Tht lumbering frost- covered train sbriéks to a halt and snorta with relief as the last long hill into the northernmost reaches of Que- bec's Laurantisn Mountains is topped. ' ' '

_'lt’s cold but we are‘ wrapped up.‘ warmly in ski toga. And tholllhtl‘

of the warmth of b roaring log,- flre comfort sustain ‘us as we step into the depth of the sparkling snow. Already the breathing more easily. Not a breath of wind stirs the frost-laden Bil‘.

No sound but the soft whinnying of ,.

the horses and the crunching snow beneath our feet breaks the im- mense silence. But there-a wolf howls in the distance and a quick shiver runsdown our spines. We yearn even more eagerly for those blazing logs.

Out come our valises and, piles upon piles of skis. At last. every- thing is out of the coach and the train is away again, moving easily after its brief rest. .

Old ‘Enri pads towards us in' his soft mocassins.

“Joyeux Noel." he greets us. I-le is glad to see us again and tells us in picturesque broken English that he "mak becg fire mi dc '0‘.lS|!." I-Ie grins expansivcly as he walks ma- Jestically towards the sleigh, proud of his charges.

At last we are all packed deep in the buffalo rugs that abound in the sleigh and without even a flick of the whip, the horses start. For it is cold!

Through lanes of snow covered pine and balsam we ride. The snow crunches beneath the smooth run- ners and the even trot of_ the horses. Overhead a brilliant display welcomes us as. it seems, every star in the heavens shines down in the clear, crisp air.

Christmas Day Customs

Although Christmas is celebrated in much the same manner all over the world, different countries have certain customs peculiar to them- selves. Germany is the one that has the greatest number of these perhaps, for German children regard

Christmas Day with far more rev- v

erence than do those of any other nation. It was from Germany that the Christmas tree, laden with gifts was first introduced. ‘The idea, however is really of Roman origin.

A flrm belief among German children is that on December 25, animals have the gift of speech for 24 hours. Their inability to under- stand what they say is due. so their parents tell them, to the fact the: they have misbehaved during some portion of the previous twelve months. v

In Norway there is a pretty cus- tom of providing a. good dinner on Christmas Day for all domestic animals. The farmers give their horses and cows an extra supply of fodder. while sheaves of corn and dishes of grain are put out in the yard for the benefit of the birds.

One of the commonest. as well as one of the oldest, practices still associated with the observation of Christmas in England is that of burning a. "Yule" log. It was al- ways lighted from a brand that had been carefully saved from the previous year's log. The word "Yule," it is interesting to note, is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon one. meaning December.

There are many curious beliefs and superstitions associated in dif- ferent parts of Great Brittain with Christmas. One that is obtained in Devonshire is that a bright sun on December 26 means a good apple crop . . . in Yorkshire there is a strong feeling against being married on Christmas Day . . . The villagers in remote parts of Worcestershire consider it very un- lucky to have new boots or shoes in their houses any time between December 8 and 25 . . . In certail: parts of Scotlad there is a fixed belief that the first member of the family to open the door of the house on Christmas morning will have more luck during the next l2 months than anybody else in the house. If it does no other good the superstition ls, at. any rate,‘ con- ducive to early rising on atleast one day of the year.

Another Good Deed

"New toys for old." Thus might the Boy Scouts paraphrase the old saying when planning what has become a very integral part of their Christmas activities in Montreal.

"New toys for old." Another slogan to be associated with their daily good deeds.

For weeks before Girlstmac. tbs Boy Scouts operate a vigorous cam- paign to get old, abandoned toys. These they receive ln their head- quarters and workshop and spend many hours in their renovation.

Old, forgotten dolls are brought back to life. A new leg is affixed to the body. The face is re- touched with bright colors. Per- haps a. new crop of hair is glued in place and-meholdi-anothcr Ohristmas- gift fdi- some poor child has been fashioned: another present bringing joy into the life of one who might otherwise have been foflfltten.

