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The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1888. CHRISTMAS 1888.

And to-morrow will bo Christmas Day. So tho yearß roll on, and the joyous season of Christmas comes round once more ; each successive Christmas Day appearing, to those who have lived long enough to count many of thorn, to arrive with greater and greater celerity, while to tho very young tho gap between Christmas and Christmas seems nn almost immeasurable period of time. But to old and young alike Christmas is ever welcome, not only — rather wo should write least of all, because it " brings good cheer," but because of its sacred associations, its spirit of goodwill and benevolence, its gathering together of scattered families, its universal kindliness and rejoicing, For it knows neither latitude nor longitude, and proclaims under the banner of tho Cross the wide world over the brotherhood of pian and the fatherhood of God. It is meet, therefore, that so blessed a season should be greeted with universal rejoicing, and whether it comes to us clad m a mantle of snow, and wreathed with holly and ivy and mistletoe, or robed m tho bright verdure of our New Zealand summer, with hands full of tall white lilies, and crowned with a chaplet of crimson-tassellcd pohutikawa or star flowered clematis, matters not one whit, Christmas is Christmas m whatever garb it comes. For some it must be that Bhadow mingles with the sunshine, for with them the cypress is woven into tho Christmas wreath, and there are vacant chairs that were filled by beloved forms last Christmas day, but for those whose days of mourning are not yet ended, there is a message of peace and comfort m tho song of the angels that ushers m the birthday of the Christ, telling of another and brighter Home where sorrow comes not and parting shall be no more. Thus, then, for those that mourn there is joy at Christmas, oven though it be a chastened joy, while for those to whom no recent grief has come it is a season of unmixed rejoicing. Happily too for ' tho peoplo of itjiis colony, tho clouds , th*t have so long hung heavy upon our horizon haY« shown their silver lining, and the bright sun of prosperity is bursting forth, and while our fields are rich m the promise of a bounteous harvest the heart of the husbandman is glad within him. Indeed, m every direction there are indications 'hat the times of leanness have passed away, and that a time of plenty has begun, and, therefore, this should bo the happiest Christmas that we have known for years. Lot us then all bo thankful for tho season and its surroundings, and out of the gratitude of our hearts let us seek to make this Christmas tido a blessed ono for all around us, J^et all petty grievances against ono another bo forgiven, and forgotten and let us sot our faces to tho future with hopeful hearts 1 and helpful hands, aud thus shall we all indeed experience A Merry Christmas AND

A Haity New Year.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AG18881224.2.8

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2021, 24 December 1888, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
518

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1888. CHRISTMAS 1888. Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2021, 24 December 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1888. CHRISTMAS 1888. Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2021, 24 December 1888, Page 2

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