CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS

Ladies' Mirror, 1 December 1924, Page 3

CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS

KNAVE O' HEARTS

A SEASONABLE CAUSERIE

l\/rAY I, right away, offer you the heartiest Christmas greetings ? The very best of good wishes: if your Christmas be as happy as I wish it may be, you will look back upon it as the time of your life. May you have all you wish for yourself and more: for few of us know quite what we want, do we? May you, however, have what you want, do what you want, and meet whom you want to, and, to mix a metaphor, may all your ships come home to roost.

SURPRISINGLY to relate, I was quite well brought up : it is only since I reached the years of discretion that original sin has come into its own, and the Old Man has become rampant within me, causing me to cultivate such fearful vices as Journalism and other lesser idiosyncrasies. I can assure you that at one period of my existence I could repeat My Duty to My Neighbour, the Catechism and the Collect for Septuagcsima Sunday without taking either thought or breath. I knew my name was N. or M. though I wondered, and still do, just why it was metamorphosed at, apparently, some later date, since these alternative, and not very attractive, appellations were bestowed on my be my Godfathers and Godmother at my Baptism (I am rather pleased that I can still remember the numerical distinction due to my sex). It occurred to me it was just as well, however, for neither Nathaniel nor Melchizedek make much appeal to me, and I cannot regret that they have, apparently, been heedlessly dropped by Life's Wayside. However, I digressan indulgence which I claim as a Christmas treat. At a subsequent date I learnt, in the intervals between playing with gas jets and making a variety of obnoxious and unauthorised smells, that "the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection." Should I be wrong and you more learned, dear lady, I hope

that you will pardon —it was very like that, anyway. Since this is about the only relic of the much good money spent on my education by my overoptimistic parents, I like to make the most of" it, and therefore these notes shall show the application of my one piece of scientific knowledge: my wee ewe lamb shall bleat its loudest. Therefore, for the nonce, will I spurn my usual monthly task of commenting on the misdeeds of peccant politicians. Emperors, Governors and Kin^s

may pursue their errant ways, fearless of my censure: Mr. Massey may eat his Christmas Dinner in peace for I will say nothing that shall disturb his tranquility. My Reflections shall take their incidence from mincepies and plum pudding and the true Christmas spirit of goodwill to all men shall permeate my diatribe. The only "punch" in my remarks shall be the good old English variety, hot and spicy, and reeking of good cheer, and have no savour of the modern American meaning. cA T)electable leverage HPALKING of punch, I ■would like to know howto make a good punch: Dickens' descriptions are delectable but debatable; nutmeg figures prominently and a red-hot poker has its place. Rum and lemons are also, apparently, important ingredients—but we obtain no accurate formula from our great chronicler of Christmas as it was, upon which to work. I tried once, but my method was, though eminently success I fear unscientific. I poured the whole of everything that appeared suitable several ingredients that probably were notinto an enormous bowl and soothed the concoction with boiling water, lemon, spice and brown sugar. It was a noble drink, reminiscent of what I should think those drinks so frequently indulged in by the heroes of romance:

c&he Qhurch that topp'd the U\(eighbouring Will <33:y Is). Annesley 'Brown

c&hes UHight c&ides <£k typical Mew 'Zealand Qoast Scene

mead and hyppocras, and it was very popular, but we were all very wan next morning at breakfast. Still, it was a wonderful beverage and redolent of very spirit of Christmas. After all, if we can't be Christmassy at Christmas, when can we?

Old fashioned yuletid(L>

"DUNCH, reeking hot and sending a rich and rare aroma redolent of Yule Heavenward, opulentbreasted turkeys whose drum-sticks would have formed a meal for a giant, plum puddings glorious in a blaze of blue flame; mince-pies, succulent with flavours for which the world has been ransacked, the several glasses of old fruity port, and the many toasts to both present and absent friends : the snapdragon, the old-time dances, the after-dinner somnolence, and, I fear, sometimes something worse even than a sur-feit-induced somnolence, the nocturnal visitations of

a thinly-disguised paterfamilias, the candle and pres-ent-hung Christmas treeall the paraphernalia of the mid-Victorian romancers: these things are as foreign to our New Zealand Christmas as the frost and snow, that, sad to relate, was so often deputised for by mud and slush in the Home-land. Yet we in the Southern Hemisphere still reverence the spirit of Christmas, though we celebrate the festival, of necessity, differently. To us, for all that we hold to the traditional idea, —to us Christmas is coming to have more and more an al fresco significance. The glory of glad sunlight is . something that we appreciate very fully and which we would not willingly barter for even the old Dickensian tradition of the Homeland. Parallels of latitude are determining for us, willy-nilly, the ways in which Christmas celebrations shall most fitly be carried on. We accept Father Christmas as a festive patron—call him St. Nicholas. Santa Claus or what you will —but we do so with our tongues in our cheeks as it werefor it is difficult to picture the fur-clad old gentleman disporting himself on our beaches with lightly clad youths and maidens in a blaze of summer sunlight. His reindeer have, like so much else that

