The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-20
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
BY DOROTHY DIX
Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writer.
Christmas Gifts.

] }
! Christmas Gifts.
The season is upon us when the
! dread spectre of the Christmas pres
ent stalks thru our midst, and when
| wild-eyed women sit down with pencil
and paper and try to dope out some
system by which they can make one
| dollar go as far as two, and what they
shall give to whom as a token of love
and remem brance.
| Getting ready for Christmas has al
| ways been a time of toll and travail,
! of blistered and frazzled nerves., but
| this year it will be more strenuous
and narrowing than ever before, for
with plain bread and meat the price
| of erstwhile nectar and ambrosia the
average family will have dimes instead
of dollars with which to go a-shopping.
And this suggests that this is the
psychological moment at which to put
! into execution a much needed reform
| in Christmas giving. Not to stop MAX
! ing Christmas presents Heaven for
| bid that beautiful custom should ever
die, but only to make presents to those
who need them, and when we do give
to give useful things instead of un-
loading a lot of junk on the forlorn
! recipient.
Who does not blush to remember
! the things he or she has bestowed
upon, helpless friends and relatives at
I III
| siVe pipes and cigaret holders that no
body could possibly use on men who
already have dozens of them; fraglle
| brio a brac' that breaks at the first
handling; silly gift books that no intel
| ligent human being could read; d1nky
! fancy boxes that are nothing but dust
catcers; imitation japanese are that
is an eve sore; all sorts of near silver
! trinketry that is of no earthly use eX-
! cept to clutter up a house.
hi
! press our luminosity towards our
| friends but our affection. And we give
| them because in the course OF annual
! present making to the same group OF
people for unpty tumpty successive
| JOYOUS Christmases we have bestowed
| upon them every conceivable sort OF
! fooIishness that they don't want ana
can't possibly use and are driven 10
desperation to find something dlffer-
| ent each year.
gratitude for the kindly thought OF
us that prompted our friends to send
MS a remembrance at the blessed
Christmas time, but there is not one
| of US who, when we survey the mass
! of trash that represents our Christ
mas presents, but could burst into
| tears at the spectacle of so much gooo
money wasted. With half, or even
a third, that the idiotic trumpery
cost we could have bought ourselves
/
and we wish with all our hearts that
| it was considered proper to tie up
| dollar bill, or even a quarter, with
sDrig of holly and a red ribbon ana
send it as a Christmas present IN
stead of the foolishness that 1t has
| been spent upon
| In times of peace and prosperity
| this exchanging of embroidered and
| hand painted rubbish at Christmas is
a matter of individual give and take
and makes no particular difference,
but in hard times and war times 1t
| becomes a crime, and this year no
dollar should be wasted 'on meaning
less gifts to people who need nothing
| Among well-to-do people there
| should be no giving of Christmas pres
| ents to each other.
isPlease give to the Red Cross the
money that you intended putting into
| a Christmas gift for me, or send 1t to
one of the base hospitals to relieve the
| sick and wounded soldiers in France,
! or to some poor mother in France to
help her keep her children with her,
/ or buy with it one of the Christmas
kits that are being sent to ouN own
soldiers in far away camps
] That is the message that each one
/ of US should send to our friends That
is the way in which we should spend
our own Christmas money. Why, we
/ could add millions upon millions of
1 dollars to the war relief fund if we
would just cut out the SuperfluouS
/ fluffy ruffle Christmas gift stuff!
And if all of the women who are
working themselves into nervous pros
| tration making home made Christmas
gifts, trying to turn tomato cans into
| upholstered shaving sets, and tortur-
| ing good cloth into what-you-nay-
| call-emS whose purpose the mind of
mortal man is not ingenious enough
/ to fathom, would devote their time
and energy to knitting for the soldiers,
| they could outfit the whole American
army with sweaters and wristletSi
! Give no Christmas presents to the
rich this year, but give to those who
need it. Give first to your country
and those who are risking their lives
! TO defend it. Give especially to the
/ wives and children of the men at the
! front. Many of these are called on
to make an almost superhuman sacri-
+ flee to patriotism, because with the
| bread winner away the wolf is bowling
! very close to many an humble door
this winter
! The Christmas in these homes is
| bound to be a sad one, with the
| shadow of the dread dangers of war
4 hanging over it and the least that
! those of us who are left safe at hcme
can do is to bring to them all the
/ Christmas cheer that is possible, and
: to see that Santa Claus does not fail
to fill the stocking of every soldiers
/ child.
/ They are our special charge and
! every well off family should be spon-
sor for the happy Christmas of some
individual soldiers ia nnily.
And again l reiterate, when you go
Christmas shopping this year spend
no money on useless things BUY
sensible, practical articles-cIothes.
shoes, hats and furniture-things that
1 will fill some long-felt need and that
will make life more comfortable to
the recipient.
! There used to be a tradition that it
was not good form to make practical
presents and that there was something
poetic and romantic in making a gift
that showed it cost lo,s of money and
was absolutely useless. have seen a
poor girl, who didn't have a second
dress to her back, receive at Christ
mas time hundreds Of dnIIars rrn,-.t I,