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Speaker 1: How to Celebrate Christmas From Christmas Tide by Elizabeth Harrison.

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All festival occasions, when rightly used, have a unifying effect

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upon the family, neighborhood, Sunday, school, church, state, or nation,

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in that they direct all minds for the time being,

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away from self and in one direction toward one central thought.

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The family festivals are an enormous power in the hands

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of the mother who knows how to use them or

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right by means of the birthday anniversaries, fourth of July, Thanksgiving,

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and above all Christmas, she can direct her children's activities

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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,

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if one is to judge by the manner in which

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the day is generally observed, why do we celebrate Christmas?

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What are we celebrating? Is it not the greatest manifestation

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

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And how as a rule are children taught to observe it?

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Usually by expecting an undue amount of attention, an unlimited

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amount of injudicious feeding, and a selfish exaction of unneeded presence. Thus, egotism, greed,

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and selfishness are fostered where love, generosity, and self denial

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should be exercised. The Christmas season is the season in

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which the joy of giving should be so much greater

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than that of receiving, that the child, through his own experiences,

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is prepared somewhat to comprehend that great truth. God so

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loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

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For weeks beforehand, the mother can lay her plans by

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means of which each child in the family may be

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led to make something, or may do without something, or

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may earn money for the purchase of something, which is

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to add to his Christmas job by enabling him to

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give to those he loves, and also to some less

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fortunate child, who, but for his thoughtfulness, would be without

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any Christmas cheer. In this endeavor, of course, the mother

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must join with heart and soul, else the giving is

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liable to become a mere formal fulfillment of a taxing obligation.

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Little children, when rightly dealt with, enjoy putting themselves into

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the preparations with which they are to surprise and please

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others fully as much, if not more than they enjoy receiving.

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Presents so near as yet are they to the hand

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of God that on selfish love is an easy thing

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to inculcate. Let me contrast two preparations for Christmas which

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have passed under my own eye. In the first case,

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I chanced to be in one of those crowded toy

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shops where hurried, tired women are trying to fill out

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their lists of supposed obligations for the Christmas season. All

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was confusion and haste, impatience, and more or less ill humor.

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My attention was directed towards a handsomely dressed mother leading

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by the hand an over dressed little girl of about

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eight years of age. The tones of the woman's voice

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struck like a discord through my soul. Come on, said

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she petulantly to the child, who had stopped for a

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moment to admire some new toy. Come on, we have

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to give her something, and we may as well buy

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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.

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Come on, I have no time to wait. This last

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was accompanied by an impatient jerk of the loitering child's arm. Thus,

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what should have been the joy of Christmas giving was

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made to that child a disagreeable, unwilling and useless expenditure

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of money. What part of the real Christmas spirit, the

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God Spirit which so loved the world, could possibly come

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to a child from such a preper for Christmas as this,

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Nor is it an unusual occurrence. Go into any of

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our large stores and shops just before Christmas, and you

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will see scores of women checking off their lists in

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a way which shows the relief of having one more

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

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Christmas joy is gone, and a mere commercial transaction, oftentimes

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a vulgar display of wealth, has taken its place. On

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the other hand, go with me into one of our

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quiet kindergartens, where the sunshine without is rivaled by the

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sunshine within. See the white aproned teacher seat herself and

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gather around her the group of eager children. Listen to

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the tones of her voice when she says, Oh, children, children,

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you don't know what a happy time I am going

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to let you have this Christmas. Just guess each one

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of you what we are going to do to make

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this the gladdest, brightest, happiest Christmas that ever was. Look

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into the eager little faces, anticipating a new joy, knowing

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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

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to the eager questions and plans of the children. Some

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of them Alas are showing their past training and selfishness

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by their you're going to give each of us a present,

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or you're going to give a party. Then hear her

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gleeful answer, No, guess again, it is better than that,

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better even than that. Then, after a pause during which

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expectation stands on tiptoe, I am going to let each

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one of you be a little Santa Claus. We are

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going to make not only Mamma and Papa happy, but

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also some dear little child who might not have a

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happy Christmas unless we gave one to him. Listen as

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I have listened to the clapping of hands after such

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an announcement, Look at the light which comes into the eyes.

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Notice the eager look of interest upon each childish face

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as all seat themselves at the work table, and the

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plan of work is more definitely laid out. Go as

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I have gone morning after morning, and see these same

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children working patiently, earnestly, and continuously upon the little gifts

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which are to make Christmas happier for some one else.

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Will you then need to ask the question as to

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which is the truer way of celebrating the Holy Christmas time?

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Not that I would have any mother deprived of the

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pleasure of giving to her children, any more than I

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would have her children robbed of their pleasure of giving

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to others. Let us be careful that our gifts are

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not gifts of useless profusion, of such articles as cultivate

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

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few and simple, such as are suggestive and will aid

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them in the future drying out of their own inner thoughts.

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Or above all, let the joy of having given of

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his best to some one else be the chief thought

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of the glad Christmas time and of how to celebrate Christmas.

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By Elizabeth Harrison