6
"WHAT shall we do?" One often hears this question during a Christmas house party. Christ- mus, after all, is a time when everybody wants to be enjoying themselves and doing something, and if you have a good fund of tricks and teasers, a few games and some posers up your sleeve, hope you have every reason to for a truly merry time.
It is a good idea to be ready and with something to interest #muse your guests almost from the moment they arrive. For example, if you want 1 good "warming-up" item, you could not do better than to write the name of each guest expected on a small piece of paper or a slip of card. Put all the cards into a bat or bowl and duly mix them up. As the guests arrive see that they are given one of the names-not their own, of course!-then instruct them to find the person whose name they have on the paper.
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Quite soon, they will all be say- ing. "Are you Mr. Brown?" more familiarly "is this charming girl Peggy by any chance?"--and the like. This is an excellent iden when a number of strange people get together and it is surprising how
everybody will fr.ends
BOON
ますい
It's a good notion to have a sim- ple little teaser at hand to interest peuple while waiting for the Jones or Smiths (who are always late). Consider this:
Money Teaser
For this item a handful of pen- nies is needed, and the idea is tu ask people to say how many pen- nies, placed one 011 top of the oth, would be necessary to make aethek one inch high.
Of course, a ruler must be rul- ed out, and don't let anyone start
experimenting with a halfpenny, as that measures one inch across All sorts of numbers will be veu- tured, and most folk will be sur prised to know that it takes fifteen
THE CHINA MAIL SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 19, 1940.
Yuletide Jun
MAX MERVYN
pennies to make that one-inch sheet of glazed paper-notepaper others were accommodated at 1s.
pile.
While talking of tricks, an in- the grass. genious after-dinner one is trying to turn a wineglass, which is full The ob- of water, upside down. ject being to keep the water in the glass, of course.
Water Stays inside.
If you value that clean table- cloth, or maybe the carpet, don't let anyone forestall the effective- ness of your trick by a few ex- periments. Simply fill the glass right to the brim and then take a
"YOU KNOW THE PLACE
TO GO WHERE TO GO FOR A REAL CHRISTMAS GIFT OF QUALITY FOR A MAN, A WOMAN OR A CHILD!!"
ITS----
CHINA EMPORIUM
"The Store with the Christmas: Spirit.“
will do and place it on top of per head. The total cost was £6 Press the paper firmly 17s. Od. Can you work out how with one hand and invert the glass many children sat in each of the other. Your two kinds of seat? If that one steadily with the guests--and maybe you as well! heats you for the time being carry will be surprised to see that the on with this picture puzzle. paper adheres to the glass when your hand is removed, and lo, you are holding a wineglass of water upside down, is prointsed.
While on the subject of tricks, another one that earns full marks for the person with a steady hand 15-
To solve it, write down the three words which the pictures illus- trate and use them, together with the other two letters in the puzzle, to spell the name of rather a busy All the letters person just now. must be used.
And here is another good party
Knotting The Cigarette novelty! Have you ever seen
A Needle That Floats
Invite the company to tie a knot in a cigarette, but without break- This is where ing it in any way. you get out that box of smokes That Aunt What-Was-Her-Name sent you the Christmas before last (it's a good way of disposing of them!). It should not come as a surprise to you that unless they know the trick everyone will fall. That is where you step right in and collect that applause.
Beforehand you should have saved several pieces of Cello- clgarette from phane wrapping
Select a plece boxes and the like.
it
of this Cellophane and wrap round the cigarette firmly several times, leaving a margin of one inch at either end of the cigarette. Now twist the Cellophane ends slightly, making sure to keep the whole thing quite tuut, und you will And that you can gradually turn the whole affair into a knot and duly tle it.
a
Fill up a glass jar with peas and invite the "victims" to press how many there are in the jar.
Measure up a yard or so string, roll it up into a bit of a tangle, and ask its length.
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Make up a sort of mystery par- cel, in which some object is wrap- ped in cloth and tissue paper and ted with string. Competitors have to feel the parcel only and try to guess the object it contains. See who can make the highest score with three darts."
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and so on! No doubt you" will all have much more clever very ideas, but remember that often the simpler the idea the more it appeals. If you make them too complicated it will take longer for the games to-warm up. In deciding upon the winner, you should give points for each item, and then award the prize (or prizes) to the highest totals.
And, by the way, do you hap- pen to know the difference be-, tween a wife and an income-tax collector? In case you don't the answer is fifty--you see, an in- come-tax collector only takes your money twice a year, whereas wife "collects" fifty-two times per annum.
40
Now for another puzzle. It is quite an easy one really, and the idea is simply to replace each row of asterisks below with a season- able word. If the right words are selected you will be able to read off eight four-letter words in each be ac- of the down columns thus formed.
things The
A OE HAAIT
Believe it or not, such an ap- parent impossibility can hieved. Like most other there is a catch in this one.
effects" comprise a
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bowl
of
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Who is This?
