nd sisters, all children of the Lord on high!

MEENY. Maybe good old Santa Claus will come after all. Vell, if he
does I want to be ready for him. (_Produces two very large red
stockings, made for the occasion._) Come, Yakob and Hans and Mieze,
let us hang up our stockings here under the burning candle. (_They
hang up the four pair of stockings._)

NEELDA (_places a wreath of holly on the table_). Christ was born on
the Christmas Day, wreathe the holly, twine the bay! Light and Life
and Joy is He, the Babe, the Son, the Holy One of Mary!

TOMASSO. Meeny and Yakob and Hans and leetla Mieze have hung up their
stockings for the good-a Saint Nicholas, but in Italy we set out our
shoes, so! And we always get them full of presents. (_Places small
pair of wooden shoes on table._)

MEENY. I like stockings much better than shoes already, because the
stockings can stretch yet, und if they stretch real, real wide out
maybe we can get a baby piano or a automobile in our stockings. Jah,
stockings is mooch better als shoes.

HULDA. Here is my beautiful star. (_Produces tinsel star._) That will
remind us of the Star of Bethlehem that led the three Wise Men across
the hills and plains of Judea unto the little manger where,
surrounded by cattle and oxen, amid the straw, the Lord of Heaven was
born on Christmas Eve.

SCHWILLIE. Und all the angels sang, "Peace on earth, good will to
men," didn't they, Klinker?

KLINKER. Und all the shepherds heard them, and they followed the star
and came to the manger to see the little Baby.

MEENY. Let us all sit down here in front of the candle and the star,
and see if old Santa Claus has forgotten us already. It's almost time
for him to be coming. (_All sit down._)

ALL (_sing_).

THE TIME IS NEAR.

[Music illustration:

1. The time is near, the time is near,
San-ta Claus will soon be here!
All the world is sweet-ly sleep-ing,
An-gels now their watch are keep-ing,
And the moon shines clear,
And the moon shines clear.

2. Be-fore the dawn, be-fore the dawn,
Saint Nick will have come and gone!
Now with pa-tience we'll a-wait him,
Hop-ing noth-ing may be-late him,
On his jour-ney long,
On his jour-ney long.]

HULDA. Oh, I do hope Santa Claus will come and visit us tonight. But
of course he cannot go every place. Some children have to be left out.

KLINKER. Yes, that's so; but I hope it ain't us. Don't you, Schwillie