The same process is adopted in the recreation of toy drums, bugles, wagons. trains, automobiles and a multitude of Jaythinp. Night after night these boys sacrifice their time in helping lento Claus

finally, prepared, the

undertake the ml: cf distribution.

Cr they may rend many parcels to churches

"pipes or. cberifble in- sntuticns to be included in their Cbrlltmdl baskets

steaming train is "

Christmas in the, Laurent-lousy

-A mile or so and we seawelcom- m...“ ”‘&"‘i..‘?i..?.°1;;‘.'§"£ ‘"8 e M e an

ammo-non the sleigh w. ltiiapqfkhh mad dash

remembers

t‘ Jam-i, he

" _' ders the

.. . 7'17 "1"""t t étliilnvtrtxlilxtllfzmhfgfzmrlllige origins-E l’, . l! ..

it’... and, P “Law dlllCotlptgi- molly thislrdeccrgtedjlrfd the pre- seats. neatly lags‘; ugbébeath u.

Jweuty-flvaubt . mo! Why. ‘we can't ski hi firs... like this. we‘ say, llwfinflfllllll firs.‘ following morning. Butfwith a warm break- fast side unions the Christmas presen distributed‘ amid shouts of delight, we: soon out beneath the’ blur skies. . . .. ;

Twfliliyflive, _low zero"! But not a breath of wind disturbs the clear

-. A brlshtf. syn. shims down from a cloudless skyand the first thing weWknQVFmWe are skiing and frolicking in shirt-sleeves or a light sweater. And-wonder of wonders- we have acquired a real sun-tan. Yes, with the mercury twenty-five below! l

Lunch and a short rest and we are outside again. Up hill and down; steady, stiff climbs up the snow-covered mountains and then —whis-down again, the skis tak- ing us with lightning-like speed over the peeked trails.

“What a. perfect dsy." we all say aanight shadows fall. Sup- per finished, we sit and watch the sun sinkhlllnaliy, the last golden rays are blocked by the tall person- ages of the giant trees and-night falls-upon the earth drawing a mange around.

Christmas iIAnd The Radio "

As December 26 rolls around, no longer must we rely solely upon sporadic messages from the frozen reaches of the ZFar North to inform us of Santalllaus‘ progress. No longer must we wait until a _few days before Christmas to hear his friendly, booming voice ring out with Yuletide greetings.

For today, a new factor has been introduced into the celebration of this festive season. The radio!

Science has now made it pos- sible for us to tune in on our radio at home and hear Santa speak to the thousands of children that await "him. We hear the jingle of his sleigh bells and the fleet gallop of his reindeer as they speed the sled, laden with gifts for everyone ever nearer the city. .

As we hear his voice boom out. we can almost soc his bright. rosy cheeks, his long »white beard and the twinkle in his eyes as he laughs heartily in face of the cold and snow of the Northlands.

Imagine what a boon this inven- tion is to the shut-in; Nto those who Lfor one reason or another-w age” illness or infirmity-arc con- fined to home, hospital or ‘other in- stitution.

Imagine their delight at hearing -many perhaps for the first time— Santa's cheering chuckle and .hia ""115 0f 110110, and solace.

Imagine the joy that is brought to such individuals by ‘hearing on. Christmas, morning . the joyous peel of church bells,‘ the swell of the mlahtv orsw- ", the chant of m» choir and, the sonorous" voice of .mlnister or priest as theycelebrate with their Christ. v g

TWIY. Christmas and the radio he", become lnseoarabiv linked and. until the ‘birth of gnothgr and even more useful invention. will continue to bring closer and make more deci- "m thousands the ideals Christ brings to us.

