CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES AND HOME-MADE CHRISTMAS GIFTS.
AMONG all the days we celebrate Christmas stands first and foremost in
our thoughts, the holiday of holidays. Coming in the season of frost
and snow it brings a cheering warmth to our hearts that defies the
icy atmosphere, and the feeling of kindliness and good will toward
everyone, which it awakens, seems in response to the words the angels
sang on our first Christmas, “On earth peace, good will toward men.”
Christmas is not merely a day set apart for feasting, giving and
receiving presents, and for merrymaking. The day on which we celebrate
the birth of our Lord is a time of rejoicing for rich and poor alike,
and Christmas is Christmas still, although we may receive and can offer
no presents and our feast is humble indeed.
Feeling this, let us keep the Christmas festival as it should be kept,
right happily and merrily. Let us decorate our homes to the best of our
ability in honor of the day, and supply all deficiencies with happy
hearts and smiling faces.
A friend of the writer’s once remarked, as she busied herself with
some Christmas-cards she was preparing to send to the hospitals, “I
always like to tie a sprig of evergreen on each card; it looks and
smells so Christmasy.” And so it does. Even a few pieces of evergreen,
tacked over doorways or branching out from behind picture-frames, give
a room a festive, Christmas-like appearance that nothing else can, and
as evergreens are so plentiful here in America there are few houses
that need be without their Christmas decorations. Holly, too, with
its brilliant red berries peeping cheerily forth from their shelter
of prickly leaves, adds brightness to the other adornments, and when
the white-berried mistletoe can also be obtained all the time-honored
materials for the Christmas decorations are supplied.
Though we are Americans, our ancestors came from many nations, and we
have therefore a right and claim to any custom we may admire in other
countries. We may take our Christmas celebrations from any people who
observe the day and combining many, evolve a celebration which in its
variety will be truly American.
From Germany we have already taken our Christmas-tree; from Belgium our
Christmas-stocking; Santa Claus hails from Holland, and old England
sends us the cheery greeting, Merry Christmas!
The custom the French children have of ranging their shoes on the
hearth-stone on Christmas-Eve for the Christ-child to fill with toys
or sweetmeats, is too much like our own Christmas stocking to offer
any novelty. The Presepio, or Holy Manger, of the Roman Catholic
countries, which represents the Holy Family at Bethlehem, with small
wooden or wax figures for the characters, is more suitable for the
church celebration, but in Sweden and Denmark they have a peculiar
method of delivering their Christmas-presents which we might adopt to
our advantage, for it would be great fun to present some of our gifts
in their novel manner.
Instead of describing this custom we will tell you just how to carry it
out and will call it the
=Julklapp,=
which in Denmark and Sweden means Christmas-box or gift.
Before Christmas-Day arrives all the presents intended for the Julklapp
delivery must be prepared by enclosing them in a great many wrappings
of various kinds, none of which should in any way suggest their
contents.
If one of the presents is a pretty trinket, wrap it up in a fringed
tissue paper, such as is used for motto candy or sugar-kisses; place
it in a small box, and tie the box with narrow ribbon; then do it up
in common, rough brown paper, and wrap the package with strips of
cloth until it is round like a ball; cover the ball with a thin layer
of dough, and brown in the oven. Pin it up in a napkin, wrap in white
wrapping paper and tie with a pink string.
The more incongruous the coverings, the more suitable they are for
the Julklapp. You may enclose others gifts in bundles of hay, rolls
of cotton or wool, and use your own pleasure in choosing the inner
wrappings. It will be the wisest plan to always use something soft for
the outside covering, the reason of which you will understand when the
manner of delivery is explained. Each package must be labelled with
the name of the person for whom it is intended, and if an appropriate
verse, epigram, or proverb be added it will be the cause of fresh mirth
and laughter.
The Julklapp delivery may, and probably will commence very early
Christmas morning, for the little folks, always early risers on this
day, will no doubt be up betimes, and ready for the business of the
day. The first intimation the less enterprising members of the
family will have that Christmas has dawned, will be a loud bang at
the chamber door, followed by a thump of something falling on the bed
or the sleeper’s chest. Then springing up and opening startled eyes,
from which all sleep has been thus rudely banished, one will probably
discover a large bundle of _something_ on the bed or lying on the floor
close beside it. It will be useless to rush to the door to find from
whom or where this thing has come, for although a suppressed giggle may
be heard outside the door just after feeling the thump, nothing will be
met upon opening it, but dead silence, and nothing seen but the empty
hall.
