SOME OF THE WINNERS' WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 303, 22 December 1926, Page 24

SOME OF THE WINNERS' WORK.

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS. Winner Christmas Story Competition, R. Sutclifie, 0.5.8., 46, Lincoln Street, Ponsonby. Age 13. "What is the spirit of Christinas, my friend ? " Listen. Last night I dreamed a dream so strange that it impressed itself _ upon my mind so tnat even now I can still see every incident again as clear as the day; and, as it, I think, contains many answers to your somewhat extensive question, I shall tell you of it. I found myself a spirit, invisible to all except myself and with the power to pass . through all substance. 'Twas Christmas morn and I floated into a room —a little child's bedroom. There ', saw a tiny girl spreading about her in great array, the hosts of toys. Every second she gave a joyous shout as some new thing came to light, and there were very many such new things. I then found myself transported to another home. Ah, how different was it from the first. Old, broken bedsteads did I see, patched and threadbare old blankets, carpetless floors and bare walls. But in one corner was a little boy with an old, tattered dog (bought, no doubt, from a second-hand store) and emitting even more cries of joy than the little girl as he pummelled it about. Again I left. The scene was in a little old country church. It was crowded with happy people, and they all sang these lines of some hymn:— "What means this glory round our feet," Tlie Magi museil, "more bright than morn 1" And voices chanted clear and sweet, "To-day the Prince of Peace is born." "What means that star," the shepherd said, "That brightens through the rocky glen?" And angels answering overhead. Sang, "Peace on earth, goodwill to men." All then faded before mc. 'Twas a table loaded with Christmas goodies—cakes, sweets, ham, nuts, raisins, fruit, a huge cake with thick, delectable sugar icing on it. Kound the table were children, happy and joyous, laughing, gay. Then it faded. I saw dimly a vast stretch of snow. I saw staggering across it the figure of a man, stumbling and falling. Faintly I heard, "I must go on! I must! He will forgive mc. I must! " Then I was in a room in which was seated an elderly man with grey locks, and a careworn face. In his eyes Avere tears as he gazed at the photo of a young man whose face was identical with the face of the man I had seen struggling in the snowy wastes. "My boy; oh| John, I forgive you. But come to mc! Come! " Then through the door stumbled the straggler. "Father! " he cried. . "Forgive mc, I am dying." The old man, after recovering from the violent shock of surprise, said, "My son, you have done grievous wrong, but I forgive you. This is Christmas, and was not Christ born on this day to forgive? Christmas means happiness and forgiveness. You shall not die, my son. No, My dream ended. I leave you to judge for yourself the Spirit of Christmas, my friend. Third: William Turner, Mount Royal Avenue, Mount Albert. Age 15. The wheel of life has once more revolved, and another year is about to be compassed; one more turn is about to mark the passing of the old and the advent of the new , . We stand upon the threshold of another year. We are witnessing the death of an old friend and the birth of a new. Like one who is a-weary the old year gathers about him all his proven friends, and amidst the joyful peals of merry laughter, and illumined by the sparkle and lustre of joyful eyes, is preparing for his farewell feast and revelry. His abdication is marked with open cheer and levity of heart, not as if we were glad to part with him, but in the spirit of a farewell to a companion about to return to his own. Christmas is come, and the season of hospitality and open-heartedness is at hand. And the spirit that marks this time! There is and could be only once when such a spirit is manifested. It is fitting that we rejoice and make holiday in celebration of the great event that was enacted nearly 2000 years back. The spirit of the birth of a Saviour is in us. And this spirit is that profound feeling which urges the sailor home from the seas, the hunter from the hills, the traveller from foreign strands, to gather round the festive boards in.the old home. A hearty welcome is assured, and the longing for that wonderful-smile, that soothing' word and that loving kiss, that even the storms of many years of trials cannot efface, become so cogent that all must answer to the spirit of Christmas. And the pure joy, the absolute happiness of it all. The old home, the merry voices, the fun, the jest, the loud laugh that speaks the vacant mind, the happy faces of young and old; and far and away above all, the sweet content that rests upon the faces of the aged parents,, is a scene that only a Christmas can unfold. For one brief spell the. cares of life are forgotten, and bluff and hearty honesty flows out; towards everyone everybody seems to exhibit that sublime happiness that even the very flowers seem to breathe forth at Christmas. Staid old men and matronly ladies lay aside all the-dignity that their position has assumed; people who are about to curtain Shakespeare's fifth stage, mother, father, uncles, aunts and friends, all unbend and enter into the spirit of the occasion with as much

