The Madisonian., December 23, 1913, Image 9

About The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914

Image provided by: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

                
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THE MAN WHO KNEW
SANTA CLAUS BEST
3?: A &
22
VISIT FROM
ST. NICHOLAS
'Twas the night before Christmas when all through
the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of sugarplums danced through their
heads;
And Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap;
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I fled like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash;
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick
I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick. ;
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by
name. T ,
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now,Prancer! and
, Vixen! '
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on,Donder and Blitzenl
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away, all!".
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly
When they meet with an obstacle mount to the sky,
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys and Saint Nicholas too.
And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all. in furs from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and
soot. '
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack;
His eyes how they twinkled! His dimples, how
jnerry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry !
His droll little mouth was drawn up in a bow,
And the Deard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face, and a little round belly .
That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a, twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
, He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose. v
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
.And away they all flew like the down of a thistle;
But I heard Hm exclaim ere he drove cut of sight,
" Merry Christmas to all, and to'all a good night.".
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CHRISTMAS GAMES
! FOR THE CHILDREN
Many Forms of Merrymaking for
- the Little. Folks' Holiday ; .
Party. . ; :
r By ADELE MENDLE.
At Christmas play and make good cheer
For Christmas comes but onco a year."
AT Christmas time th children
'ire bubbling over with the spirit
of the season . and the grown
folks thoughts turn to the little ones'
fun and amusement at no time more
than at the happy Yule Tide.
With a little thought and prepara
tion a children's Christmas party
may be made such a joyous affair that
Its happy memories will linger with
the young folks for many years.
Here are some entertaining games
that" will solve a problem for the per
plexed mother who perhaps is wonder
ing "Whatv shall I have the children j
play at the party?" For when she j
sends her "Come to my Christmas
party" invitations, she knows that a
successful . children's party means j
something more than just "ice cream
and cake." :
These games will appeal to all the
children the timid little girl, who is
inclined to shrink in the corner, as
well as the big boy, who' usually oc
cupies "the center of the stage."
Santa Claus' Reins.
This game is very exciting. Three
pieces of white tape,, each about an
inch wide, and the length of the room,
are held at one end by three children.
Three others are given pairs of scis
sors and at a signal the players cut
the tape in half lengthwise. The one
who first reaches the opposite end of
the tape is the winner of that heat.
The different winners contest until
the champion Is declared. Boys and
girls, you know, love racing competi
tions of all kinds and this race Is one
that probably they never played be
fore. Magic Music.
Although this is a game that per
haps the mothers and fathers played
when they went to kindergarten, It
still causes much laughter and is al
ways successful.
One child leaves the room and the
others decide upon something for him
to do on his return. The musician
regulates his playing, and the child
must guide his actions according to
the loudness or softness of the music
It is astonishing what different tasks
are accomplished after a little prac
tice, and the children's cries of "let
me go out next" prove their enjoy
ment of "Magic Music."
Guessing Holly Berries.
For this game the child mW, put
on his "thinking cap." Hold a large
spray of holly in your hand. and al
low the children to look at it for a
few minutes. Then tell them to write
their estimate of the number ' of
holly berries on the branch. You
might take a chrysanthemum also
and ask them to guess how . many
petals in the flower.. Great interest Is
shown when the petals are counted.
A Christmas Doll.
The idea of this game is to see who
can make the prettiest doll out of a
long smooth potato, two. pieces.. of
pretty colored tissue paper, . some
small sticks for legs and arms, and
some pins.- Or if .you would rather
pass clothes pins and let the children
fashion, dolls out of them that will
also answer the purpose.
Place all the dolls in a row when
completed, and have the children vote
for .their favorite one. You will be
surprised to see what ingenuous re
sults the clever little fingers produce.
A Noisy Game.
Yes, It is noisy, but the children
have an idea that "the more noise,
the more fun," and what mother cares
if "the roof comes down" at a Christ
mas party? - . '
After a - child leaves ' the room. ; a
proverb Is chosen. One word of it
is given to each child. If there are
more children than words contained
In the proverb, then two or more chil
dren, are given the same word. -When
the child outside the room returns, a
leader counts "One, two, three." At
the "Three" all , the children' shout
their given word.. The child must
guess ' the proverb.-
Santa Claus'. Grab Bag.
