Christmas

It was only officially recognized as a holiday in the USA years after Thanksgiving because it was thought to be too sacred a day to celebrate it except as a church going celebration. Thanksgiving was recognized by Congress earlier but the day was December 18th. Christmas remained as a religious celebration for years until we began to commercialize it and make it what it is today. Most people still understand the significance of this day but Christmas has become a time of many types of recognition.

With the introduction of Santa, gift giving and family get togethers, it is the special day for many in the whole year. In simpler times like when I was a child we looked forward to Xmas for weeks ahead. There was great emphasis in church and school about the Christmas Story and everything and it was meant as a religious celebration. It held however, special memories of home and family. Weeks ahead Mom would bake her light and dark fruit cake and carefully wrap it in special cloth and place it in a crock until Xmas. Home made mincemeat would be bottled, ready for those special pies and tarts which again were symbols of Xmas.


Our father would disappear to his work station in the garage only to display his handwork at Xmas. Home made gifts were common and expected. We as children would write on paper what we would like Santa to bring to us and we would wait until a hot fire was burning in the kitchen stove and one after the other we would toss in our wish list and watch it go up in smoke. Somehow Santa was to get the message and fill the orders.


Rumors would circulate in our home that Santa was watching us and we had to be good. If we were not we could be missed on Xmas morning or at least have a bag of coal placed in our stocking. I had coal in my stocking every year I think. We tried to get a big sock to hang up but it did not matter as each of us got the same thing. In our home everyone received an orange, an apple, grapes wrapped in tissue paper and hard candy. The hard candy was all colours and some was called ribbon candy. The special treat was the little bag of mixed nuts, Brazil, hazel and almonds. When we picked up our socks at the same time we always acted surprised and then the lessons of sharing and breaking the nuts with only two hammers when there was a dozen of us was fun. We never had a nut cracker.


We expected and received one gift along with a few smaller items shared among family members. We all saved and bought Mom and Dad gifts. For Dad, it was pipe tobacco or a pipe and little items he liked. For Mom it was chocolates , handkerchiefs or perfume. One year I gave my Mom two tiny vases which were hand painted and from Japan. I bought them at the 5 and ten for 15 cents each. Mom kept them and when she passed away my father gave them back to me. I treasured them and passed them on to my younger sister as she wanted a memory item of Mom. I recently saw a pair of these same vases at a yard sale and was tempted to buy them but I did not.


Besides fattening up the chickens for dinner dad would get some special foods and pop to make the day special. Dad would go to the local pop maker and get several cases of mixed drinks. My favourite was iron brew but we all had our special flavours met .Our house was invaded by friends ,uncles , neighbours and excited children showing off what Santa had brought. Later we would go skating on the pond right next to our home and have fun with all the local people. Home for the Xmas feast where Mom could produce six drumsticks from two hens and we all praised everything that was served and enjoyed the bounty rarely seen except on Christmas.


For us Christmas was family, and it still is.