EXTRAS
CALENDAR CUSTOMS
CALENDAR CUSTOMS
CHRISTMAS
December 24-January 6
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created December 2019 / Updated December 2023
John Bennett's shop on the corner of Main Street & East End Road, March 1962. Pat & Eddie Kavanagh delivered groceries for the store in a horse-drawn sleigh similar to this one. Photo by Tom Careless, courtesy of Dave Careless.
Alice Kehoe Skanes
Christmas on Bell Island in the late 1800s
Christmas on Bell Island in the late 1800s
Alice Skanes was born on Bell Island in 1879 to Mary (nee Quigley) and James Kehoe. Her mother died when she was 2 and she was raised by her aunt. By age 10, she was housekeeping for her father and 2 uncles. Later she delivered babies and prepared the dead for burial. She married Andrew Skeans in 1907. In 1973 when she was 94, the Evening Telegram published her memories of childhood Christmases and snippets of her life.
Alice's earliest Christmas memories are from about 1886 when she was 7 years old. "Christmas trees were unheard of then, but there was rum, and plenty of it. On our kitchen table sat kegs of it. Visitors to our house on Christmas day would help themselves, tapping what spirits they wished from the kegs." Despite this abundance of liquor, she did not recall the men getting really drunk. At age 94, when she was interviewed about her life by Dick Green, she said, "I'm by no means a drinker, but sometimes I like a hot toddy before going to bed."
"Turkey for Christmas dinner was unknown then, but we had a good meal and it didn't cost us a cent. All our potatoes, carrots, turnips and cabbages were grown in our garden. Our pork and meat came from the animals we reared on the land. Everyone was alike then. But if our neighbours lacked anything, we always shared."
In the late 1800s, Christmas raffles played with dice were popular on Bell Island. Sheep and cows were some of the top prizes at these affairs.
Jannying or mummering also played an important part of Christmas on Bell Island. Alice remembered dressing up in a long white dress and going from house to house. In each of the mummers' groups, there were three or four musicians who played their "sets" while the rest of their troupe danced in parlours lit by kerosene lamps. Lengthy costumes, slippery roads and the lack of street illumination often caused her and her friends to end up in a ditch along the roadside. "But we'd pick ourselves up and away we'd go again."
The photo below is from the December 20, 1973 Evening Telegram article. You can read the full article here on my website at https://www.historic-wabana.com/s.html.
Alice's earliest Christmas memories are from about 1886 when she was 7 years old. "Christmas trees were unheard of then, but there was rum, and plenty of it. On our kitchen table sat kegs of it. Visitors to our house on Christmas day would help themselves, tapping what spirits they wished from the kegs." Despite this abundance of liquor, she did not recall the men getting really drunk. At age 94, when she was interviewed about her life by Dick Green, she said, "I'm by no means a drinker, but sometimes I like a hot toddy before going to bed."
"Turkey for Christmas dinner was unknown then, but we had a good meal and it didn't cost us a cent. All our potatoes, carrots, turnips and cabbages were grown in our garden. Our pork and meat came from the animals we reared on the land. Everyone was alike then. But if our neighbours lacked anything, we always shared."
In the late 1800s, Christmas raffles played with dice were popular on Bell Island. Sheep and cows were some of the top prizes at these affairs.
Jannying or mummering also played an important part of Christmas on Bell Island. Alice remembered dressing up in a long white dress and going from house to house. In each of the mummers' groups, there were three or four musicians who played their "sets" while the rest of their troupe danced in parlours lit by kerosene lamps. Lengthy costumes, slippery roads and the lack of street illumination often caused her and her friends to end up in a ditch along the roadside. "But we'd pick ourselves up and away we'd go again."
The photo below is from the December 20, 1973 Evening Telegram article. You can read the full article here on my website at https://www.historic-wabana.com/s.html.
* * *
Thomas A. Power
Christmas on Bell Island in the 1880s
Christmas on Bell Island in the 1880s
The following excerpts are from the second of a two-part article* by Thomas A. Power (1882-1959) that was published in the Newfoundland Quarterly, V. 85, No. 2, Fall 1989 and V. 85, No. 3, Winter 1990. Thomas Anthony Power was born on Bell Island February 2, 1882 to Louisa (Anthony c.1844-1888) and Thomas Power (c.1838-1888). He died in Prineville, Oregon on February 4, 1959 at age 77. His grandfather, also Thomas Power was born in Waterford, Ireland c.1793, and died on Bell Island at age 88 in 1882. Thomas A. said of his grandfather, "Belle Island had been chosen by my grandfather when he and his six brothers left Ireland to settle in seven outposts of the world." The first generation Thomas Power established a large farm at the Front, Bell Island. The main property was on the north side of what is now Memorial Street, opposite the Roman Catholic Cemetery and just east of St. Michael's High School.
