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About Geyser Judith Basin Times (Geyser, Mont.) 1911-1920 | View This Issue
Geyser Judith Basin Times (Geyser, Mont.), 17 Dec. 1915, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn85053135/1915-12-17/ed-1/seq-2/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
-DAUM COLOO - I75RPM [11] oZMATi BDINCISIGiIN OCCOEIGRI s MEDEE 9 .0 HOW C=3 HE Christmas season brings to mind the many Christmas days gone by. with their four great features—tur- key, cranberry sauce, plum pudding and mince pie. It was a good old English cus- tom, not to be rejected by the Areerican colonists, although modi- fications were necessary to suit the religion ind conditions of living in the colonies, the Christ -spirit being substituted for the pagan yuletide, the famous \boar's bead\ was omitted, and the ( . 2.hristmas pie became known as mince pie. However, many old observances were kept, Including the mistletoe and holly, and Christmas was a day for family gatherings, with a feast prepared by the women of the house. It is quite possible that we would not like their flavorings today. They used a variety of spices, wines and seasonings in even their plain- est dishes; but as everything was prepared in the home, either under the supervision of the mistress or by her own hands, the mixtures were wholesome. Everything was turned to account in the sea- son with a view to future use, so in this way preparations for the holiday were going on long before the day. In cherry time, a supply was carefully packed in hay and kept for Christmas. The Christmas cookies, with coriander seed in them, were baked six months before and kept in an earthenware Jar in the cellar. Mince Meat Recipe. The rich plum pudding and cakes were made early in the fall and put away to mellow arid ripen. The mincemeat was then made, the recipe for which was recently found in an old Philadelphia cookbook. We copy all but the spelling: \Four pounds veal, four pounds suet, two pounds rais ins, one •pound currants, six apples, some rose water and sack half a pound. no more of sugar, three -fourths pound cloves, mace, nutmeg and cinnamon, some candled orange peel, lemon peel, citron and blanched almonds.\ They made a puff paste for their pies differ- ent from ours. One recipe called for flour, one pound butter, ten eggs and some milk or water. Some housewives made their winter supply rt mince pies before Thanksgiving and reheated them before using. For the lemon tarts, the lemons had to be first soaked In salt water for two days. Then every day for fourteen days they were put into fresh cold water. When they were made, apples, or- anges and sugar were added. A few days before Christmas the mistress went to market, the maid carrying the basket. She would get her turkey, cranberries, celery, oysters, and a little pig for roasting whole. The day before Christmas the real excitement began. The stuffing was made. and such stuffing! Bread crumbs, beef suet. liver, lemon pe.els,,,put• meg, savory, pepper, salt, cream and eggs. The little pig. -only- four -or .flve_weeks old, .was filled to his utmost capacity with mashed potatoes or apples. Not the ierNt to be considered were the green decorations. Ground pine for festoons and wreaths, mistletoe to hang, and holly everywhere were the necessities. When Christmas morning came the excitement was at the highest pitch. The housewife, her daughters and her maids were up early. The brick oven was heated and the mince pies put In. The turkey was dredged with flour and put on the spit. with a small unwilling child to watch and turn it as It browned. Another child was set to cracking nuts and polishing apples. Roasting the Little Pig. The little pig was put before the tire to roast in the dripping pan, in which were three bottles of red wine for basting. While the things were cooking a long table, the length of the room. WR3 spread with the white linen cloth, napkin, china and silver or pewter. In the middle of the table was the famed Christmas bowl. Here are the quaint directions for making it: \Break nine sponge cakes and half a pound of macaroons in a deep dish; pour over one pint raisin wine, half pint sherry. Leave them to soak. Sweeten with two ounces of powdered sugar candy and pour over one pint and a half of custard. Stick with two ounces sliced almonds. Place on a stand emi ornament with Christmas evergreens.\ The tankard swim the ClirisZmas brew was put on the table. set all the sillabubs, jellies, pickles. lemon tarts, r.el apples, nuts, the cookies and the cherries fresh from the hay. The fireplaces were now blazing, and the red berries and green leaves of the holly were shin- ing In the light. The mistletoe was welting for the unwary. and the good smell of the brown turkey, savory stuf- fing and applesauce was everywhere. Don Their Best Frocks. After the housewife and her daughters had seen to everything they hurried to put on their best flowered silks, with white whims around their necks and the most secret beautifiers on their faces. Then the dinner being nearly cooked, they took the little browned pig, raised him gently and put two small loaves of bread under him and added more wine; an anchovy, a bundle of sweet herbs and a half a lemon was put into the sauce, which was poured over him hot. They had him sitting on his haunches looking lifelike. Then they put GEYSER JUDITH BASIN TIMES ,tdA , ‘BilS a red apple in his mouth, which, alas! he could never eat, and garnished him with holly. At last the company came, the mistress pre- serving a calm exterior, but with an inward anxiety lest something be burned or spilled at the last moment. When all is ready the beaming host says. \Friends will thee join us in the Christmas feast?\ And with great dignity he leads them. with the guest of honor on his arm, followed by the older people and the children. The Table Decorated. The table is a picture to cheer the hungry. The large turkey Is at me end and the pig at the other end of the long table, with everything they are to eat between, excepting the plum pudding. After the silent grace, which stills the noise for a moment. the carver takes his knife, and with a deliberation born of steady nerves carves under the fire of twenty pairs of eyes. The directions in \Gentlewoman's I louse- wifery\ says: \Raise the leg fairly of the tur- key and open the joint with (ho point of the knife, but de ifot tiike\Off the leg. - - - \Then lace down both sides of the breat bone and open the breast pinion, but do not take it off. Then raise the Merry Thought between the breast bone and the top of it.