THE GLAD YULE TIDE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1316, 20 December 1911, Page 6

THE GLAD YULE TIDE.

AND BRAVE SHOPS. . Tin; time of tiii; gut cfstom. I Santa Chin- has been in nircli'-s touch . with this pail, of Knrl'h lor a day or I wo, and lie is surely ruining .-aiiie lime , after midnight en Sunday. Kveryhody , i knows what he comes lor, ami if I lie lire I escapes don't puz/.lc him lie nill mi.sl • likely fill up those'-locking., by the bed. j This is I'ir main event in lln n.uiing of '■ | Chri-lmas, a- all the children know, i Cliri-liM.i- i- Ihe lime n lien children 1 (".line into I heir own. uinl heroine lor I lie I minute the ruler- nl" the world. Mere men ((ilk will cea-e woiking, and ■ 1 thev will, in -pile (if | heir wiu-c selves, . think and led lliing.- ju-l a lilllc tlill.t- , ' cully from ordinary Moiulnv thing-. The • Cliri-tian I'e-livul will be itlc.«,ilcil |ht- ■ baps iinl ipiile a- il was when il Has Hie i chief pagan I'e-livul of the jenr, bill Ihe . pagan custom- are a—mi eel by llm-e , which are uppermost, in I lie mind .il < Hie season still called Ynletiile. i First ol" all no one will w.n-k. ami i everyb.idv will make merry iimirdtiig ntaste and nur.-e make possible, ami l.iere • is no spcial or general reason win Ihe I Chrislma.- of 1911 should ha,ve il- jnv > curtailed by poverty or marred by murk- • cry. Onl here our Chrislm:i.-, ha- In he ' part "make believe," for we have no snow, no scarlet lxTries, but th" old ■ English Yule i- no le.-s a joyous sea-cui on that account. It is Ihe Britisher's l.ature lo do things by rule, and he .-oi'tens into the care free habit, nf mind jusl mice, a 1 year. Then he joyously pric.- up the ! loose brick which hide.- his board, and forthwith goes out to look upon a shop. lie buys all kinds of new thing-, and if he is a good pagan he l.uvs none, lor ■' himself. l|i. encouragement of 'he good old Christmas gift custom, the trader- who purvey the suitable good- have this year been making a braver show than usual. Already they are all very busy, but there are still many people who are more interested, in conjecturing whether the Government will resign, whether so-and-so will get the High Commissioner job, and what not of the same sort, than in stocking up. against Christmas. The iXunand for Christmas cards and small reminders for dispatch overseas has been larger than ever, before, but it is easy to understand why, in the past week or two, notion- of j;tace and goodwill have been rather crowded out. Yesterday the trade commenced, in real earliest, and if will no, doubt increase in volume until it'culminates in a frenzied glad hustle on Saturday. Since children are the largos' share- ; holders in the Christmas institution, the. toy shops must have tir.-t mention hero, and the displays of toys in flic special counters in the city are such as to be- ; wilder (lie most piratical small boy. Mechanical devices of startling original- : ity, rocking-horses that look almost alive, Arks with wonderful things inside, dolls dignified ami splendid—all are there, and lots more besides, at lots of high and low prices. < A visitor lo the book shops must be ■ both glad and sorry to leave, for the • show of gift books is immeasurably bet- ■ ter than has ever been obtainable be- ' fore. Perhaps it. is that printing processes have been simplified and perfect- ; ed, reproduction of good illus- : trations possible, for some of the printed. ' pictures by celebrated illustrators lire really art. Then, too, the supply nf daintily-bound classics :ml books of verse, and inexpensive little volumes of [ choice oddments, has been very largely ■ increased. " * " i Jewellers are displaying in profusion ' silverware and plafedware in the chaste designs now favoured, and.also a limitless array of the trinkets which ladies ! use or wear. '. Soft goods people are busy, fitting out people for the gay season, but amon-T them the complaint is fairly general that the belated summer is (ending to spoil their trade, One of th> habits of a Britisher at Christmas time is to cat too richly and too much, and the sellers of things to 1 eat have made preparation for the big ' demand which has already set in. ' These..remarks refer only to lh« classes f of shops where gifts of the,most general * sorts are to be nurehased, but in reality ( every trader.whntever the nature of his ordinary business, is now showing sonic special Hues of goods suitable for pre- 1 sents. They are ali optimistic as to 5 what the week holds for them, and there 1 seems lo be no ."ood reasons why tho c things which make for mirth and glad- 1 ness, and the tokens which cement or.ro- !1 new love« and friendships should nnf be ' circulated this Christmas as widely as s at other like seasons. t t