day. The church service,
the feasting, the gathering at grand
pas or at one of the uncles, the games
of every kind belonged to the NoVem-
Der celebration. / do not say there is
no Thanksgiving dinner now; but the
whole day was given up to eXtraor-
d;naries. Church at IL o'clock instead
of the 1880 of Sundays, pie before
church to sustain us during the extra
long service with it's interminable an
them. the dinner about 2:30, with tur-
key, chicken pie, plum n Marlbor-
ough buildings, apple, squash, pump
kin, mince and cranberry pies-is there
any dish quite equal to this last, pc
culiar as it is to New England-unlim-'
tied almonds and Taisins, and then
games, stage coach, turn the trenCher,
magical music, what's my thought like,
proverbs.
Quaker Meetings Not Popular.
There was one game my father used
to recommend his children to play,
namely. Quaker meeting, 1t consists in
sitting perfectly still, and saying moth
ing. The children could be induced to
play it, but once, and then for only
about one minute. Per contra, a family
of boys in the late thirties were play
ing indoors so as TO pull down a full
sized bookcase that extended from floor
to ceiling, and being visited by their
mother and asked what they were do
ing, replied: Playing abolition meet
ing"
A still more remarkable pastime Of
New England boys a century ago was
Beetle and Wedge" One boy lay down
on the floor for the log to be split; an
other lay on top of him for the wedge;
and a third, who enacted beetle, was
swung by four strong boys against the
wedge. so as to drive him, not into,
but off the log.
One other festival was New Years
day. That in families of any size was
strictly a household festival. Each par
ent and every child was bound to give
every other a present. in his or her
own individual name OF course, pres
ents at all expensive were paid for by
the parents. and with the gifts of the
Younger children ven the less costly
would be so. But there was a great
deal of saving up of little weekly
stipeneds and a great deal of manu-
featuring such articles as even very
young children can make. If put to it.
And his last took time. The pres
ents were not all bought in a wild
rush to crowded shops in the last few
DAYS of the year. No! There was
work-real handicraft industry going
on all the days of December-in some
large families all the days of November
too-that there might be a store of
gifts thai were really gifts, from chill
dren to parents and among themselves.
/ And such an amour of delightful mys-
terry as there was about It. Such work
ing in odd minutes when the intended
recipients were not in the room! Such
applying TO third parties for help Is
a nard place; such careful concealmeut
and pretended Inconsistencies of what
L DIS III III y III 10 SSSlAu
could equal the organized secrecy and
puzzlement of the time.
The Mysteries Of II.
AS one by one the present got
formed or purchased, then came the
doing up and directing. And now came
more mystery. The parcels must be
so shaped as to disguise their contents.
No one who received a triangular.
cylindrical or nondescript package must
| x.A -, ;Ioa 49, The shave Sc IL aA,
tained a bookmark, q ~watchcase. n
scent bottle. or a pack of cards. Then
each was directed with name of donor
and recipient, and carefully deposited
in a drawer or closet shelf of the spare
room-not guest chamber IL you
please-till New. Years day or New
Tears eve tor families differed in their
usages), drew them all forth to be dis
played upon the piano or tables. and
eagerly bounced upon at the appointed
hour. Then the ~opening-the surprises
1.-The exclamations-the thanks! New
Years eve was on the whole the favor
lite time, for nothing could wind up the
excitement like bed.
Now 1T may be that the tree and the
candles and the glittering. but very
useless, objects, have a charm Of their
own. 1t may be that hanging un stoek-
ings and making believe Santa Claus
II brings the presents is the acme of re-
Jofcing. All l can say is, IT is mpoSS
BILE to have more interest, more mys-
terry, more fun. or to put more devoted
heart and affectionate labor into tbs
presentation han there was In the way
/ have described. We certainly prizes
each others gifts with the dear names
on them as much as anyone now car
prize the gifts of q mythical being
whom they have to be ~laboriously
taught first TO believe in and then tc
disbelicve in.
I can stand Santa Claus or ST. Mich
olas. But few things are to me at ones
so silly and so revolving as the name OF
the unseen donor which prevailed, aae
for all I know. prevails In some quar-
ter now, Kriss Kringle-a detestable
anu uiterabiy irreverent corruption 81
Christ Kindlein, the little Christ child
II was. perhaps is now a German rus
tom TO have Christmas gifts distributed
by a child. dressed i'm white with 4 bel
and wings, to represent the Saviour
Autres terres, Sutres moeurs Il haS
rather be a Pagan sucked in a creed
outworn," than turn the hottest o.
names and natures into a piece of act.
ing