Show had been few r jl hie house ilie house was verv old but ll 11 was beautiful wilt jj the mellow dignity of age bad seen much it had heard so much that it felt not only old but wise and understanding a was not aea age that it felt rhth go much youth and romance bol gaiety gayety coming into the house from tune to time it felt young and roman tic and gay itself cot tills year it was worried the house believed in tradition in mem i in sentiment in anniversary aar abe house believed la christ oas every christmas it had been decorated green wreaths had been laut la every window great branches of pine had hung over the ancestral por traits which were heavy enough to tear them smaller pictures were gaven smaller sprays of green red candles were lighted in the candle sticks on the mantelpiece manel piece every christ mas eve every christmas eve there tad always been some members of the family who bad moved away and had ome back the bouse listened silent y expectantly for the whistle ol 01 abe train on christmas eve then for the noise of sleigh bells and the crackle of the sleigh stopping in front of the house to let out its family members who had journeyed back borne for christmas of recent years it had been an au that had honked and stopped before the house the house liked a sleigh better but still it kept up with the limes it liked having an automobile in front of its door during the and it aled the arrival of the automobile at christmas time it was not this modern invention that had bothered the house this year it was something else for years and years and years there bad been a little piece of toe hung under the old lamp in the front hall it was a funny old lamp it had pictures on its tour glass sides and it was really abe lamp holder for very evening just at dusk one of abe members of the family would come oot and pull the lamp holder down on its workable chain and tip the Ilg litel lamp just enough and most carefully to it would fit inside then back up abe lamp was pulled again from this had always hung the mistletoe mistletoe was sometimes hard to gel but a little piece had always beci obtained one vear there had awa only two berries on the 11 toe but this year in spite of a grea predominance of green there were five k white berries so it was not this that worried the house it was because there was no longer a lamp the amp holder was alicie hanging in the front ball but it had been fastened up so that it stayed up all the time cow it dian didn t have to be pulled was an electric globe in it aar tt was turned on by a button on jhc thc elde of the wall it was this electric light that both red the boidie somehow tt particularly the house believed in christmas es though the mistletoe hung from the electric light would not be so roman it was such a change and aft nance the house felt was not some thing to be changed in a twinkling in the turning of the button however the mistletoe hung there ng there as best it could with lt fed ribbon attachment its large amount of pale green leaves its alte berries the train was a minute ahead ol 01 time trains were not apt to be time but this time it wis for the alock bad said 7 14 and the train wa 0 o due 0 o arrive until 7 15 and he alock could not make a mistake not nov after it bad just been up the beet so recently to visit the very best and oldest clock mender in town rown came the bile in came the people gaiety gayety tau titer m arl cot rang out through the old house echoed up and back from the great sti elling re sounded through tap sn rooms how wonderfully the house Is decorated I 1 never 1001 ed lovelier than does this year lvery year the house had heard those words avery year abe house s more and more pleased every year those ire S s ode that cs after the ex 0 u e of the P ants n d ll 11 T a t abe epli es ahe old door 0 ul lt was ped out hut on v hole it was very mod hell in spite of its great lan les lidel le of anar t do 1 11 1 awu push it in it tey found it out lien they were coming home and they an bounce as they gut inalle blat was i p ins bon ad I 1 found oh must of the time the door bell worked this time it fair burst itself with the flauding lauding ring anat it gave A caller said the house to itself A caller said the family to one adother pretty late can it be but let us see our lights are all lighted whoever it was cou lint help but see that we are up and peo pie know bow late we sit up christ nina eve the door was opened one of the youngest members of the family opened the door not one of the mil joan heart sang a quiet happy little song dren they ft ere in bed but one of the youngest members just the same it was joan who had opened the door joan with her bright color and blond hair and blue eyes and lolly skipping little laugh yon thought of water slipping over pebbles in a brook when you heard joan laugh oh joan said oh she said again the family inside were wondering why joan bring the caller inside or was it just a message per haps or was ft a late package or was it a mistake or what oh joan said still holding open the door oh said joan again jojn merry christmas do lets make up 1 cant see a future without I 1 love you so much ob how joan s heart sang a quiet happy little song all to itself it was wonderful to think he would never be happy without her the thought of his unhappiness without her made her rejoice 1 it had been a stupid quarrel it had been hard saying such mean things when both of them knew they mean it joani he caught sight of the mistletoe and the house fairly creaked aloud with excitement the electric globe in the old lamp holder no difference nothing made any difference here waa youth and romance and gaiety gayety here was the mis inspiring what every true mistletoe should inspire joan called the family from with in aho Is there barry she answered hes tak ing off his coat carry took off his coat then and went inside they were clasping hands the mistletoe looked quite elated 1 I did a good job the mistletoe sald pitched up a quarrel and renewed n romance good work said the house 1 I approve of you merry christmas the mistletoe ended a la 12 newspaper Newa paper union reason for december 25 being christinas gate it Is not dennl tely known alien christmas was arst celebrated the institution of ahe festival Is attributed to who nourished in he feln antoninus ilus A D 1 I ills however Is not it has often been objected tank te cember 25 cannot be the true dule of alie birth of t haisl for it Is tl n the rainy season in palestine and shepherds would st arcely have beo watching sheep by in hie ilie reason for he anul chioke 25 cannot now be determined of IX cember widespread beust of the ter mined A have the may un at decision also the desire to place a feast in opposition to the koman feast of bol at the winter solstice the held hicar lelal lule denst in of alie return of the tiery sun and of hie bellita and usages ot atie old germans and relating to this butter passed troia christianity and have survived to to day As christianity the present spread the feast 0 the winter sol stice the time when the day begina to increase and light to triumph over darkness was changed into the feast of christ the light of life |