CHRISTMASTIDE

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 349, 16 January 1912, Page 2

CHRISTMASTIDE

AMONG THE CHILDREN

So many kind friends m town and cohntry have sent gifts m money and kind, that I, " The One Who Looked On," want to give you some little idea of our Christmastide festival. I say Christmastide, for Christmas Day itself was only the concentrated essence of all the before and after delights. To the grown-ups, perhaps no realisation comes up to the anticipation ; but m children's minds, and especially m those who are trained to always believe a promise, and whose elders are careful never to promise what they cannot perform, anticipation and realisation go : hand m hand to make up their perfect bliss. Of course, for weeks before, the new ones had to be initiated by the "old identities" m the Home into the delights of Santa Claus. Then the all-important day came when everyone was supplied with paper and pencil and told to write a letter to the kind old gentleman, and tell him very politely what they most wished for ; and I must say that he proved himself a most accommodating visitor, for he brought all he was asked for and a great many things besides. Sure enough the postman came and everyone got a postcard from the dear old Santa, saying they must all be ready, "he was coming." And, oh, there was a dreadful lot to do. There were the toy shelves to be tidied so that there might be room for new things when they came, and beet of all there were Christmas carols and festive music to learn, for our children must need remember through whose boundless love comes all the Christmas fun, and they would fain do honor to the Child Christ on His birthday— for only thus will the burden of the world's sorrow, which comes, alas ! too early into so many young lives, be borne bravely and cheerfully and with a courage bred of everlasting hope. At last it was Christmas Eve, and hearts beat and eyes shone and tongues wagged, and everyone was m a whirl of excitement, for wasn't this the night he came? First of all, m chapel, carols must ring out m wplconie, and all must sing their very best, surrounded by the J-pantiful flowers and the wealth of loveliness which Nature, m spite of her sterner mood 6, has lavished upon us. But oh, dear ! would the bright eyes ever close, and the restless limbs ever be 6till? Hour by hour the "One Who Looked On" waited — for Santa Claus's stockings were all ready, but it would spoil all the fun if one little peeper saw him come.

At long i and last, near midnight, all was still, and the "stockings," which were really new bags, nicely embroidered with, each child's name, were deposited on the foot of the bed. Peace and quiet reign supreme. Lights are all out, and everyone sleeps restfully and dreamlessly. Half-past three is sounding, when a murmer of joyous voices rises from one dormitory after another, and soon there are cries of delight and excitement, and calls to special mates to^ " come and see !" But hark! what is that? Someone has stolen down to the chapel, and the tones of the organ are heard, while young and old gather at the top of the 6tairs and sing 'Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.' And then once more laughter and delight. They dive again into the wonderful deposits of their stockings — such lots of things. Beautiful new handkerchiefs, for each girl a lovely new hair-ribbon, a new tooth brush (which m some cases was used to show the new Teddy bears how to clean their teeth), and so on and so on. Was there ever such a jolly family so laden with beautiful gift©? Then came breakfast — bread and butter^ with hundreds-and-thousands on it, so pretty and so nice — and then the walk to St. Paul's, where some of us, perhaps, were somewhat sleepy after our half-past thiee getting up. Home to dinner, and, oh ! the delight of the Christmas pudding, with the threepenny bits m it, which bring luck for all the year. And how carefully it had to be eaten! Just like Gladstone, with his 33 bites, for iU would never do to swallow the money and get that fashionable thing with a long name that grown-up people are always talking about. ' Sleep was very welcome that Christmas night, and next morning there were more "delights." First, our own special service m chapel with the children's best friend there to lead their prayers and praises, special remembrance of absent ones, those who have gone forth into the world from the sheltering arms of the Home for little children ; aiid then afterwards another surprise —a beautiful Christmas house, all covered with snow, and ornamented with statues and full of, what do you think ? Christmas stockings, to be sure, which two kind friends, with hearts full of love for and understanding of little children, had made and brought for them. Bnt surely, surely this waa enough for any children? Not a bit of it! The Christmas tree was yet to come, and the intervening hours to December 28 were taken up m making up .parcels, pinning on names, and choosing which dolls of all the lovely productions that kind friends had dressed for us should be given to each child. Then Thursday after Christmas saw, m 6pite of rain and cold, another band of children at the orphanage— and not only children, but grown-ups too— till 73 happy folk all told were under the roof of the Home, 46 first of all singing their Christmas praises m the flower-decked chapel— for we must never forget we are not only animals, but higher beings, with a touch of the Drvin© within us— then gathering round the festive breakfast tables with laughter and with jest. But what is that at the end of the room? Surely the Christmas tree, waiting for its glory of gifts and ornament ! . And all day long the patient tree stood, while gift after gift was suspended from it, till its branches bowed down with the weight. And at last 3 o'clock came, and a violent ring at the bell was heard, and the 'sound of a horn, and m hobbled poor old Santa Claus, ready for his joyful task of distributing the gifts to the children of the Home. And so the afternoon sped on, and 6.30 came, and with that hour a crowd of young and old from the outside. What mattered the rain and the mud when Father Christmas was waiting for them? Hurry, hurry, and listen when he * calls your name, for you will hear it once and again, and it will be something worth while getting wet for, you may be sure. And then by 8 o'clock the tree is bare, and ringing cheers sound again and again before the big outside family take their departure, and the sleepy family inside are tucked . into their beds to sleep the sleep of the ! U v' And then tlle da y s that follow. How full of joy and contentment they are, with all tho lovely new toys' to play with, the beautiful dolls to dress and undress, the useful workboxes to use for sewing for the said dolls. And when the "One Who Looked On " hae tune to do something besides looking on she finds that no less than 374 gifts have been distributed irom the Church Mission and Orphanage during Cliristmastide, 1912— gifts varying from boots and stockings, groceries, meat, etc., to pictures and sweets and frivolities of all sorts. '