The Idaho Springs siftings-news. (Idaho Springs, Colo.) 1905-19??, 1916-12-08


warning peoples In their exaltation of sacrifice.
But at Observation-Disclosures the feast of the
home and of the family-exaltation dies, and only
sorrow, the of the bereft individual,
mains, says the New York Sun.
1t is very different Christmas Europe is ap-
preaching this year from that of two years ago.
Then the shock and excitement of the beginning
of the war We're still tingling. In England the
question of munitions is today of less i'm
portance TO the popular mind than, two years ago,
was the absorbing question of getting plum
pudding to every in the trenches There was
still talk of the kaisers dining In Paris and dis
cussions as to which ruler should lead the tri-
umphant allies In procession through Inter den
Linden.
Victory seemed a much simpler matter then
than 1t does today. Everyone admitted then that
victory would be bought only with sorrow and
~crifce Now everyone knows, with the hard
knowledge of experience, that victory will be
bought only with sorrow heaped and
sacrifice heaped sacrifice. 1t is this knowledge
borne in on every home, however exalted how
humble that makes the Christmas celebra-
ton OF 1916 in Europe solemn sacrament of
sorrow
OF all the warning peoples Christmas
the most to the Germans and will the
sacrifice of the traditional customs Of the day
fall so heavily. There is blood and iron In
the German Christmas. There is instead n ten
der and appealing sentiment that Is typical OF
all that is best in the German character. The
whole world is indebted to Germany for the
Christmas tree and for many of the most delight
full Of the Christmas stories and customs that
Americans have adopted as their own. The Ger
man Christmas is a day for the home the family
and the children, with its every custom endeared
Vy generations OF tradition
The real German Christmas celebration occurs
Christmas About four O'Clock the dinner
is served elaborate and hearty feast, consist
ing OF long series of traditional dishes all eaten
in n state of wild excitement. During this meal
the Kristkind makes its appearance. This figure
is a curious product of sentiment and imagina-
ton queer combination of the Holy Child, the
good fairy and our Santa Claus. 1t Is rep
resented In the country district by haf-grown
child made up angel, who goes from door
10 door calling for the good children giving sweet
meats house and begging them at the next
After dinner comes the great moment when the
doors opened into the Christmas room where
the lighted tree has the place of honor. The tree
is always placed near a window so that every
passerby and share it. A walk through
the deserted residence streets Of any German
town at this hour on Christmas eve leaves men,
ory Of Christmas cheer and spirit that can never
be forgotten.
By nine O'Clock the family is ready to eat again.
n light supper including still more of the tradi-
tional Christmas dishes Every one rich or poor
has Nuremberg ginger cake, its shiny brown sur
face decorated with almonds and raisins and
with the word "Weihnachten" and the year
worked out In pink and white frosting. Stolen
a sort of plum cake, and many sweet biscuits
Of various shapes and sizes are all Indispensable
parts Of this feast
But this year. with shortage Of fats in her
food supply so to demand serious at
tention the part Of the government, there Is In
Germany no butter milk for the Christmas
cakes no tallow wax for the Christmas can
dies. To many people this little homely depriva-
ton will bring realization Of the seventies OF
war more vivid and more compelling than even
the sight of the fast growing graveyards With
two million new graves in the land, with dire ne
cessity robbng her dearest holiday OF its dearest
symbols no triumphs of arms can make this Christ
mas of 1916 anything but a sad and sorrowfu
feast in the homes Of the German empire.
In Austria the Christmas celebrations are as
varied as the races and religions that make up