IN DEBBIE ENGLAND

711B tfllllsh (Il-iristmss ifrnot unlike ours. save that we do not have their pretty custom ‘of "bring. 111E 1n the vulc" In almost everv family in England en».- [boys 311d girls gather about the burning log on Christmas eve to sing “r01; Ind tell Christmas legends. Often the children who live in the coun- try assist at the dra¢g1r|¢ 1n o; the hose log. an English child would not feel that it was Christ- mas if there were not a bit of mis- tletoe hanging in the hall, under "mm 111° “W”? are kissed soundly. Little and big eat the rich "111 111531118 P111111 pudding. and all Join in the singing of any-mm“ carols and churchgoing.

UIDII Till LIIBTLITOE

"Ob, professor, see the big bunch of mistletoe I have hung on the chandelier,” exclaimed the young 1811.7. standing under it and smiling roguishly. ‘

Young and Learned 1*. fessor (lwkim near-shimmy through his gllllefi-dh, yes, it is an eg- ullcnt specimen of the Viscum 511111111. of the order lnnnthacaea. It ll I Jointed dichotomas shrub." And that was all.

(fllIUDlA! IN DIXIE Way down south in'de larulob An’ down in dd flue-tree mun’.

De possum pic am not Idgctten when dc Ohriatmafltima comes

film l . . Howey fo’ dc chickuna an‘ de hot-

cohn pone! .. Hooray, hooray, fo‘ do sweet ham My! I ' —I1alic'a» Weekly- organisation and‘ facilities at their disposal for such fruitful work ‘glint another m decdtc

= v fit? < lab-w

Jlocks the birth of.

k

~ (Slgrisi u.

. ___

_4”*a-

i1.-

019..

.

'

Bethlehem, Jcrusnlcm,

the world eve r.

and preached. To thcsc lands and ihes

Jesus.

The Home-Made Gift

Christmas time is gift time. And during the next few dnys<mo6t of us will be offering the conventional greetings to be accompanied in many instances by some more tan- gible cxprvssion of our fricndshlp

Some gifts will be home-made either from sentiment or other reasons, and there is no doubt that the home-made gift. woven with love. carries with it a far sweeter sentiment than the purchased present.

The suggestions that follow are meant only to provide ideas which, once the mind starts working, will lead the way to innumerable other thoughts along the same lines.

To commence, we might men- tion a new treatment for a dress hanger. This is padded and cov- cred with rose-colored satin, over which is stretched an eleven-inch square of lace, with inserts of cm- broidery and an opening in the centre for the handle. The sides are caught together, also the front and back corners, and a ribbon rose is added in front. . Perfume the padding of the hanger, and the little gift will be the daintlest thing imaginable.

A tiny sachet for the powder- puff. to be carried in the pocket or vanity-bag. is made as a simple, round envelope of buckram, “seal- cd’) with asilk rose and lined with quilted perfumed silk.

A fancy hat-box is another at- tractive Christmas gift. ‘The idea is an ordinary round hat-box cov- ered with fancy chintz or wall- paper. and tied with handsome ribbon, arranged in a. monster bow on the lid. Covering the boxre- qulres more care than skill. A striped pattern is one of the casir-t. to deal with u it is easy to hide joins under stripes. Cover the out- side of the box first, using smooth paste or other good adhesive for the purpose, and pay particular attention to turning over the edges

0f ohints or paper neatly at the"

t0 Ind bottom of the box and the " rop" of the lid. The inside of

' thobcx can be lined with plain

parchment paper.

A "cracker" plncuahlcn with a celluloid doll on the top is always ble. Fancy silk over a ntufling made in the ordinary way (or ribbon may be used instead of piece-ruin’ produces an interesting creation. finish the ends with self-

1y

the I-Ioly L1:

’ silk and strip it". across. trellis- colored

The Town cf Bethlehem

"1 Clnxrc f Holy , Scpulchrc V

Why Not Always

It Ls not by the process of statu- tory enactment that the world's strife ultimately will be allayed but by a continuance. a perseverance of the message of peace that is as- sociated with the Christmas sca- son throughout the other three hundred and sixty-four \days of each year.

It is only by constant expression of those qualities-charity, toler- ance. gcniality. brotherhood and kindness—which take - ssessl of the human heart at Chrlstmastide. that we may learn to live by the sane standards which were set for us by the Master.

