Why not spread Christmas cheer through the whole year?

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Part of Woman's Home Journal

Title: Why not spread Christmas cheer through the whole year?
Language: English
Year: 1938
Rights
Fulltext: Manila, January, 1938 WOMAN’S HOME JOURNAL 7 Why Not Spread CHRISTMAS CHEER Through The Whole Year? Here’s How On This Pa&e. W\S . it Washington Irving who said that he would consider a man really good only if he was a better Christian on week-days than he was on Sundays? Maxine Davis had that same idea when she suggested that we. be better “humans” by spreading the Christmas spirit of generous giving throughout the whole year and not strait-jacketting it simply for the Christmas season. She was talking of a toy-lending shop in Los Angeles, California, which, operating like a lending library, loans toys to the children of poor parents who are ill able to afford the battleships and boxing-gloves which are the joy of Jimmie’s litt.e heart, or the Shirley Temple doll for which four-year old Anne has been yearning. Let her tell us herself how the system began: “One day a small boy came excitedly into a community center and told the director that for the first time in his life he was going to the beach. Please, could he borrow a ball? The director was sincerely sorry, but playground equipment wasn’t allowed off the premises. Against the rules. The next day the lad came in with his father, who promised to be responsible for the ball. The director explained again, and the child departed in tears. “The director’s heart was no harder than eiderdown; he was almost in tears too. But his head wasn’t fuzzy. He began to think. There must be thousands of discarded beach balls and other toys lying around a rich city like Los Angeles. Why not get hold of them, put them in shape, and lend them to children who had none?” Enough for the idea. He soon carried it into effect with the help of councils, and neighborhod organizations for the prevention of delinquency —and the result is that at the present moment there are about 20,000 toys in various states of repair (and disrepair). Those in presentable shape are lent out to eager children, while those which need a nail here, a coat of paint there, tightening in this spot, loosening in that are sent to the repair department which puts them “in form”. The children get the toys, which are indexed in cards and charged out to the borrower’s name (the parents’ names are also on the card). There is a definite length of time for borrowing; there are penalties for misuse of the toys and systematic rules for determining the degree of the sense of responsibility in each child as shown by his care and use of the borrowed toys. Now so much for the Los Angeles idea. The thing that should interest us when we read of this novel .(and. noble, as well, isn’t it?) ' idea, is: Can it be adapted here? We do not see why not. It’s all a matter of a little initiative, a little cooperation, a little unselfish going out of one’s way to bring “Christmas joy” to a host of eager, little hearts. Better-off families can gather the toys discarded by their children, paint-companies can afford to give a bucket or two of not-so-good paint once every so often, lumber companies can contribute scraps of wood and nails for repair; women’s clubs can help with little dresses for the dolls, as well as in contacting probation and juvenile organizations for their cooperation. The idea is so constructive and so productive of good results that we should really “just itch” to try it. Little Mario has long been crying for a fire-engine which he has seen in a show-window at the Escolta. Nanay takes him to the toy-lending department and his joy kndws no bounds. But the lady in charge gently but firmly tells Mario that for two weeks he must be on “probation”. He is only allowed to borrow a ball which he is to return in good condition. Mario wants the fireengine badly, so acquiesces eagerly to the “bargain”. He gets the ball with which he plays very carefully. He likes to see what makes it bounce, .X!\VC Hoard members planed •‘>anta Chuis" to poor children lust Xmas. Cpper photo shows Mrs. Cud undlader and Miss Dwyer ui:d lower photo, Mrs. h'odriijut :, distributing clothing. Xe.rt to food and I'othii.-g. ihihbcn need Ions t., p’ay with. If we can’t give or buy them toys, why not lend these toys like boohs.’ to tear it inside out—but he remembers what Miss Reyes had said. And the fire-engine looked so nice and red and shiny. At the end of the two weeks, Nanay takes Mario back to the shop, a proud little boy who knows he has been good and therefore deserves his prize—the bright little machine that stands at the corner which he could have for a whole two weeks! It is not merely the happiness that the toys can give the Marios and the Ritas. More than the joy, which in itself is important enough (for a child can feel so touchingly happy with so little), there are the lessons in discipline and responsibility inculcated in the youngsters, lessons which will serve them in good stead as they grow older. A happy childhood is something we owe our little boys and girls. And if, as we contribute to their happiness we (Continued on page 41) 44 WOMAN’S HOME JOURNAL Manila, January, 1938 “MAKE A WISH” First we introduce WISHING GAME. All that is needed are slips of paper (two to each person) and pencils or pens. A slip is given to each of the guests who desire to join the game and he or she writes his or her name on it, then folds the paper and drops it into a hat of box. Then a second slip is given to each guest. On the inside he or she writes a wish