was picturesque and romantic, given place to petrol - —his never-empty bag to the department store, which is so much better equipped to cater for the tastes of children of all ages: for if we cannot be children at Christmas then we are lost beyond hope of redemption. King Sun or King 1YTO; I cannot think we are the losers by the exchange : the sun beckons us to camp and sea-side and wooded heights, in search of health : this surely is better than the quest of the loaded board in search of indigestion ! Surely, open air is better than sleepiness, and exercise more desirable than indulgence. So, year by year, our New Zealand Christmas becomes more and more of an out-of-doors festival—altered in the manner of the observance, but the

same in spirit as that which our forefathers knew and loved. And when we come to sum up, the great idea underlying Christmas is not the gargantuan repasts, nor the somewhat bucolic merriment; not the snow and the robin-redbreasts the spirit of "Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Men"—the fact that once a year we should be reminded that life is not all striving for mastery and riches : that from goodfellowship and open-handedness, and from self-for-getfulness, may reward be found. . The pity of it is that this spirit possesses men's minds for such a short-lived period: if only the Christmas idea could be carried through our lives, and not cherished for but a single day in the year—■ how much happier would the world be! Nevertheless, as long as we, in New Zealand, believe that Christmas is a time of charity in action and in thought, and of real brotherhood—a period in which we should put away mean and ignoble motives and think more of others than we do of ourselves —we shall hold to the true, innermost Christmas tradition and it will make no matter whether we spend our festival in the warmth of the sun or the blaze of the Yule Log.

RShe c&averru <Sy Isabel (?odringtorL>

A ND, so, Dear Lady, I end my unwanted ■*"*■ sermon and proceed to other matters: being egotistical, firstly to ourselves and our Christmas Annual, of which we are somewhat, and, I believe, justifiably proud. Though you will not find any of the features that in other climes have become synonymous with similar publications: for you will not find a snow-clad church, nor a coach and six rumbling through frostbound country is a variety and abundance that should please the most captious : and a wealth of colour illustrations that excel in number and quality anything previously attempted in the Dominion. Probably you, dear Lady in the Mirror, as you spend a leisure and, I hope, a happy hour or so glancing through these pages, will not realize the amount of labour that has been necessary to produce the result. That is, of course, unless, which is very unlikely, thar you have printers' ink coursing through your veins: This sounds absurd, but there are mortals so bitterly cursed from their birth.

Disregarding the preliminary work which had to be done before a single line was handed over to the wizardry of the compositor and his accomplices, forgetting the continual care and earnest thought that has been devoted to every page from its inception to the maturity that it has now reached, one fact alone is worth remembrance: in printing 25,000 copies nearly one million times have the printing machines revolved during the past fortnight to produce this annual for your pleasure, which, we think, constitutes a record for any New Zealand printing house. Only those who know what colour printing entails can appreciate the labour envolved in producing a large edition containing over thirty pages in colour : the hours of labour of many varied and skilled craftsmen that must be spent before even the first rough proof is produced: the anxious thought that must be devoted to every page. Sufficient, however, of this topic, lest you should think thai our Yule-tide Days will be clouded over by sad thoughts concerning the recent demise of our staff trumpeter. We have tried to give you a really worthy number, and leave the verdict on our efforts to you, with an easy mind, for at the worst we can depend on the charitable spirit induced by the season we hope, however, the exercise of this worthy emotion will not be required. Therefore, in drawing your attention to these matters, I would not have you believe that my object is simply to exalt ourselves unduly: we have tried our best to please you

and by pleasing you to give service to these estimable firms who, by their support, have rendered this publication possible, but I cannot overlook that all our efforts would have been vain had it not been for the loyal and ungrudging assistance we have received from our printers, Messrs. Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd., who have produced the issue in a remarkably short time, and whose technical staff have, at all times, rendered every possible aid—often far more than we had a reasonable right to expect; and to Messrs. The Auckland Photo Engravers and their staff, who are responsible for the process work, and who have borne many burdens with cheerful hearts and courageous spirits.

cs\nd a T{equesh~ TF, as we trust it will, this issue pleases you, believe it is only a foretaste of coming numbers, and that our schemes for the immediate future are very ambitious indeed. You can help us to fulfil these schemes and to plan even larger ones, by giving us your assistance: for here is where the lie is given to the old adage about "The fewer the better —with us it is a case of "The more readers the merrier and the better fare" : become a subscriber and by showing this issue to your friends, induce them to subscribe too —you will find later a special Christmas offer by which you can benefit.

Another way in which you can help us is by mentioning "The Ladies' Mirror" when you purchase from our advertisers great majority of our readers are urban residents who do not order by post, and who therefore do not fill in the forms attached to advertisementsand the only way those firms who seek your patronage through our columns can realise the value they obtain is by informing them that you "saw it in The Mirror."

£k Totent forces Few of us realise what advertising has done for us: it is probably the greatest influence in the world to-day. It has made possible the cheap daily, and the sumptuous monthly at a reasonable price; it is the great guarantee of quality and a sure guide to right buying. The merchant who consistently advertises can be relied upon, and deserves your patronage. Let, therefore, our advertising pages be your counsellor during your Christmas shopping. Seek their advice on what to give for presents, and you may be sure you can act on it in perfect confidence. Farewell—for a month. And again, the best of Good Wishes. KNAVE O' HEARTS.

The "Father Christmas" photographs on this page were specially taken for "The Ladies' Mirror" by Tornquist Studios,

(Mother and Qhild \ sßy Jessies ePttontigney