From The Daily Missoulian, December 22, 1914. By Roy K. Moulton.
How dear to my heart are the gifts of my childhood,
When fond recollections present them to view;
The old rubber doll with the whistling stomach,
Which was such a miracle when it was new.
The handpainted sled and the 20-cent jackkife,
The animal blocks and the little tin train
Brought joy to our hearts that amounted to rapture,
A joy that we never will pass through again.
The fine jumping jack and the model pile driver,
The hose cart and engine that pulled with a string;
The top hook and ladder, the real magic lantern,
The drum which my father would burst the first thing.
Of course, nowadays they would seem sort of foolish—
The things that old Santa brought when we were small;
But when you consider the joy that they gave us,
The old-fashioned presents were best after all.
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