Humanity is struggling for a goal unknown. During t past few years that struggle. that fight for very existence, has become intensi- fied by the toll of economic and industrial depression. At times we wonder if that goal is not the happy time when the spirit of spirit of Christmas will._instead of being confined to l. day or a sea- son. spread out to include all-days of the year.

The reason that the quallites or human kindness are so in evidence at. Christmas that they seem to be in the very air we breathe, is that all these are Yuletide qualities, and that Christmas is the only day when they are so generally prea- ant that they area natural part of daily life.

Just so long as that spirit cui- tinues dominant in the hearts of men throughout the year will the Christmas season be prolonged and continue‘ to give its blessings to mankind- '

For Christmas and happinsu are synonymous. ' ' '

And the "manna... of happi- "W ll 1101M’ lometbloc for other! Why not make~it always ‘l.

frills or lace ones, tying thenrwith ‘ogmgmgwfld’ i911“? 1 id“ Mm s cop. nave ea is to make the éusblcn of cracker-red

fashion with gold rib- bim. ‘ms llttladull must be‘ firmly

aewrsthrefighitsatirt, toth u. " of thfplaeuahian. ' ,' f"

ad-ihese places hold a. special significance to Christian [copies It vrss horc that Jesus of Nnutrcth, Christ, The‘ Found-zi- of Christianiiy, was hem. lived e places the world turns thought on Christmas Day". birthday of

Question of Flowers

By FLORISE

The year is almost over and here we are again on the threshold of the greatest birthday f the year— Christmas-the birth ay of One who loved us so much, who ‘gave us the gift of flowers to help make Christmas the merry season it is.

So .cach year. according to tradi- tion, we feel that to make the Yule- tide season really merry, we must surround ourselves with its age old customs, such as decorating our homes and churches and our friends‘ homes with the lovely nat- urul greens and blossoms that are with us for this season; when Merry Christmas sending a dear old lady an old-fashioned cherry plant with its ‘gay red ber- rics on its bright green branches, or remembering some shut-in by sending a bright velvety Poinsettia to tell them it is C... trnil; feel- ing like children again as we hang up the shiny green holly and silver mistletoe and learning tojaugh a little more at our own troubles and a little less at those of ourqneigh- bors. _ H _ Try to make this Christmas a truly flower-wnacioua one. Let ul stop to consider that mm is the only animal to whom Cod has given the sense of smell and let us smile and rise out of thetomb, of past regrets, coming forthlnto, the sunshine of a new faith. in ,0!!!‘- aelves. -

Autobiography Of A Turkey ~ (admin Note.-—With _ tire sp-

promh of the festive Christmas season, our minds turn naturally to , the more succulent features cf the . turkey. A: for as we crumble tc discover. however. very little has been heard concerning the thoughts of the bird on the subject. In ll order to obtain aome-idearin ti: mgard. we dclpctchad‘ ode of e alert news-hawks to the‘

further comment. is-the rower.- Farbaitfromaietowakpeel- mlstici (Mr. manuals ‘Mun his

preached by our reporter) ‘but it

Help! to ma that

no

l

y .¢;.. .=..........i1' |..tupon... no. 1

.103.

cwntal music, tests are mid u, D bans and private houses m, 0N1‘ . the PIIDQM-llitlvy. undo...“ caveat-heir own organized faiths... 139111.118 10351111"! mes around a com‘ 1‘ '1” P991113!‘ in the mu

t attracts thousands U1

a‘ . titers in the large centres. A; "V513. NEWPON and Swansea luc Uhffsmll Week Drosram includes WWI-ii? 111169 traditional ktuguy 1911111511 "b11995." with famous 511511311 1411111113 311-‘195- Christmas" Day and Boxing Day "soccer" foot- ball matches are also a gieat draw Iblliunting meetings are. num- erous and golf has a large 10,. lowing. Scasonable dances and blllllWi-l "e held at most of in.

