1936-12-18 — Page 2

It's good for

children to

LEARN to GIVE

things away

G

IVING toys and presents to children is one of the greatest pleasures we have whether we

are mother, father, uncle or aunt.

→

We don't get very much thanks nowadays for our gifts, neither do we expect them-we just fall victim to the lure of the lovely modern toys and give and give and give.

And the nursery people-now usually in families of ones or twos-how do they react?

They are very thrilled, very critical, and are quite unexpected in their reactions to some of the cheaper gifts. But are they really happy?

How many parents allow their children to- day the extraordinary happiness of preparing and giving gifts to other people?

Building up Character

And how many parents realise that the finest way to build character is to encourage giving. and the keenest test you will get of character is the ability or not-to give.

The strong, confident, well-balanced child is the giver. The weak, unhappy, undeveloped child is the taker. Only those who are sure of themselves and have surplus vitality darė give in this life. But it is the surest test that all is well in the child's mind,

The aggressive, noisy child who grabs and fights.

is not the strong child-it is unhappy and uncertain and unable to give anything at all away,

The habit of giving can be gently nurtured from

Gardeners' Plot

In the event, of colder weather look through the potatoes In store, and, if they are close to a) wall, move them away from it and place a good layer of straw, shavings or newspaper hetween them and the wall.

Throw away any decayed potatoes and break off the shouts of any which may be sprouting.

Finally, give them a good covering of straw or other material

G. H. B. H.

The stron confident, ivell- balanced child.

is the giver

)))

the cradle, and every parent should try to balance pocket money in buying materials for having thoroughly acquainted herself what the child receives in presents and what It gives home-made gifts.

of its own free will to those it loves.

Money need not enter into it at all. Many small

children regard money as valuable collections of coins, Home-made Presents and loathe to port with it. Never force them to part with it. Instead, show them gifts to make with their own hands,

with her dressing table equipment.

Thought and

Planning

There are so many things they can

Leather gifts, painted wooden

Whenever you visit friends and are taking small make. ifts, such as flowers, fruit, or chocolates, let the children take their little gift as well. Make the giving gifts, needlework gifts. And let the

Many grown-ups do not realise how

of tiny. inexpensive gifts a continual pleasant tiny ones ranke home-made pictures, selfish they are in their excess giving

occurrence in the nursery. It will faster a feeling security and well-being in the young mind.

of ог book-markers --

be too

anything and to small children. You can The man who enp give away his last sixpence to everything that will be in outlet for overpowering with your adult money a friend in need is not a rash fugl-bul a man who is their artistic

ability and love of and gifts you can rub in your certain that he can soon carn another: The man who hangs on to his last sixpence is the man afraid creative effort.

superiority too much. so that you of himself.

Gifts should be Surprises

One child's first gift was a bug of frighten your children into being home-picked lavender in a coarsely- ushamed of giving their small in- Keep all nursery. gifts as surprises. Lei father made cotton bag and tied with colour- expensive gifts. plan gifts for mother and mother gifts for fathered string. It was tucked under her and please let it be something the children have made mother's pillow with a long label on themselves, packed themselves, and penellied their

own wishes on. The joy of their giving is then a il and was an enormous surprise on thing to be marvelled at and it will for outshine their her birthday morning. Joy in receiving.

As children get older they should be encouraged

Show them early that the thought and planning behind presents are the Important things. That you bought them a certain gitt because you had not be-

It emite from a child of three and noticed that they needed

to look round and see what people like and what they a half and was her own idea as she cause you had money to spend.and need-particularly in their own homes. By the age

of seven they will be rendy to spend a little of their knew her mother liked nice smells liked spending it on them.

Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford on

Entertaining Angels

drawings

by

ANN STAFFORD

“GUESTS who arrive

at three o'clock glistening with brilliantine, and prave

as angels

Talkies may still be beyond the scope of On the other hand, the hostess need not be the moderate purse, but many firms will begin swopping their presents. Mothers will disheartened it all her guests immediately undertake to send an operator, with a large confirm that there is nothing the small boy choice of silent films, quite cheaply.

