The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1912-12-20
Why Christmas Should
Be Spent at Home

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Y T is the fashion nowadays, alas, to
cry down Christmas, and it Is fast
becoming a cant be bothered
A with IT. sort of day. 1t is looked
upon as a nuisance because Christmas
tide brings with 1t necessary increase
Of expenditure In the form Of tips and
presents.
1t Is becoming more and more the
fashion-fashion to be bothered-to
take less notice of Christmas and spend
1t away from home where there will
be plenty of fun"
In the good old days spending Christ
mas anywhere but at home was never
for one moment dreamed of. Prepare
tons were made months beforehand.
Geese and turkeys were fattened, plum
buildings were made. prospective
guests were borne in mind, and the
girls Of the home fell to thinking of
new schemes for decorations. Now.
could anything be more delightful than
making Christmas plans at least two
months beforehand so as to keep the
festive season right royalty? All this
sort of thing kept the family together,
for when the winter evenings brought
them nearer and nearer to Christmas
day II made them see how necessary
each one was to the other in the way
of helping and suggesting as regards
presents for So-and-so. holly for this
room and mistletoe for that Grad
ually 1t dawned on every one how dear
the home was to all and how still more
precious were the parents and children
to one another.
When Christmas day did come it
was time of perfect happiness. bar
mony and satisfaction to every guest
and every member Of the family. II
Christmas is not spent at home what
becomes of the family gathering. the
delight of decorating. the care and
thought the happy mother has expend-
ed on the cooking of the dinner and.
to crown all. the praise OF the Cnr1st-
mas pudding. which by the consent
of one and all invariably Is the finest
pudding have ever eatenT NO
praise of a Christmas pudding ever
comes amiss to a housewives heart
and If Christmas is not spent at home
the dinner will fall fat. There Is no
family gathering, no noisy, good hu-
mored chaff. and there is not that sub
tie. indefnable something at work
which binds the family closer together.
heals up old sores. opens up ne"
friendships and wipes away all oitter-
ness, that is so marked feature In
good, homely Christmas gathering.
There have been more reconcilia-
tions. more divided houses" brought
together again, more eyes made dim
through a mist of happy tears at some
difference or misunderstanding MADE
clear by a Christmas gathering at home
than at any other season or place
Charles Dickens. the novelist OF
Christmas, who did more Tor Cnrlst-
mas than any one can ever guess, mao
had a slight difference with Thack-
eray. He met him on the steps or MS
club on Christmas morning. hesltateu'
then held out his hand. which InacK'
cray grasped with all the warmth OF
his great heart. Both men returned 10
their family gathering at home teeiing
better and happier men,
Without a doubt a family gathering
at this festive and joyful season Knits
the bond of love and good fellowship
closer than at any other time. oio
sights and hurts are forgotten; hard
men of business relax and sorten at
the sight of the children who many
time have drawn out all that Is best
IN them after it has lain dormant Tor
years until they have forgotten they
had a tender side to their nature at
all. Yes, without doubt home Is the
place for Christmas. "Oh. 1t VIII De
80 dull and uninteresting at homer Is
often the cry. 1t will only be duii 10
those who make 1t 80.
And II there is a vacant chair or two
which. alas, can never be retiled dasn
away the silent tear and be thankrui
that you are spared to taste the joys
of still another homely Christmas
Your example of spending the FESTIVE
season win most assuredly instiT the
love of the yearly family gathering
into the younger generation, who VIII
emulate your ideas In future years
Poster1ty will be indebted to you Tor
showing how to keep up good olo
Christmas which was sunering Irom
a slump In the twentieth century.
BY all means, then, spend Christmas