'Quaint Customs Once a year, as Christmas comes round, from wreaths of mistletoe and many. other characteristics there looks forth e face of an old man, with snow-white beard and locks still whiter, with cheeks aglow with the cheeriest of r color and eyes that glisten with . the sunshine. of a merry heart To every child this face is 'tial: iar and welcome, because they re- _ cognize it as that of the mysteriows ~obhin a visitor whose Christmas coming~i always attended by the bringing of many presents and the eating of candy and many other good things. Down the Chimney, Of course he is a mystery to them. His coming in the night: long after the sandman has closed -their eves with' his magic grain, is never quite understood,. although explained by the chimney theory, and in many other ways accounting for his pre- sence in the house, when doors and windows are securely locked. An on Christmas day the mystery deepened still further when he ap- pears suddenly from some closet or hallway, and while greeting them in rough but hearty: voice, leaves those treasured remembrances o his visit. At times ail of about the history and some have even gone as to trace it way back through many countries, into centuries so old that time seems hardly to have made record of them. In fact, Santa Claus has been a great. rover, and he has travelled farther and longer than any known character in the -wofld's history, and always Santa Claus has been the same. Long before he came with gifts to the little babe-at Beth- lehem, he had been doing the same kind of thing for babes gin long ages of paganism. Is it any wonder, then, that children. love him for, old man as he,has always been, he has naturally understood the child heart, for the heart of old age is the heart of child, even though it beat under the scarlet fur- trimmed coat of old Santa. An Ancient Saint. Kriss Kringle, as Santa: Clays is popularly known, comes from the middle of the fourth century, hav- ing his origin in Rome. From there he travelled into Germany, where he modified certain okl traditions apd underwent modification him- self. From the woods of Germany. he crossed the channel to England. In those days he was a rather gaunt looking individual, tall, wrinkled, of waist, andhe wore a hig he peaked hat with a white tassel. His costume likewise was medieval. The coat was long) coming to the tops of his boots and was rarely held in by a belt. After his arrival in Eng- land he anpears to have improved somewhat in personal appearance, but it was not until he had emigrat ed to America, where he had a chance to become acquainted ae himself in his various aspects, that he developed into the familiar 'Re ure now seen all over the world at Christmas th is us have worried of Santa Claus so. far ne Many quaint traditions have fol- lowed in his footsteps and many su- perstitions have grown. up about the Christinastide English Legends. In England it is still generally be- lieved that these whe quarrel on Christmas Dax or night will havg nu luek in friendship, love or pock et. This tradition followed Santa Claus from Germany, and ts trace able through the Frankland of the middi e ages Iso considered very unineky. to allow caro! singers to leave the front of the house without being compensated, It has also been pre verbia! that al! underti tkings start- ed on Christmas Day prove suceessful, and in mans e i pea s and farmers sow samples of grain and wheat in their snow- covered fields Christmas morning will uuntries 4 Superstition, 'Among the superstitions is one of peculiar interest io women. It 1s Christmas geod luck to H said that launder a present ail destroy its Coupled with it, is the advice that to secure goud, luck we must save a piece of wood from the Christmas fire, to start the Christmas fire next year. Since time immemorial a belief has existed all through Europe that. a stick charred in the Christmas fire and kept under the "bed will protect the house from being struck by lightning, and the custom is largely followed. In Albania, food from the Christ- mas supper is thrown on the fire and a branch of cherry is left there for luck. ; Every one is familiar with the saying that a green Christmas miakes a fat graveyard. Possibly it was inspired by a'de- sire for a holiday, but in England re exists the savitig that nothing which runs round, may be set in motion between Christmas and New 'Year. As it comes down from the day of the spinning wheel its appli: eation wil] be understood. Christmas weddings the world ae. are regarded as insuring fu- ture' happiness, and the belief is , of Many Lands that a Christmas bride will never want for home, children and hus- band. In Servia. In Servian Christmas celebra- tions a cake is provided in which a silver coin is hid. When-the cake is cut the one getting the Christmas coin is assured .of a prosperous year. : In Germany, it is believed thas by watching the shadows thrown by the -- on the: Christmas tree, it may be known which member of the family will be first to die. A Peace Token. Scandinavians have a pretty cus- tom. In a row before the Christmas fire, Christmas "night all of the shoes of the family are