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Show NiCH (HEN 10 HAVE HOLIDAY GIFTS Thousands of Christmas Packages Eeing Purchased j by Soldiers in France. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN KltANCE, Tuesday, Dec. IS. (By the Associated As-sociated Press.) The purchase of thousands thou-sands of dollars worth of Christmas toys and clothing for the children in this'sec-tion this'sec-tion of France, was begun today by the armv. One purchase consisted of 300 overcoats over-coats for the children of refugees. Everything Ev-erything has been bought, from drums to toy rifles and dolls, and all the gifts will be presented on Christmas day. One American air squadron will set up a Christmas tree in a hangar for the children of a near-by town. It will be lighted with regulation candles and there will be a present on it for every boy and girl. Each chiid will get the gift most desired, the officers -having made a list of the names and written beside each what that particular child wanted. All over the zone it will be a Christmas Christ-mas long remembered if the Americans can make it such. Some of the towns will have community trees set up In the I public squares, while others will have Iktirs in the city halls. The presents for the children are all being paid for out of the soldiers' own pockets and one division has raised so far nearly ?70u0 for the purpose. For the army itself there-will be football foot-ball games in the morning and a dinner at midday that will surpass even llie one served on Thanksgiving day. Thousands of pounds of mincemeat, turkey and trimmings trim-mings have already arrived and. are awaiting the cooks and thousands more are expected. |