At any time during the day or evening the Julklapps may arrive and when
all look toward the door, as a loud rap is heard, whizz! something
comes through the window and lands in the middle of the room. A sharp
tap at the window is followed by the opening and closing of a door, and
a bundle of straw, wool, paper, or cloth, as the case may be, lands
in someone’s lap. In short the Julklapps may come from any and every
direction, and when one is least expecting them, and so the surprises
and excitement are made to last until, weary with the fun and gayety of
the day, the tired merrymakers seek their beds on Christmas-night.
If it has not been made plain enough who, or what causes the mysterious
arrivals of the Julklapps we will say that the whole household join in
the conspiracy, and the packages come from the hands of each of its
members. The
=Polish Custom=
of searching for Christmas gifts, which have previously been hidden in
all manner of places in the house, is one the children will delight in,
and one that, introduced at a Christmas party, will provoke no end of
merriment and fun.
=The Bran Pie=
is an English dish, but is quite as well suited to the American taste.
It is an excellent means of distributing trifling gifts and may be new
to some of you.
Use a large, deep brown dish for the pie. Put in it a gift for everyone
who will be at the Christmas dinner, and cover them over thickly with
bran, ornament the top by sticking a sprig of holly in the centre.
After dinner have the bran pie put on the table with a spoon and plates
beside it, and invite everyone to help her or himself, each spoonful
bringing out whatever it touches. Comical little articles may be put in
the pie, and the frequent inappropriateness of the gift to the receiver
of it, helps to create laughter.
The Bran Pie should be the secret of not more than two persons,
for, like all things pertaining to Christmas gifts, the greater the
surprise, the more pleasure there will be in it.
=The Blind Man’s Stocking=
may also be used for small gifts, or it may hold only candy and
bonbons. Make the stocking of white or colored tissue-paper like the
pattern given in Fig. 214.
[Illustration: Fig. 214.—Paper Stocking.]
First cut out one piece like the pattern, making the foot thirteen
inches long and six inches from the sole to the top of the instep, and
the leg of the stocking sixteen inches from the heel to the top; then
cut another, one inch larger all around than the first. Place the two
together fold the edge of the larger over the smaller piece and paste
it down all around except at the top (Fig. 214). Fill the stocking
with small gifts or sweetmeats, tie a string around the top to keep
it fast, and suspend it from the centre of a doorway. Blindfold each
player in turn, put a long, light stick in her hand, a bamboo cane will
do, and lead her up within reach of the stocking and tell her to strike
it. When anyone succeeds in striking the stocking and a hole is torn in
it, the gifts or candy will scatter all over the floor to be scrambled
for by all the players. Each player should be allowed three trials at
striking the stocking.
Young children are always delighted with this Christmas custom, and the
older ones by no means refuse to join in the sport.
=Home-made Christmas Gifts.=
That the children may do their share toward filling the Christmas
stockings, adding to the fruit of the Christmas tree, helping with
the Julklapps, contributing to the Bran Pie or Blind Man’s Stocking,
we give these hints on home-made Christmas gifts, all of which are
inexpensive and easily constructed.
=Chamois for Eye-glasses.=
Cut out two circular pieces of chamois-skin about the size of a silver
half-dollar, bind the edges with narrow ribbon, and fasten the two
pieces together with a bow of the same. Print with a lead pencil on
one piece of the chamois-skin, “I Make all Things Clear,” and go over
the lettering with a pen and India ink, or you may paint the letters
in colors to match the ribbon. Fig. 215 shows how it should look when
finished.
[Illustration: Fig. 215.—Chamois for Eye-glasses.]
=Glove Pen-wiper.=
Cut four pieces from thin, soft chamois-skin, like the outline of Fig.
216. Stitch one with silk on the sewing-machine, according to the
dotted lines. Cut two slits at the wrist through all the pieces as
shown in Fig. 216, and join them together by a narrow ribbon passed
through the openings, and tied in a pretty bow, Fig. 217.
[Illustration: Fig. 216.—Pattern of Pen-wiper.]
[Illustration: Fig. 217.—Pen-wiper.]
=Sachet.=
[Illustration: Fig. 218—Sachet.]
Open out an envelope, and cover it with white or cream-colored silk,
refold carefully, joining the edges with stiff mucilage, using as
little as possible. In place of a letter enclose a layer of cotton
sprinkled with sachet-powder, fasten the envelope with sealing-wax as
in an ordinary letter. Address it with pen and ink, to the one for whom
it is intended. Print on it, like a stamp, “Christmas, December 25,”
and fasten a cancelled stamp, taken from an old letter, on one corner.
The finished sachet is shown in Fig. 218.
