BACK AGAIN.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20479, 4 December 1934, Page 13

BACK AGAIN.

Father Christmas Lands at Beath’s. DESCENT FROM THE SKY. Father Christmas, at once the. delight of the children and the despair of long-suffering parents, materialised out of thin air at Beath’s, Ltd., yesterday afternoon—the first occasion on which he has gathered the younger generation around him in this locality, but assuredly not the last. Austere adults, without that gift of intuition and imagination possessed by the youngsters, would say* that he was lowered from the top of the new building by* a businesslike crane, but you would not get many children to believe it. He just appeared from the clouds in an enticing entanglement of coloured balloons, red cloak and beard. Fie floated deftly downwards, with balloons marking the progress of his descent, flying skywards when dexterous hands released them. A shrill whistle which those unimaginative parents thought was to hah the crane, announced the arrival of the seasonal visitor at the verandah from which he was billed to speak. By this time Colombo Street was blocked with enthusiastic children and anxious parents. Trams crawled carefully through, but motorists were wiser and avoided this sector of the street, with an eye to speedier travel. Clutching hands grasped at the profusion of balloons that gently drifted groundwards. Father Christmas Speaks. An expectant hush fell as Father Christmas prepared to address the crowd, a performance made notable for the fact that loud speakers dominated the traffic, and even the harsh clangour of the tram gongs as the trams nosed their way through. Father Christmas said that Christchurch had earned the name of “the goodwill city.” The citizens of Christchurcn by their liberal response to every appeal made for the benefit of others less fortunate than themselves had established a record not enjoyed by any other city in the Dominion. That proud record of liberality justified his referring to the city as the goodwill city. That spirit of goodwill permeated the whole community and suggested a natural liberal attitude. The historic corner where Beath’s new building was rapidly nearing completion had witnessed many convivial gatherings, he said, referring to the fact that previously an hotel had occupied a portion of the site. “We want to cherish that spirit,” he said, “not in its literal sense but metaphorically.” By the extension of that feeling of good will every storekeeper large and small, and business people generally, would benefit in common with Beath’s. Attractions Inside. Then, just to whet the appetites of the children, he drew a picture of what sights were to be seen inside, and what the management had provided as treats for Christmas. Such first-hand knowledge pleased everyone, and many a youthful prayer went up to he cloaked and bearded person in dignified discourse from the verandah. It is mostly in dreams onlv that children are privileged to see what Heath s have actually assembled for them in kind in the lower ground floor, and, failing possession, the next best thing was to regard them with eager eyes, if parents could not be persuaded to fumble in pockets or in bags Noticeably the husbands were absent, whether from intent or the plea of f x Pl a nation was probably the same in every case. It was left to the wives and daughters to shepherd the surprised and acquisitive offspring through the building. “Alice in Wonderland.” There has been recreated the adventures of "Alice in Wonderland ” an institution presided over by Aiice herself with the willing assistance of the •Mad Hatter. Seen through children’s eyes it is a real wonderland. Then there is the Tuck Shop where ice creams, sweets and drinks shriek for the production of pennies from obscure pockets. But. if for nothing else, the toys themselves make a visit well worth while. One leaves with a confused idea of contraptions that compound just those vicious noises which delight the very youthful, things that crawl, or creep or jump, miniature duplications of cars and trucks and other things both wonderful and weird but all interesting and eminently desirable at the moment.