"I try to get all my Christmas packages ready by Thanksgiving," said Bettina. "Of course, I don't always succeed, but it is a splendid aim to have! There is always so much to do at the last minute—baking and company and candy making! This year we plan to give very few gifts—but to send a card at least to each of our friends. We're racking our brains now to think of something that will be individual—really ours, you know. I think a tiny snapshot of yourself or your home, or your baby or your dog—or even a sprig of holly or a bit of evergreen on a card with a few written words of greeting means more to a friend than all the lovely engraved cards in the world! Of course, some people can draw or paint and make their own—Alice will, I'm sure. One girl I know makes wonderful fruit cake, and she always sends a piece of it, in a little box tied with holly ribbon, to each of her friends. Aren't the little gifts that aren't too hard on one's purse the best after all—especially when they really come straight from the giver, and not merely from the store?"

"Bettina, I'll be afraid to send you anything after such an eloquent sermon as this!"

"Oh, Charlotte, how you talk! I'm telling you my idea of what a Christmas gift should be, but I'll probably fall far below it myself! Luncheon is ready, dear."

For luncheon Bettina and Mrs. Dixon had:

Mix the mutton, gravy, salt, mint and egg-yolk thoroughly. Add the egg-white. Turn into well-buttered ramekins or china baking dishes. Bake in a moderate oven in a pan of hot water for twenty-five minutes. Serve in the ramekins.

Wash the rice, add slowly to the boiling salted water. Boil twenty minutes. Pour the rice in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Place in the oven for five minutes to dry. Serve warm, dotted with butter.

Mix thoroughly the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and peanuts. Add the egg and milk. Stir vigorously two minutes. Place in a well-buttered bread pan, and bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven.