The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-12-25

The Circle
With
McCREADY HUSTON
McCREADY HUSTON

A LMOST everything written
L n about Christmas has dealt with
the morning. do not recall any
thing dealing with the afternoon
! and the evening-with the languor
! after the dinner, the effort to keep
awake and be kind to the children
and polite to relatives I do not
recall justice being done in print
to the happy little housewife who
keeps the peace after the wear and
tear of Christmas in the home has
begun to get on the nerves Of the
family.
After all, it is the mother who
creates the Christmas and follows
it through. 1t is she who begins to
prepare for it IN November, who
tramps through the December
crowds, buys the presents, guides
the whole household to the great
day. It is she who so often holds
on to the great fundamentals of
| life when the fathers faith fails.
1 base this on observation. Some
times think we would still be liv-
ing in caves if woman's eternal
pressing for the good had not driven
us out into the open.
THE radio has done a great deal
l. to make people understand
Christmas through the medium of
music. For days now it has been
pouring carols into the homes of the
nation and there is no question about
their influence for good. They make
men and women gentler, more con-
siderate Of one another. I was doz-
ing the other evening, as a fellow
will after a hard day in my profess
sion, and was awakened by some
far-off choir, singing the beautiful
phrase, Born is the King of
Israel" 1t got me. I've a son who
is choir boy.
HHRISTMAS afternoon and eve
~ ming are good times for hus-
bands and wives to get out of the
house together, take a tramp in the
snoW-if there is Snow-and do
little checking up. The year is clos
ing. They have had, shall we say.
hard time. They have been cross
With each other. The tendency IF
people to shift blame perhaps has
led to quarrels and bitterness. This
is an opportune moment for think
ing back, approaching others, realiz-
Ing each person makes his own
hell or heaven and not somebody
else.
was talking to a Hoosier archi-
tect the other day. You know what
a time the architects have had. I've
seen a whole room full of conpe-
tent architects working over draw
ing boards on made-work projects
men to whom one might think
the humiliation would be disastrous
Well. this architect had had no
commissions for several years. He
nad lost everything in the material
way that he had accumulated But
ne said with rather twisted little
smile that he and his wife still had
each other.
a ND, after all, you can ALWAYS
play with the boys electric
train. That gets your mind off your
worries. do not know whether it
Is better to go in for the electric
railroad system elaborate, necessi-
tating actual mechanical skill in
setting up and operating, or to limit
it to something the child himself
can handle.
The desire of the father to play
with the train in some households
has made it necessary to set aside
a whole room from which the child.
because he may damage some of
the intricate devices, is almost ex-
Guided. recall an electrical water
fall made by one daddy as a part of
his sons railway system. 1t was
beautiful job, but it didn't mean
much to the boy because it was too
valuable for him to play with.
have always thought-about s.
o'clock on -Christmas-that nince
pie was narcotic which the ply
sicians could adopt. I have drifted
off in hospitals under the influence
of sedatives, but never have I been
as sleepy as after that extra slug
of mince pie which looked SO tempt
ing at dinner.