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| a light and come she cried. © © Es me gh "It is lovely!" Joan: replied slow- "lly. "It seems wicked not to love it, "f but I don't go to two places in a year 'where. I could wear a thing like this. And it will cost ten dollars' to make | Wherever Christmas is observed), Banta, Claus never fails to play his "Crisps. pert; though his name varies in dif- ttom of a well-buttered| ferent countries. . h two cups of broken| In Italy he assumes a female guise, + Melt two cups of|and, as La Bétano, steals softly to saucepan, stirring constant-| the children's bedsides to fill their from burning and from| stockings with seasonable gifts. to the sides of the pan. As| There is, too, an Italian ceremony elt move from fire and| called Zopata, when "it is customary 'When cold for persons to hide presents in the hE shoes and slippers of those they do ; honot to, in such manner as may sur- prise. them on the morrow when they '$ break into come to dfess"; and this, we are tok | is done in imitation of St. Nicholas, Miklanz em in the dark hours of the night. This is. done { if they have said their prayers proper- 'I1{1y before his coming. "| Hear the angel voices ringing, ~Hear the sweet refrain, : | "Peace on earth, 'good-will from "heaven," - Rpts ~ Sang they o'er the star-lit plain. | Down front the throneland, - Olothed in power and might, Camé' the. Son of God, the Saviour, the| Filling earth with heavenly light. their mes- L : men's minds.| Came He to a lowly manger, Born of lowly birth; : i8 own creation, | Yes, tho" Prince of Peace and Glory, n whom He: Deigned. He, 11s 0 come to earth, receive yO ye angels! re<| Sing, ye sons of men! Tell the coming of the Saviour, for| = Sound the joyful note again, with [is Son 3y the keeping of His| Joy for tears He gave; he | commandments = once delivered to| Souls were healed, their sins forgiven; Moses? - Gi Puce, That which paved ones rescued from the grave. "| gives: ngs peace to, Down. through life's byways, latte to man. The. is equally true--| = Walked He, lowly, meek; ude, sym- | that which. of glory takes| While the hearts of burdened sinners n. Would | peace from men: Blessed peace! to-| Lightened when they heard Him : 1; appatently| *- speak. By is now urged to, ola ey covered set my heart on. I was going to have the happiest time--taking some one to each concert. "It's always so," she continued, "One year she gave us that carved chair downstairs. We were all sav- ing for a phonograph, but we had to spend the money in refinishing the furniture or else have the room en- tively spoiled by that chair. Another year it was that extravagant copy of Mona Lisa. I hate Mona Lisa, and it broke my heart to have to money I wanted for so many other things in framing her!" Joan turned sharply and looked out 184 of the. window. . In a moment she looked back, penitent. "I know I'm horrid," she confessed. nght,| "I'm ashamed of myself clear down to the tips of my shoes; but oli, Alice Field, if I ever, ever, ever, send 'gifts with strings to them!" Suddenly the expression on her face "Pm going to. do it!" she cried. "I've been a coward all my life be- fore. I'm going to give you that silk --it's just made for you--and take the consequences. Maybe I won't get Any more Aunt Estelle gifts--and oh, wouldn't that be a joy!" "Oh, ¥ couldn't!" Alice gasped. But Joan was whirling her joyously round the room. "I'm emancipated! It's gone to my head! To think of having one thing go to the right person! For the first time sirice I can remember I shall love Aunt Estelle's gift." The Holy Night. Shepherds. through . the night were . wabching, Q'r their flocks on Judah's plain, Suddenly the sky was opened 'Angels- sang a glad refrain, Came He down from realms of glory, 'Nowhere could He lay His head. Princes He in costly palace Just the sod His lowly bed. Mazy sid Him in a manger, ] the oxen oft were fed, Wise men traveled to adore him, By a star their steps were led. Came He for a kingly purpose, Saviour of mankind was He, Stooped to save--0 wondrous story! Stopped to save both you and me. ) Gave His Tife ® ransom many, "Praise His Name!" the angels k sing, : " Glory to the Lamb! Yes, glory! * Worship all the newborn King. hrist has its . geography as festivity. There are three s Islands--one in the Pacific, 'Cook celebrated one Christmastide; whole| one off Cape Breton, and a third fn Lift us Lift us Still the din and f from the miry clay. up and out of self, Cure us of our love « A ee of pelf strife, Great Jehovah, only King, : rone secure, + - Hearts praise we sing; illuminate again, Let good will forever reign. Christmas, in. we join the angel host - that eternal song of praise, unto God most high, earth peace and good-will. The years roll on, they pass' away Like clouds that dnift across the sky, But Christmas blessings come agein To brighten all the day of life, "And Jesus. our. Emmanuel, The Incarnate God forever lives. Lord Jesus in Thy tender love Give comfort unto thoss who mourn, And all who suffer pain relieve, Make strong. the weak, and bless the .