‘ country towns.

talnment in hotels and theatres. In

outlying places, even as far

away u Achlll Island in the far west, one can always dud a hotel that will be delighted to welcome a guest in little places as quiet and lovely as any in the world.

At Bundoran, Dun Laoghaire (Kkigstown). Dalkey, Oraystones. Rosslare Harbour. Tremors, and many other .cocstal places, there will be happy company at the hotels. Killarney will, as usual, welcome the Christmas visitor.

CHRISTMAS IN WALES

Wales has magic to offer the visitor at Christmastide.

Although modern transport has brought even the most- outlerr“ ‘- vlilagaortpwninthehlllcoimtry within easy reach of England, .We.les_ remains a “foreign" cor- ner in the sense that it still re. ‘tains its own language, ancient ‘customs. and distinctive char- acter. '

Of course, English is spoken everywhere. But once you cross the border whether it is at Ches- ter in the north, Hereford in the east, or . Newport (Mon!) in the south. you cannot fail to get that sense of adventure, even romance, which accompanies travel in an "unknown" country. »

This lure is accentuated at this season of the year. Welsh folk cele- brate Christmas in special ways. They hold on to many customs that are centuries old and revel in modern characteristics at he seine-time- '

' G01!" Sciylcqpt,

Music. drama, family. and public festivities, and quaint celebrations cf different kinda make Christina colorful andoheerful. >

The Welsh are a religious peo- ple and Christmas ‘services at churches and chapels have e special appeal. In places, particul- any in country villages, all sects join in a dawn-cs cook's crow ser- vice at the local church. In some cases the service starts as early as c a.m. and goes on till the first shafts of day comes through the stained glass windows. short but. intriguing life for I féel it in my ‘now well covered bones that something is in the air-the whir of the grindatone, the hum of knives ac the! Ive shafplned. the ccvctnus glances of my frignd (this word spoken with a pleas u of sarcasm), the farmer andfhls family all proclaim to me in do un- certain terms that some festive sea- son BDDPmclns, a'saason,that_ bodes me no . .

'P‘or well do I remember about a rear cs0 the same pcrtsnts but helps-young "and caréfm I did trite no ‘hm. been afterwards. nwever, no longer-pg; my friend: and flvmradee. With whom r. I!" Went w MGR andacratch the agile ground fcr tasty little tid-

BOII-Iflllldtobcablctogrant You this interview inasmuch as thase will likely be my last. mm- ed words. ‘

Life has been sweet to mo in this peaceful valley. 1 have roe-iced farm. without fear of let or hind. fence»! have dined well and often II W111 my yanbona who cares not where he eatsor sleeps. ,

My family is older thdn of time white people that your eye may llsht» upon around this sleepy farm- land. rat cur dignity has suffered innumerable slighta. despite m. However, my wisdom is greater than my pride for I no longer tolerate indifferentlv the covltous glances cf all who pass me by.

' Ycrtam a turkey. I em proud of my out and my ancestors.

That. in the most nrrclous meml on"! con leavawiih all the. other tor-km in the world. y

To thou who would wield the

The Visitor to Wales win m“; plenty t0 interest and attract hm, at christian. Hotels and 1...... .... tractione’ organisations are also giving increasing attention to u... comfort "and entertainment of u... "finder within their gates at tn...- romantic period of the yea;

(IIIBISTMAS m scornsm;

.- -€_

Christmas ls. as it were, an hn_ Ported festival in Scotland. For "ll-RY years after the Reformation Christmas was not celebrated at all, andtbe habit was releurned 11°11! 9118181111. Consequently. the manner of its celebration in no wise differs from that of England, There is tho hanging of stockings "1 Ohflstm" Eve. the visit of Father Christmas, the exchange of Presents and cards of greetings, fig‘ llfikizvfllélgd Cllrlriétmastl dinner, thgvfigaple ‘dishenp p“ ding as