The Washington times., 1927-12-24
Here's Your Chance
to Indulge Ycur
Desire to Give
BY Beatrice Fairfax
An Authority on the Problems Of
Love and Marriage

Love and Marriage
MERRY CHRISTMAS to yot
4N1 dear readers, one and all
Nay the joy of the great holiday
snvelop you tonight as well as to
morrow.
Are you still as enthralIed b.
the romance of Christmas as II
those days long ago, when yoI
hung up your stocking trustfully
on Christmast Eve and listened tC
the loved poem, beginning:
Twas the night before Christ
mas and all through the
house,
Not a creature was stirring, moi
even mouse?
I hope so, yet I would not be
greatly surprised II there are
thousands OF tired girls asking
themselves, tonight: After all,
is Christmas worthwhile"
Perhaps you have been anxious
and hurried in your effort to meet
the demands of the custom of
Kift.giving. Possibly, despite all
your efforts and those Of the pa.
tient, overburdened salespeople,
you feel you have not made the
wisest selections. You wonder
whether your mailed parcels will
arrive on time.
You have spent far more than
you should. And you have an uIl-
comfortable feeling that you have
forgotten one or two friends you
especially want to remember.
You have, been rushed at home
getting ready for the big Christ
mas party and more rushed than
usual at the office. because of the
approaching holiday. Your head
aches.
You wonder uneasily, whether
Jack will like the simple little
gift you sent him-just beauti-
fully bound book by his favorite
author. You remember the mis-
take you made last year. of giving
Dick rather expensive cuff links.
Dick, who is working his way
through law school, couldn't af-
ford to give presents. except
Christmas candy. And his pride
was so stung because your gift to
him was SO much more costly
than his greeting to you that he
stopped coming to see you. On,
yes, it's easy to make mistakes in
Christmas giving!
After all, you may decide
wishing the while you felt less
wornout for the party-that this
Christmas idea Is a mistake and a
nuisance except, of course, for the
kiddies and the poor. who should
be remembered. You may con-
clude that YOU are as much a
victim of Christmas as tie fat
turkey in the kitchen ice box.
All this criticism of Christmas
Eift.giving on the part of many
persons is quite just. A CONNER
cialized Christmas becomes a
dreadful bore, sooner or later-so
much so that on the morning
after, we are likely to sigh:
"Thank Heaven, that's over!
The difficulty arises because
we stress the demands Christmas
makes on us and our pocketbooks.
Christmas. is not demand, but
merely an opportunity.
Christmas is just what we make
OF it. 1t presents wonderful op-
Dortunity for simple happiness
and wise giving. II we fail to
make the best of the opportunity
should we blame Christmas or
blame ourselves?
The great thing is to break
through the belief that we have to
spend more than we should, that
we have to keep up with our
friends, that we must return
social obligations by means OF
Christmas presents. If you would
rather not give presents this year
why do you give them? Who is
making you? Why do you do it
IL you don't wish to? If you do
want to give and can give, then,
give with all your heart and get
every bit of fun you can from the
privilege.
know a girl who is working
for small salary and simply can
not keep up with her richer
friends in the matter Of Christ.
mas giving. About Thanksgiving
time she buys goodly supply of
excellent note paper-almost her
only outlay of money for Christ
mas gifts except the cost of
postage. She works a little while
each evening on these notes Of
greeting.
Making out her list OF friends.
she writes a Christmas thought to
each one-a sweet, loving, indi-
vidual greeting. Her only other
gifts are a few toys for the
youngsters and a contribution to
q fund for the poor.
This girl loves Christmas. And
for her the holiday is free from
ostentation, free from CONNER
cialism, filled with the real spirit
Of Christmas.
Do her friends criticize and
snub her because she spends so
little on their gifts? On the
contrary, every one looks forward
eagerly to her hand-written Christ.
mas cards, which are sure to be
spontaneous. jolly and friendly.
And the young man who matters
most of all, has found courage
to ask her to share his rather
small income as his wife. because
he knows that with her inde-
pendGnce. her sense of humor and
of real values, she realizes the
comparatively small part dollars
and cents need play in the
romance of love and marriage as
well as the romance of Christ.