On the invitation state that each
child Is to bring something to $he
party that he or she no longer cares
for. - This article is to be In a neatly
wrapped and tied parcel, so as to hide
its identity. It Is placed in a large
bag, on the child's arrival. Each child
then draws a present! fiom the bag.
Uproars of lapghter follow the open
Ing of the packages, which probably
will consist of-peculiar articles of all
sizes and descriptions. . ', : - :
A.Christmas Mix-Up. V:
Provide the children with paper
and pencil.- Give them the following
ust or words pertaining to Christmas.
You see the letters are all twisted.
it is their interesting task to straight
en 'them out. V t . i
Key and list: ... - r .
1. - Christmas AtschsmrL
2. Reindeer Drierene. - - . -
3. Sleigh Ileghs.- r - - '
4. Mistletoe Etlosmtie. " -"
vE. Holly Oylhl. ' " " -
V- 6.' Plum Pudding Uplmdpudgnl.
j; 7. Santa Claus Aseulatssa.
If. 8. Candles-r-Lcdnesa: " - .
'V; 9-' Stockings Kosctslgn: , "
-10. Jack -Frost Kcajtrf so.
. ; 11. Wreath Trhwae. : ' ; :- ". ' -.
' 12. Snowball Ownslabl
, What Santa Claus. Doeen't Like.
This is a simple; and successful
fame. All the children are seated
except one who says "Santa Claus
doesn't like C's. "What areyou going
to give him instead?" The" first child
replies with a word that does not con
tain a "C." ' For instance : "Meat
would be a correct answer, but "rice"
would not do. If a correct answer is
not given by the time the leader
counts "ten," a forfeit must be paid.
And we all know the fun of redeeming
the forfeits.. . . , ,
, A Peanut Race.
' At one end of the room place wo
bowls of peanuts, and, at the opposite
end two empty bowls. Two children
are each provided with a knife and at
a signal they place as many peanuts
as they can on the blade of the knife,
and carry it to the em pty. bowl with
one hand. Depositing the peanuts,
they return for more. Each child Is
allowed three minutes. A score Is
kept and the one who has the larg
est number of peanuts credited to his
name wins the- prize. '
i Puzzle Pictures.
Pretty pictures taken from maga
zines, advertisements and discarded
picture books are cut up into several
pieces and placed into envelopes. A
good idea is to write the same num
ber on the back of the envelope and
all pieces belonging to one puzzle, so
t$at if a piece gets mixed with the
others it can be readily returned to its
own set.
Each child is handed a puzzle, and
as soon as he succeeds in placing the
pieces in thejr proper position he is
given credit for it by ' the score
keeper, and receives another puzzle
to work with. The one who succeeds
in putting, together the most pictures
in a stated time receives a well
earned prize.
Snowballs.
This is an amusing game. Snow
balls made of cotton batting and cov
ered with white tissue paper and a
small basket are required. The play
ers stand about eight feet from the
basket. The one who tosses' the most
balls into the basket is tha prize win
ner. Each child might be given
three snowballs to start with.
A Christmas Spider Web.
Take as many balls of twine as
there are children expected at the
party. To one end of each ball attach
a card bearing the child's name and
to the other end an Inexpensive gift
Twist the twine around the different
objects inthe room. Give each child
the twine and card bearing his name.
At a signal all begin to unwind the
entangled web. Great is the fun and
loud the exclamations when the
young people arrive at the end of
their string and find a gift awaiting
them.
A Pop Corn Party.
If you don't mind the "muss," and
of course you won't, have a pop corn
party. Have the children sit in a
circle on the floor and provide each
with a bowl of popcorn, a needle and
some coarse white thread. Tell-them
that the one who strings the longest
popcorn ' chain before the time is up
will win the prize. Each, youngster
takes home his own string of corn.
An Impromptu Entertainment.
"When the children are tired of romp
ing, let them sit on the floor in a
circle and tell them you are going
to have an entertainment, and that
each child must do something to help
make it a success. The youngsters
will provide a variety of numbers for
your impromptu program, from nurs
ery rhymes to fancy dancing. -Artists.
-
Bring in a good sized blackboard
and have the children see who can
draw the best Santa Claus. This will
afford much pleasure for the little folks.
(Copyright, 1912. toy "W, a. Chapman.)
- !
JUST REVERSED.
A SANTA CLAUS RHYME
By IDA KENNISTON.
; Pictures'by Fanny Y. Cory.
This ts the Pack.- , . r - ir .va PfW.v
That Santa Claus brought at enns, . ught at Christ
v mas. - - ' :., .
