CHRISTMAS BRIEFS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14250, 22 December 1909, Page 9 (Supplement)

CHRISTMAS BRIEFS.

The toy-rrakers of Paris do an enormous export trade in 10-cent-ime and 20centime Christmas novelties. Some East End smnll money-lenders make themselves quite popular during Christmas week by charging no interest on loans outstanding. "Gloves, overcoats, and raw weather are all against Christmas 'tipping,'" i 3 tile wail of a railway porter at a certain big junction busy at that time of year. Austrian peasants may bo said to do their "spring-cleaning" at Christmastime, at the advent of which every home is thoroughly turned out and cleaned, as also are all its contents. "Wo provide lunch for hundreds of business men every day," says a '_,ond n re-stuurant-keepw, "and 'Christmas pudding, 3d a portion,' goes well .ip to De- j cember 24. Alter that the sale drops 75 per cent." So great was the glut of flowers l.ist Christmas-time in some parts of lie Rivi- | era that of hundreds of thousands of has- j kets intended for Paris and London whole stacks had to be left behind for want of train room. In the North of England, on Christmas Eve, some persons, though arrived at mature age, continue to hang up their stockings, this being intended to indicate that the owner of the stocking has still ample facilities for accepting presents. To avoid spoiling the stone or woodwork by driving in nails, one London church was last Christmas decorated by placing a 15ft fir tree, in a tub, under each of the nave arches, and having in the chancel holly and fir trees alternately. Highland deer in winter time are often hand-ted, and going out on a snowy Christmas morning to give them a meal affords amusement to the guests at not a few Scottish mansions. Good winter care of the deer results later on in more exciting sport in hunting, better venison, and finer antlers. The night before Christmas Day is, as a rule, a period of comfort and cordiality. Very different it last year proved to numbers of holiday-makers on their way to Ireland. Waiting at Greenock for steamers that were being held up by dense fog, they had to spend Christmas Eve in the waiting-room there. The Emperor of Austria likes to spend Christmas with his children and grandchildren *t Wallsee, the estate in Styria (Austro-Hungarv) of his daughter, • the Archduchess Marie Valerie. When the Emperor goes there many guns and gamebags for shooting, as well as bales of toys and other presents, precede him. Christmas-time American visitors to English shores quite often wax enthusiastic at sight of a "real old English" holly bush, covered with red berries. At Nic 3 where, in the Christmas llower market, large bunches of roses, lilies, carnations, etc.. can be bought for a few pence, tiny sprigs of holly and mistletoe sell for high prices. Constantinople, has a large Greek population, and a curious difference xists between one custom of the Greeks and the native Turks. Greek servants expect to receive Christmas gifts from their employers ; but the Mohammedan servant, instead, makes a peresent to his master. Generally, it takes the form of tweetmeats of some kind. Leadfenhall Market salesmen declare that geese have "gone out of fashion" with the working classes as Chris I ,mns fare. Inquiring the reason, one workingman said: "Look here! I buy a 101b goose, and get, perhaps, 31b of meat off it. That means food at 2s a lb! Well, when you come to think of it, why don't I go in for sturgeon and pineapples?" Christmas-time, 1903, will long 1 3 remembered by the people of one r tall group of towns in the Pyrenees. Snow broke the electric light wires, and left the district in darkness; it also stopped the electric railway, the only means if communication with the outside world. Thrsj avalanches fell, destroying many buildings, blocking a river, ana so causing a flood. Ski-running is fast becoming popular : n Scotland ; and if there be only plenty of snow there this Christmas-time many hardy northerners will then be indulging in the pastime. The district >uth of Loch Ness appears to be that most suited for ski-running, for tho moors there, often heavily covered with snow that has a hard surface, are also fairly free from heather. In some parts of the provinces yulelogs—to be purchased of timber dealers, and which, for the sake of convenience, can be had cut up into comparatively small sections—are in greater demand than for some time past. Of them a recent writer has said : " No fire is so pleasant to wheel a chair to on a winter's night, and no fire is so pleasant for family festivities." Christmas itself is not observed as a festival by the Japanese. Instead, to not a few of them, it proves sometimes anything but a period of joy. All debts in Japan have to be settled by New Year's Day, and he who is behindhand, unless his creditor bo a lenient one, will, about - Christmas.time, begin to look round to decide what personal or household effects lie had better take to the great New Year's Eve fair to be sold, in order to realise the required cash. Competent authorities declare that thousands of persons are annually prompted to temporarily become inmates of London workhouses, solely on account of the Christinas and New Year festivities held there. It is estimated that last year the prospect of a sumptuous, gratis, Christmas dinner attracted new pampers at the rate of 2000 per week. Had there been no such feasts, it is believed that the 73,000 paupers in the London workhouses would have been reduced by at least 20,000 in number. On Christmas Eve, last year, the magistrate at Lambeth Police Court received the following letter from a Cambevvell licensed victualler — Sir",—Last eyeing about five p.m. an attempt was mad? '•> ' rinp the changes' on one of my barmaids, but I detected the attempt-, and went to look for the police. The men at once left- the house, leaving the money they had tried to get, together with 10s of their own, with me. I therefore ask if you will allow me to place it in the poorbox of the court," The offer was accepted. and the "changes" were thus " rung" for tho benefit of the needy. The King's annual distribution of Christmas beef to the servants on his Sandringham estate takes place on llii afternoon of Christmas Eve. The beef actually inspected by His Majesty—is set out on long tables in the roomy coachhouse, and is apportioned on tho scale of 21b for each adult and lib for each child in each family. Locally, it Is considered a great honour to be privileged to partake of these joints. His Majesty's liberality is also, though, naturally, on a somewhat less extensive scale, extended to those who, happening to bo living on the estate, do not actually work for its Royal owner.