The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-25
BIRMINGHAM
 IS READY FOR |TSCHR|STM MAS
Shoppers Have Filled The Streets For Days-Monday Saw Last Of Them Stagger Home With Many Bundles
ALL PREPARATIONS ARE CONCLUDED IN FINAL RUSH
City Qieted Down After a
 Hectic Week With Much
 Crowded Into Last Few Hours-Midnight SIeighbelIs

Pushing and jostling with good natured camaraderie Birmingham spent the final day downtown pre- pairing for Christmas. With un- usually large throngs visiting the holiday counters the sales forces of the different stores have been kept on their toes in an attempt to meet the demands of the buying public.
 From early morning with the opening of the doors, Christmas shoppers elbowed their way to the counters making their final pur- clases of the holiday. Large pack ages, small packages, odd shaped, round, flat, square, rectilinear and otherwise went to make up the loads of homeward-bound shoppers later in the day.
 As the day wore on there was no let up in the steady stream of customers. Tired sales girls and salesmen jumped from customer to customer offering wares for their inspection with g listless air Everybody was dog tired and waiting for the bell to ring.
 Shops that in the early part of the day looked so spic and span resembled the track of a devastating tornado Still the steady stream of buyers flowed into them, about the counters, out again and into the next shop. A toy here, vase there. a piece Of jewelry somewhere. pair Of sox for Dad, maybe drum for the youngster, or a bit of silk for biz. sister, maybe a pair of soft shoes for thoughtful the welfare of all since start first the welfare of all since htat first Christmas morning each remembers
 Night fell without relief to the tired sales force. Downtown, the streets were jamlned with motor trat- fic, the sidewalks with pedestrains m, af1ra11ts tp <ass on. an additional gaity The holiday throng pauses a few moments to sat jsfy the imperitive1 demands of the physical man for refreshment and once more the round is commenced.
 The ever present small boy breaks into the picture with a handful of .torpedoes and the cop on the corner smiles as he remembers that It hasn't been so very many years since he was a small boy" himself, shunts his eyes to the sound and gruffly de- mands that some in offensive mere man move on."
 Nine o'clock. The crowds are be- ginning to thin. Mother is tired out and wants to get home. Dad has seen enough of the old town for one day and in the snug belief that the youngsters have been folled, starts for home with many suspicious pack ages under his arms. The trolleys are lllleQ tO oNSilicW NtN' ward bound shoppers. Not a hand left to hang to a strap even If there was strap. But at last that IS over and home is reached.
 The little ones are in bed, put, wise in their age, are they asleep? Well that is a chance to take, Softly stepping about, packages are deposited into anything shat Will hold them. Under the bed in some old dresser drawer, maybe the piano will hold its allotment of alluring, gaudily painted toys or maybe some thing more sedate for the older chli- dren, before the tree is decked.
 Downtown the night grows apace. The stores are fast empty.ng of late shoppers These, too, turn homeward with their loads of presents with which to gladden. the hearts ot their loved ones. Trolleys are less crowd- ed. At last the theatres disgorge their last patron and they, too, turn homeward sated with the holiday spirit and hurry to their homes Tn anticipation of the coming day.
 Gradually the roar subsided into mere sporadic rumble of trolley or the distant exhaust of late taxi outward bound. Finally these, too' melt from the diapason. An occa- sional chatter ofsa lone pedestrian, the distant put put of motorcycle as a scout makes his rounds. These, too. fade into the stiffness Of the night and far away Is heard rant tinkle of sleigh bells. The reindeer of Kris Kringle are on their way Christmas 1923