CHRISTMAS  TOKENS. 
OR  the  busy  housewife,  the  many  exquisite  thiDgs 
in  linen,  either  plain  or  embroidered — tray  and 
carving  cloths,  cake  and  bread  covers,  center  pieces 
for  the  table,  and  hemstitched  towels,  which  are  so 
much  used,  are  all  useful  and  acceptable  gifts. 
A  Perfumed  Fax  is  dainty  and  may  be  made  out 
of  one  of  the  small,  slender  palm-leaf  fans  sold  for 
five  or  ten  cents.  Across  the  lower  part  shirr  a  strip 
of  pale  blue  surah  silk,  gathering  it  in  tightly  at  the 
handle,  and  tying  it  down  with  ribbon.  Under  it 
place  a  thin  layer  of  wadding  scented  with  rose  and 
violet.  If  skillful  with  the  brush,  paint  a  delicate 
spray  of  forget-me-nots  across  the  upper  part 
Unique  Christmas  Cards. — Procure  a  heavy  beveled, 
gilt-edged  card,  which  can  be  bought  already  pre¬ 
pared  for  decoration.  Take  two  small  pine  twigs 
bearing  their  tassels  and  a  pine  cone,  and  erild  heavily. 
Then  tie  to  the  center  of  the  card — which  should  be 
square — with  narrow  blue  ribbon.  Another  may  have 
a  gilded  four  leaved  clover  glued  in  one  corner,  with 
“  Merry  Christmas  ”  written  in  gilt  letters. 
The  Sachet  Bag  will  always  hold  its  own  con¬ 
spicuously  in  the  list  of  holiday  gifts.  An  exceedingly 
handsome  one  is  made  of  cream  silk  with  large  gold 
satin  spots  or  disks.  It  is  about  eight  inches  square. 
The  Lavender  Bag  is  much  used,  and  there  is  no 
p-ettier  gift  from  a  girl  to  a  girl  friend  than  one.  Tts 
beauty  must  depend  upon  the  purse  of  the  giver. 
Japanese  silks  in  light  shades  make  pretty  ones.  One 
of  a  handsome  pair  is  of  ecru,  the  other  sea  green. 
Easily-Made  Fan  Bags  are  of  four  lengths  of  rib¬ 
bon  a  little  longer  than  a  fan.  These  are  pointed  at 
the  bottom  and  finished  with  plush  balls  to  match.  At 
the  top  draw  ing  ribbons  are  run.  Canary  color  is  very 
pretty  for  these. 
A  pleasing  gift  for  a  young  lady  is  the  propitious 
Yeli.ow  Garter  — Give  a  pair,  one  being  black  and 
the  other  brightyellow.  Make  them  of  fancy  silk  elastic, 
using  three-quarters  of  a  yard  to  a  pair.  Add  ribbon 
for  tying,  or  fasten  with  an  oxidized  clasp. 
A  Spectacle  Case  for  young  or  old  may  be  made  at 
small  expense.  Take  three-quarters  of  a  yard  of  rib¬ 
bon  inches  wide.  Fringe  one  end  to  a  depth  of  one 
inch,  then  fold  a  tuck  two  inches  deep  so  that  the  edge 
will  just  meet  the  fringe  part.  Overcast  neatly  the 
three  edges  of  the  ribbon  together  on  either  side  of 
the  plait,  leaving  the  folded  edges  and  top  of  tuck  free 
to  form  a  pocket.  Make  another  one  just  above  it, 
leaving  a  space  of  one  inch  between  the  two.  Cut  two 
pieces  of  bolting  cloth  the  size  of  the  pockets  ;  on  one 
paint  an  owl  s  head  in  shades  of  golden  brown,  and 
on  the  other  a  pair  of  spectacle  frames  in  gold.  Baste 
these  on  the  pockets  ;  the  owl’s  head  on  top  pocket. 
Finish  edges  with  bronze  and  gold  tinsel  cord. 
A  pretty  gift  for  a  gentleman  is  a 
Portfolio  for  Paper.— Take  a  piece  of  plush  nine 
inches  wide  and  29  inches  long.  Line  with  silk  of  a 
contrasting  color,  putting  a  layer  of  sheet  wadding 
between  the  outside  and  the  lining.  Turn  both  ends 
to  form  two  pockets  10  inches  deep.  Catch  one  pocket 
to  the  outside  with  fancy  stitches  about  four  inches 
from  the  edge.  Make  a  stamp  pocket  of  the  upper 
part  and  put  a  fancy  penwiper  on  the  lower  piece. 