placed as a token, that peace will reign in the houseld iring the year. In Prussia the b-Hef exists that all clothesiines must be left unhuns on Christmas Day, to insure good luck. a : Sweden has a tradition gpa it is unlucky to allow the ndles of Christmas fire to go out, and that it is equally urilucky to have any of the dishes unwashed on Chrismas eve. The practice of kissing under the mistletye arose from the behef that whatever was done under the en- ehanted shrub, would never become known, as the' plant would seal the lips of all who went under it. To bring goud: luck to a house on Christmas've, every one entering is expected to strike the Yule log with a piece of fron. This custom still prevails in rural Europe. In the Azores, wheat, maize and leaves are put in water on Christ- mas eve,-and the way they germin- ate will indicate what crops may be expected the following year. A Christmas spell is given as fol- lows in parts of northern Germany: Steep mistletoe berries to the num- ber of nine, ina mixture of ale, vinegar and wine; then dip' them in honey, and eat on Yetiring what you dream you\may rest sure of finding. The Boar's Head. In medieval England Christmuas are with a great' feast, in which the boar's head first appear- ed. In many of her educational in- stitutions the boar's head is still to be seen at Christmas dinners. Queen Victoria had this custom re- tained at her Jast Christmas dinner. The custom is.a relic of the pre- Christmas Druidical times, when a boar was killed at the festival of acrificed me the winter solstice and sac 'rey or the 'goddess of peace and) plenty. As this riod is coinci- dent with Yuletide, the custom was retained. To Coleridge is given the distine- tion of introducing the Christmas tree in England. At least it was he | Pol ie 23 iam [l/; Nis 1, PVP <a 4, 6 pico During this operation the men guns and pistols, and the sing a song asking the tree to r "'barnfuls' bagfuls, and sack- fur-trimmed coat and cap with its 4 tassel of red and the clattering} reindeers and wonderful sleigh i less distinctly a feature of old-time. memories than the peculiarities at fuls. hundreds of people we remember It ated to be, and perhaps still is, as children ? 'a custom in Cheshire for farm. ser- Of all the characters about whom »yants to engage themselves to their history has so many strange and in- Masters from New Year's Eve_to teresting tales to tell, can one be Christmas Day. This left them the named whose perennial activiti rival those of St. pide Home-Made. "Curtains. 't ue been n ithe far farmer me his family. AY belief etith Ey igen on in. pa: We fat at mid nih on wang a Token for the: gee a $ are also said' to sing in wer Yuletide at, this hour, andi it is be- ba "that bread baked "ing will if you are aware of the size of yours ol go mouldy! -- London An- friend's windows, buy net by the ers. decorate it with' darned borders 'tn! es , \ who first called public attention to} its beauty in a letter from Ratz- burg, North Germany. Ii was ad- apted at once by some of the lead- | ing fami lies and at) once became} 'ar, spre amis in a single year} popu throughont the length and breadth | of the land. and instantly cressing | to America The Christmas Tree. | In Germany the tree is ide nlified | with the ny stolic labors of St. Maternus, it being supposed he slept. under a fir tree and that a miracle eceurred én that oceasion. But the ('hristmas tree is really bof Romans rigsin » being traceable to the Roman Saturnatia. With all af these traditions and | superstitions, Santa Claus is close- Vv connect "i, and how this came } may be told briefly by tracing th amiable old gentleman through, some ef his past rambles | Tn Italian folklore there is an ould! woman whose name is Befana. She is a sort of wandering Jew and Santa Claus combined. She was the good fairv. who filled children's stockings with presents, If the children had been naughty. she left | only ashes. although sometimes she | returned to comfort. the little pent tents with gifts. Tradition is that she was too busy sweepyig, to see the three wise men when they pass- ed on their wav to Jerusalem, but agreed to see them when they came back. OF all the beautiful legends, those connected with Christmas are the! most beauti fyl, and of all charac- ters familiarly known throughont Christendom, Santa Claus is the best loved of any. From the days when a tiny ligtle worsted sock. is hung up 'at the foot.of the crib, to be reached for Christmas morning and found filled with sugar plums or perchance holding a brilliantly colored: cornucopia, filled with su- gar-coated caraway seeds and snapper-jacks. to the unfortunate day of Pas sir from child- hood's fancies, no greater reality than this beloved Icelandic visitor who comes once a year ever existed. « And, after all, is he not a reality? Ask any 5-year-old what he thinks about it, and depend upon it he will be a whole lot nearer the truth than he will ever be later in life, And, after all, in later life is he not just ; VY as Many friends who are gone!: Are the cherry red lips and the jelly-like belly, and the jolly laugh, and the ' os | bo / two or three needles