JOLLY LITTLE SANTA CLAUS WITH HIS REINDEER AND SLEIGH
DO you want to see—actually see!—Santa Claus seated in his sleigh
filled with toys, and driving his famous reindeer? You may do so and
have him come to your home. Even if there is no chimney and open
fireplace for Santa Claus to climb through, the blithe little fellow
can be induced to appear, sleigh and all, and he will keep his turnout
standing perfectly still that all the family may have a good, long look
at him. But you must carefully follow directions and help Santa Claus
get ready for your Christmas (Fig. 200).
It would be difficult to say positively how long Santa Claus has lived,
or when he first made his appearance, but we all know just how he looks,
“His eyes twinkle, his dimples are merry,
His cheeks are like roses, his nose like a cherry.”
We know that he is sure to come every Christmas, and the girls and
boys look forward gladly to his visit. The little Hollanders name
our Christmas Saint Santa Claus, the same as we do, though sometimes
we call him Kris Kringle. In England he is both Santa Claus and St.
Nicholas, in Switzerland Samiklaus, in Russia he is St. Nicholas. But
no matter by what name he may be called, he is always the same, always
the jolly little fellow bringing good cheer to every one. Santa Claus
takes great delight in driving his tiny reindeer and sleigh full of
toys over roofs of houses for the special benefit of the girls and boys
he knows, and that includes all of them.
[Illustration: Fig. 201.—Ordinary sled.]
Possibly Santa Claus will drive only two reindeer in his sleigh this
year. He is willing, however, to bring them all if you wish.
[Illustration: Fig. 202.—Box for top of sled.]
[Illustration: Fig. 203.—Santa Claus sleigh ready for fur robe.]
An ordinary sled (Fig. 201) will do for the foundation of
=The Sleigh,=
and a box for the body of the sleigh (Fig. 202) to set on the sled
(Fig. 203). Find some furs to use as robes to hang over the sides and
back of the sleigh; any kind will do—boas, collars, circulars or rugs.
Fit them in and over the sides of the box. If you have no furs, try
plush or colored blankets. Tack gay-colored paper over those portions
of the box which are not concealed by the robes, and lay a small,
light board over the top front of the box, resting the ends of the
board on the sides of the box to make the seat on the sleigh. Cover the
board with the same paper as that tacked on the box.
[Illustration: Fig. 204.—Extensions on each hoof.]
Make two
=Reindeer=
of stiff pasteboard like Fig. 204. Now, do not think you cannot make
the deer because you may not be skilled in drawing, for you can do
so easily. Take a large sheet of paper and draw on it an oblong
forty-eight inches wide and thirty-six inches high; divide the oblong
into squares measuring six inches on each of the four sides, which
will give eight squares in width and six squares in height. With the
aid of these squares it will be fun to copy the reindeer. Number the
side lines of your oblong and letter the top and bottom lines as in
Fig. 205. Examine the lower corner space of Fig. 205 enclosed by the
lines A-5, and you will find the hind hoof and part of the hind leg
stretching diagonally across the space. Use a soft lead-pencil and
begin copying the deer by drawing a slanting fine from the extreme
outward lower corner upward about one-third of the distance from the
bottom to the top of the space A-5. This short slanting line forms the
bottom of the hoof, the little space, enclosed between the hoof and the
long toe above it reaches very nearly to the centre of the lower part
of the square A-5. Make yours so. Draw the upper edge of the long toe;
then run a slanting line up to the top line of the square space A-5,
and make it touch the top line 5 less than one-quarter the distance
from the side line A to the opposite line of the same square. Return
to the lower part of the hoof already begun and draw the inside line of
the hoof and portion of the leg in the same space, A-5.
[Illustration: Fig. 205.—Reindeer enlarged enclosed in squares.]
In the space 4-5, immediately above the space A-5, you will perceive
that only a lower corner is drawn in and that all the four squares
above the square 4-5 are vacant, so continue your drawing on the bottom
space A-B. The extreme upper corner of this is cut off by a short
straight line; then a shallow scallop extends entirely across the upper
part and runs into the third lower space B-C. If you notice closely
the space enclosed by the lines 4-5, A-B, immediately over the one you
have been working on, you will see that the corner on the line 4-A is
vacant, while all three of the other corners are occupied by portions
of the hind leg, and that the empty space extending from the vacant
corner 4-A forms almost a square with two lines slightly curved and the
corner diagonally across from the vacant corner 4-A, on the line 4, cut
off by a short line bent bow-shaped. Draw it in the same way over the
corresponding space on your paper. Look at Fig. 206, following the line
on the space 4-5, A-B, and you will discover that it is the same as in
Fig. 205, only smaller, and by carefully comparing the two diagrams,
Fig. 205 and Fig. 206, you will find the lines are formed alike in
each, differing only in size; thus you will understand how you can make
your deer very much larger simply by drawing it on larger squares.
Continue as you have begun, taking one square space at a time, and copy
on your large squares the outline of the entire deer as given on the
squares of Fig. 206.
[Illustration: Fig. 206.—Reindeer enclosed ready to be enlarged].
When the drawing is finished, go over all the pencil lines which form
the deer with black paint or ink, making the lines heavy and plain,
that they may be seen from across the room. As soon as the paint is
absolutely dry erase the pencil-lined squares.
