Christmas Memories Are Best Gift

        By Sylvia L. Teays       

Special to the Press

            In 1927, I was 10. Christmas was very important and exciting to me. I was the sixth child of Slyva and George Rossman (who later had four more children).

             Preparations for Christmas would really begin in the early fall, when dad would purchase two young turkeys – one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas. He would put them in the hen house with the chickens and we would watch them fatten and grow. Sometimes, we younger children would become attached to them but we knew what their fate would be!           

             Mother would be very busy, from morning ‘til night sewing many doll clothes and new dresses, shirts and nightgowns for Christmas surprises for all of the children. All of this would be done while we were at school, along with her many household duties. We girls didn’t receive new dolls every year, but we were always happy to see our old favorites newly dressed – even little stockings and shoes that mother lovingly sewed from old socks or pocketbooks or felt or anything suitable.

             About two weeks before Christmas in that particular year, a couple of my teenage brothers and I went to hunt for our Christmas tree. We took our largest sled and a piece of rope and the boys took their Boy Scout hatchets. We walked close to two miles to an old cranberry marsh, where there were lots of evergreen trees. No one ever seemed to care if the trees were cut at Christmas-time. We selected a rather large tree, as mother like to use the lower boughs for decorating the house. After the boys hacked it down, they tied it to the sled and we began the trudge in the snow back home with our tree. I don’t remember being cold.

             For about a week, we were busy making popcorn and stringing it with cranberries. We also would make yards and yards of bright paper chains. We had a few old large sparkling balls and candleholders, with real candles that we used on the tree year after year. The candles would be lit Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I believe we had a special Christmas Angel Doll, for the top of the tree, which mother had made. We didn’t have electricity on the farm yet but each year we always felt that we had the most beautiful tree in the world. The tree would be put up in a large bucket of water, as soon as we had our trimmings all ready. Some years, when we used cedar trees they would actually get new growth on the end of the boughs.

             One day, when we got home from school, mother had been shopping in Lapeer. She had bought pretty lace-trimmed hankies for each of us girls and bright red bandanas for the boys. She pinned them on the tree (unwrapped) and we thought it was a beautiful sight. It took such little things to bring us happiness in those days.

             My Auntie Mae and Uncle Dan and three daughters spent many Christmases with us. Uncle Dan and dad were cousins and Auntie Mae was mother’s sister, so we always felt real close to this family. They lived in Detroit and delighted in coming to the farm for Christmas. Uncle Dan owned his own barbershop and would close shop a couple days before Christmas and bring the family to our house to share the last two days of preparation.

             We’d have the house, spic and span and everything as cozy as we could for our city relatives. We children loved having them, as mother and dad did. Everything seems so special when they were here. Even the little outhouse was scrubbed and cozy with rag rugs on the floor and a little table with an oil lamp and a kerosene heater. Our relatives were accustomed to indoor plumbing- so we did everything we could to make things comfortable for them.

             Mother and Auntie Mae would bake pies, cakes and cookies and prepare anything they could ahead of time for Christmas. I remember mother making delicious candy before our company arrived. Two favorites were divinity and chocolate fudge. We children helped by cracking hickory nuts, walnuts and butternuts. The trees for the nuts grew on the farm so they were plentiful. Grandma and grandpa would send us pecans from Florida where they wintered. I also remember the lovely crate of oranges they would send us at Christmastime.

             Christmas Eve was very special in those days. After a special supper (usually roast beef and all the trimmings) and the men had the milking and all farm chores done, everyone would gather in the sitting room where the tree glowed in all its splendor.

             Mother would read the “Christmas Story” from our family Bible and then we all would gather around the old player piano and sing Christmas carols, while one of us children pumped out the music. Everyone sang with much enthusiasm. Uncle Dan really loved singing even though he was a little off key.

             Mother’s favorite carol was “Noel.” Whenever I hear that song I remember our wonderful mother, who had so much love to give.

             After singing for an hour or so, dad would bring up many lovely apples from the cellar home-made cider and mother would bring out her delicious candy. We also had popcorn that we children had popped as the men finished their evening chores.

 Soon, it was time to hang up our stockings. No child was ever too old for this event. We didn’t have a fireplace, just a big old coal stove, so we would nag the stockings on a door knob, arm chair or any place we could find. We would pin our name on the toe, as most likely all the stockings were the same color- mostly black or white cotton. After doing this, it was bedtime for everyone so Santa could come.

 Sometimes if we didn’t sleep too soundly, we would hear Santa’s sleigh bells on the roof. Of course, everyone arose early on Christmas morn’. We could look at the tree and “ooh” and “aah” at all the many gifts but had to wait for the men to finish “the milking” and feed and water all the farm animals. We also ate a hearty breakfast before opening our gifts.

 It would take quite awhile for all the children, parents, cousins and aunt and uncle to open the many gifts. It was a very exciting and loving time. Most of the gifts were small and many were home-made but they looked l like a million to us children. We would receive one large item for all of us children to share – such as wagon, sled or croquet set. The rest were the things that mother made for us or purchased very economically.

 Our turkey dinner was ready by one o’clock and served with all the trimmings. It was enjoyed by all. That was one day of the year that we didn’t plan on much supper. We would leave all imperishable foods on the table and we could nibble whenever we pleased.

 Our city relatives would leave for home about 5 p.m., loaded down with gifts, and produce from the farm. They would promise us to return the following year. Another grand and glorious Christmas was over.

The County Press

24 Christmas 1995

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