A Few Novel Christmas Ideas

Some Christmas Ways, Mother’s Magazine, 1908

Finding an unusual way of giving Christmas gifts goes a long way toward making the day bright and holiday-like, and making the gifts themselves more attractive. Fun and novelty are two very helpful factors in carrying out any scheme of this kind.
Though the method of distributing gifts may not depend upon a tree, it is not necessary to banish to tree to oblivion. A dainty little tree, suited in size to an ordinary living-room, trimmed and lighted, decorates the house and suggests Santa Claus for a few days. Also, it makes a beautiful center about which to gather for Christmas Eve singing, or story-telling, or reciting of verses.
Having prepared the house and the family for a Christmas season, the manner of gift-giving may easily be varied. One family fond of secrecy and surprises uses as a receptacle for all the Christmas presents, a light-weight barrel covered with red and generously decorated with holly and ribbons. This is set into a corner of a convenient room and as one and another has a gift ready it is wrapped and labeled and dropped into the barrel. The parcels brought by mail or express or messenger are dropped into this receptacle without delay. When Christmas morning comes, father rolls the barrel to the middle of the room and with some show of importance and dignified curiosity takes out the packages as they come.
Another family utilizes the poster idea. Big red cards with holly and gay crape paper hang on the wall of the designated room, one over a capacious chair, another over a table, a third over a soft. At the “witching hour” of bedtime, on Christmas Eve, hurrying figures steal into the room and deposit packages under the various name cards. At a bell signal in the morning all enter the room and begin prospecting under their individual posters.
A third family assemble in the upper hall on Christmas morning, and, singing a processional carol, march down to the living room and take possession of various plainly labeled bags made to simulate mail sacks, and hung on racks simulating those used in the post office.
One father who loves fun sometimes “auctions off” gifts stacked on a large table. Ever one of the family is under bonds to bid when called on to do so, otherwise to hold his peace. Father begins at haphazard apparently, and goes along the row. When the right one has made a bid he shouts, “Gone!” Eager eyes and some high bidding over tempting-looking packages testify to the fun at hand. A pretty little house such as is sometimes used by Sunday-schools is brought into service in one home. A diminutive Santa Claus in cap and furs comes out the door of this house, bows low and calls in sweetest tones the name of a member of the family. When that one has gone forward and comes back loaded, Santa calls for another, and so on till al the gifts are distributed. The children particularly enjoy this, as it gives play to so much action.