Double  the  outside  together  and  finish  with  painting 
or  embroidery,  or  simply  a  bow  of  ribbon  if  preferred. 
Good  Paper  Weights  are  made  from  small,  flat 
stones  tinted,  upon  which  are  painted  a  pretty  land¬ 
scape,  butterflies,  or  any  other  favorite  design. 
A  Letter  Bag  is  a  new  idea.  One  is  made  of  a  pale 
green  plush  lined  with  pink  silk.  It  is  seven  inches 
wide  and  10  long,  and  is  hung  by  ribbons  which  match 
the  lining.  A  tiny  white  envelope  tied  across  one 
corner  with  narrow  ribbons,  explains  its  use. 
MARGARET  PERCY. 
SOME  CHRISTMAS  LONGINGS. 
AMMA,  will  you  give  me  a  present  at  Christ¬ 
mas  ?  ”  was  the  frank  demand  I  heard  a  five- 
yeur-..ld  make  her  mother,  the  other  day. 
Christmas  !  so  near  !  Very  near  for  those  who  have 
the  full  hearts,  but  the  meager  purses,  and  where 
time  takes  the  place  of  money.  What,  were  I  to  make 
the  like  demand  of  my  mother  and  other  relatives, 
who  nearly  all,  I  must  confess,  belong  to  the  above- 
mentioned  numerous  class  ? 
If  some  one  would  but  replenish  my  stock  of  stove 
holders,  and  replace  our  dreadfully  ragged  tea-cosy! 
The  latter  is  almost  as  absolute  a  necessity  as  the 
f  jrmer,  for  I  have  one  of  those  brick-paved  throws, 
and  want  my  warm  drinks,  warm ,  indeed  very  hot.  And 
did  I  not  break  the  tenth  commandment,  not  very 
long  ago,  when  I  saw  that  novel  and  safe  hair  re¬ 
ceiver,  and  also  the  glove  mending  arrangement? 
Therefore,  I  will  be  as  the  Germans,  in  fact  I  will  be 
more  minute,  for  they  only  make  out  a  list  of  articles 
desired,  which  list  i3  always  available  for  friends’ 
perusal,  but  I  will  put  down  the  articles,  and  how  to 
construct,  and  perchance,  if  '[  am  not  the  lucky  re¬ 
ceiver,  some  one  else  will  be. 
Hair  Receiver. — A  tinsmith  will  make  a  neatly 
finished  litt’e  tin  pail,  height  5  inches,  diameter  of  top 
4%  inches,  of  bottom  3%  inches.  The  handle  of  cop¬ 
pered  wire,  attached  to  the  pail  by  “  ears.”  l7our 
workman  will  paint  the  pail  the  color  of  your  pin¬ 
cushion.  Around  bottom  and  top  of  pail,  fasten  two 
pieces  of  1 %  inch  wide  ribbon  of  the  same  color  as  the 
pail;  each  p;ece  of  ribbon  respectively  touching  top 
and  bottom  of  the  pail.  Eich  fastening,  which  two 
bows  cover,  to  be  made  in  front.  To  the  lower  part 
of  the  top  ribbon  sew  a  frill  of  lace,  nearly,  not  quite, 
meeting  the  top  edge  of  the  lower  ribbon.  Hang  from 
the  handle  by  a  chain.  If  a  smouldering  match  is 
thrown  amongst  the  contents,  no  harm  is  done. 
Glove  Mender  — Take  a  curtain-p  >le  ring  of  the 
smaller  size,  and  to  it  sew  four  inch-wide  ribbons,  each 
ribbon  being  15  inches  long.  Where  the  ribbons  nmet 
the  ring  fasten  a  nicely  tied  bow.  At  the  other  end 
of  one  ribbon,  sew  a  pair  of  small  scissors;  a  loop  is 
placed  at  the  end  of  the  next  ribbon,  through  which 
is  drawn  the  Ccrticelli  sewing  silk,  which  comes  in  a 
plait  of  different  colors;  the  end  of  the  third  ribbon  is 
turned  up  to  form  a  little  pocket  in  which  is  placed  a 
celluloid  thimble;  and  through  the  end  of  the  fourth 
ribbon  a»*e  stuck  some  needles  of  a  size  to  hold  the 
silk.  If  one’s  purse  can  stretch  so  far,  the  thimble 
might  be  of  silver  with  monogram. 
