Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-25


Henry MeLenore. make round of
the stores, and any one with that
petty spirit at Christmas time
should be ashamed of himself.
But to figure out in a friendly
manner, all by yourself, how the
cost of what you sent out tallies
with the stuff that came in, is SIM
ply matter of good business. Any
one who doesn't do this is regular
harum-scarum, and stands to lose
a pretty penny before his Christ
masses are over.
Confidentially, I went through
quite narrowing time this Christ
mas Day until we'll along in the
afternoon. During most of the day
it looked as if I were going to take
bad financial kicking AS late az
100 pm. a quick inventory of my
presents showed me to be around s.
in the red.
was getting pretty ugly about
the whole thing, and mentally shave
ing down my next years Christmas
list, when there was a knock at tho
door. 1t was Matty Bell and Addie7
with what turned out to be about 81
worth Of presents, or a clean profit
Of almost $l.25 over Matty Bell
and Addie. This cheered me con.
siderably. Even if this marked the
end of my gifts. figured to myself,
wasn't going to let a measly 81 loss
spoil my Christmas. After all, there
is such a thing as friendship and
good cheer and 1t Is better to give
than to receive.
I was filled with the sweet spirit
OF the Yuletide when, 10 and behold,
the Johnny Broadnaxes dropped in
bearing gifts which put me out of
the red and into the blue. I felt so
good about the way things had
worked out that I came within an
ace OF mixing bowl of punch and
asking everyone to have some. Only
the lack of a punch bowl, and the
ingredients to go in the punch,
stopped me from making this
gesture.
Now, to change the subject just
bit, how do you feel about taking
presents that have been given you
back to stores and changing them
for something else? Do you think
It's perfectly all right. or do you
feel that it's wrong? Does 1t violate
the st. Nicholas code of ethics?
wish 7 knew, because I suffer a
great deal each Christmas before I
trot down and exchange the bulk of
my presents. After all, my con-
science tells me, the gifts were sent
to me because the givers picked
them out for me. feeling they suit
ed me. But my conscience must be
the most anemic little wrestler that
ever went to the mat with a man,
because I have never lost single
fall to it since I started wrestling it
many years ago.
| Tough on the Nerves.
exchanging gifts at store Is not
only tough on the ccnscience-it is
tough on the nerves. You never can
| tell if the man who gave YOU those
sleeve holders is going to pop up be-
side you at the counter just when
you are turning them in for any,
thing else in the store. Stores
should furnish small masks for pa
irons to wear when they come
skulklng back after Christmas to
get rid of the stuff they don't want.
Some people have told me that
they save the presents they don't
ike and use them the following
Christmas for gifts. That's all right
Tor some people, but not for this dis
orderly soul. You know who would
get the sleeve holders the next year.
don't you? That's right. the man
VINO sent the sleeve holders to me.
After Christmas, 1943, I wouldn't
nave a friend in the world. When a
man sends you sleeve holders or
DOCK ends you can be pretty sure
that he doesn't want to get them
back.
But enough, there's a pretty girl
uiioer the mlstletoe. This old roue
ana Observation-Disclosures must not lot
tne cnance pass. En- guarde, girl!
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