This third-generation Thomas Power left Bell Island for Boston sometime in the early 1890s, studied there and then struck out for the American West. He worked on the Santa Fe Railway for a time and went as far as Alaska, eventually making a land claim in Central Oregon and developing a sheep and cattle ranch there. He served as Commissioner of Jefferson County and ended his career as a County Judge. After having been away from Bell Island for half a century, he came home for a visit in 1947. On his return to Oregon, he wrote the memories of his childhood that were published in the Newfoundland Quarterly in 1989-90. His parents had died within 5 months of each other in 1888, leaving the family farm and 6 children, aged 2 to 9, in the care of their aunt Kate Power. Remember, these were the days before automobiles, electricity, central heating, indoor plumbing, and telecommunications, and before mining had started on Bell Island. There were no shops or roads as we know them today. The "ferry" was a small sailing schooner. Travel was by horse and cart. (You can read more about his life on the People page of this website by clicking "P" in the dropdown menu above.) Here are his childhood Christmas memories:
"By the last of October, we were preparing for winter with storm doors and windows in place and the house banked with sod. It was a feeling of being prepared for the worst the elements could offer. And sometimes we were virtual prisoners within our sheltered domain as the north wind roared. Before the weather got too bad, Aunt Kate would go to St. John's to get our winter's supply of clothing and provisions, as well as to do the Christmas shopping. Her visit was prolonged for several days as she renewed school-day friendships and visited relatives. A big day for us was her return when we met her at the ferry to help carry home her full market bags. We could smell the fruity aroma that filled our whole universe with fragrance. And when, at last, the bags were opened and we were given our treats of gingerbread, apples, and hard candy, and had tried on our new shoes, mittens, and caps, it was indeed every bit as nice as Christmas.
"The week before Christmas, we quieted down and joined in the spirit of getting ready. The men hauled in great loads of logs, and huge piles of wood were chopped and carried in. Even our linney (dairy) was filled, for Christmas meant a two-week vacation for everyone but the cooks. A great ceremony was made of bringing in the Yule Log. It was for us what [Christmas] trees meant in other countries, and great care in choosing the proper log was exercised. When it was lit with its branches of grass, a holy light seemed to fill the room.
"Our stockings were hung by the fireplace and our gifts varied little from year to year. We were sure of musical tops, jackknives, mouth organs, jack-in-the-boxes, jackstraws, dominoes, balls and marbles. Once I got a barometer and it was a joy unending to see the old woman come out of the cottage when warm weather was predicted and the old man when it was going to be cold. Christmas really started on Christmas Eve when a fine supper preceded the lighting of the Yule Log, which was supposed to burn for the twelve-day celebrations. The elders visited and we children speculated on what our stockings would hold and made final plans for jannying or mummering. Before midnight mass, cake and hot peppermint tea was served. I hated the tea and tried to swallow it without tasting it and making a face. Such a thought as not drinking it never occurred to me. It was so much a part of the festivities, I thought I had to drink it. The nights were usually bright with moonlight, and the northern lights and the white background of snow made the trip to the church at midnight a very special occasion. On dark nights, wayfarers lighted their way with torches of burning birch.
"At the first streak of dawn, we children were up inspecting all the wonders our stocking held. I could never forget the peppermint-striped candy canes which we called walking sticks, and the hard red balls for all day called jawbreakers, and the chewy taffy called Jerusalems. It was one time in the year when supply exceeded demand. On this day, the most elaborate dinner of the year was served, and it usually started with sun-cured cod covered with a savory cream sauce. The main dish was stuffed hens, never chickens, but always designated as 'hens.' Great skill was used in cooking with nothing left to chance or guess, making this dinner stand apart. The last course was the fruit cake, whose preparation we had watched weeks before in drooling expectation as Aunt Kate and the hired girl had cut citron, candied lemon peel, raisins, and various dried fruits to mix in a spicy batter of tantalizing combinations. Everything was in keeping, and fine linens never used on any other occasion graced our humble board, and we used grandmother's hand-woven napkins with a daintiness foreign to everyday living.
