The Times SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1939. Making Merry

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 303, 23 December 1939, Page 6

The Times SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1939. Making Merry

Once again, as for over nineteen centuries, the Christmas season has arrived, a season of festivities, giving and receiving of gifts, feasting and laughter, an occasion of vast significance maintained throughout all Christendom. Normally any request to make merry would bo as superfluous as carrying coals to Newcastle. But this year, unfortunately, times are not normal. A grim task has been entered upon, a world-wide one, in which citizens of this Dominion are all participants as citizens of tho Empire. The nation is at war. That of itself is cause for deep concern, for this is no light war, no mere colonial campaign. To add to the concern felt, a large proportion of citizens are gravely disturbed owing to the slate of our Dominion as regards its internal situation. For such reasons there is a tendency towards preoccupation with worries that ill becomes this festive season. Such being the case, it is felt proper to declare for the festive season. To banish dull care for the duration of this season is a sound and sensible attitude. Firstly, it is ever to be realised that this is, above all, the children’s season. They have had no part in the making or marring of this adult world. They understand not polities, whether national or international, or budgets, whether of nations or fathers and mothers. Let their happy innocence glow undiminished no matter how grownups may at heart feel otherwise. But unless those grown-ups themselves capture the rapture of tho season, the children’s hearts will not warm as they should do. To the children we all owe it to enter into the true festive spirit and to so do with a good heart. So stated, to make merry may be seen as a duty. There is, however, much more than that to be declared. It may be recalled that during the Great War the very soldiers on duty, and that on a Western Front of shot and shell, mud and chilling cold made merry at this season all through the long years. And wisely so. That which must be endured is not made easier by moping. In New Zealand we are all indeed fortunate at this hour. There are many worse situated places in which to be. No real threat of war upon our fair land is seen and our distance from the conflagration is one great blessing; so, too, is our assuredness of victory another. And whilst counting our blessings, a proper and timely task, let us realise the prosperity we really enjoy, the excellence of our climate (despite its faults) and tho good company our fellow citizens provide. To paraphrase an old saying—all worry and no joy makes Jack a dull boy. Laugh and play, to build your strength, of heart, mind and body. Do Ibis, not in any sense of “eat, drink and be merry, for to-morrow we die.” That is a fatalist attitude leading all too readily to defeatism. Rather take off time for the festive season as a good soldier takes Ills leave from the front line and heads for the base estaminet. Having arrived there, lie enters wholeheartedly into the spirit of fun prevailing. As he so acts, so may we .all and with a clear heart. Instinct, commonsense and duly all call together—here is Christmas, feast and make fun as tradition decrees. It’s the wise and jolly thing to do. As this is our last issue prior to Christmas Day, “The Times” takes this opportunity of wishing all readers and their families a Right Merry Christmas.