WII! not swop If it is detachable,

Above all, there is no need for the nervous Others allow the mechanically-minded to parent to dread the round of Christmas parties hire, at a still lower rate, a projector and because of the fights which seem to blow up

over nothing. dms, which they will show themselves,

One thing to remember in this case is that

Keeping

eeping the Peac

It is surprisingly easy for amateur operators, irying out films before the party begins, to

It is certainly a pity, that the cheerfulness become яo absorbed that they are toused only of the small boy tends to run so much to by the sound of the door-bell announcing the black eyes. But it is not inevitable that the guests who arrive at three o'clock with, their first guests. Remember, too, that film pro- caps in their hands and their slippers in em- broidered bags, glistening with brillantine and grave as angels, will be punching each other in demonlocal heaps by tea-time,

"THERE," said James's mother, that's the up the gramophone, or depress an electrie Jectora can be bought cheaply.

last of the invitations,

.

·

light switch.

. But what in the world shall we do If all these children come?"-

So when they go out to a party they like something surprising to be produced for them, Sa she, like other anxious-minded mothers, even if it is only a rabbit out of a hat or a asked her friends' advice during the week Ahat voice from a velvet doll.

Zest

est. of. Competition

call for presents.

Keep them all busy at something or other from the moment of arrival till that other blessed moment when, the last thanks have Partles, at this time of the year, invariably the doorstep, and it should be quite possible been mumbled under parental compulsion on An Interesting variant of to give a successful party and yet keep the But the conjuring must be expert. The the Christmas tree is the Treasure Hunt, which peace. Some people assured her that they would att modern child is an exacting critic, and un- has the extra advantage of making the be perfectly happy, bless their hearts, if they likely to have any mercy on a father who has children work for their gifts. were just left alone; some maintained that the mugged up half a dozen

followed.

old games were the best after all; while others tricks out of a book of words Bald unhappily that the modern child was so and lost the disappearing sophisticated that they'd rather give half a card in the middle. dozen grown-up pariles.

Large Ideas

If he is skilled he is lucky.

If he is not, he should save himself trouble (and his children considerable agony) ** by enlisting. the services of Children themselves are opt to have rather the entertainment depart- large ideas. After a conjuror at the Smiths', ment of one of the great a ventriloquist at the Robertson's, and tumbl- shops, nearly all of which ing clowns ht Brown Major's, the thought of provide side-shows for festl- three hours of hunt-the-slipper and postman's vities. knock leaves them 'cold.

It is not their fault; for children forced into

One of the best is the film party. Granted, of course,

the gambols of another generation are us us that some grand and horrid comfortable as those squeezed into shoes made little boy (or girl) is almost for differently shaped feet.

'certain to be heard piercing-

We may as well face the fact that modern ly telling the world in an lite matures our children very early. At home interval of silence that he they acquire a "taste for the miraculous as (or she) has been to a for soon as they can turn on the wireless, wind better show last week.

*HAS been

far better

show last week

I can be arranged as n much simplified and indoor form of the grown-up ver- alon, thought organisers should remember that some of the guests (under the in- fluence of haste and excite- ment, at least) may be un- able to read anything but the largest printing.

It is also a wise precaution to prepare conspicuous notices, bearing, the now famillar NO:ENTRY legend. These will keep the hunters from ransacking for in- stance, every drawer in an elderly visitor's bedroom.

And the use of differently coloured wrapping-paper. for boys and giris treasure: will prevent a boy from-be- ing disgusted by a doll's trousseau.

"THE father who

has mugged_up half-a-dozen tricks - and lost the d isappearing card in the

- middle."

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1986,

Only a few more days left for your Christmas shopping WHY NOT SHOP AT GRAY'S

with an advantage of

20% DISCOUNT ON ALL MERCHANDISE

FROM DEC. 17 to 24 INCLUSIVE. GRAY'S YELLOW LANTERN SHOPS Gloucester Hotel Bldg.

Tel. 27424

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The music in these books is specially written for small hands, and the covers are printed with the most fascinating pictures.

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