The Coming of Santa Claus

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 December 1916, Page 2

The Coming of Santa Claus

CHRISTMAS AT AIT REX'fa

(By The Old 'Un)

How many serious things have been made of no account by these years of war? How many things have been revealed in undreamt-of depth and truth 1 1 fancy it was among the uiiserious things—whatever the pity of it—that a good many of us used to put our dear old friend Santa Clans. He was supposed to be only the children's toy-saint; a St. Nicholas of the Lowtber Arcade; a newfangled "furrin" version of Old Father Christmas; a piece of kindly humbug played off by wise fathers and knowing elder brothers and sisters upon those wide-eyed solemn little believers a£ the Christmas breakfast table! Of course all this was very wrong. The people who should bo put in short frocks are some of those so-called grown-up, who imagine that Santa Claus hap been explained away. Just now, in any case, there is a very special reason for making a greater fuss than ever of Santa Claus. This is partly because a ridiculous suspicion has got about, even among those who should know better, that Santa Claus, like so many of the figures of him, was "made in Germany." Such nonsense! As a matter -of fact if cue goes to the heart of him, one will fird that if ever there was an Ally rf the Allies it is old Santa Claus, red cheeks, sprig of holly and all! We, here in Levin. are thankful to" Mr Aitken for his enterprise each year, ever since he first started business here, in giving the children a delightful Christmas treat in the shape of a re all lire Santa Claus, who annually arrives in his motor car; Wandering through Mr Aitken's No.l shop (next to the Arcadia) I was at once impressed with the delightful, bright Yuletide appearance of it, and the many really useful Christmas gifts for ladies, men, boys and girls, all so splendidly displayed and in such a way as to make Christmas shopping a pleasure. Included among the many gifts that catch the eye are fountain pens, ladies' handbags, autograph albums, dainty handkerchiefs and scent cabinets, silver antimony ware, glove and handkerchief boxes and "Meccano" and "Permodelle" for the boys and girls. Mr Aitken's No. 2 shop (situated next to Mrs Hall's, tobacconist) is even more artistically dec-orated and a. great blaze of coloured flags, lanterns and papersteramers hang overhead as one enters the store. It is here that Santa Oaus will preside on Christmas afternoon and eve. Much might be written of the many; little side attractions that have been arranged to form one big bazaar so fittingly named "Hie Home of Father CTTristmas," but space will not. permit of a lengthy description of this fairy toyland for children. Christmas, undoubtedly, belong to the cliil-. dren ;it is for them the time when stern grown-ups unbend, and sixpences are not as scarce as during the rest o[ the year. You'll want to make your kiddies happy and Mr Aitken has /aid himself out to make the task easy and pleasant for you. Dolls, trains, soldiers, guns, blocks, drams, and trumpets are there in hundreds; in fact everything to delight a child and make merry faces on Christmas morning.