Washable  Tea-Cosy. — A  half-moon  shape;  line  with 
yellow  flannel,  and  cover  the  batting  with  white 
cotton.  Around  the  half  circle  side,  sew  a  puff  of 
yellow  satin.  On  two  pieces  of  white  butcher's  linen, 
the  size  of  the  pieces  of  cotton,  work  white  daisies 
with  yellow'  centers.  Work  scallops  in  white  around 
the  edges  in  button-hole  stitch,  the  scallops  to  be  the 
size  of  half  a  thimble.  On  the  half  circle  sides,  work 
white  eyelet  holes  in  alternate  scallops.  Lace  white 
cord  through  the  eyelet  holes,  the  cord  going  over  the 
puff  of  satin.  These  may  be  all  destined  for  a  jolly 
Christmas  tree  ;  if  so,  a  cheap  and  effective  eking  out 
of  the  decorations  are  peanut  dolls.  A  nut  for  the 
head,  two  for  the  body,  two  for  each  leg  and  one  for 
each  arm.  The  nuts  are  threaded  together,  the  eyes 
and  mouth  outlined  with  ink  ;  and  a  bright  scarlet 
skirt  and  sleeves  with  a  black  velvet  waist  and  a  little 
square  piece  for  a  hat  makes  the  whole  look  quite 
human,  or  hand-organ  monkey-like,  which  you  prefer. 
This  is  a  moderate  list,  moderate  both  in  time  and 
money.  With  the  rest  of  womankind,  I  lixve  nebulous 
wishes  about  sealskin  coats,  etc.,  but  will  have  to  wait 
for  my  caravel.  o.  a  Holland. 
ONE  CHRISTMAS  IN  A  SOUTHERN  HOME. 
E  can  manifest  the  spirit  of  Christmas  without 
the  making  of  gifts  at  all,  that  is,  material  gifts. 
At  one  time,  in  England,  the  obligation  of  Christmas 
presents  became  so  burdensome  as  to  be  pronounced 
an  intolerable  nuisance,  as  bridal  presents,  not  manv 
years  ago,  threatened  to  become  in  America.  And, 
we  are  told,  that  “  at  Christmas  1836,  the  Secretary  of 
State  for  Foreign  Affairs,  issued  a  circular,  requesting 
that  the  customary  presents  to  messengers  and  other 
government  servants  be  discontinued.”  And4,  notices 
were  put  up  at  the  shop  windows  that  no  Christmas 
presents  would  be  given.” 
But  where  loving  hearts  and  convenience,  without 
unjust  and  burdensome  self-denial,  will  admit,  there  s 
nothing  prettier,  or  that  can  be  made  to  give  so  miuh 
pleasure  to  the  greatest  number,  with  really  less  ex¬ 
pense,  than  a  Christmas  tree.  Sweet  charity  too, 
suggests  it  as  a  medium  through  which  much  good 
can  be  done,  and  many  a  little  wistful  face  be  lighted 
up 
I  have  in  mind  one  of  the  prettiest  family  trees  I 
have  ever  seen.  There  were  adjoining  rooms,  opening 
one  into  the  other.  We  had  John,  our  old  colored 
waiter,  who  had  been  avaluible  adjunct  to  our  family 
for  nearly  20  years,  to  select  a  beautiful  holly.  It  was 
a  superb  pyramid,  almost  flawless,  and  fairly  blazing 
with  its  magnificent  clusters  of  crimscn  berries.  When 
the  stem  was  cut  to  within  two  feet  of  the  lower 
branches,  it  reached  from  floor  to  ceiling.  It  was 
nailed  securely  to  a  base  of  blocks  sufficiently  broad  to 
support  it  steadily.  Over  this  we  made  a  mound  of 
cedar  boughs,  covered  in  lurn  with  the  lightest  pos. 
sible,  fluffy  flakes  of  cottcn,  over  which  we  sprinkled  a 
profusion  of  diamond  dust  In  case  the  latter  is  not 
obtainable,  broken  bits  of  clean,  clear  glass  pounded 
as  fine  as  oossible,  will  answer. 