| and how He left. . poor; Let al} the earth salvation sing To Thee, O Lord our Saviour King. a romives re A ensmpeianst I Am Santa Claus. One hundred per cent. heart and mind, That is why to mankind I am kind, . Through the years that have flown, Other hearts may have grown-- I am still the Greatheart of mankind. I know nothing of meanness and hate, And 1 leaye the small 'mind to its fate-- But, in passing it by, I wink with one eye And leave tokens of Love at the gate, Naught 1 know of creed, color or race; In my heart ev'ry soul has a place. Eyes wrinkled with smiles ' - Look with Love at ail styles And judge not by the language or face. For 1 know life is ever the same, And condition or clime but a name. Man's ideas may grow Long after I go, So I offer you Love, and not Blame. I am jolly and old--that is why As the snow hurries down from the sky, And the world seems so cold And its troubles so old, a I scatter my Love as 1 fly. rere ef er The Christmas Pudding. When Christmas. joys are at their height And lined with precious pleasures, Around the board we snugly sit And view ite tempting treasures. Our father asks God's graces down And thanks he gives for blessings, Then cautiously he carves the goose And spoons the epley dressings. And while he serves, he tells the tale That every year he's told us. While we sucl eagerness possess Good manners scarce can hold us. At last all served mid quip and jest, The appetites go waning Then mother brings the pudding All help from us disdaining. A Christmas pudding lighted up With tongues of flame surrounded Throughout the room wa ptillness reigns Where noise and din abounded: in For in the flames of green and blue Faint mem'ries always hover, And conjure up the past to each Until eur hearts run over. To each is served a gen'rous share, Oh, joy of Christmas dinner, If gluttony be called a sin 4 Then this day I'm a 'sinner. Ye sing the joys of ladgn tree 4 Where flicking lights are flooding, I'd give it all for just one taste Of Mother's Christmas pudding. the highest, d on earth peace, good will oward men.--St, Luke {i., 14. Only a short time yet reniwins to prepare our homes and ourselves to receive the Great Gift that comes to us on Christmas Day. And to make ready, let us first read again the story of His life; how He came to earth, how He lived here The story is one of the simplest ever written; of one who was a poor man, who never had any mondy to give to any one, who never bought. gifts of any kind. What: he gave was Himself, and of that He gave freely and gladly. It is His birth that we are to celdbrate on Thursday. We are to give thanks that He came to us, and' for that great and lasting Gift we give to others. Everything that we give on Christmas Day is in memory of Him. Do we think of this enough? Do we tell our children as much about this most precious of al Gifts as we do about Santa Claus?" Te The whole atory of Christ's comin to earth, as told in the four gospels, is summed up by the late Dr. George Hodges in his beautiful book, "When the King Came," in these words: "This tells how, once the King .of Glory came from heaven to visit us here on earth and live among usyhow He was born in Bethiehem ang brought to Nazareth; how He went about telling people of the heavenly kingdom and doing good, ministering ta the sick and the poor; how He was misunderstood and disliked and hat- ed, till at last they took Him te Jeru- salem and nailed Him to a cross, se that He died; and how, aften that, He came to life again and went back into heaven, promising to return." And in memory of the little child who was born in a stable at Bethle- hem on a Christmas Day, centuries ago, we are to keep Christmas again this year. Christmas always will be kept as long as the world endures; | but the way of keeping it rests with | each one of us, Let us make oup gifts, but with each one let us give something of ourselves. Let us tfe them up with love, and dispatch them with thoughtfulness; 166 Us make Ho gifts that cannot take with them the spirit of Christ; and, with Tiny Tim, et us say with hearts that mean it, "GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE i Bini "Peace on Earth." We cannot hear with the angéls The song that the angels sang, Ad over the hills of Judah, Their glorious message rang Of a Christ that was bern in & manger, A Saviour meek and mild, Who left his home in glory, And became a little child. Our ears cannot catch the music Nor the words of that sweet refrain, That came from celestial choirs, A sweet and solemn strain, Of "Glory to God in the Highest, On earth peace, to men good-will," That floated to earth from Heaven That might in the midnight still. We cannot go with the wise men And follow the blessed Of the silver star that beckoned To the Hope of a nation's dreams Net ours to give to Him treasures Of frankincense, myrrh and gold, Not ours to gaze on the graces Of the Christ-Child manifold. But hark! the sie #8 pulsing, With the vibrant angel song In our hearts wé catch the And the gladsome notes As they ring do And ge Sour ins ard = e : 5 ward - a he on over _ 5 tL wei FT TET oA She Knew What She Wanted "One man said to ane 1 the first weeks of nie you going to give: your 3