The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1913-11-27
CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS

mas. ne center OF ANlettCdu tilOuSti
is not now far away butts Centeree
in each American home. 1t glow
about father and mother and brothe
and sister and shines with brighte
radinance, for it is the self-centeret
thought of love- The very air is sur
charged with kindness to the Others
All,the thoughts of Christmas will be
about what Mary will be most pleas
ed with and how happy mother will
be when she sees that nice-but
that's telling and half the pleasure
comes from the ConCealment. Hall
the good of giving comes from keep
ing the left hand from knowing what
the right hand is doing. Nobody
doubts the pleasure of Christmas
morning but the pleasure Of the
week before is just as intense and
is longer drawn out. the morning
of Cnristmac day is rich in its rever.
ence and smiles, but the week before
Christmas is educational to the soul
and heart. The heart begins to
sprout at Thanksgiving and it sWeIls
until the week before Christmas
when it is ready to burst out into
full bloom from the accumulated sap
OF human Kindness by which it has
been fed. The week before Christ
mas has never had its dues. The
brightest week before Christmas that
ever happened was some twenty or
fifty years ago-it is tedious 10 count
dates. You remember all about it.
You were little thing, but you new
er in after life were quite so import
ant to yourself. There were whs
perings which ceased when you en-
tered the room and when you woke
up about mid right you found the
lamp still burning and your mother
still up and working on something
that she put under the chair when
you turned over in your bed. The
old turkey gobbler in the pen was
gobbIing all day long to his former
associates on the outside and eating
corn with gluttony which was to
bring its own recompense. You
found out for the first time that the
business world had been working
overtime all year especially to stock
up on Christmas gifts for boys and
girls. You had your own gifts for
the others hidden where even one
of Poe's wonderful detectives could
not have found them-in the middle
of the woodpile or hung down in the
unused stock well in the field. There
is never a week before Christmas to
equal those that came then.
USELESS GIVING.
There is naked return this year
to the real and original spirit of
Christmas. People have banded
themselves together into societies for
the prevention of useless giving.
This does not mean that the splen.
did custom of exchanging gifts With
loved ones and friends is to be dis
continued or discouraged in the least.
1t simply means that people are put
ting more love, and less money into
their Christmas packages; that they |
are cutting out the perfunctory giving
to people from whom trey may pos
sibiy receive present and to whom
they give present simply to be on
the safe side. There is none of the
real spirit of Christmas in this
Every gift made at this time should
carry the heart with it. A gift which
is made to impress somebody with
our ability to afford things, or that
is sent out simply to offset some gift
that may be received, is simply an
abuse of the most gracious custom
and the most blessed day. People
are turning time back a few centuries
anc remembering that Christmas is
a day III honor of Him who went
about doing good and that real
Christmas gift should carry with it
the spirit of Him who gave Himself
with every word and deed. This is
the check that has long been needed
to an abuse of a custom which
keeps the word perennial young and
makes US remember, just before it is
too late, that it doesn't matter half
SO much how wealthy we are as
how many friends we have and how
well contented we are with our lot
however humble it may be.
Christmas tide has twofold in
tefeSf, material and a spiritual.
some love it because it comes "but
once year, and when it comes if
o'ings good Cheer" others, because
u IS preemlnently the season of uni