at the same time. , Will be impossible to count meshes ac= ionly a border across the i cake is otiagronei deposited in a Of flesh mercerized cottons used for Hardatiger | work, and give curtains for a Christ- mas gift. Get a firm, square-meshed net. Me ot sure the windows and allow for hem j jand casing at the top. Use' tapestry neefles as their blunt point will not} eatch, Long. skeined, heavy cottons can be had in white or ecru as required | by tone of net. ' Conventional patterns for darning } | may be bought separately 'or can be, picked out from books on this popular jform of needlework. Choose ge 'whose lines are not too intricate and ont for many cuttings of the@thread. ends must be jointed, run an together for a half-inch and with a fine thread overcast on the wrong) side and hide fastening under a stitch. 4 1e difficulty in darning is to make si an even pattern. Where there is a is border on both sides and across the ttom lay the front and bottom "hem } afid leave the other until the darning4, \is done, that the hems may be an equal SANPA CLAUS KIDDIES i | | distance from the design. It is often easier to start the pattern in the a corner and work in two directions. © « ] Do not finish one'line entirely and a then begin on the cross Ines. Use att A mistake is then easily detected, It curately, but do have a general idea' of distance and how many times the design must be repeated to come o evenly at the corners. Where there is bottom count. oem ng is simplified. Fe: Sometimes the nets are darned int | colored cottons, but as the effect against the light is poor, use a heavier tone than if the work were to be done .s nh an opaque ~'aepetio Those who like cross-stitch emboli ery will rejoice in a rather new mater- jal called mosaic canvas. : es being adapted to cross: \ atitching, this canvas makes'an effec--- jtive background for bullion stitch, the | lazy dalsy stitch, tapestry an 1d ey satin stitch, Its soft neutral tone makes it an admirable background for: colored es QUAINT CHRISTMAS C1 AS CUSTOMS. A pretty custo 4 is still observed in parts of Devonshire at Christ- . i ifs Do Your Duty Now. mas-time. The farmer, with his family and friends, partake of a} These are some of the unfortunate meal of thot cakes and cider--the| little ones whom'St. Nicholas may ooken being dipped in the cider be-}have to pass over unless you do fore being eaten your part soon. The whole party then repair to the} Se orchard, led by the farmer bearing hot cakes and eae as an offering} to the principal apple-tree. Saved Her the Trouble. 'Tramp--Your dog sot zit a piece flesh outer me leg, mi Woma n--Glad you mentioned it. I was just going to feed h fork of the tree, thrown over it. while cider is " classes may ORIGIN OF PLUM PUDDING. Queen Anne Gave . .a Prize for the Recipe. The exact origin of the English plum pudding 1s so obscure it {s difficult to obtain any information other than an occasional note in records covering the early part of the eighteenth century. It is supposed to have been in use many years before this, but the first mention of "pudding made from flower and raisins" is found under the date of 1711. Under the same date we find an old book of .recipes written by the chef Ra) had ec fon Th Tania XL A Bas nne. He writes: og i ae attioult to be 'described, beoatee of the several Sorts Flower, Milk, Eggs, Suet, Marrow, aia the most commo Pudding. They bake them in an Oven, they boil them with Meat, they make them fifty several Ways; Blessed be he that invented Pudding for it is a Manna that hits all Sorts of People; a Manna better than a of the Wilder- hess because the eople are never weary of it. Ah, what an excellent Thing is an English Pudding. In the latter part of the same year Queen Anne offered a prize of two guineas for the best plum pudding -- and out of 500 answers -- she arded the prize to the one sending. the following: One pound of raisins, one pound of | suet chopped fine, three-quarters pound of stale bread crumbs; one- 'quarter pound of brown sugar, one- quarter pound of flour, one pound' of iabiewon a of lemon j Fees: Boia and one totcan 6 of butter. until it will form a soft ball between the finger when dropped-into cold water. Remove from the fire and add one teaspoon of vanilla and one cup of chopped nut meais. Beat up until creamy, then = pour into buttered tins and when slightly cool mark off into sqtares. Maple Fudge.-- Place in a sauce- an-two cups of maple sugar, one- half cup of cream and one-half cup of 'milk. -Boil until a soft ball is formed when dropped into cold wa- ter. Remove froin fire.and add one cups chopped nut meats; Stir until crearoy and pour into buttered tins and mark off into squares. The nut meats need not 'he added unless de- sired. A very good substitute for maple sugar is made by using brown sugar tiny afew drops of maple tlayori Cc Eos late Pudge.--Muake the same as cream nut fudge only adding in addition four ounces of grated choe- olate to the other ingredients, and the nuts can be omitted if you wish a plain chocolate fudge. Fruit) Caramels.