Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-22
ST. NICK At SCHOOL
Pupils of All Grades Hold
Christmas Exercises.
BEGINNING OF HOLIDAYS
kindergarten Children Present Gifts
to Parents.
MUSIC AND RECITATIONS.
High School Pupils Give Dramatic
Entertainments-E
Programs Given.
BEGINNING OF HOLIDAYS
MUSIC AND RECITAT1ONS.

Very little boys and girls of the public
schools said Hello, Christmas" this
morning. To the tune of tinkling lit
tie Christmas carols and by the light of
many candle-it Christmas trees they
babe their teachers goodbye for the holi-
days.
The middle-size boys and girls had their
fun, too, but not so picturesque as the
very little boys and girls. When one got
around to the high schools. where Nestor
himself would seem young in comparison
to the real wise "old' students, the
Christmas celebration turned out to be a
scientific, high-minded affair.
Big Christmas Trees.
In every one of the many kindergartens
and first grade schools today there were
big Christmas trees. Yards upon yards
of Christmas greens were garlanded
about the room.
The trees were gay with the red things
that the little men and women had made
especially for it. And tucked in here and
there. all over the trees. in the boughs
and on the boughs. hung the childrens
gifts for their mothers and fathers.
That was the keynote to the whole
Christmas tree celebration in the lower
grades. 1t was the Christmas of giving
and not of getting. The idea was worked
out all through the school system, espeei-
ally where the children have not yet be-
gun to lose faith in the identity of Santa
Claus.
For several weeks past the children
have been busily weaving paper mats,
making calendars of their sketches and
odd little water-colors, and making things
to ornament telephone call pads. In the
third grade some have even become so
pragmatic and unitarian that they have
made pink and red wooden flat-iron hold
ers, and tea pot holders, and the like of
that.
All these things hung on a forest of
widely separated Christmas trees today
The makers of the gifts sat, with ill con-
cealed impatiense. until the teacher gave
the word and sent a little boy or girl
running with Christmas face that beam
ed like baby sun to take the gift. hand
made and simple, to some proud parent.
Plays by First-Grade Pupils.
LII SOluc VI tie grace TOOUlS ltleTe
were Christmas plays made up by the
teachers. Santa Clauses averaging three
and half feet in height came down
chimney places that looked suspiciously
like wrapping paper scenery, but which
did just as well as anything Clyde Fitch
ever had in the way Of stage effect.
Little CinderellaS sat by gloomy ashes
today and waited for their handsome
young prices. Fairy godmothers played
their parts without a hating line In all
the plays there was nothing but simplic-
ity and nothing but the pure strain of the
simple little stories for children that SIM
ply can't be crowded out, no matter how
many advanced ideas crop up.
The main celebrations today were in the
lower grades. The Normal School girls.
famous at making plays and acting them,
took u recess from that sort of thing to-
day and went back to their various hign
schools, where they had fun watching the
others celebrate.