=A Book-mark.=
Cut out the corner of a full-sized, linen-lined envelope, making the
piece four inches long, and one and a half inches wide. Write on one
side with pen and ink, or paint the lettering in color, “A Fresh Mind
Keeps the Body Fresh.” The book-mark will fit over the book-leaf like a
cap, and is excellent for keeping the place. Fig. 219.
[Illustration: Fig. 219—Book-mark.]
=A Scrap-bag.=
[Illustration: Fig. 220.—Pattern of Scrap-bag.]
Scrap-bags have been fashioned in many shapes and sizes, and of
all sorts of material, still it remains to be shown in what manner
Christmas cards may add in decoration and beauty to these useful
articles. From your collection choose four cards of the same size,
then on a piece of bright silk or cloth sew the cards at equal
distances apart, as in Fig. 220, stitching them around the edges on the
sewing-machine. At the dotted line fold over the top of the bag as if
for a hem, making the narrow fold lap just cover the upper edge of the
card; stitch this down to form a binding.
[Illustration: Fig. 221.—Scrap-bag.]
After joining the bag at the dotted lines on the sides, gather the
bottom up tight and fasten to it a good-sized tassel; then sew on each
side a heavy cord with tassels placed where the cord joins the bag,
as seen in Fig. 221. The cord and tassels of the example were made of
scarlet worsted.
=A Walnut-shell Turtle.=
For an ornament to be used on a pen-wiper, or simply as a pretty toy,
the little turtle is appropriate. It is made of half an English walnut,
which forms the turtle’s back or shell, glued on a piece of card-board
cut after the diagram given in Fig. 222. Paint the card-board as nearly
as possible the color of the shell, and the eyes black. When perfectly
dry glue the shell securely to the card-board, bend down and out the
feet a little, in order to make the turtle stand; bend the head up, and
the tail down, as in Fig. 223.
[Illustration: Fig. 222.—Pattern of Turtle.]
[Illustration: Fig. 223.—Walnut-shell Turtle.]
Here are some home-made toys which the children can make to give to one
another.
=Miss Nancy.=
Miss Nancy (Fig. 226) is fashioned from a piece of pith taken out of
a dried cornstalk. Cut away the stalk until the pith is reached; then
take a piece of the pith, about six inches long and whittle out one
end to resemble a head as in Fig. 224, draw a face on the head with
pen and ink, and glue half of a lead bullet on the lower end of the
pith (Fig. 225). Make Miss Nancy’s costume of a skirt, composed of some
bright-colored Japanese paper, a shawl made of a piece of soft ribbon
or silk, and a cap of white swiss. The peculiarity of the little lady
is that she insists upon always standing upright, no matter in what
position she is placed.
[Illustration:
Fig. 224. Fig. 225.
Manner of Making Miss Nancy.]
[Illustration: Fig. 226.—Miss Nancy.]
=A Soft Ball.=
A very pretty and safe return ball for the little ones to play with may
be made of paper (Fig. 227), which, being soft, precludes all danger of
“thumps and bumps.”
[Illustration: Fig. 227.—Paper Ball.]
Take a piece of newspaper, and, using both hands, roll it and fold it
into something of the required shape. Then place it in the centre of
a square piece of bright-colored tissue paper; take the four corners
of the tissue-paper up to the centre of the top of the ball, fold them
over, also fold and smooth down what fulness there may be; next place
a small round piece of gold, silver, or some contrasting colored paper
on the top of the ball. Secure all by winding a string around the ball,
making six or eight divisions; tie a piece of elastic to the string
where it crosses on the top of the ball, then paste over this a small
artificial flower. In the other end of the elastic, make a loop to fit
over the finger, or tie on it a small brass ring.
If a tiny sleigh-bell be placed in the centre when the ball is being
made, it will give a cheerful little tinkling noise whenever the ball
is thrown.
[Illustration: Fig. 228.—The Rooster.]
[Illustration:
Fig. 229
Fig. 230
Fig. 231
Fig. 232.
Fig. 233.—The Weight.
Pattern of Rooster.]
=A Lively Rooster.=
To make the rooster (Fig. 228), cut out of stiff cardboard Figs. 229,
230, 231, and 232. Tie on Figs. 229 and 230 each a piece of string
seven and one-half inches long. Then attach the head and tail to the
body by running a string through holes at A in Fig. 230 and A in Fig.
231, and another through B in Fig. 229 and B in Fig. 231. Bring the
head and tail up close to the body and fasten the ends of the strings
down securely with court-plaster or pieces of paper pasted over them.
