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How to Celebrate Christmas From Christmas Tide
by Elizabeth Harrison. All festival occasions,

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when rightly used, have a unifying
effect upon the family, neighborhood, Sunday,

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school, church, state, or
nation, in that they direct all

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minds for the time being, away
from self and in one direction toward one

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central thought. The family festivals are
an enormous power in the hands of the

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mother who knows how to use them
or right by means of the birthday anniversaries,

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fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and
above all Christmas, she can direct

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her children's activities into channels of unselfish
endeavor. Of all festivals of the year,

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the Christmas festival is perhaps the least
understood. That is, if one

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is to judge by the manner in
which the day is generally observed, why

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do we celebrate Christmas? What are
we celebrating? Is it not the greatest

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manifestation of life unselfish love that has
ever been revealed to man? And how

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as a rule are children taught to
observe it? Usually by expecting an undue

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amount of attention, an unlimited amount
of injudicious feeding, and a selfish exaction

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of unneeded presence. Thus, egotism, greed, and selfishness are fostered where

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love, generosity, and self denial
should be exercised. The Christmas season is

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the season in which the joy of
giving should be so much greater than that

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of receiving, that the child,
through his own experiences, is prepared somewhat

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to comprehend that great truth. God
so loved the world that he gave his

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only begotten son. For weeks beforehand, the mother can lay her plans by

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means of which each child in the
family may be led to make something,

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or may do without something, or
may earn money for the purchase of something,

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which is to add to his Christmas
job by enabling him to give to

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those he loves, and also to
some less fortunate child, who, but

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for his thoughtfulness, would be without
any Christmas cheer. In this endeavor,

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of course, the mother must join
with heart and soul, else the giving

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is liable to become a mere formal
fulfillment of a taxing obligation. Little children,

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when rightly dealt with, enjoy putting
themselves into the preparations with which they

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are to surprise and please others fully
as much, if not more than they

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enjoy receiving. Presents so near as
yet are they to the hand of God

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that on selfish love is an easy
thing to inculcate. Let me contrast two

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preparations for Christmas which have passed under
my own eye. In the first case,

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I chanced to be in one of
those crowded toy shops where hurried,

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tired women are trying to fill out
their lists of supposed obligations for the Christmas

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season. All was confusion and haste, impatience, and more or less ill

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humor. My attention was directed towards
a handsomely dressed mother leading by the hand

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an over dressed little girl of about
eight years of age. The tones of

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the woman's voice struck like a discord
through my soul. Come on, said

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she petulantly to the child, who
had stopped for a moment to admire some

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new toy. Come on, we
have to give her something, and we

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may as well buy her a couple
of dolls. They'll be broken to pieces

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in three weeks time, but that's
no matter to us. Come on,

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I have no time to wait.
This last was accompanied by an impatient jerk

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of the loitering child's arm. Thus, what should have been the joy of

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Christmas giving was made to that child
a disagreeable, unwilling and useless expenditure of

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money. What part of the real
Christmas spirit, the God Spirit which so

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loved the world, could possibly come
to a child from such a preper for

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Christmas as this, Nor is it
an unusual occurrence. Go into any of

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our large stores and shops just before
Christmas, and you will see scores of

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women checking off their lists in a
way which shows the relief of having one

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more present settled. All the great, true and beautiful spirit of Christmas joy

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is gone, and a mere commercial
transaction, oftentimes a vulgar display of wealth,

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has taken its place. On the
other hand, go with me into

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one of our quiet kindergartens, where
the sunshine without is rivaled by the sunshine

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within. See the white aproned teacher
seat herself and gather around her the group

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of eager children. Listen to the
tones of her voice when she says,

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Oh, children, children, you
don't know what a happy time I am

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going to let you have this Christmas. Just guess each one of you what

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we are going to do to make
this the gladdest, brightest, happiest Christmas

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that ever was. Look into the
eager little faces, anticipating a new joy,

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knowing from past experience that the joy
means effort, endeavor, self control,

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and self denial. Nevertheless, that
it means happiness too. Listen to

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the eager questions and plans of the
children. Some of them Alas are showing

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their past training and selfishness by their
you're going to give each of us a

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present, or you're going to give
a party. Then hear her gleeful answer,

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No, guess again, it is
better than that, better even than

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that. Then, after a pause
during which expectation stands on tiptoe, I

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am going to let each one of
you be a little Santa Claus. We

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are going to make not only Mamma
and Papa happy, but also some dear

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little child who might not have a
happy Christmas unless we gave one to him.

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Listen as I have listened to the
clapping of hands after such an announcement,

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Look at the light which comes into
the eyes. Notice the eager look

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of interest upon each childish face as
all seat themselves at the work table,

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and the plan of work is more
definitely laid out. Go as I have

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gone morning after morning, and see
these same children working patiently, earnestly,

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and continuously upon the little gifts which
are to make Christmas happier for some one

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else. Will you then need to
ask the question as to which is the

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truer way of celebrating the Holy Christmas
time? Not that I would have any

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mother deprived of the pleasure of giving
to her children, any more than I

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would have her children robbed of their
pleasure of giving to others. Let us

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be careful that our gifts are not
gifts of useless profusion, of such articles

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as cultivate self indulgence, vanity,
or indolence. Gifts for children should be

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few and simple, such as are
suggestive and will aid them in the future

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drying out of their own inner thoughts. Or above all, let the joy

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of having given of his best to
some one else be the chief thought of

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the glad Christmas time and of how
to celebrate Christmas. By Elizabeth Harrison