December 1946

Permaglas

Should You Tell Them There's a Santa Claus?

SOME sentimental people will tell you that our family doesn't believe in Santa Claus. But that isn't so.

Man Is a Miracle

THERE was a time in our world when the traditional words of cheer at Christmas seemed to ring as true as the Christmas bells. It was a time when the beautiful story of the Nativity-- the star over Bethlehem, the tidings of great joy, the heavenly host proclaiming peace on earth-- could be read without misgivings.

TOYS

IF YOU are going to play Santa to a beloved child, not much time remains to make your selection. Lots of thought and care should go into these important investments, as Junior usually isn't very happy about gifts bought haphazardly at the last minute.

Santa Street WHERE NEIGHBORS MEET

WHEN carolers sing "all is calm, all is bright," the residents of a certain two-block-long street in Sacramento, California, like to think these old familiar words describe their neighborhood.

"...and Please Bring Me a Puppy"

WHAT Christmas gift can bring more joy and lasting happiness than a rollicking, lovable pup? Certainly none that we know of.

Profile of a Real Santa Claus

SNOW glittered on the paving as two small boys boarded a streetcar in the wake of their parcel-laden mothers. "How come we saw all those men ringing big bells on the street corners?" asked one. "I didn't know there were so many Santa Clauses!"

Give Her Something For Her Christmas Table

"WANT her to think you're top angel on the Christmas tree? Give her a change of scenery for her table. Every woman yearns for enough table furnishings to give her food a variety of settings.

Store It Where You Want It

The House That Jack Built

IN 1939, Jack Schneider and his wife Margaret decided they had had enough of city life. They found a home plan they liked in the February, 1940, issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Then they bought a two-acre plot in Lafayette, California, which suited both them and the plan.

Say It With a Violet

At-Home Gifts for the Family

Music Gifts for the Family

Want a Little House?

YES, it's a fine house. We like the plan, and we'd like to live there. But don't you have one smaller?"

Let Yourself Give!

IN THE window of a gift shop in St. Petersburg, a provocative little rhyme aims this sly bit of psychology at window-shoppers:

What Is This Radiant Heating?

HEATING your home is one of those negative items in your budget. You have to pay money just to stay comfortable. A method of getting more comfort for your money has come along. It's called radiant heating. Here is the story:

The Building Bandits are Back in Business!

FOR the first time since Ken Hallett stepped off the Saratoga, he could quit worrying. At last, by golly, they were going to have a house!

Popcorn Fun

Modern Wallboards Can Be Handsome

Cooking Secrets From Your Kitchens

WE USE so much French dressing that I make a double recipe and pour it into my sirup pitcher (the type that has a metal drip-proof top). The pitcher can be put on the table for those who wish extra dressing, and stores just as compactly in the refrigerator as a bottle.-

A Holiday Lift

Cheer your hall and stair walls at Christmas time, and display your Christmas cards at the same time. Stripe your walls with Christmas cards! Run bands of red ribbon from ceiling to baseboard, securing with matching thumbtacks or cellulose tape. Pin the Christmas cards along the ribbon strip at intervals, allowing the colored band to peak thru between each card.-- Mrs. E. S. Engle, Riverside, Illinois.

YOUNG MOTHERS' EXCHANGE Holiday Fun--Junior Size

IN THE spirit of the season, we pass along some of your suggestions for presents youngsters can make-- gifts Baby will like-- other ideas for a smoother, easier holiday at your house:

Cash Contest for Cooks!

HERE'S fun in your kitchen and money in your pocket! It's a new cooks' recipe contest for all of you who have a Vegetable Canning Specialty or Favorite Frozen Dessert. Send us your recipe, written according to the easy rules on the next page.

The Merry-Go-Round

Our Fireplace Made Us Burn

Make 'em for a Merry Christmas

Knock Humpty-Dumpty off, and befalls apart; then set him back up, piece by piece. Follow diagram. Cut from 1" stock, base from 2x4. Dotted lines show where to cut egg apart like a jigsaw puzzle. The egg just sits on the wall. Paint with bright-colored enamel or lacquer.

Know a Knitter?

Gifts for Children's Rooms

You Can Afford Florida!

YOU'RE right. The Florida you read about may not be for you. Let name visitors disport themselves on cabana-studded beaches, in well-dressed grandstands, glittering night clubs, glossily polished yachts. You'll stay home, thank you, turn up the thermostat and settle down to the rotogravure, and take what satisfaction you can in the joy of living within your income. But that is only the Florida you read about.

How to Remove Decals

HOW TO CARE FOR Christmas Plants

CHRISTMAS gift plants can give cheerful blooms for several weeks, attractive foliage until spring. Secrets for success are these:

TRAVEL Tips to Take You Places

FIRST-TIMERS visiting down south feel they're really deep in Dixie when they see their first moss-hung live oak. And while reactions vary-- awe, delight, depression --their questions are standard: Why "oak"? Why "live"? And is that moss good or bad?

MEXICO--Where the "Hunt" Is Half the "Bargain"

HIS shop was a woven straw mat on the pavement. His neon sign was a lighted candle at each of its four corners; his wares a jumble of the gaudy, soundly hand-woven straw oddments you find everywhere in Mexico. He had carried them a long way that day.

They Turned a Veranda Into a Playroom

Our Sons Moved into the Attic

Here's to an Easy Holiday

Yes, shop early and mail early... really do it this year. Place your order with the grocer and florist well in advance of the day you want food and greens.

New Under the Sun

Next year DDT will have to compete for favor with seven new chemical insect killers-- 666, 1068,3956, gix, azobenzene, and the as yet not abbreviated hexaethyl tetraphosphate, and hydroxypentamethylflavan. None of the new chemicals seems to have the wide range of killing power possessed by DDT, but each gives greater assurance of certain death on a particular killing job.

Santa Claus

Modern That's Easy to Live With

December Garden Guide

DECEMBER tests your garden. Sturdy plants, well prepared for winter, should take this first cold weather in stride. There are still days when you can work outside to complete any unfinished jobs. Mulching should be completed as soon as possible. And next spring your garden activities will be much easier if you take time now to collect your equipment and put it into condition.

Protect Against Rabbits

THE DIARY OF A Plain Dirt Gardener

Dec. 1 Alas, as this month opens, Maggie is sick with the flu or something. We had the doctor for her yesterday. This morning, being Saturday, I cooked breakfast and carried it to her in bed. Then I had to go away on urgent business, leaving David in charge as janitor, nursemaid, cook and bottlewasher.

Article

Success With African-Violets

TODAY, besides innumerable and often excellent seedlings of ionantha and Blue Boy, there exist some 30 or so named varieties of African-violets (Saintpaulia) to tempt the collector. Ruffles is a well-established, but still quite rare, new one. I predict it will become extremely popular.

My Nicest Gift

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

In some families nowadays, it takes a holiday family dinner or a showing of home movies to assemble a quorum. Or a court order.