CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY
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overcome by a paroxysm of laughter. Later he admitted that it was
the line "... in winter, too, when snow is falling" that had been
too much for him to endure without laughing. He burst out with
clerical tactlessness, left the room and was seen no more. All looked
at my aunt apprehensively, but she only murmured resignedly some–
thing about "proletarians in priest's robes" and put a piece of marzi–
pan in her mouth. We too deplored this event at the time-but today
I am inclined to regard it as an outbreak of quite natural hilarity.
Here I must remark, if I am to be true to the facts, that my
uncle exploited his connection with the highest Church authorities
to lodge a complaint against both the minister and the chaplain.
The matter was taken up with utmost correctness, proceedings were
instituted on the grounds of neglect of pastoral duty, and in the
first instance the two clergymen were exonerated. Further pro–
ceedings are in preparation.
Fortunately a pensioned prelate was found in the neighbor–
hood. This charming old gentleman agreed, with amiable matter–
of-factness, to hold himself in readiness daily for the evening celebra–
tion. But I am anticipating. My Uncle Franz, who was sensible
enough to realize that no medical aid would be of avail and who
stubbornly refused to try exorcism, was also a good enough business–
man to plan economies for the long haul. First of all, by mid-June,
the grandchildren's expeditions were stopped because they proved
too expensive. My resourceful Cousin Johannes, who was on good
terms with all branches of the business world, discovered that Soder–
baum and Company were in a position to provide fresh fir trees.
For almost two years now this firm has done noble service in sparing
my relations' nerves. At the end of six months Soderbaum and
Company substantially reduced their charges and agreed to have
the period of delivery determined most precisely by their conifer
specialist Doctor Alfast, so that three days before the old tree became
unpresentable a new one would be delivered and could be decorated
at leisure.
As
an additional precaution two dozen gnomes and
three crowning angels were kept constantly in reserve.
To this day the candies remain a sore point. They show a
disturbing tendency to melt and drip down from the tree more
quickly and completely than wax, at any rate in the summer months.
Every effort to preserve them by carefully concealed refrigeration
