"Depends on the size of the ship."
"It wouldn't have to be full; just the deck could be heaped with parcels."
"And the rigging could be lighted."
"How can we ring in the children so they can have more of a part than singing carols?"
"Why not make them do the work themselves—the work of distributing the gifts?"
"I know," cried Helen. "Why not tell them about the real Christmas Ship and then tell them that they are to play that they all went over with it on its Christmas errand. We can dress up some of the boys as sailors—"
"Child, you don't realize what you're suggesting," exclaimed Margaret. "Do you know there are twenty or twenty-five boys there? We couldn't make all those costumes!"
"That's true," agreed Helen, dismayed. Her dismay soon turned to cheerfulness, however. "Why couldn't they wear an arm band marked SAILOR? They can use their imaginations to supply the rest of the costume."
"That would do well enough. And have another group of them marked LONGSHOREMAN."
"We can pick out the tallest boy to represent Commander Courtney and some of the others to be officers."