"A part of every great ceremony in the land of my birth is for the head of the household to take his gun and fire a charge in the air. On Christmas Day, the old muskets popped all day long. This observance still prevails and is a quaint custom handed down from the first settlers. Uncle Ned did all the firing in our family.
"We children looked forward to the jannying or mummering as all fall we spent our spare moments on an old horse skull, getting it ready to mount on a stick. When we had succeeded in getting the jaws to open and close by means of a string pulled at odd moments, we had well nigh reached perfection. The jannies dressed much as masqueraders and would sally forth all during the holiday season to frighten and serenade. Some jannies used a cow's head to frighten the unwary. Sometimes we were able to smuggle grandfather's old beaver hat that hung in the hall. It was a kind of trick-or-treat for we were always treated to the hated pepperment tea and cake and candy. Nowhere in all my travels have I found the good fellowship and kindliness that prevails in Newfoundland. A fun-loving, kindly people make the holiday season a time for rejoicing and renewing old friendships that might have lapsed through busy seasons. Family ties are very strong and, from far and near, members of a family make an effort to cement mutual interest at Christmas. The visiting and dancing that came with the holiday season were happy times for young and old. Square and folk-dancing to the music of old-time fiddling or concertina were popular at different homes. When a musician was not available, the dance went on just the same to what was called "chin music." A person so gifted would stand and carry the tune between a chant and a hum. It made a good substitute. The singing of carols and songs by local poets was a part of the merry-making, and many of the songs were of the 'come all ye' type as some tenor sang of boys, men, lassies, or maidens, and several verses poured forth on past or present history.
"In a land where survival depended on industry [that is, strenuous daily work], only weddings and unusual circumstances permitted time off for celebrating. No wonder Christmas was so much enjoyed and celebrated so whole-heartedly."
This third-generation Thomas Power left Bell Island for Boston sometime in the early 1890s, studied there and then struck out for the American West. He worked on the Santa Fe Railway for a time and went as far as Alaska, eventually making a land claim in Central Oregon and developing a sheep and cattle ranch there. He served as Commissioner of Jefferson County and ended his career as a County Judge. After having been away from Bell Island for half a century, he came home for a visit in 1947. On his return to Oregon, he wrote the memories of his childhood that were published in the Newfoundland Quarterly in 1989-90. His parents had died within 5 months of each other in 1888, leaving the family farm and 6 children, aged 2 to 9, in the care of their aunt Kate Power. Remember, these were the days before automobiles, electricity, central heating, indoor plumbing, and telecommunications, and before mining had started on Bell Island. There were no shops or roads as we know them today. The "ferry" was a small sailing schooner. Travel was by horse and cart. (You can read more about his life on the People page of this website by clicking "P" in the dropdown menu above.) Here are his childhood Christmas memories:
"By the last of October, we were preparing for winter with storm doors and windows in place and the house banked with sod. It was a feeling of being prepared for the worst the elements could offer. And sometimes we were virtual prisoners within our sheltered domain as the north wind roared. Before the weather got too bad, Aunt Kate would go to St. John's to get our winter's supply of clothing and provisions, as well as to do the Christmas shopping. Her visit was prolonged for several days as she renewed school-day friendships and visited relatives. A big day for us was her return when we met her at the ferry to help carry home her full market bags. We could smell the fruity aroma that filled our whole universe with fragrance. And when, at last, the bags were opened and we were given our treats of gingerbread, apples, and hard candy, and had tried on our new shoes, mittens, and caps, it was indeed every bit as nice as Christmas.
"The week before Christmas, we quieted down and joined in the spirit of getting ready. The men hauled in great loads of logs, and huge piles of wood were chopped and carried in. Even our linney (dairy) was filled, for Christmas meant a two-week vacation for everyone but the cooks. A great ceremony was made of bringing in the Yule Log. It was for us what [Christmas] trees meant in other countries, and great care in choosing the proper log was exercised. When it was lit with its branches of grass, a holy light seemed to fill the room.
"Our stockings were hung by the fireplace and our gifts varied little from year to year. We were sure of musical tops, jackknives, mouth organs, jack-in-the-boxes, jackstraws, dominoes, balls and marbles. Once I got a barometer and it was a joy unending to see the old woman come out of the cottage when warm weather was predicted and the old man when it was going to be cold. Christmas really started on Christmas Eve when a fine supper preceded the lighting of the Yule Log, which was supposed to burn for the twelve-day celebrations. The elders visited and we children speculated on what our stockings would hold and made final plans for jannying or mummering. Before midnight mass, cake and hot peppermint tea was served. I hated the tea and tried to swallow it without tasting it and making a face. Such a thought as not drinking it never occurred to me. It was so much a part of the festivities, I thought I had to drink it. The nights were usually bright with moonlight, and the northern lights and the white background of snow made the trip to the church at midnight a very special occasion. On dark nights, wayfarers lighted their way with torches of burning birch.
"At the first streak of dawn, we children were up inspecting all the wonders our stocking held. I could never forget the peppermint-striped candy canes which we called walking sticks, and the hard red balls for all day called jawbreakers, and the chewy taffy called Jerusalems. It was one time in the year when supply exceeded demand. On this day, the most elaborate dinner of the year was served, and it usually started with sun-cured cod covered with a savory cream sauce. The main dish was stuffed hens, never chickens, but always designated as 'hens.' Great skill was used in cooking with nothing left to chance or guess, making this dinner stand apart. The last course was the fruit cake, whose preparation we had watched weeks before in drooling expectation as Aunt Kate and the hired girl had cut citron, candied lemon peel, raisins, and various dried fruits to mix in a spicy batter of tantalizing combinations. Everything was in keeping, and fine linens never used on any other occasion graced our humble board, and we used grandmother's hand-woven napkins with a daintiness foreign to everyday living.
"A part of every great ceremony in the land of my birth is for the head of the household to take his gun and fire a charge in the air. On Christmas Day, the old muskets popped all day long. This observance still prevails and is a quaint custom handed down from the first settlers. Uncle Ned did all the firing in our family.
"We children looked forward to the jannying or mummering as all fall we spent our spare moments on an old horse skull, getting it ready to mount on a stick. When we had succeeded in getting the jaws to open and close by means of a string pulled at odd moments, we had well nigh reached perfection. The jannies dressed much as masqueraders and would sally forth all during the holiday season to frighten and serenade. Some jannies used a cow's head to frighten the unwary. Sometimes we were able to smuggle grandfather's old beaver hat that hung in the hall. It was a kind of trick-or-treat for we were always treated to the hated pepperment tea and cake and candy. Nowhere in all my travels have I found the good fellowship and kindliness that prevails in Newfoundland. A fun-loving, kindly people make the holiday season a time for rejoicing and renewing old friendships that might have lapsed through busy seasons. Family ties are very strong and, from far and near, members of a family make an effort to cement mutual interest at Christmas. The visiting and dancing that came with the holiday season were happy times for young and old. Square and folk-dancing to the music of old-time fiddling or concertina were popular at different homes. When a musician was not available, the dance went on just the same to what was called "chin music." A person so gifted would stand and carry the tune between a chant and a hum. It made a good substitute. The singing of carols and songs by local poets was a part of the merry-making, and many of the songs were of the 'come all ye' type as some tenor sang of boys, men, lassies, or maidens, and several verses poured forth on past or present history.
"In a land where survival depended on industry [that is, strenuous daily work], only weddings and unusual circumstances permitted time off for celebrating. No wonder Christmas was so much enjoyed and celebrated so whole-heartedly."
The scene on Lance Cove Road on New Year's Day 1959. Submarine Miner photo by Phonse Hawco.
* * *
From the Daily News: "Pupils of the Methodist School held their annual Xmas Tree and Concert on Dec. 21, 1922, consisting of choruses, songs, Japanese drill, pantomime and a one-act play, 'Father Time's Jubilee.' C.H.E. diplomas were presented by Rev. Dr. Dunn. In the afternoon, the Girls' Guild held their annual sale of work and had a visit from Santa Claus."
