The Press Junior THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1936. Christmas

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21974, 24 December 1936, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Press Junior THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1936. Christmas

To-morrow is a day which will round off a most important and exciting and busy time; all the Sdreds of letters and cards carSing wishes for a merry ChnstSJs will be received; all the presents will be unwrapped, from their rustling, crackling paper and all the good things, the fruit, sweets, nuts and cakes will be eaten or partly eaten. And what fc the meaning of it all? Here we have been, girls and boys, men and women, busily shopping, busily making and busily preparing for weeks, to help our relatives and friends spend one especially cheering day. If anyone asks why, the reply is: because it is Christmas day, a day of special rejoicing and gladness. This is quite true; custom has made it so. Custom has made Christmas Day a day of great feasting and merrymaking in most parts of the world. Bat when we consider that the day is meant by the Christian church to be kept as a day of rejoicing for the birth of the Saviour more than 1900 years ago, we must look at our modern customs to see how they have changed since the days of old. Once there were many more church services on the day: it was a most strange and surprising thing for a healthy person to stay away from worship all through the day; all the feasting and merry-making was closely connected with the church and all the people gave thanks for their religion. Now at first sight it does not look very sensible for us to keep Christmas Day if we do not keep it in thanksgiving closely in touch with churches. But this need not be so; for next to the words "A Merry Christmas" those most closely connected with the day are the old ones of the heavenly Host crying "On earth peace, goodwill toward men." And in the giving of presents and wishes and smiles the people of the earth are acting upon this most wise of all advices. "The one foolish thing is this: the advice of the Host need not be taken to heart on one day only in all the year; Christmas Day need not be the only glad day in the year, or even the most glad day among a few pleasant ones. Why should the phrase "A Merry Christmas" be a wish for December 25 only? Why should there not be on earth peace and goodwill all the days of the year? This would be true carrying out of the heavenly advice, a true realisation of the glad tidings the angel carried to the shepherds in the Holy Land. The spirit of giving need not always show itself in gifts and

calendars; everyone can afford a cheerful look or a smile on any day of the year. When we wish our readers a merry Christmas and a particularly happy and pleasant new year, we wish them also merry months all the year round and hope that they will all find lria warmer and more friendly everyday,