To make sure that the deer will stand firmly, extend downward a
slanting line from the top of each hoof and draw another level line out
from the bottom of each hoof to meet it, according to dotted lines in
Fig. 204.
Cut out your deer and with pins or thumb-tacks fasten him out flat
on another large sheet of paper; then with the soft lead-pencil run a
line on the paper around the deer, which will give you the second deer;
outline the markings on this like those on the first deer; then cut it
out. If you want six deer for Santa Claus’ sleigh make them as you did
the second deer. Back each deer with very heavy, stiff pasteboard and
nail a thin strip of wood on each of them. Let the wood reach from the
middle of the head to the edge of the hind leg (Fig. 207). Fasten the
two animals together with three narrow flat sticks tacked across from
deer to deer, one stick at the centre and one on each of the two ends
of the slanting strips of wood fastened on each deer. The framework
will then rudely resemble an inclined ladder. Stand the reindeer in
front of Santa Claus’ sleigh and see how fine they look.
[Illustration: Fig. 207.—Reindeer re-enforced by strip of wood.]
[Illustration: Fig. 208.—Santa Claus’ boot.]
[Illustration: Fig. 209.—Santa Claus’ trousers.]
[Illustration: Fig. 210.—Santa Claus’ coat.]
[Illustration: Fig. 211.—Santa Claus’ cap.]
[Illustration: Fig. 212.—Cap trimmed with ermine.]
[Illustration: Fig. 213.—Santa Claus’ wig.]
[Illustration: Fig. 214.—Santa Claus’ whiskers and eyebrows.]
To represent
=Santa Claus,=
make a large rag doll stuffed with straw or excelsior. It is not
necessary to spend much time on making the doll, as it will be used
only once, and will then be almost entirely covered, showing only the
upper portion of the face for which you can mark easily with features.
Make the boots (Fig. 208) like stockings of black muslin; have them
long and loose enough at the ankle to form wrinkles. The trousers (Fig.
209) should be of scarlet cotton flannel, fleece side out; the coat
(Fig. 210) cut of the same material; the cap (Fig. 211) of the red
cloth cut melon shape, and sewed together. Santa Claus’ costume must
be trimmed with bands of fur. Ermine will look best, and it is easiest
to make. Cut strips of white cotton flannel and mark them with black
ink to represent the little black elongated spots on real ermine. Trim
the tops of the boots (Fig. 208), the neck, sleeves and edge of the
coat (Fig. 210) and edge of the cap (Fig. 212) with fur. Make the wig
of raw white cotton, and fasten it on the doll’s head (Fig. 213), then
the beard, moustache and eyebrows also of raw cotton (Fig. 214), and
glue them on the face. Paint Santa Claus’ face pink, his cheeks and
the end of his nose bright red, and his eyes blue. When dressing him,
bring the fur-topped boots up over the trousers (Fig. 200).
With tacks and string fasten Santa Claus in an upright sitting position
on the seat of the sleigh. Tie a long, narrow red ribbon around the
neck of each reindeer and pin or tie the ends of these ribbon reins on
to the mitten-covered ends of the arms which form his hands. He will
then seem to be gayly driving his reindeer.
Fill the box of the sleigh with
=Christmas Gifts=
wrapped in bright colored tissue paper. Any article liable to break
should receive special attention. A cup and saucer (Fig. 215) is one
of the most difficult articles to manage, and if you can wrap this up,
properly, the wrapping of all other gifts will be easy.
[Illustration: Fig. 215.—Christmas cup and saucer.]
Take the saucer first, place it on the centre of a piece of tissue
paper (Fig. 216), fold the paper up around it, bringing the ends
together at the centre (Fig. 217). Do the same with the cup (Fig.
218); then crush down the top of the paper over the saucer and set the
paper-covered cup on it (Fig. 219). Now place the two on more paper and
wrap up both together (Fig. 220).
[Illustration: Fig. 216.—Saucer in centre of tissue paper.]
If there are not enough gifts to fill the box of the sleigh, open
newspapers and crush them into the bottom of the box to fill up the
extra space; spread white paper over the top of the newspapers, and
fill in with the prettily wrapped gifts. Each parcel should be tied
with a ribbon and decorated with holly, mistletoe or evergreen (Fig.
220). Cover the top of the paper parcels with various toys (Fig. 200),
and Santa Claus with sleigh and reindeer will be ready to surprise the
family early Christmas morning.
[Illustration: Fig. 217.—Tissue paper over saucer.]
[Illustration: Fig. 218.—Cup in tissue paper.]
[Illustration: Fig. 219.—Wrapped cup and saucer together.]
[Illustration: Fig. 220.—Cup and saucer ready for the sleigh.]
Try to have as many home-made gifts in the sleigh as possible.
=Your Christmas Cards=
can be plain white pieces of cardboard decorated with the head of Santa
Claus made of an almond on which is inked a face; the long hair and
beard of refined white cotton being glued on the nut and a red peaked
cap fastened on the top of the head; this makes a fine Santa Claus. The
head should be glued on the left side of the card, and on the blank
portion should be inscribed the greeting, “Merry Christmas.”