\ and so on till the turkey is boned. While this is being done the \Christmas bowl\ is passed. After they are helped to turkey and pig they pass the vegetables and delicacies, and even the mince pie is eaten when they have the desire for it. The Correct Manners. The proper conventions are strictly adhered to. The book of etiquette says: \A gentlewom- an must not lean her elbows on the table, nor by a ravenous gesture discover a voracious appe- tite. nor talk with her mouth full, nor smack her lips like a pig.\ The children were kept in order. In all the feast was decorous, but merry for all that. At last, when they have eaten to the extent of their capacity. the plum pudding, blazing and with a piece of holly stuck in the top, is brought in and eaten with brandy sauce. Then the toasts are drunk with the good home -brewed wine, and the feast is done. HiSTORY OF CHRISTMAS Christmas, originally Cristes masse (\the mass or church festival of Christ\L is the English name for the season in which the birth of Christ Is commemorated. It is apparent, however, that a festival was celebrated at this season long be- fore it was held sacred as the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth. The Saturnalia of the Romans and the winter festival of the heathen Britons were both celebrated about December 2S; and later, the Roman festival in hotor of the sun god, Mithra (Instituted 273 A. DI From the latter the day tavern° to be known as the \Birthday of the Unconquered Sun;\ and after its adoption by the Christian church In the fourth century as the anniversary of Christ's birth, this name was given a symbolic interpretation A study of the customs associated with this period also reveals a heathen, if not invariably n solar. origin. The lighting of the Yule log (la (ruche de Noell on Christmas eve, once a wide- spread European custom, is or was a function of such predominant importance among the Li- thuanians and 1.etts that their words for Christ- MREI eve literally signify \Log evening.\ The sports of the \Lords of Misrule\ In England are thought to be an inheritance from the Saturrella The decoration of churches with the nice sacred mistletoe and holly is a esgan survival. Ina RE LL gifts, carefully marked, should be consigned the day before to the one in charge, and she must purchase a quanity of clothesline and clothespins. The line should be stretched back and forth tcross the living room, and each gift, wrapped in tissue paper and tied with red ribbons, should be fastened to the line by a clothespin. decorated with wings of red and green paper. In the bay window a table should be arranged on which is placed a \Jack Horner\ pie, containing a Christmas souvenir for each member of the family. The ribbons attached to the pack- ages in the pie should be carried up to a holly - decorated hoop suspended over the table, each ribbon tagged with the name of the one for whom it is intended. When the \family wash\ has been taken down—each person seeking his or her own gift—they gather around the pie, and at a signal \pull out their plums.\ Hidden in Egg Shells. When the family is all present at breakfast start to serve the meal of coffee, bread and but- ter, ham and soft -cooked eggs without any men- tion of gifts. At each place have an eggcup or saucer, on which you put an egg, the contents having been removed previously through a small hole in the end; partly fill with sand, and let each contain a small paper with a suggestion in poetry of where or how to find their gifts. As each person thinks he is cracking his egg he finds the puzzle inside. Much merriment and good cheer will bc the result. Serve original content- of eggshells in omelet with the ham. , Hide one person's gifts in bookcase, paper in egg to read: If you are either wise or smart You'll find me In a hurry. Among gifted people I now dwell; So Mint, don't sit and worry. Frost King and Snowballs. As this is the time for the clever woman of the family to devise some unique way of dis- tributing Christmas gifts, she may decorate the living room with evergreens, holly and mistle- toe, and then place in one corner a table covered with a white cloth, hidden from view by a screen of generous size. On this table is placed snow- balls. These snowballs, made of white cotton batting and tied with white robbon, contain each designated present, and are heaped in a pyra- mid, thus obtaining a mass of snowballs of varied size. The pile is scattered freely with diamond dust. In order to give it an attractive sparkle. If there is a small boy in the house he may be dressed as a Frost King, in a costume of white wadding, sprinkled with diamond dust; leaves and holly berries can be sewed here and there upon the robe. At a given signal the screen is removed, disclosing the tiny Frost King. who. with a few words of Christmas greeting, gathers the snowballs into a pretty basket, and as each ball bears a 'small tag he find - s no difficulty in distributing the gifts to those assembled. A Holly Pie. A novel way of distributing Christmas gifts on Christmas morning Is to make a big pie In the center of the table of holly branches, and ar- range it so the gifts can be easily drawn from under it. Each gift must be tied with e narrow red ribbon and one end lead to each place at the table This Is great fun, and of course every- one is anxious to see who gets the most rib- bons, the lucky one being declared the most popu- lar. The pie is not \opened\ until end of break- fast. A Christmas Trail. One member of the faintly should take charge of the gifts, and when the coast is clear should lay the \trail\ with them in all of the available downstairs rooms. Start from a tiny Christmas tree on the hying room table by fastening to it a card for each person, marked, for example, thins: \Card No. I. father. Loot: for card No. 2 in umbrella stand in hall.