CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS

OLD SANTA WAS ESPECIALLY GOOD TO MOST OF THE CHILDREN. ON A SAT HE
WOULD RIDE INTO ST. ANTHONY ON A SLEIGH AND STOP AT ONE OF THE STORES ON MAIN STREET TO VISIT WITH LOCAL KIDS. IF I REMEMBER RIGHT HE GAVE EACH A PIECE OF HARD TACK CANDY AFTER TALKING WITH THEM TO SEE IF THEY HAD BEEN GOOD. CHRISTMAS EVE WAS HARD TO SETTLE DOWN AND GO TO SLEEP. ONE YEAR WE HEARD SLEIGH BELLS AND MOM TOLD US WE MAY NOT HAVE A VISIT FROM SANTA BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SETTLE DOWN AND GO TO SLEEP. NOW IF THAT HAPPENED TO BE THE JOLLY OLD ELF HE DID RETURN AND LEAVE A FEW THINGS UNDER THE TREE. THERE WAS A DOLL FOR THE GIRLS YOUNG ENOUGH TO NEED ONE. THE DRESSES WOULD BE DIFFERENT COLORS. WHICH EVER DOLL LEFT FOR ME USUALLY HAD A BLUE DRESS. COLORS WERE PINK BLUE AND YELLOW IF THREE GOT LEFT. REBA AND JOSSINE EACH GOT ONE FOR SOME YEARS AFTER SANTA QUITE LEAVING FOR ME.
THE CHRISTMAS I REMEMBER AS ONE OF THE NICEST WAS ONE MOM TOLD ME WAS OUR WORST. SHE COULDN'T BELIEVE I LIKED IT SO MUCH. AFTER SHE TOLD ME THE REASON IT WAS SO BAD FOR HER I UNDERSTOOD BUT THINK IT MADE HER FEEL BETTER THAT I LIKED IT. WHEN SHE TOLD WHY IT WAS SO BAD FOR HER I UNDERSTOOD. BAKER HAD GONE OVER TO SLACKS TO SEE WHAT THEY GOT FOR CHRISTMAS AND CAME HOME WONDERING WHY SANTA LEFT SO MUCH FOR VERDALE AND BILL AND SO LITTLE AT OUR HOUSE. THAT WAS REALLY HEART BREAKING FOR MOM.
THAT YEAR I GOT A SEWING KIT TO EMBROIDER. IT WAS A PILLOW TOP WITH SOME FLOSS. AUNT LEAH TOOK IT UPON HER SELF TO BE MY TEACHER. I SPENT MOST OF CHRISTMAS VACATION LEARNING TO EMBROIDER. IT WASN'T A GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT BUT I TRIED.
WE ALWAYS HUNG A CLEAN BROWN SOCK FOR SANTA TO FILL THERE WAS ALWAYS HARD TACK CANDIES ,PEANUTS, AND IN THE TOP AN ORANGE. SANTA ALWAYS SEEMED TO FIND US AND LEAVE A FEW THINGS. ON GOOD YEARS WE GOT A FEW CHOCOLATE CANDIES ALSO.
THE KIDS IN THE GRADE SCHOOL ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW WHAT EVERYONE GOT FOR CHRISTMAS ON OUR RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER THE HOLIDAY BREAK. MY FIRST YEAR IN ST. ANTHONY NINTH GRADE NONE OF THOSE THINGS SEEMED TOO IMPORTANT BY THE TIME WE WENT BACK.

NEW YEARS
I REMEMBER DARLEEN AND ALBERTA GOING TO NEW YEARS DANCES AND COMING HOME TO CLIMB INTO BED AND TALK SOME ABOUT THE FUN THEY HAD. THEN RUTH STARTED GOING AND SHE ALWAYS HAD STORIES TO TELL. THERE WOULD BE LAUGHING AND TALKING TILL DAD WOULD CALL OUT TO QUIET DOWN SO HE COULD GET HIS REST. THEN THE NOISE CEASED UNTIL THE NEXT DAY.
MOM ALWAYS MADE A SPECIAL MEAL FOR THE NEW YEAR. THERE WAS SLEEPING IN AND NAPS IN THE AFTERNOON. SKIING BEHIND THE SLEIGH AND SINGING AS WE RODE ALONG. THEN IT WAS BACK TO SCHOOL ON THE DAYS THAT CAME RIGHT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS. SOME TIMES IT WAS MIGHTY COLD THE MONTH OF JANUARY. SO WE BUNDLED UP IN WARM CLOTHS AND COATS AND BOOTS. MITTENS IF WE HAD THEM. LOTS OF TIMES DAD HOOKED UP THE HORSES AND BUNDLED US UP IN THE HORSE BLANKETS AND TOOK US TO SCHOOL.

I THOUGHT I'D GET THRU THIS BOOK BY NOW BUT MORE ANOTHER DAY AND MAYBE THAT WILL BE THE LAST OF THIS ONE.