The reddest flower at Christmas is the poinsettia. 

 Crimson and B&by Ramblers rival it 



A pot of cyclamen makes a charming Christmas About the cheapest good flowering plant for Christ- 

 gift. The flowers suggest butterflies in flight mas is a primrose {Primula obconica) 



HOW tO Decorate for ChristmaS-By Thomas McAdam, a 



NEW MATERIAL YOU OUGHT TO KNOW— BETTER WAYS OF USING THE OLD FAVORITES— WHY YOU SHOULD 

 NOT OVERLOAD THE TREE— HOW TO PREVENT DISASTROUS CHRISTMAS FIRES-SUGGESTIONS WORTH TRYING 



THE four most distinctive Christmas 

 decorations are the Christmas tree, the 

 holly wreath, the sprig of mis- 

 tletoe and Christmas bells; and 

 I believe I have named them in 

 the order of their importance. 



Clearly the most important 

 thing to be decorated is the 

 Christmas tree, because it fur- 

 nishes the prettiest way of pre- 

 senting gifts to children and, 

 of course, Christmas is for 

 them. The best tree for the 

 purpose is the balsam and the 

 best way to decorate it is not 

 to overload it. The greatest 

 mistake that is made in con- 

 nection with Christmas is put- 

 ting too much upon the tree. 

 No wonder the little ones often 

 turn away from it in honest 

 boredom! Let the natural 

 beauty of the tree shine forth. 

 Try your best not to surfeit 

 the children. 



Every year the country is 

 shocked by accounts of chil- 

 dren burned to death at Christ- 

 mas tree celebrations. The first 

 thing to do is to take every 

 precaution against fire. If you 

 have electricity in your house, 

 it will pay you to inquire about 

 the little electric lights that are 

 made especially for Christmas 

 tree decoration. They are now 

 to be found in almost any 



. J Uathering gro 



electrical supply store in the vate d 



land. If this method is impractical, do at least 

 be careful where you put the candles and 



undpine for home decoration. This charming plant ought to be culti 

 by everyone who is fortunate enough to own a bit of woods 



240 



don't use any cotton snow, for it is ex- 

 tremely inflammable. 



The most important decora- 

 tive material is holly, because 

 it is the oldest, most distinctive 

 and the best fitted to express 

 the religious significance of the 

 day. Mistletoe may be just as 

 old and just as peculiar to 

 Christmas but it is a pagan 

 symbol, while holly was called 

 " Christ's thorn " by the early 

 Christians, then "holy tree" 

 and finally "holly." 



The one thing we all desire 

 most about holly is to have as 

 many berries as possible, but 

 we generally realize this after 

 we have bought our supply. 

 The new idea about holly is to 

 get some of the fancy brand 

 that comes in cardboard boxes. 

 This is sure to have two or 

 three times as many berries as 

 ordinary holly because it has 

 been specially selected and 

 shipped scientifically instead 

 of being jammed into barrels 

 where the berries rattle off in 

 transit. 



The most distinctive way of 

 using holly is in the form of 

 wreaths and the best wreaths 

 are those that are faced with 

 berries on both sides, so that 

 when they are hung up in the 

 window they will give pleasure 

 to passersby as well as the 



