REFLECTIONS ON CHRISTMAS

       One hears much at Christmas about "a good old fashioned Christmas" "Traditional Christmas" "family Christmas" . It feels like people are searching for something . It's easy to look back and see something that was pleasant. They don't get the same buzz from Christmas these days.

       I started to think about my past and Christmas celebrations. I was born in 1939 on the Saskatchewan prairie. Times were tough, very tough. In this area they hadn't really pulled out of the depression and then WW II started and there were more hard times. 

     So, of course, I don't remember much about my first four or five Christmases. We were still hard up in the late forties but I remember Christmases. Schools and churches had concerts which were exciting. For these we received a bag of candy and nuts and best of all a Japanese orange. 

     Our Christmas presents were meager but we didn't know that. 

     We went to our cousins for Christmas  and New Years . We harnessed the team and headed a mile across the fields to our cousins. The next year they came to our house. 

     Economic conditions were better in the fifties and we were older. We received more as it could be afforded. We played games all day with the cousins. This time flew by quickly and we spent more time with our friends at Christmas rather than our families. We still attended the dinner and gift giving.

    Then suddenly I was not able to be home for Christmas and that was another way to spend Christmas. 

    Marriage and we went back to family celebrations.

   My children came and we had a family Christmas with the gifts and big dinner but we were away from family so just the nuclear family participated.

   When my children left they went other ways and did not come home for Christmas.

    As a couple without family we kept up traditions with the big meal and gifts. We attended the Christmas eve church service. 

    Gradually we did less and less. Gifts were omitted. We had too much already. Decorations became less until this year it's only lights outside. Less baking was done until this year there was none which is good because it's too physically challenging for the micro manager. The Christmas dinner was missing some of the trimmings.

     Next year we will eat our Christmas dinner out at a restaurant.

    So, this gets me back to the traditional Christmas. Would it be possible to go back. Never. Would we like the traditional Christmas celebration? Probably not. I don't think I'd like to be riding in an open  sleigh box behind two old farm horses. 

    So the traditional Christmas is the one we celebrate right now. This year , I enjoyed my Christmas as much as ever but there wasn't any razzle dazzle. 

CHRISTMAS PAST

        When I was a child in the 40's our Christmas Day  was a major celebration. It was very different from  what happens today.

        What I remember is after the war. The economy was better and there were no more ration restrictions. So we were able to enjoy things that were not available in the recent past. 

        There were many preparations and these were entirely my mother's efforts. There was a tremendous amount of baking done pre Christmas. Christmas cakes took the biggest effort. Many other things were baked: shortbread, ginger bread cookies, Chinese chews. matrimonial cake, mince meat pies, Christmas puddings , fudge and other things that my brothers will have to remind me about.  As you can see my Mom did a tremendous amount of Christmas baking.

      The merchandise in our local stores was quite limited. Clothes and many other items were ordered from the Eaton's catalog. There was usually one big parcel that came from Eatons and we were not allowed to see any of it so this is where she got our Christmas presents. 

      Before the economy picked up the three of us received a tricycle for Christmas. Another Christmas we got a dog. After the war they were able to afford individual gifts for us. We usually got a book, a toy , a game. or some clothes. We also got some small gifts from grandparents and Aunts and uncles.  There was much excitement over these gifts. So much excitement that we were sometimes awake and out before 5:00 AM. We were sent back to bed but were still up early to open gifts. It was bedlam with 4 little kids. 

     Our Christmas day activities were huge. We celebrated with Mom's cousin. There were 12 people altogether. If Mom had Christmas , her cousin Margaret did the same on New year's day. The next year it would be reversed.

     I grew up in a rural community. Our roads were blocked with snow in the winter and we had very old cars. As a result winter travel was with horses. Our cousins would arrive just before noon and the horses were put in the barn.

     The big meal took place at noon. 

     Preparing the Christmas meal took tremendous effort. Turkey was the main item on the menu. They only grew 25 lb turkeys at that time! So we had stuffing , gravy, mashed potato, creamed corn and another vegetable. We were not able to get cranberries . Lettuce and other produce was not sold in our local stores so we didn't have salads. The country stores didn't have coolers and no electricity so they didn't sell produce. We sometimes had a jellied salad. These meals were prepared with wood stoves. There was no refrigeration or coolers and no running water. But these meals were some of the best that I remember eating. 

     We all sat down together to eat. Food was passed around in large bowls. Generous second helpings were common. 

     And then there was dessert! Christmas pudding and mince meat pie. Yes both of them at the same meal. 

    So our Christmas day was so huge that I have to describe it in two posts.