However,  we  did  not  have  to  resort  to  this  substi¬ 
tute,  and  the  fresh  young  holly  standing  on  its  native 
snow  bank,  was  well  represented.  On  the  “snow 
bank”  we  arranged  numbers  of  little,  glistening, 
knotted,  fancy-colored  and  clear  mugs  filled  with  fancy 
candy.  On  the  lowest  branches  we  arrang<  d  the 
heaviest  and  largest  presents.  Candies,  fruits  and  nuts 
were  rolled  in  squares  of  tissue  paper,  all  colors  and 
suspended  by  bright-colored  ribbons.  There  was  on 
the  tree,  besides  the  confections,  of  which  children 
always  expect  a  bountiful  supply,  the  full  quota  of 
souvenirs,  supplied  from  generous  purses,  and  the 
work  of  skillful,  loving  fingers,  and  a  lovely  group  of 
dolls  arranged,  to  attract  special  attention,  around  a 
music  box.  In  fact,  being  a  special  tree  for  young 
folks  alone,  everything  was  done  to  make  them  as 
happy  as  possible,  from  baby,  with  chubby  fingers 
clutching  his  rattle,  to  those  standing  on  the  threshold 
of  young  man  and  womanhood  looking  backward  on 
youthful  pleasures  with  a  still  keen  relish,  while  ready 
to  step  forward  to  the  sedater  though  hopefully  pleas¬ 
ant  duties  of  life.  When  the  tree  was  laden  with  its 
gifts  of  love,  we  went  over  the  whole  surface,  and 
every  upright  twig  that  would  bear  the  weight  was 
sharpened  and  inserted  into  a  colored  wax  taper. 
The  early  part  of  the  evening  was  spent  in  singing 
Christmas  carols,  and  in  appropriate  recitations,  some 
choice  dialogues  and  in  instrumental  music  ;  all  seem¬ 
ingly  impromptu,  but  really  I  had  been  drilling  those 
who  could  take  part  in  the  exercises  for  three  weeks 
or  more.  At  the  close  of  the  parlor  entertainment, 
and  while  Mack’s  bright  “Invitation  March”  was 
being  played,  our  faithful  John  had  all  the  tapers 
lighted,  there  being  more  than  200.  The  intervening 
doors  were  throwm  open  and  there  stood  revealed, 
from  floor  ta  ceiling,  a  gleaming  pyramid  of  light  and 
iridescent  brightness,  the  musi  i  box  sending  forth  its 
soft,  dripping,  fairy-like  notes,  with  “Santa  Claus,” 
in  flowing  beard  and  snowy  robe,  doubled  up  and  hold¬ 
ing  “  both  his  sides”  with  laughter  at  the  victory  he 
had  achieved. 
This  home  Christmas  entertiinment  was  planned 
and  executed  by  your  humble  correspondent.  It  was 
a  perfect  surprise.  The  children  had  been  drilled  for 
and  invited  their  friends  to  a  “musical.”  The  mammas 
alone,  being  in  the  secret,  managed  all  the  presents 
with  satisfaction  to  the  children.  For  a  moment  they 
remained  mute  as  if  transfixed  with  surprise,  and  then 
such  a  joyous  burst  I  have  seldom  heard  from  voung 
lips. 
Santa  Claus  distributed  the  presents  and  at  10  o'clock 
this  happy  group  of  young  folks,  their  hearts’  joy 
beaming  in  their  bright  eyes,  their  armsladm  with 
the  symbols  both  of  earthly  and  Heavenly  love,  went 
to  their  respective  homes  after  giving  me  sweet  good¬ 
night  kisses,  which  sank  into  my  heart  and  set  it 
singing  with  a  new  j->yall  through  the  Christmas  holi¬ 
days  and  on  v.p  to  “  1  welfth  Night,”  and  for  many  days 
thereafter.  Who  could  not  believe  that  the  hawthorn 
bursts  into  spontaneous  bloom  on  every  anniversary 
of  the  coming  on  earth  of  the  Christ  child  ? 
Let  every  heart  an  anthem  thrill, 
Glory  to  God;  toman,  peace  and  good  will. 
*  #  *  MRS  M.  A.  SHELDEN. 
Christmas  Presents  of  any  degree  may  be  found 
among  our  general  p-c  miums  at  merely  nominal  cost 
in  connection  with  small  clubs  of  new  subscribers. 
For  these,  if  any  are  very  busy,  the  money  may  be 
sent  in  advance  so  that  you  can  receive  the  article  for 
immediate  use,  and  the  names  sent  in  later  when  you 
have  more  time  to  secure  them. 
The  loss  of  flesh  is  a  trifle.  You  think 
you  need  not  mind  it. 
But,  if  you  go  on  losing  for  some  time 
or  lose  a  good  deal  in  a  short  time,  you 
are  running  down.  Is  that  a  trifle  ? 
Get  back  to  your  healthy  weight  and 
generally  you  get  back  to  health. 
A  book  on  careful  living  will  tell  you 
what  it  is  to  get  there,  and  when  Scott’s 
Emulsion  of  cod-liver  oil  is  useful.  Free. 
Scott  &  Bowne,  Chemists,  132  South  5th  Avenue,  New  Yerk. 
\  our  druggist  keeps  Scott’s  .Emulsion  of  cod-ilver  oil — all  druggists 
everywhere  do  $1. 
