12, putting the thought in your own words.

3. Make a Christmas card, sketching one of the
scenes suggested above as the corner or center
decoration.

4. Meredith Nicholson (1866- ) is an American
writer. He is the author of several popular novels,
an essayist, and a writer of excellent verse. He
lives in Indianapolis.

("Christmas in the Pines" is used by special
courtesy of Mr. Nicholson.)

THE NEW YEAR'S DINNER PARTY

BY CHARLES LAMB

The following essay is a humorous treatment of the
days of the year, with emphasis on the holidays and
special days in the English calendar. You should
read it with a sharp lookout for the play on words.
Each day supposedly acts in keeping with its
character, and so the New Year's dinner party is
kept in high mirth. But you cannot appreciate the
humor until you understand what each day stands
for.

The Old Year being dead, the New Year came of age,
which he does by Calendar Law as soon as the breath
is out of the old gentleman's body. Nothing would serve
the youth but he must give a dinner upon the occasion, to
which all the Days of the Year were invited. 5

The Festivals, whom he appointed as his stewards, were
mightily taken with the notion. They had been engaged
time out of mind, they said, in providing mirth and cheer
for mortals below; and it was time that they should have
a taste of their bounty. 10

All the Days came to dinner. Covers were provided for
three hundred and sixty-five guests at the principal table,
with an occasional knife and fork at the sideboard for the
Twenty-ninth of February.

I should have told you that invitations had been sent out. 15
The carriers were the Hours--twelve as merry little whirligig
foot pages as you should desire to see. They went all
around, and found out the persons invited well enough,
with the exception of Easter Day, Shrove Tuesday, and a
few such Movables, who had lately shifted their quarters. 20

Well, they were all met at last, four Days, five Days, all
sorts of Days, and a rare din they made of it. There was
nothing but "Hail! fellow Day!" "Well met, brother
Day! sister Day!"--only Lady Day kept a little on the