Bend Fig. 231 at dotted line C; then on the space marked E, paste the
portion of Fig. 232 marked E after bending it at dotted line O. Again
bend Fig. 232 in the same direction at dotted line P, and paste it
across the space marked P, on Fig. 231. When all is fastened together,
and the paste perfectly dry, paint the rooster to look as life-like as
possible. Tie the strings of Figs. 229 and 230 together four inches
from where they are fastened on, then again about three inches lower
down, and attach a weight to the ends. A common wooden top, with a tack
in the head (Fig. 233), will answer the purpose nicely. To bring the
rooster to life, place him on the mantel-piece, with a book serving as
a weight on the projection of Fig. 232, swing the top and he will move
his head and tail in the most amusing manner.
[Illustration: Fairy Dancers.]
=Fairy Dancers.=
[Illustration: Fig. 234.—A Fairy Dancer.]
[Illustration: Fig. 235.—Pattern of Fairy Dancer.]
Among the gifts made by little hands, a box, containing a set of fairy
dancers, will be a most novel and welcome addition. These little
figures, when placed on the piano, will move as soon as the keys are
touched, dancing fast or slow in perfect time to the music. They may
all be made to resemble fairies as in Fig. 234, or a famous collection
of figures in the costumes of different periods in history will be
equally pretty and perhaps more interesting. Ladies in kirtles and
tunics, gentlemen in slashed doublet and hose of the Tudor times, Queen
Elizabeth’s starched ruffs and farthingales, etc. All these dresses
can be more easily copied from pictures of the period than from any
written description of them. The materials used for the costume must
be of the lightest kind, for a heavy dress will weigh down the dancer
and hamper its movements. To make the fairy (Fig. 234) trace Fig. 235
on cardboard and cut it out, sew a piece of bonnet-wire down the back,
as shown in diagram. Mark the slippers on the feet with ink or black
paint, select a Christmas or advertising card representing a child,
with a head of a suitable size, cut the head out and paste it on the
fairy.
[Illustration: Fig. 236.—Pattern of Chinaman.]
[Illustration: Fig. 237. Fig. 238. Chinaman’s Queue.]
[Illustration: Fig. 239.—The Chinaman.]
Gather two short skirts of tarlatan, make a waist of the same, sew
with a few stitches to the doll, and cover the stitches with a
sash of bright colored tissue paper; add a strip of tarlatan for a
floating scarf, gluing it to the uplifted hands. Bend back the piece
of cardboard projecting from the foot, and glue to it a small piece
of bristle brush. The wire on the doll should be long enough to pass
tightly around the brush, thus making it more secure.
If you would like to have the Chinaman (Fig. 239) in your troupe of
dancers, trace on cardboard Fig. 236, draw a face with slanting eyes,
or paint it; then take several strands of black thread and tie them
together in the centre with another piece of thread (Fig. 237), bring
the ends down together (Fig. 238), braid them and sew the braid to the
back of the Chinaman’s head (239). Cut a loose sacque from pattern Fig.
240, fold at the waved lines and sew together at the dotted lines;
cut an opening for the head as seen in pattern. Make the hat of dark
green paper cut in the form of Fig. 241, and crimp it from the centre
(Fig. 242). Sew the hat to the back of the Chinaman’s head, bend the
cardboard projection at the feet and glue it to a piece of brush.
[Illustration: Fig. 240.—Chinaman’s Sacque.]
[Illustration: Fig. 241.—Pattern of Chinaman’s Hat.]
[Illustration: Fig. 242.—Chinaman’s Hat.]
[Illustration:
_Fig. 243_
_Fig. 244_
_Fig. 245_
_Fig. 246_
Butterfly Pattern.]
[Illustration: _Fig. 247_
Butterfly.]
Butterflies of brilliant hues, all hovering and circling, may take
the place of the fairies, or they may mingle with them in the dance,
presenting a scene indeed fairy-like. To make a butterfly, trace the
pattern given in Fig. 243, on brilliantly colored paper. Form a body by
rolling a small piece of beeswax between the fingers until it assumes
the desired shape (Fig. 244); then attach the wings to the body by
softening the wax and sticking them to it. Wax a piece of black thread
to stiffen it, and make a knot in each end (Fig. 245), bend this in
the middle and stick it on to the head to form the antennæ (Fig. 246).
Fasten one end of a very fine wire securely in the middle of the wax
body, and wrap the other end around a small piece of brush as seen in
Fig. 247. A number of these butterflies placed on the pianoforte will
move, bend and sway with the music as if endowed with life.
Toys, also, which are small and light enough, can be made to “trip the
light fantastic” in time to the music.
Select those most suitable and glue them to pieces of brush in the way
described for the other dancers.
The children, generous little souls, always long to do their part
towards making Christmas presents, and we hope that the suggestion we
have offered will help them to manufacture, without other aid, many
little gifts which their friends will prize the more highly for having
been made by the loving little hands.
[Illustration]