Evening star., 1942-10-26

Henry McLemore. morning when
we'll tear into gifts from friends
and relatives that we hope were
as thoughtful as we were. .
Christmas shopping In OCTOBER
isn't easy. It's like eating oysters
in the R-less months. There IS
nothing wrong with it, but the old
enthusiasm isn't there. There are
no children to step on your toes.
no waves Of fierce, determined
parents to fight your way through.
no tired sales clerks to snap at
YOU no hurrying, scurrying shoppers
to knock the packages from your
arms, novel, none of the charm
ing, traditional part Of Christmas
shopping that makes the eyes
sparkle and the blood boil.
The counters haven't been picked
over, either. To those OF us who
have always done most of our
Christmas buying just split second
before the manager Of the store
put on his hat and started locking
the doors on Christmas Eve, a full
and abundant counter is confusing.
We just didn't know what to do
when confronted with counter
that had gloves that matched IN
size, ties that didn't look as II
they had been sent over Niagara
in a barrel, and toys that really
worked. 4 X X +
And there was no queue half a
mile long in front Of the wrapping
booth. Almost as much a part OF
Christmas as having to get up
before you want to Christmas morn
ing is the happy, tedious, foot-shift-
ing wait in the line before the
wrapping window, which is always
manned by 12-year-old girl who
got the job because she had 10
thumbs and her mind on something
else besides tying bundles. What
kind of a Christmas is Christmas
that doesn't find your feet tired?
We plan to take 10-mile hike
Christmas Eve just to preserve this
part of the happy Noel. Darned If
we're going to be a spoil sport by
getting up feeling good and rested
Christmas morning.
Still, there is good chance that
? before December 25 we will have to
go on another shopping tour. At
the moment, as we said before, all
the gifts we intend giving are pres
ent and accounted for, but tempta-
ton is raising its attractive head.
There are a couple of ties upstairs,
all done up in red ribbon. that we
are liable to wear before Christmas.
THAI deep maroon one we bought
for Albin is in especial danger. 1t
would 60 perfectly with our gray
suit. To keep this honest we might
as we'll admit we have tried it on.
1t looked good, too, even with the
loose knot we tied to keep 1t from
wrinkling.
Since we bought that straight
grain pipe for Uncle Orvile we have
wondered more than once II he
really would like it. He never has
gone in for very fancy pipes, and
probably would prefer natural
grain that he could break in his own
way. Wait minute and let me 60
get that pipe. Uh-huh, we were
right. Looking at it here, we are
surer than ever that he wouldn't
care for it. Maybe we'd better
break it in for him. Now that we
have smoked it, We'll have to get
him another. They'll never accuse
us of sending secondhand pipes to
favorite uncle.
Wonder how we'd look with
Albin's maroon tie on, smoking
Uncle Orville's pipe, and wearing
the smoking jacket we got for
Cousin Buster. That sounds like a
pretty swell setup. We have a
feeling that Cousin Buster Is too big
for the smoking jacket, anyway We
forgot when we were buying it that
Aunt Bess Gin her last letter. said
that Buster had picked up lot Of
weight. Just minute and we'll get
it out of the closet. Who would
have thought that? 1t fits us as If
it were made for us. The color is
our color, too, even if we do say so.
Yep, We'll be shopping again. This
October shopping just won't work.
distributed by McNauRht Syndicate. Ine.)