* * *
Ned Kent
Christmas on Bell Island in the 1920s-30s
Christmas on Bell Island in the 1920s-30s
This Christmas memory of the first half of the 20th Century on Bell Island is from Ned (Edward) Kent (1905-1992) of Lance Cove, the man who owned the 1927 Whippet car that is pictured in the mural on the Loyal Orange Lodge at the top of Town Square:
"Christmas was the big time years ago. The mines would be off then for a week. That would be the best time. But it wasn't like it is now. There was no taverns or no Controllers [liquor stores], nothing [in the way of licensed liquor establishments] on the Island at all then. They'd have a sociable time, lots to eat. Everybody would have the pig and the sheep and the cattle to kill, stuff like that. And the people were happier too, people were real happy then. Now it's a mad rush. Everything is a mad rush now. Jannying [called mummering in other places] would be a must. Oh yes. You'd have the accordion and the mouth organ and you'd go from home to home. You'd have lemonade made out of lemon crystals and ginger wine. That would be warm. Cake and all that stuff. Oh, you'd have the lovely time. They'd let you come in the kitchen and there'd be no carpet or anything like that. You'd have your long boots on and there'd be snow then up to your ankles. No kicking up a racket then about it. No radios, no television. A man would put on the women's clothes and the girl would put on the man's clothes, put on the boots 3 or 4 times too big for her, and stuff like that. We'd have the old hats on. No trouble to get an old rig then. It was all long clothes, the women's clothes would drag on the ground. You'd have a veil over your face. There'd be no mask then, a bit of lace curtain, that's what you'd have. You'd cut out that and tie it on the back of your head, have an old hat on then to keep it in place. It would be great fun going around. And there'd be people all over the place then. Freshwater would come down to Lance Cove and Lance Cove would go to Freshwater. And if you were going a long ways, if anybody had a horse, and your father didn't mind you taking the horse for a few hours, you could take the horse and come up around Freshwater, down around Lahey's and these places. You'd have a great time. And then the next night, they'd come up to our place. And you'd always have the syrup and the ginger wine and the cake. And everything would be laid on the table ready to serve the jannies. No such thing as beer or liquor or anything like that. And they didn't make any of that up around here, didn't bother it."
Below is a photo of the mural entitled "Town Square." Ned Kent and his daughters posed in his 1927 Whippet at the bottom of Town Square in 1991 for the mural.
"Christmas was the big time years ago. The mines would be off then for a week. That would be the best time. But it wasn't like it is now. There was no taverns or no Controllers [liquor stores], nothing [in the way of licensed liquor establishments] on the Island at all then. They'd have a sociable time, lots to eat. Everybody would have the pig and the sheep and the cattle to kill, stuff like that. And the people were happier too, people were real happy then. Now it's a mad rush. Everything is a mad rush now. Jannying [called mummering in other places] would be a must. Oh yes. You'd have the accordion and the mouth organ and you'd go from home to home. You'd have lemonade made out of lemon crystals and ginger wine. That would be warm. Cake and all that stuff. Oh, you'd have the lovely time. They'd let you come in the kitchen and there'd be no carpet or anything like that. You'd have your long boots on and there'd be snow then up to your ankles. No kicking up a racket then about it. No radios, no television. A man would put on the women's clothes and the girl would put on the man's clothes, put on the boots 3 or 4 times too big for her, and stuff like that. We'd have the old hats on. No trouble to get an old rig then. It was all long clothes, the women's clothes would drag on the ground. You'd have a veil over your face. There'd be no mask then, a bit of lace curtain, that's what you'd have. You'd cut out that and tie it on the back of your head, have an old hat on then to keep it in place. It would be great fun going around. And there'd be people all over the place then. Freshwater would come down to Lance Cove and Lance Cove would go to Freshwater. And if you were going a long ways, if anybody had a horse, and your father didn't mind you taking the horse for a few hours, you could take the horse and come up around Freshwater, down around Lahey's and these places. You'd have a great time. And then the next night, they'd come up to our place. And you'd always have the syrup and the ginger wine and the cake. And everything would be laid on the table ready to serve the jannies. No such thing as beer or liquor or anything like that. And they didn't make any of that up around here, didn't bother it."
Below is a photo of the mural entitled "Town Square." Ned Kent and his daughters posed in his 1927 Whippet at the bottom of Town Square in 1991 for the mural.