\ In the stand he will find a package tagged in this manner; \Card No. 2. father. Look for card No. 3 in your hat in hall closet:* The third card will be found on a gift In the spot designated. — ith further instructions, which are followed on to the next, until all his presents come to light. Everyone pursues his or her trail at once, and a merry scene of confusion is the result. These cards may be prepared be- forehand. and no difficulty will be experienced If, in placing the gifts, each trail is finished before starting to lay another. The last cards should direct the family to their places at the dining room table, where they will find amusing souve- nirs of the occasion. Cobweb Method. A rather novel and entirely inexpensive way of distributing Christmas gifts is to employ the \coin elm\ method. Suspend a rope diagonally across the room. over which the strings may cross, each string to be labeled at its source with the name of the member of the family or the friend for whom it is intended. A sheet can he hung across one end of the room. hiding the gifts from view until time for winding the strings. I.et all begin the quest at once, it being necessary to find the beginnings of the strings where the names are attached. This will afford consider- able amusement. as the strings should be run through keyholes. under beds, over transoms and even out of doors. If possible. Aside from the element of mystery contained In this method, there Is the added value which attaches to those things which have been really earned through one's own efforts. Convertible Coat of Sealette •-••••1010 IZEMMEMM One of the handsome long coats of plush which dealers prefer to call by its new namo--\fur-fabric\---is shown in (ho picture above. It merits the consideration of the woman who wants a coat to servo many occasions, and is entitled to tj called \sealette by which name (ho manufacturers have christened the fabric used in it. This is a rich, glossy plush of so dark a brown that it might be classed among Imo various blacks. The coat is long, nearly covering the dress, and hangs almost straight at the front.. It is sonlititted at the back, but loosely adjusted to the fig- ure. There are wide revers at the front which may be rolled forward when the turnover collar is brought up close about the neck. Large cov- ered buttons, like the material of the coat, are used for fastening at the front—and one is set at each side of the back at (ho waist line. The wide collar and deep cuffs of white fur are made separate and fastened to the coat when it is to do duty for evening or dressy after- noon wear. They aro not intended for the workaday world of every day, but to convert a very practical coat into a rich -looking garment suited to special occasions. There Is nothing more durable than a coat of this kind in a good quality of the handsome pile fabric used for making it. With the addition of the white fur collar and cuffs, white gloves and white -and -black shoes are donned, and a smart, dressy hat finishes a toilette quite up to the demands of full dress. Dresses for Girls. High waist lines are the rule for the little girls' thin dresscs. Like grown- up dresses, the skirts of these dresses are very nflaring and frilly. The skirts of tulle and chiffon dresses or those of lingerie, batiste or very thin silk are often finished at tho hem with three little ruffles. These are only about three or four inches in- width and are not gathered very full. A picot edging is used often instead of lace to finish them, or a very narrow satin ribbon, perhaps in a double lengthwise stripe. Little puffed sleeves that come only halfway to the elbow are considered very correct, and they go well with the general empire contour of the gown. In linen dresses the empire waist line has a belt of the same that has a slot inset in the middle of it of an- other cclor. Something New in Neckwear Something new in neckwear has lately been added to the array of crisp and dainty pieces that came in with the fall season. The new arrivals are made of the same materials but have taken their cue from the high collars of wraps and street gowns, and their foundation is a band, fitting close about the neck, and as wide as it can be worn. To this band of thin material, wings, tabs, and flaring pieces are added in a variety of shapes and finish that seems unlimited. Fine embroidery on sheer fabrics makes them elegant, but their crisp daintiness is a fragile quality, and hence it is necessary to replace them often. for It is Just these qualities that they are expected to lend to the costume. Two good ex- amplee of these novelties are pictured here and they serve to show the es- sential features of all of them. The design at the left might be made, apparently. from embroidered handkerchiefs. It is merely a fitted band of organdie finished at the edges with small buttonhole -stitched scal- lops and having a flaring piece of the same kind set on at each side. The surface Is decorated with scattered embroidered dots and little flower sprays. The collar at the right is one of several designs in which a double row of tabs is set on about the top. In each of these designs the upper and under row of tabs are unlike in shape and length. Both are finished with fine embroidery, and the effect of the two thicknesses of sheer material is very dainty. All of these new collars set up very close about the neck and only a few of them are suited to the short -necked figure. These are those having a wide standing band shaped to appar- ently lengthen the neck, am! a flaring portion that extends only about the sides and back. But the girl who can- not wear the wide standing collar may console herself by reflecting on how well she can wear the fashionable evening bodice, which leaves neck and shoulders and arms uncovered. One should not fail to notice, when considering neckwear. the \choker\ of narrow black velvet ribbon, about an inch wide, which Is worn so effective- ly with evening gowns. It is fastened with a little flat bow and a small sparkling jewel in a pin is sometimes set against it.
