Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-21
THAT C~AVEINlAFTER XMAS

Have you ever noticed, Madam of the Household, how
often you take to your bed after Christmas? You who are
Snever i'll, - and who take your Coue' or its equivalent quite
seriouslyf
This word Of mine today is preventive of that "cavein'
for this year, if only you will do your part. 1t is so simple.
Let us take it for granted that you have shopped early,
have mailed likewise, and that now all you have to do is just a
few thousand little things that even your careful planning
didn't include. They seem to take an astounding amount of
time, for the stores are crowded, and so are the cars and the
subway and the buses, 0 ye gods-(you can't get in and
you can't get out) and the shopping these last few days is a
nightmare. Just these 'tfew little things eat up an immense
amount of energy. Very well, there is so much gone.
Then there is just one more thing for the small daughter
who wants a pair of red mittens just like Juliette's, and wants
them terribly. Of course, little daughter mustn't be disap-
pointed, so you think you can do that evenings this week, and
little daughter will be so pleased. (She really wont because
by Christmas morning she will have forgotten all about them,
in her admiration Of something that little Mary Jane has)
SO there goes another quantity of your reserve energy that
you can't afford to squander. Now, can youa -,
Then comes all that baking. There are those dear little
cinnamon cookies and the little butter cakes that have to be
made at the same time because one kind takes the whites of
seven eggs and the other takes the yolks Of seven eggs. Any
good housekeeper can see that it would be a sinful waste to
make one kind and not the other. (of course 1t takes just
twice as long)
And then there is that fruitcake that John loves to have
on hand when his family come in to see the children's tree.
It should have been made at Thanksgiving time, but that
seemed to be such a busy time that it wasn't. Well, that can
be made while you are watching the cookies. Very well,
there goes another scoop out OF your little store OF reserve
energy. And by the time have made a little candy and sailed
a few nuts for your good neighbor across the way whom you
really couldn't neglect at Christmas time. and have done up
all the presents for the family, and popped a little corn Tor
the Christmas tree, and set it up and decorated it, you are
just sdog tired"
Of course the children can't be expected to stay in bed
till 7 o'clock on Christmas morning, SO you pull your weary
self out of bed, and try to stifle the yawns and forget the
fatigue, while you shout back the "Merry Christmases' in
response to theirs. The excitement Of opening the presents
makes them all forget that they aren't dressed yet, SO you
use up your very last ounce of reserve energy in getting them
dressed and keeping them from eating all their Christmas
candy before breakfast.
The day after Christmas you drag yourself out Of bed,
wondering why you should feel so tired now, that it is all over,
r. h oftarnoou % tn he'd and the doctor saws YOU nave
a little touch of the grippe, and that all you need is to stay
quietly in bed for perhaps a week!
Dom you see, dear Madam Of the Household, that all this
last minute work is not only unnecessary, but it is just plain
foolshf The family has plenty of simple goodies, the neigh
bors are entirely satisfied with their Christmas card from you,
the little daughter didn't need the red mittens, and the Christ
mas tree was beautiful without any decorations at all.
You get the moral, I know. But this year DON'T GET
THE GRIPPEi