Just Before Christmas

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 72, 17 December 1938, Page 11 (Supplement)

Just Before Christmas

J)EAR Members All, — Excitement is in the air this week! The hustle and bustle of just-beforc-Christmas has brought throngs of people to the citv streets. Shop windows are gay with sparkling silver tinsel and scarlet and green Christmas colours. Tram-car bells jingle merrily, and everyone smiles over the top of armfuls of bulky parcels. Oh yes, excitement is in the air.

All the week members have been hurrying into the League office zvith mysterious packages for Sunshine Box. The box has quite overflowed, and there arc scrapbooks and toys all about the room waiting for the final judging. Letters arc full of holiday plans—and for some members today is the first day of the holidays! Of course, some schools closed a week ago ', but most of you have been spending this week in “break-up” fun. Who minds an extra week if it is spent on rambles outdoors, swimming classes, handcrafts, and even concerts and fancy-dress dances? This week, too. with the salute of 21 guns, we celebrated the King’s birthday. As the noon sirens shrieked and the clocks struck the first of the twelve chimes, the salute began. On the city side of the sunlit harbour 1 watched and listened. The big gun boomed, after a second cailic a spurt of flame from the end of Point Jerninghain, and then a puff of white smoke rolled with the wind back over the hills Boom!—spurt o f flame—smoke puff. 1 watched it 2T times', fascinated by the muffled roar, the second’s wait before the jet of flame shot harbourwards, and the white smoke u'hich curled up and lost itself swiftly. I wonder how many ■ Leaguers have near-to-Christmas birthdays, too? There is a wore exciting week to come, and next time you read the . . page it will be Christmas Eve! 7\ Happy holidays.