hilarity as the most exuberant of the children. Proverbs, forfeits, blind man's bluff and all the other time-worn games that never stale, are enjoyed with a zest that is surprising. And who enjoys it the most. Probably it is the "grownups." How ludicrous, yet how so very homely is it to see portly gentlemen with ruddy countenances fairly Learning with benevolence and streaming with perspiration, groping round to grasp the elusive bluffers of the blind man. And when the fun begins to lag, and limbs that no longer can keep pace with the spirit that is in them, tire, chairs are drawn up, pipes or cigarettes are lighted, children nestle in at the feet of the elders, and round and round go the yarns. Experiences are exchanged, daring deeds are reenacted, and talks of the good old times are listened to by the open-mouthed younger children. Dad must have been a veritable Tom Sawyer, a regular desperado, as the tales of his adventures are recounted. Each year his glory increases. Then with marked attention the family hear the old story that is ever new, told by grandfather or grandmother. That it always starts so many years ago before "the night of the big wind," does not weary eager listeners. And thus they sit and talk and smoke, till old hearts are tired and the gathering breaks up. Friends go amidst a salvo of Happy New Years, and all the rest retire for the night. To-morrow Jim goes back north again, and the next day Elsie must be off for Wellington. Thus they drift apart again, until a week after no one is left but the,old parents, I happy in the return of their children and I more strongly than ever dependent upon each other's love. They look forward with dim eyes to their few remaining Christmases, hoping they will be as merry, bright and happy as the one just gone. This is the manner and spirit in which many a Christmas is spent—a spirit of loyalty, good fellowship, merriment and bluff heartiness, in which the joy of this festive season finds expression in tho words of Tiny Tim: "A merry, merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everybody." Fourth, David Templeton, Hutton Road, Birkenhead. Age 16. "Love dwoll within your heart. Peace shine upon your hearth; Then shall the Christmas joy Ne'er from your home depart." The true spirit of Christmas can be best described as love and goodwill towards men. Most people like to express their affections in a practical way—hence the giving of gifts at the Christmastide. It was the custom among the Romans to make gifts to each other at their winter festival, and this custom also may have descended to us from antiquity. But Christians like to feel that it is because I the Wise Men brought gifts to the Infant Jesus, and because of the gift of God to the world. Gifts to the poor seem from the earliest Bible times to have been an expression of a thankful heart. We bring Him gifts when we give to those who are in need. The gift should never count as much as the giving. The goodwill and love that prompts the giver must be the supreme factor in the gift. Material presents very often break or wear -dut, but a thought once given to the world is never lost. The best gift that can be given to a friend is that which is prompted by the love of the giver, and gifts received never fully satisfy the giver unless they are received in the spirit in which they are given. - It. is sometimes said that the ancient Christmas spirit is passing, that the fes-: tival no longer exercises the spell over the'imaginations of young and old that it used to do; and that the family gatherings for which it was once the supreme occasion, are being replaced by other and more promiscuous attractions. That some change in the manner of keeping Christmas is observable is admitted, but it does not imply that we are any less susceptible to the real meaning of the institution. The Christmas season is above all the season of goodwill, of kindness and social gatherings of friends. It is a time when the best has special opportunity of com--1 ing to the top, of finding unhindered expression in an atmosphere of love. We are glad to get away from the hard. 1 workaday world, if only for this one ! period in the year, and abandon ourselves • to the influence of unrestrained good- ■ fellowship. We are always better if we ; can succeed in maintaining the celebraL tions on the right level. 1 Goodwill towards men is essential to '■ the progress and welfare of any people, i Let us put aside the disturbing factors ■ of everyday life and determine that the ' coming Christmas season shall be the " brightest and best for us all. In the 1 forgetting of one's self and thinking of ! others, we shall experience a pleasure and ' satisfaction which will do much to : achieve this end.