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Show Kathleen Norris Says: Do Something About Christmas BeU Syndicate. WNU rtaturee. "If they art small children, remember they love to dress up, and make cos-tumes cos-tumes for them all. Cowboy and policeman suits are simple, cooks and pirates simpler Hill. Girl adore hoop skirts and ballet ruffles, a poke bonnet or grown-up's shortened skirt." I By KATHLEEN NORRIS OUR first peace Christmas Christ-mas in a long time is rushing toward us, and it's time to do something about it. Do something to remind re-mind our discharged servicemen service-men that we haven't forgotten what they did for us. Get in touch with the nearest near-est Red Cross or service club or government hospital, and ask what's planned and what's needed. Build up a real Christmas by having a few strangers at your table, or taking part in canteen or hospital hos-pital preparations. There mustn't be a single bed, among all our thousands of lewly filled hospital beds, that has not its heap of gaily wrapped packages beside it on Christmas morning. Let us solve the Christmas problem prob-lem by an extended hospitality, and by ingenuity In planning for the great family day. This shouldn't be an extravagant Christmas; save your money for the long pull of the year or two immediately ahead; prices are high Just now, oommodi-ties oommodi-ties are scarce and often inferior in quality. Small inexpensive presents and a plotted Christmas program will be In far better taste and much more fun. Costumes for Children. If there are small children and Heaven help the family where there are not! remember how they love to dress up, and make costumes for them all. Cowboy and policeman suits are simple, cooks and pirates simpler still. The girls adore hoop-skirts hoop-skirts and ballet ruffles, but a poke bonnet a grown-up's shortened skirt and a shawl will keep any girl from 4 to 10 absorbed for delightful hours on Christmas Day. Small canvas can-vas traveling cases, at a cost of about 50 cents apiece, add greater glamour to any costume that indicates indi-cates the tourist, and to name the sitting room as Italy and the playroom play-room as China adds some zest. Pencil Pen-cil games for young and old are always al-ways good, charades or a homewrit-ten homewrit-ten play, home movies, or the manufacturing manu-facturing of a home record to send to someone far away are all delightful, de-lightful, and don't cost as much as one modern toy. One old man I used to know would go into our small town post offlce every day during the week before Christmas, to pay the postage on small packages held for postage shortage. Scores of these went on their way because of his generous spirit, and he never was thanked and never wanted to be. One rich woman here went to the old people's home a week before Christmas a few years ago, found that there were 118 Inmates, and laid down her check for $354. "I want every one of them to have a little money for gifts," she said. A kindly aunt of my acquaintance acquaint-ance sent a niece at boarding-school her usual present. But a week before be-fore that she sent this same niece a box containing five or six small wrapped gifts, for the niece to give to her friends. A Day of Freedom. Another gift that always has seemed to me a marvel of thought-fulness thought-fulness and sweetness was the one 'Feasting, playing, laughter, home lovt ..." SHARE JOY 17777 OTHERS This Christmas should be the happiest for many years. After the dark years of depression, de-pression, and the anguished years of war, we have sudden-ly sudden-ly emerged victorious and prosperous. While there is still much sorrow, this is the best j Christmas for most people in i a long, long time. I In our gladness we should j not lose sight of those less for- tunate. There are many whose sad days we could brighten a i little. Those in hospitals and homes for the aged; orphans i and cripples; most of all those ' for whom tve can never do i enough, the wounded veterans 1 of this and the other wars. If ' possible, we can invite some of 1 these men to our homes. At i least, we can go and visit them , and perhaps give them small , my sister made to a friend of hen for many successive years. It wai the gift of a day. Margaret married before my sis ter did, and presently had a baby On the Saturday before Christmai my sister was at her house at nint o'clock, and Margaret was off like a swallow for a day In town. Shop ping, lunch, with a friend, calls, din ner with her husband downtown and a leisurely return were Mar garet's for that one day. Next year there was another baby, and the year after that my sistct brought her own, and presently het own two. And always it was Mar garet's miracle day, the day of com plete freedom from anxiety and re sponsibility, as a present from Ter esa. To put that sort of Imaginatlor and tenderness Into the holida) that reminds us all of the InflnlW love of God for man. Is to achieve several all-important things. One It that the January bills will not be i nightmare. Another is that un pleasant discoveries as to the pool quality of toys and frocks will b avoided. And the most Important oi all will be that traditions of home fun, home service, feasting, playing laughter, home love, will be butt' into the hearts of everyone wh comes within reach of that warmth and some of the sadness and changi of these strange days will be turncc into sweetness and light |