Of course, by means of clever lighting effects and
certain sleight-of-hand,
you might be able to persuade the company that water, a needle, and a piece
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The
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ST SW SLY W And now, if by any chance you want to win some money, or at least be on the right side of things, here is
24
to
A CERTAIN WINNER For this item you require match-sticks and a willing victim.
You invite your opponent enjoy a little game of matchstick the game grabbing, and before starts even, you can tell him he is going to lose.
The rules of the game are sim- ply these: each player takes it in, turn to remove from the pile of 24 matches either one or two sticks at each turn. More than one or two sticks at each go must not be re- moved, but whether it is one or two is entirely at the player's op- tion. The winner is the person who removes the last match or of matches from the table.
the trick was performed without cigarette paper. First of all, you Cellophane even.
Supposing your opponent goes
rest the needle on the piece of first and takes one match you It is hardly likely that anyone cigaretle paper, and then place must then take two; should he will receive a Christmas card such that very gently on top of the have taken two matches, however, as you see here. The clrcum- water in the bowl. Gradually the you must take one only. Knowing stances seem to be, however, that paper will absorb water and then this trick you will realise that the in Furitania the Reigning Fury slowly sink. But, don't be alarm- matches are removed in threes stopped even the sending of Yule- ed, the needle is left floating on and therefore you must win the tide wishes, so that many of the the surface of the water, and you game. If you should go first, take Inhabitants were forced to use take your bow as an obvious ma- only one match, and if your op- cards in code. An example is gician.
ponent takes one, you take one shown here, and, although it didn't Another effective trick is per- again, and then follow on in the deceive the secret-service organ- formed with a candle and matches. ordinary way, making sure that isation of the country concerned, A half-used candle is preferable, each pair of moves adds
up to it may baffle you for a few min- and the whole affair looks much three: utes.
better in a darkened room. Place You will find that whatever The code was formed by mak- the candle on a table and light it, moves your friend makes, keeping ing one letter of the alphabet introducing some cross-patter these simple rules in mind, you game by stand for another. See if you or while the wick gets well warmed. will always, win the your guests
blow taking the last match or matches can decipher the Ask someone to come and greeting. It would be a good idea out the candle, after which you on the table. to put up a prize for the first one inform the company that you can petting the message right, wouldn't relight it without actually touch- Bach letter in the following sum
·itz.
ing the wick..
stands for a Bgure and the first In fact, you say that the feat. stage of the sum is multiplication will be performed by Holding the and the second addition. Curiously lighted match an inch or so above enough, as you can see, the final the candle. The secret is to have answer is the reverse of the num- the match Ht and ready to hold in ber you start with. ' that position immediately the can. dle is blown out; because gases vffl mingle with the stoke soon as the candle is out, and these rise up to the match which ignites them. The flame runs down the column of smoke to the -wick Be careful not to risk spoiling this trick by a draughty
FSF'T
XJTIJOH
ZPV BMM B USVMZ NESSZ DISJTUNET
Queer Card.
TOOM.
And now finally,
GY CERAL NT N
TNLAR BCG Y T
TNLAR BCY GEY Now then, can you puzzle out which figures the letters stand for? "Here's The Mystic Greeting: wishing you a truly merry Christ- mas."
A Games: Drive Have you ever thought what: 2004 fun can be had from a few simple guessing competitions and Ina.
the like, worked in the form of a
Christmas Charity; 75 at 1/6 and 25 at 1/-.
Father Christ-
Word Puzzle: Presents and
Picture Puzzle:
progressive test? It is really good: Yuletide. fun and interesting, for your Sum: guests, especially if there is a prize to be won at the end.
This item needs a little prepara- tion beforehand. About a dozen different Items will be wanted, al- though these can be varied ac- cording to the number of your party and the time you wish the "turn" to last. Arm each guest! with a pencil and paper and tell [ them that there are, say, twelve they tasks for them to do, and must write the result of each one they on their answer papers as complete it.
And talking of prizes, here's an excellent scheme if you want a good party competition. Lay iri a stock of ordinary wire pipe-clean ers and give three to each person entering the competition, Compe- titors are instructed to make the most interesting or amusing object they can by twisting and joining. No doubt you will have all sorts the three pipe-cleaners. They of clever ideas of your own as to must not be cut in any way, and, what tests to impose, but here are of for the sake of fairness, all three a few to show you the sort cleaners must be used in each things that prove effective. "creation,"
See how many grains of rice can be extracted from a deep bowl, in half a minute, by means of two knitting needles.
Christmas Charity
Now try this seasonable pro- blem. It concerns a certain char- itable gentleman who took 100 children to a pantomime, He ob- tained. scats for some of the #children at 15, Od ench, and the
Give twelve (or more) Ietterk on cards, all mixed up, and ask competitors to make the longest word they can from these. Award points according to the number of letters used.
123456789 times 8 plus 9=987654321.
The Best Gift For Students, Teachers, Business Men, Etc.
CHINA TYPEWRITERS & CO
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