Evening star., 1924-12-19

have the Dutch Santa Claus.
the German Christmas tree, the Eng
Ifsh plum pudding and Christmas
carols. and our own special lavish
way of presenting gifts.
The English Christmas custom Is
not unlike ours. except that we do
not have their pretty custom of
bringing in the yule." In almost
every family in England the boys
and girls gather around the burn
ing log on Christmas eve 20 sing
carols and tell Christmas legends.
often the children who live in the
country assist at the dragging in of
the huge log. An English child
would not feel that it was Christmas
II there were not a bit Of mistetoe
hanging in the hall, under which the
Hnwary are kissed soundly, Little
and big eat the rich and blazing
plum pudding, and all join in the
singing Of Christmas carols and in
churchgoing.
Christmas in Holland is the gala
day of the year for the children.
They have pretty custom of usher
ing, it in. Just at midnight on Christ
mas eve, the men and boys, dressed
in fancy costumes, march through
the streets in long procession. hold
ing aloft d brilliantly lighted star, as
thoy chant the Gloria in EXcelsis."
The little girls. dressed in white,
stand at the windows and bow to
the star as it passes
In Germany the xhA ie day is full
of cheer Families vast and go TO
church. The presents are simple, but
in every home there is blazing
tree hung with cakes, colored candles
and gifts. In many German towns,
just as bells ring to usher in Christ
mas. every window in every house is
quickly lighted. Then the children
are up bright and early, even the
tiny babies, to go to o'clock church.
often each one bears a candle to
ilumine the church.
The children of Belgium on Christ
mas eve are dressed in gay colors
and form a procession, which marches
through the streets, led by an orChes-
ira. and singing carols. Each child
holds aloft either a Christ-child in a
manger of a crucitiX.
In scandinavian Countreis week
is given to merrymaking. Every one
aoes to o'clock church on the dark
Christmas morning and in the evening
every home in the land is Illuminated.
They have wonderful trees, around
which grown people and children
dance and sing. The Scandinavian
CHILD is very good to the poor on
christmas and takes gifts and food
to poor families.
Table Decorations.
new and novel table decoration
is when red and green beads are
used to form the chief interts,. Two
circles Of beads in these colors should
be arranged on mirror and the
mirror placed in the center of the
table. A bowl placed in the center
Of the mirror holds a plant made of
glass flowers or flowers made from
beads. Glass or shell flowers can be
attached to the mirror by chains Of
the colored beads. Beads can also
lie used effectively as a decoration
FOR a polished table.
The star idea can be nicely carried
out in various ways for table
decoration. A star mat of gilt paper
can be placed in the center of the
table and one under each plate. on
the center mat place a bowl of red
poinSettia or a pot of red geraniums
in bloom. A star can be outlined in
the center of the table with holly
or evergreen and the center of the
star filled in with red flowers or
rranberries in A little heap.
4 star formed OF nine cones is at
tractive. Outline the star with red
ribbon. The points can be finished
with mistletoe and a spray or two
of it placed in the center. If this is
not obtainable. use holly. A solid
star made of evergreen with a tiny
Christmas tree rising from the
center makes a pretty centerpiece.
Decorate the tree with tiny gilt
stars. Candle shades, decorated with
gilt stars. can be used effectively.
! liked, thin wreath of evergreen
can trim the edge of the shades.
Fancy baskets filled with sprays of
holly, mistletoe. flowers. fruits and
nuts can be used very effectively for
centerpieces. A pretty white basket
filled with ferns and carnations
makes a very nice decoration. The
basket also can be set on a mat
formed with sprays of ferns. The
plumosa asparagus is nice for this
purpose with it's delicate beauty. \
red basket heaped up with green
grapes with small sprays of holly or
bitter sweet berries stuck in the
spaces, or around the edge, is also
effective. When a basket is used in
the center of the table # is nice to
have small baskets to match at each
plate filed with bonbous.
The few days after Christmas are
among the jolliest times in the whole
year to entertain friends, as the
Christmas tree will lend a gay spirit
and will also make a suitable decora-
tion for any festivity, whether it be
a luncheon, dinner, dance or an in
formal afternoon or evening party.
For a bride to-be, a Christmas party
would be the very thing, as the tree
would be an ideal place to hang the
shower" whether it be handker-
chiefs or tinWare.
Games for Young Folks.
When seriously described, the fol-
lowing games may seem very simple,
but when tried they will be found to
require steadiness of hand and accu-
TaCY of Their extreme SiD1n1ic-
ity makes them easily played. and
the fun they will excite will break
the ice however thick
Game No. 1.--As each guest enters
the room, the hostess pins to his or
her back a card bearing the name of
some person well known to all pres
ent. A local celebrity, national
hero or a character from fiction may
be chosen, the only requisite being
familiarity. The task is for each
guest to discover by clever question
ing what every one else In the room
knows-that is, whom is he supposed
to represent? After Is minutes of
questioning, he may discover that the
name pinned to his back in his own.
This game may be varied by using
pictures, perhaps illustrations cut
from newspapers or magazines, in
place of the cards with names written
thereon.
Game No. 2.-Place in the middle of
a table a bowl partly filled with
dried beans. Provide each contestant
with strong steel hat pin. Let vic
tory belong to the guest who spears
and removes from the dish within the
allotted time the greatest number of
beans, or you can substitute marbles
for the beans and pair of knitting
needles for the hat pin. The task of