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Songs of Childhood, 1923. Are you tired of winter references? Not when it is a reference from an antique book!
IN WINTER
Brown are all the trees, and bare;
Leaves, we know, are hidden there,
Waiting till the bluebirds sing
Their song of the spring.
This is from Chatterbox, 1912. Perhaps this would be a good tradition to adopt this winter.
THE BIRDS’ CHRISTMAS-TREE.
Country children in Germany have a pretty custom, which some of our little ones in this country might like to imitate. They give the birds a Christmas-tree as a treat. The gardener, or some other grown-up person, selects a strong young fir-tree, cuts off the lower branches, and plants the tree firmly in the lawn or flower-bed near the house, where the children can watch it from the windows.
Then comes the children’s task, that of decorating the tree. Small cases of coloured paper are attached to the branches securely with string, and filled with seed, crumbs, and bits of fruit and potato. Here and there a piece of stale bread is hung by a string, elsewhere a head of lettuce or some other green vegetable, and small glass jars, such as empty honey or vaseline jars, are filled with water. The little feathered guests soon find out the feast, and it is pretty to see their delight, especially if there is snow on the ground and food is scarce. The space round the trees should be swept clean, so that any crumbs or seed which are scattered can be easily picked up by the birds. Of course the food and water are to be renewed as fast as they are cleared off. A. G. Cuthbert.
That’s actually a pretty neat idea!
It would be a great lesson for small children to care for nature, as well as fun for the adult, too!