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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



man's mansion. "No ! Thank God, in " merrie 

 England," every man's house is his castle — 

 mirth and jollity are open to all. So let 

 every house have its " Christmas Tree ;" and 

 let the links in every family assemble 

 together to make merry beneath its branches 

 — which blossom " so freely " once a year! 



Sorry should we be, if the re-unions so 

 peculiar to this season should ever be set 

 aside. Coolness will> and does arise, some- 

 times, in all families. Whether from long 

 absence, difference of sentiments, the want 

 of more frequent communication, fancy, 

 diffidence, apathy in letter-writing, or what 

 not — it is not our province to inquire. We 

 say — meet, good families; meet together. 

 Embrace each other. Renew your annual 

 vows, and let your affections be more closely 

 united than ever. " Love one another " is a 

 saying of the highest antiquity : and it has 

 an undeniably good origin. Carry it out, 

 as we shall do, to the very letter ; and such 

 of us as are now getting old, shall again feel 

 younger than the youngest. Misseltoe ! 

 Holly, German-trees, Mince-pies, Plum- 

 pudding, and Custards ! — all hail ! But we 

 must not, in our enthusiasm, lose sight of 



ftjp ffljristas fern 



We hold these Christmas Trees in the very 

 highest reverence. Of all toys — and by 

 such a name we love to call them — they are 

 the most harmless. They embody so much 

 real fun, create such intense curiosity, keep 

 up such a pleasing excitement (both by antici- 

 pation, and realisation) ; and concentrate so 

 many delights in one grand focus — that we 

 can never say enough in their praise. While 

 officiating at the Christmas revels — where 

 this tree presides as the " good genius of 

 mankind," ave must be good also. Nature 

 will overpower us, in spite of ourselves ; and 

 our selfishness must melt into human kind- 

 ness. Little children, and great children — 

 Love one another ! 



It appears to us, that the ceremonies and 

 duties— duties indeed ! inseparable from the 

 preparations and decoration of a Christmas 

 Tree, are what invest it with so much ab- 

 sorbing interest. All is veiled in unfathom- 

 able mystery. Nobody sees anything. 

 Nobody knows anything. Still is ihemagnum 

 opus — the " great work," steadily going on. 

 Few can imagine when they gaze upon 

 " that tree," rich in its abundant fruit, 

 and luxuriant foliage ; bearing on its 

 branches " something" from every quarter 

 of the globe — what care, what toil, Avhat 

 anxiety, what loving thoughts, what unceas- 

 ing hunting after variety, novelty, and fun, 

 have been expended for many weeks on 

 its decoration. And who shall describe the 

 triumphant joy, the " immense" feeling of 

 justifiable importance, which animate the 



young and happy beings who usher in their 

 friends to see " that tree " for the first 

 time ! We behold it now — towering high 

 above their heads, in all its glory ! 



And was there ever such an exhibition 

 before ! Look at that never-ending succes- 

 sion of lights, " taper"-ing one above the 

 other. Why, the tree is one blaze of fire ! 

 And see ! what extraordinary things lie 

 hidden in ambush among those lights ! 

 Search for an hour if you will — two hours ; 

 yet will there remain a mine of treasures 

 (" funny" to the last) still undiscovered. 



Having been born under a " lucky planet," 

 it has ever been our good fortune to be 

 " great" with the fair purveyors of Christmas 

 pleasures. They are never happy without 

 us ; nor are Ave ever happy Avithout them. 

 This is just as it should be. We have thus 

 been made actively useful in scouring OA^er 

 London to furnish " foliage" for a Christmas 

 Tree ; and if our young friends will promise 

 not to laugh, Ave Avill tell them what Ave 

 have mustered up at rendezvous* 



Whilst emptying our pockets — Ave some- 

 times seemed to be " made up" of pockets — 

 out came — 



Fiddlers, some with one leg, and some with two; 

 lusty beadles, and rosy-cheeked romps; econo- 

 mical money-boxes; Chinese puzzles, and skip- 

 ping hoydens; artificial fruits, and blushing 

 milk-maids; knowing countrymen, and laugh- 

 able expanding heads; smirking shepherds, and 

 simpering shepherdesses; "young Norvals " by 

 the dozen, with lay-down collars; ugly dogs, 

 and pretty dogs; donkeys plain; ditto colored ; 

 ditto, saddled and bridled; ditto, quiet; ditto, 

 frisky; men of war, AVith green eyes and curly 

 heads; Adonises with eye-glasses, by the dozen; 

 pedlars, Avith flowing beards (of course) ; scissors; 

 mechanical mice; men widi apple-dumping 

 cheeks and lean legs; boys in pinafores; dolls 

 dressed; ditto, half-dressed; ditto, full-dressed ; 

 ditto, undressM; ditto, timid ; ditto, brazen ; ditto 

 tidy ; ditto, slatterns ; sham watches, clocks, dials ; 

 fiddles, drums, guitars, Avork-boxes, inkstands, 

 whips, tops; magic lemons, resembling coach- 

 men after dinner, i. e. " full in-side-" sandwich 

 boxes, paintboxes; nurses " Avet;" ditto, " dry;" 

 ink-wipers, dolls' chairs, sachets, glass pens, 

 jumping frogs, millers (and their men), razor- 

 grinders, Italian organists; dogs, barking; dogs, 

 squeaking; dogs, baying; some of them nonde- 

 scripts, some mastiffs, some pugs, some poodles, 

 and some "mixed;" monkeys, cats and kittens — 

 some likenesses, some not) tablets, Black Jacks- 

 in - the •• Box, or concealed bandits; plump 

 aldermen ; the Lord Mayor's coach and coach- 

 man ; gloves, silver toothpicks, mother o'pearl 



* These " meetings" were held of an evening; 

 and very delightful they Avere— and will again 

 be, soon. Never, surely, Avere such groups of 

 merry boys and merry .girls (large and small) 

 assembled together ! What mirth! what shouts 

 of laughter— as each drew forth " something," 

 funnier still than the last I — Ed. K. J. 



