About two P. M. mother called to me that it was time to invite all hands down into the cabin to get their Christmas stockings.
When we all came down, there, in the middle of the table blazed a beautiful Christmas tree, which Mr. Warmbath had made for me as a surprise. It looked as if it had just been cut in the woods, and yet he made every bit of it. I will tell you how.
First he made a skeleton tree, using a broomstick for the trunk and making the branches out of heavy wire; then he covered the wire with softened wax, until some of the branches were one half an inch thick and others not so big. Some wax was also put on the broomstick, and when trunk and branches were entirely covered with wax, they were all thickly sprinkled with coffee-grounds, well pressed into the wax. This made them look just like the branches of a pine tree without its needles. Next he took some hay and laid it out straight on a box and painted it green. When the paint was dry he cut it into pieces about as long as pine needles and with melted wax stuck them all over the branches of the tree. It looked so real that I thought I could smell the lovely pine woods at home.
All around the tree mother had put the stockings. It was a fine sight.
The tree was trimmed in chains made of popcorn, and some of tin-foil, cornucopias, “silver dollars,” and two dozen candles.
The Eskimos were very sober at first because they thought we were worshipping it, but when they saw us laughing and I gave each a stocking, they too shouted and laughed and said “peuk! peuk!” many times. Mother gave them cake and coffee, and I tried to tell them that trees like this grew in the ground where the white man lived; but this they did not believe, and said, “Oh, you can’t fool us, we saw Mr. Warmbath make this one.”
For our Christmas dinner we had roast beef (canned), stewed tomatoes (canned), dandelion greens and corn (canned), and baked beans. Then plum pudding with sauce.
After dinner we had songs and games, and for a little while I quite forgot that I was thousands of miles away from home and hundreds of miles from any other white people. Mother and I had been invited to take tea with Captain Sam in the forward saloon, and we spent a pleasant evening. I wondered if father had a good Christmas and if he was coming to us soon. This is the first real Christmas tree celebration the natives have ever seen, and I am sure they will never forget it.
So you see I had a good time, only I wanted you all to be with me too. I send you much love and many, many kisses.
Your loving