The Washington herald., 1915-12-24
The Christmas Season.
By JOHN d. BARRl

| When ! was a boy used to hope that there
would be at Christmas time. Somehow
without snow the would not be quite Christ
mas Often l would be disappointed. Then
would feel that winter had somehow lost its way.
| distinctly remember wondering how people in
those queer parts of the world where flowers
bloomed at Christmas time could possibly feel
that it was Christmas felt sorry for them. The
more snow there was and the more cold the
better was pleased. 1t fine to see the Christ
mas presents coming in with rosy checked people,
covered with heavy wraps, laughing and running
out of the cold. the door furiously blown behind
them and the snow clinging to their hats and their
clothes and covering their shoes.
can see them now, throwing off their hats and
their mufflers and stamping and blowing on their
fingers and joyously thawing out in the warmth.
That was my idea of Christmas, real Christmas
l thought Of the millions that suffered
from the cold, that fought it desperately as they
might fight demon.
me. with red berries on hardy stalks and with
scarlet geraniums blooming in front of houses
No longer do hear the saying that used to make
me wonder as a bow, "a green Christmas makes a
fat churehyard" But only today man, after
speaking of the beautiful weather, declared, with
la shake of the head: at will make turkeys go up
might seem to many a slight difference in price.
He felt that he must have turkey. Otherwise to
him Christmas would not seem like Christmas
Here he expressed the spirit of the season. II
makes us wish to have a common ground in the
celebration There arc certain things that feel
we must have tables at Christmas because
they express the day for and because we know
that our ncighbors having them. II don't
happen to like turkey have some other bird
sympathetcally related. Can you conceive of any
people SO far removed from the spirit OF Christmas
as to eat Christmas dinner of steak or chops?
1t is pleasant to think that all people. matter
whether religious rreligious, Jew Gentle. Gel
ebrate Christmas. In my own acquaintance there
some Jewish friends. For weeks ahead they plan
what they will give to another. and their chief
meal they make genuine love feast. Here, it
seems to me, they show a beautiful spirit. They
They give again the lesson in Christianity that
has come down to from Jew, the lesson
have yet to learn.
1t is amusing as each Christmas season comes
around to see human beings reaeting from it in
the same old way. There are those who take it
buying they would respond TO some imperative
and onerous duty. They make it FEARFUL task.
Their feelings they express at moments in nervous
ness and revolt and utter despair. Often they say
that another Christmas they will not them
selves out buying presents for people! When the
year rolls round. however, they reveal their natures
in exactly the same performance Then there are
those who say: 1T doesn't seem to me like Christ
mas this year.. As boy | used to disapprove
of such talk. 1t seemed to me disloyal to the
Christmas spirit. | thought that people ought to
play up TO Christmas whether they felt the season
not. Now have grown more lenicnt perhaps
because, occasionally. have had the feeling my
sell. But | have never quite oyergrown my early
thought ! wouldn't do much for Christmas this
year. ! only gave one or two presents. Some
times ono OF them will go far as to declare: 81
didn't give anything at all" And of course, all
know those who have never formed the habit OF
giving presents at Christmas. They not likely
to be selfish people. They simply have peculiar
ity. They don't care for the CUSTOM just as many
don't for certain games for taking walks
or for eating this thing that.
At Christmas time the constitutionally selfish
people often try desperately to rise to the Christ
mas spirit. Their efforts are not without pathos
have in mind man of this kind. He has busi-
ness made successful largely by his genius for
taking advantage. His pettiness has, naturally.
made him very unpopular with those that work
for him. But Christmas time he really tries to
be more generous. For his subordinates he buys !
the most absurd presents. They show that he does
real sympathy. After Christmas he returns to his
old ways. His case makes think that Dickens
was not quite sound in the Christmas conversion
of "Scrooge.' With character like "Scrooge" i
the spirit that seeks true expression at Christmas
cannot last unless it is rooted in something deeper
than sudden outbreak of feeling 1t is the every
day attitude toward ones fellow creatures that
makes Christmas fine If it really is fine Giving |
without love impoverishes the gift
Christmas is, of course, essentially the chill |
dren's day. Without the presence of children it |
loses most of its joyous excitement and exhilara-
ton. And it is the time when children long not |
for the necessaries of life but for what from their
point of view, the luxuries. As child | used |
to be indignant if any relative gave me anything |
useful, like umbrella or hat. Such things |
expected to be provided with anyway. There are |
those. l know, who think that at an early age,
children ought to be taught to appreciate the use
full things of life and to be grateful. But doubt
if the child mind is ready to receive such lessons
Besides, children have standards of their own that
it is well for those of who have passed out OF |
the mystery of childhood not to meddlc with To |
me there few things in life more pathetic than !
the sight of children showing delight over Christ
mas gifts of clothes and shoes the things that |
society ought to be solicitious keep them boun-
tifully supplied with.
For most OF us at this time there is great de- |
light in opening packages. H. G. Wells has spoken
of it among the blessings of life. When we lose
it we surely in bad way. The reason is likely
to be that we have too much, And Shakespeare
has told us what all recognize true that they
are as sick that surfeit with too much as they that
starve with nothing. friend, far from home.
wrote to her family few weeks ago that she |
didn't care what they gave her for Christmas so
long as they sent her great many things She |