Evening star., 1959-12-16
CHRISTMAS AT OUR
HOUSE

Make Believe Oysters
This will be Just q pretend
visit - and that viii have
one advantage: You'll only
have to eat pretend oysters.
I'll tell you about our
house so that you can mag
line you are here. In the
first place, there's our dog.
His name Is Belshazzar be-
cause in Old Testament
times there was a king
named Belshazzar who gave
q great feast for a thousand
lords, and every time we see
Belshazzar eat we feel as
though we're feeding a thou
sand lords, too. Belshazzar
Is q Great Pyrenees. He's
so big you can ride on his
back. Our children do.
Our house will make you
think of o pioneers cabin OF
in the woods. We asked the
men who built 1t to leave the
logs showing and the walls
rough, like those Of an old
fashioned log cabin. It's just
the place to run and make
things and ride Belshazzar
and not worry about the fur
niture.
Bunch Of Cousins
And If you like to do things
with people your own age, I'm
sure you'll like it up here. We
have 1lve children of our
own and at Christmas time
there is always q bunch Of
cousins, too. Our own chill
dren are:
Gigi (sEe's the oldest. and
her real name isn't Gigi-it's
Virginia.;
Ann (who has such q short
name we couldn't make it
any shorter;
Bunny (Bunny's real name
is Ruth, like mine):
Franklin (whose real name
Is Franklin;
Ned Ishort for Nelson Ed
mani.
So you'll be certain to find
someone your own age to do
things with.
But now let's say that it's
Christmas morning. The tree
Is over there by the window,
with the presents beneath it
and its branches loaded down
with warm-colored lights,
candy canes, ornaments, and
the smallest gifts.
Stockings for Everyone
And here in front Of the
enormous fireplace are the
stockings, one for every child
and cousin and, Of course,
one for you. The presents
have to wait until after
breakfast. but the stockings
are for now.
Our children think break
fast takes forever on Christ
mas morning. Never do the
grownups eat so much. They
sit around and drink cup
after cup Of coffee, and they
lean back and talk about how
long it's been since they were
all together, and they even
waste precious minutes look
ing out over the valley and
saying what a lovely day
It is.
But then comes the won
derful moment when finally
they're through and every
one goes back into the living
room to open the presents.
1t takes a long time be.
cause everyone wants to see
what everyone else has. But
finally the very last package
is opened. The floor is q
heap Of paper and ribbons
and the grownups are saying,
as they did last year, that it's
really too much and next
year they will have to cut
down.
Time for the Story
And now comes time for
the Christmas story. The
children's father opens the
Bible to the second chapter
Of the Book of Luke.
When he begins to read the
room Is suddenly still, with a
special stiffness that it has
only at this time on Christ
mas morning. We are very
quiet as we listen again to
the wonderful story:
And it came to pass in
those days, that there went
out a decree from Caesar Au-
gustus, that all the world
should be taxed. And all
went to be taxed. every one
into his own city. And Joseph
also went up out of the
city Of Nazareth unto the
city Of David, which Is called
Bethlehem to be taxed
with Mary, his espoused wife,
being great with child. 4,
"And she brought forth her
ftrstborn son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and
laid him in q manger; be-
cause there was no room for
them in the inn.
And there were in the
same country shepherds abid-
ing in the field, keeping
watch over their flock by