- ...... mas.
"I s'pose ycir husband went to the
Christmas dinner dressed o kill."
"No; he was kjlled to dress."
A Christmas Stocking. .
It is not always the gift itself, but
the way in which it is presented that
commends itself particulnrly - to the
recipient. To the girl ;who thinks
she is too old to hang up her stock
ings, send a pair of silk stockings, us
ing one to. fill, -and roll up' the. other
and stick it in the foot. The rest of
the stocking should be filled ,with in
expensive trifles a home-made jabot,
tie or , collar, a '; handkerchief, some
candy, nuts, raisins, crab- apples, a
card or a calendar, perhaps some lit
tle kindly hints at her hobbies that
will amuse her; Each.: of these ar
ticles should be wrapped separately
in tissue "paper and red ribbons, and
the excitement of opening the myste
rious small packages will often exceed
the pleasure taken in one large gift
that would have cost no more; than
the numerous! small ones.
Just a Warning,
v If you are going to spend the Christ
mas holidays with the family of
your small , niece and nephew, don't
forget to make the youngsters a pres.
ent jof a drum and trump&t
These are the Reindeer
That drew the Sleigh
That carried the Pack
That Santa Claus brought at Christmas.
This is the house
Where the Reindeer stopped
That drew the Sleigh
That carried the Pack
That Santa Claus brought at Christmas.
This is the Chimney big and wide
That Santa Claus climbed down in
. , side .
At the House where the Reindeer
stopped
That drew the Sleigh '
That carried the Pack
That Santa, Claus brought at Christ
' " mas.
: u
o on
This is, the Hearth, where, all in a.
row.
The stockings hung waiting for
Santa, you know;
They, hung by the Chimney big and
wide
That . Santa Cl.aus climbed down In
; side .
At the House where the Reindeer
. stopped "
That drew the Sleigh
That carried the Pack
That Santa Claus brought at Christ
mas. ;
This is the Stocking long and fine
That the little girl hung at the end
- of the line
There by the Hearth, where, all in a
' '-'" ; row,
The stockings hung waiting for
Santa, you know;
They h-ang by the Chimney big and
" -; wide ' c ' "
fhat Santa Claus clircfbed down in-
- ' side , .. - . . -
At . the;; House where the Reindeer
stopped-
That drew the Sleigh ', ' ''
That carried the Pack :
That Santa Claus brought at Christ
: nias. From St. Nicholas.
PRESENTS BOUGHT FOR SHOW
Exploiting One's Own Vanity in Be-
stowal of Gifts Is Poor
J?; -r ' Policy. ' ' '.' . '' .
-'.The most miserable Christmas pres
ent, the kind that, no numan being is
-rich enough to afford, Is .that which
is bought to makev a show, .to exploit
one's own vanity. - !-
When you' are tempted to buy a
"show off ' present, remember that the
recipient has some rights. One who
understands wtll be made unhappy
by that kind of gift. You know your
self that when you receive a pres
ent that represents a great sacrifice
on the, part ..of the giver it makes
you feel miserable, even when the
right spirit is behind it. .
The cost ia money is about the
poorest of measures for any kind of
a gift The thoughtfulness in it, the
recognition of a desire for things un
asked for, the affection that goes with
It, counts for much more. vEvery
Christmas each of us receives i, mes
sage that means more, than the1 most
expensive gift.5, Yet 'we forgei; that
sometimes in the perplexing selection
of xresents for others. Woman's
Home Companion, ' . -
a
" A
n
DIARY FOR- CHRISTMAS GIFT
Peculiar but Pleasing Remembrance
Showing Absent Friend Was in
Mind of Donor.
On Thanksgiving day a man sit
down and began to write to a distant
friend. But he wrote only v a few
lines, and laid it aside. The next day
he took up the pen, put down the new
date, diary-fashion, and wrote some
Item of news of interest to them
both. '. "
So each day from Thanksgiving till
Christmas he added something to the
letter, aa he would In' a diary, end
ing and mailing it just in time to
reach his friend on Christmas morn
ing. At the top he had written this
message: , '
"This is all the gift you get from
me this year; but it carrien more
thought of you and more love, I imag
ine, than do some more costly ones
I am sending. But just put It In your
pocket for a dull January day. It will
keep." . " . -
T And this was a letter from a man
to a man! Damon and Pythias, David
and Jonathan still live In "our prosaio
American business -world. ilother'
Magazine. . -