or resolution and his or her name on the outside. This slip is also folded and dropped into another hat or box. The hostess may start with any guest, asking him or her to draw a slip from the first hat or box. The person whose name appears on this slip becomes the Questioner. A slip is drawn from the other box or hat; the person whose name appears on the outside of this slip becomes the Questioned. The Questioner tries to guess the content of the folded slip of the Questioned by asking him or her only 10 questions. if the Questioner guesses the wish or resolution, he or she is in line for a prize. If the wish is not guessed, the paper is not unfolded, but is kept by the Questioned. After all slips have been drawn, anyone who thinks that he or she can guess any of the wishes left unguessed may volunteer to try and is allowed 5 questions. If he or she fails, another may volunteer and is allowed 3 questions. If the wish is still unguessed, a fourth volunteer may ask two questions, and a fifth may ask one. Those whose wishes were not guessed draw a prize each — and then tell their unguessed wishes or resolutions. The Questioner who guessed a wish by asking the least number of questions is also given a prize. The hostess acts as a scorer. GRAB This is a modern version of the well-known “pares-pares”. Small objects, such as buttons, clips, matches, safety pins, are placed in the center of the table around which the players sit. The cards are shuffled and equal number of them are dealt to each player. The first person chosen .exchanges a card with the person to his or her right or in turn exchanges a card with the person next to him or her, and so on around the table. The first person to have a pair of matched cards grabs an object from the pile in the center of the table. The player who has grabbed the highest number of objects is the winner and is awarded a prize. Pieces of candy or coins may be used instead of objects and serve as prizes at the same time. Needless to say, the player who pairs the highest number of matched Games To Play WHEN YOU ARE BORED OR WHEN FRIENDS DROP IN AT YOUR HOUSE cards gets the most candy or money. CARDS into HAT Here is another game to be played with a pack of cards. Only men may participate (to show how good their aim is) but ladies may also try their hands at it. The players may take turns, one at a time, or play together. In the first case, the player sits on a chair, leaning forward a bit, his right elbow on his right knee, at any agreed distance from a hat (brim up) placed on the floor. He tosses the cards one by one into the hat. The player who succeeds in making the highest number of cards fall into the hat is the winner. When several players play together, they sit around the GALISATUM GALISATUM hat at equal distances from it. Ten cards are allowed to each player. The one who has the highest number of cards in the hat is the winner. This game may sound easy, but try it. MATCH STICKS on BOTTLE This game used to be a craze in the United States. The equipment needed for each player is a bottle (for soft drink, for instance) and match sticks. The 'player starts with 4 sticks, arranging them in a square, the ends crossed, on the open mouth of the bottle. Then one by one sticks are arranged on top of this foundation until you have a pyramid or a ball. When the pyramid or the ball topples over, the number of sticks are counted. Known record: 200 sticks. One needs a very steady hand in this game. When several persons play at the same time, staging a marathon, the first one to finish using a specified number of sticks or the one whose pyramid or ball lasts the longest, is declared the winner. THE AWFUL TRUTH Those who are sensitive are requested not to join this game. One way: A person is chosen the victim. The hostess produces a sheet of paper and a pencil. The guests, one after the other, writes what he or she thinks of the “victim”. After a player has written his or her opinion, the top of the sheet of paper is folded over the writing before it is given to another player. When all have given their opinions, the victim reads what the others have written about him or her and guesses the author of each. Then another “victim” is chosen. Another way: As many sheets of paper as there are players are produced by the hostess and the names of the players written on top (one name on each sheet) for identification. A sheet (not bearing his or her name) is given to each guest who proceeds to write down what he or she thinks of the person whose name appears at the top. This sheet is passed on to the next person. When all the sheets are filled, the hostess or the leader reads them one by one. SLOGANS This is our favorite game. Only those who are regular readers of advertisements in the newspapers and magazines can participate in this game successfully. The leader starts the ball rolling by giving a slogan of any product — automobile, food, movie, cigarette, etc., then the others guess the product advertised with this slogan. For instance: They Satisfy, which of course refers to Chesterfield cigarettes, Best by Test (Apo Cement), I’d Walk A Mile For a—(the guessers supply the missing word). The player whose slogan is not guessed is the winner. Needless to say slogans must be authentic and not just made up. Any doubtful one should be looked up. WHY NOT SPREAD (Continued from page 7) also train them in virtues which will be useful to them in their later life, our parenthood will be worthier the name. And this — if we follow Maxine Davis’ idea, and adopt it among our children, will be a “merry Christmas” for the little tots the whole year round.