The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1918-12-11
THE GIFT EXCHANGE.


and 1 don't suppose will start it up
~ again this year"-was the remark wo-
man was overheard to make the other day. Think
of it! Admitting right in the open, in perfect
ly shameless way, that the spirit of Christmas
1 was so beyond her that gifts were something to
be exchanged-not to be GIVEN! If she and her
apparently equally benighted friend consider the
occasion one for exchange only they could easily
simplify the matter by purchasing two articles
of equal value and merely sending them back and
forth each year. Think of how beautifully that
would simplify things! No bother of selection,
no worry as to whether the gift you gave would
equal or exceed in value the one you were to
receive no fear that you wouldn't give value re-
ceived in money friendship Or if it scenes too
sum of money which each should send the other
every year. That too would make this "tiresome"
Christmas giving simple and one should also be
doing her duty by ones friends
Isn't it pity! A pity that we have so little of
the charity of Christmas in our hearts, so little
of unselfish desire to give pleasure, little of
the true valuation of friendship that decide
quite frankly and virtuously, that will give
only to those people who give to and that we
will try to meet the money value of others gifts
by ours.
Christmas time, it would appear, is time for
courage! We must have courage to follow the
promptings of the gift spirit within discourage
to send only a card of friendly greeting when
that is all our purse will permit and send it to
someone whose gifts to in the past have been
very generous; courage to neglect our friends al
together if that is necessary to enable to
bring little brightness and cheer to someone
without many friends or, comforts; courage to
do our own Christmas giving in our way
and as our own hearts dictate rather than to fol-
low the precedents and traditions of past Christ
masses. Let us be ourselves-our best selves at
least on this one day in all the year, matter
how SNUG and polite and diplomatic we may be
on all the other days. Make it gift day giving
freely of that gift which is the best of all gifts
to those who are really love us-our personal
selves And let us forget, deliberately forget,
all we ever knew about the exchange basis or
those who would keep Christmas on that basis.
/ Papers have recently been served on num-
Der of people of this vicinity to appear before
an agent of the Minnesota Commission of Pub
lie Safety at Blue Earth at an early date, in
regard to their failure to purchase their allot-
ment of liberty bonds. Anyone not doing his
share in this work, unless absolutely unable to do
so, is frowned upon by the government and their
attitude also resentment among the peo-
pie who have Loyalty subscribed when called on.
If the Im-going- keep whatlI ve-got attitude
had been followed out by the majority we pro-
badly would be handing over the most of it to the
Kaiser about this time or humby getting off the
earth at his imperial command. AS it is the Unit
ed States has presented united front and has
shown the world what it means to get into trou-
BILE with Uncle Sam.-Mapleton Enterprise.