--Moisten | twe cups of brown sugar with a little vinegar or lemon juice, and a heap- ing teaspoon of butter, and until' it makes a firm bal! dropped into cold water: add one- half cup each of chopped dates, raisins, figs, citron and candied peel. Beat well and rol! out inte sheet, an inch thick, then cut inte small squares and wrap in paraffir a ee . anilla Caramels.--Place in a saucepan one cup of golden corn syrup, one cup of light brown su- Sti Boil until when drop- ped into cold waiter it will furm a soft ball between the fingers. Re- move from fire and add a_ table- spoon of vanilla, and one cup ol! English walnut meats, although it will be very good without the nuts. Pour into a buttered pan about aa inch thick, and when slightly coo! nae off into small squares. When early cool cut into sqpares. Choe olate Caramels.--Put in a saucepan two cups of granulated su- gar, one-half pint of cream and one- half cup of milk and one-fourth of grated unsweetened chocolate, stir constantly until the mixture forms a soft ball when dropped into sold water. Pour into greased - pans first flavoring it with vanilla; pe into inch squares. Poamul 'ougat. til it spins a. thread or makes a Hard ball between the fingers when drop: ped into cold water. Pour this over a cup of peanuts from which' the skins have been removed and haly- ed. Spread smooth!y and mark in to squares, Hazel Nut Toffee.--Melt one hal cup of butter in a sancepan, "ade one cup of molasses, tne cup of brown sugar and ae tablespoon of vinegar. Boil until it cracks brit tle when dropped into cold water stir in a half cup of chopped haze nut meats and a tablespoon of va- nilla. Pour into a buttered pa: and cut mto squares when nearly -old. Sunshine Drops.--Plass two ¢ ups of grannlated sugar in a saucepaf and add one-half cup of golden curt pal currants, one-half ofnutmeg grated, | five eggs, one-half pint.of brandy, one- } {half pound of minced candied orange | eel. Clean, wash, and dry the cur-! |rants, stone the raisins, mix all dry! 'ingredients well together. Beat the | eges, add to them the brandy, then jpour them over the dry ingredients | and thoroughly mix, Pack into greas- | ed small kettles or molds (this. will |make about six pounds) and boil six! , hours at the time of making and six! hours when wanted for use. Serve with hard or brandy sauce. The number of answers the quee received proves that such a dish wan fairly well known threughout England | at that time. As such news did not travel as fast then as with the modern! system, it is safe to esti that the! plum pudding bap in 'iammemes | t least 150 years peviou But even with a 200 year old recipe | before us we find it as a whole much; the same as those in use to-day. The! slight changes found in the modern recipes are due in some respects to the} 'high cost of the ingredients. These 'changes were made in order that all | enjoy their English plum' pudding whieh Christmas has assign-} ed to the Christmas-dinner, and it is! appropriate as the decorations and} gifts themselves. So with the coming of the holly and mistletoe comes the 'thought of the plum puddings which must be araperes | ahead of time an nd | allowed to ' if The puddles is canary prepared and! H baked from a wee yee fore Christmas and this is out of the way before the real preparations for the Christmas dinner begin. In Eng- land in many instances the pudding is paked a year ahead pnd hung from th ceiling along with the ham, bacon an ore, where it is kept dry and out of the way. There is no danger of it spoiling. if the top is covered with a clean paper moistened with brandy. If you would be lucky the coming year you and afl your family must rod the mixture in the process of ma This is an old custom and is ohaerved even to-day among certain classes. Brood over your troubles if you want to hatch more. evrup, a 'half cup of water, and one fourth teaspoon of cream-of-tartar Boil until it makes a firm bal' wher ; dropped into cold water. In the meantime whip up the whites of twe |eggs very stiff. Just before remov ing the syrup from the fire add one cup of English walnut meats and ; teaspoon ef vanilla. Pour over th beaten whites and heat up wunti foamy and light. Drep from spoor on greased plates or paper" Stuffed) Prunes.-- Procure = ome | Neenues prunes and let stan in ¢ old water over night. "Drain aad wi ips ary. 4 then remove stones and All the cavity thus formed with dktes anc nutmeats chopped fine. eae the outside of the: prunes with powdered slgar. A CHRISTMAS SONC. Haii, Redieaniens Saviour, Friend. Who didst stoop our woes to end. Who a little child became Born to poverty and shame: | Gladly we acclaim the morn When thou wast of virgin bon, Ange] lips did Thee proclainy And announce Thy roval name | To the shepherds in the field Keeping watch their = flocks shield; Ange! choirs sanz . Glory be to God : Men Thy glorious star did ac- Ase beckoned them to Thee, bly followed th®> its lignt T 1 beheld the wondrous -izht, od in mortal flesh fisplayve-] And in lowly manger taid. sare to in the sky en high. Thou helper of the weak, me lost, erring man to seek, ony fal voices now we raise In a song of hoty praise ; Hai! again the happy -norn When Thou, ._ Arist, cur Pope wast. Place. int a