FOR THE LITTLE ONES

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 29, 4 February 1933, Page 17 (Supplement)

FOR THE LITTLE ONES

WHY IS CHRISTMAS SO FAR AWAY?

A SUGGESTION TO SHORTEN THE YEAR,

My Dear Little Friends, Here we are on February 4, the long-looked for Christmas has passed, the holidays are over, and the first week of school finished too. When 1 was very small 1 used to think that a year was an awful long time, and it seemed that 'tween Christmases was a whole lifetime. The holidays, of course t used to simply fly by—never was there a holiday too long. Once I remember being promised something I wanted very much for my next birthday. Oh, was there ever a birthday so far away—ages and ages it seemed. As we grow older the days seem to pass ever so quickiy—there are not half enough days in a week, whilst a year is all too short. Yet there is no actual difference in the length of a day, a week or a year; and so I began to wonder just why they seem longer or shorter according to our age. For a long time I puzzled and puzzled, bat no answer came unti. at last I hit upon what I thought was the secret. The older we grow the more work we find to do. True, we do not have school with its definite number of hours' work each day, but instead yre have the work-a-day world, and a living to earn. The day that used to start at nine commences at eight or, possibly, earlier, and instead of trotting off home at three, another two hours' work yet remains. Then, agaih, new interests come into our lives. "We take active part in sports associations, associations for the fun and 'welfare of other people or for the greater enjoyment of our own leisure hours. The few odd moments that are left over between the wdrk and play activities are filled with thoughts of what we have done or plans for what we hope to do in ihe day to come; and so, almost before we realise it, a long day has slipped by and the next one is at hand. This brings an idea to my mind which will help many of my little friends to quicken up the days that are long and add greater enjoyment to the holidays that are only too short. If keeping our minds and hands busy is the secret of making time pass quickly, all my little friends can easily arrange this for themselves. Let everyone of us find a particular hobby which will fill in all the spare moments that we have. There are scores of things to do and such interesting ones too. A little boy I know has made a whole lot of outdoor candlesticks by using a jam jar decorated with pretty paper, the finished article looking very like a Chinese lantern. Then there are other things to be done. The Sunnytown series, which we all so enjoyed not long ago, can be made up by ourselves very easily by cutting from picture books, magazines and newspapers all the pretty and suitable pictures, mounting them on cardboard and making a big model city. There are lots and lots of other ideas which mother or your school teacher would suggest to you, so I do hope to hear from you before very long and learn that each one of my hundreds and hundreds of readers has taken up some activity to fill in spare z' f) time and so stop the hours from seeming so long.