* * *
Sonia Neary Harvey
Christmas on Bell Island in the late 1940s
Christmas on Bell Island in the late 1940s
The next Christmas memory is from Sonia Neary Harvey of Quigley's Line and happened in the latter part of the 1940s:
"This is a story about Mr. Lou Lawton, who owned a drugstore on Bell Island. One Christmas Eve, my mother, sisters and myself (Dad died when I was 6) were decorating the tree. Mom discovered that we didn't have enough tinsel (icicles) and became really anxious. We knew the stores were closing. She rang Mr. Lawton and told him her dilemma. He told her to send someone up to the drugstore and he would have the 3 boxes ready. Well, I was chosen to send off and told to hurry because Mr. Lawton was keeping the drugstore open. I ran out of the house, across Proudfoot's meadow, up St. Pat's Lane, across Town Square and burst into Mr. Lawton's drugstore. He had the boxes all ready for me. But when I turned to leave, he said, 'Just a minute now.' I turned around and he laid a big box of Pot of Gold chocolates on the counter for me. He said, 'Merry Christmas, these are for you.' Well, I don't even know if I said 'Thank you.' I was stunned. He gave ME a whole box of chocolates, not my mother, not my sisters. He said, 'These are for you.' I think I flew home on a cloud. I was so happy. I will always remember that. What a lovely Christmas Eve, and what a lovely memory of Mr. Lou Lawton."
"This is a story about Mr. Lou Lawton, who owned a drugstore on Bell Island. One Christmas Eve, my mother, sisters and myself (Dad died when I was 6) were decorating the tree. Mom discovered that we didn't have enough tinsel (icicles) and became really anxious. We knew the stores were closing. She rang Mr. Lawton and told him her dilemma. He told her to send someone up to the drugstore and he would have the 3 boxes ready. Well, I was chosen to send off and told to hurry because Mr. Lawton was keeping the drugstore open. I ran out of the house, across Proudfoot's meadow, up St. Pat's Lane, across Town Square and burst into Mr. Lawton's drugstore. He had the boxes all ready for me. But when I turned to leave, he said, 'Just a minute now.' I turned around and he laid a big box of Pot of Gold chocolates on the counter for me. He said, 'Merry Christmas, these are for you.' Well, I don't even know if I said 'Thank you.' I was stunned. He gave ME a whole box of chocolates, not my mother, not my sisters. He said, 'These are for you.' I think I flew home on a cloud. I was so happy. I will always remember that. What a lovely Christmas Eve, and what a lovely memory of Mr. Lou Lawton."
Christmas morning, 1940s, Bell Island. Sonia Neary (on phone) with her sisters, Diane and Shirley (both deceased).
* * *
Sydney & Monica Bown
Christmas on Bell Island in the 1940s-50s
Christmas on Bell Island in the 1940s-50s
This Christmas memory from the 1940s to 50s is from Sydney (1921-1998) & Monica (nee Kent, 1926-2001) Bown of The Front:
"There was a whole bunch of us friends and we were all young, newly married, some had small children and I'm telling you, we were worn out by the time Christmas was over. There was no such thing as pre-Christmas parties. Christmas parties started after Boxing Day and went right on until the last of January. Bernie & Madeline Stoyles lived across the street from us and always had their party last. And believe it or not, they kept their Christmas tree up till then. There were no artificial trees in those days. They managed to keep that tree fresh enough to have a party the last week of January. In between then, there would be 2 or 3 nights a week you'd be going to parties; we'd all take our turn. And then working every day, wouldn't we be tired. But we were young then. Oh, what great times at Christmas, I must say.
All the stores would be decorated. Christmas Eve was always the men's day. For some reason, the men would always go shopping for their wives on Christmas Eve. You'd see more men there, they'd be alone then, of course, picking out something for their wives. They'd always leave it till the last minute, I suppose, or it was just tradition or something. But there would be an awful lot of fellas in there (on Town Square) on Christmas Eve. The mines would be closed then for the day. The only time they used to close then was two weeks at Christmas to make the necessary repairs and give the men time off. No such thing as vacations then in the summertime until after 1950. The union got in (1948) and then they began to have vacation pay. Oh, they worked hard, those men, I'll tell you. They worked 6 days a week and no vacations."
"There was a whole bunch of us friends and we were all young, newly married, some had small children and I'm telling you, we were worn out by the time Christmas was over. There was no such thing as pre-Christmas parties. Christmas parties started after Boxing Day and went right on until the last of January. Bernie & Madeline Stoyles lived across the street from us and always had their party last. And believe it or not, they kept their Christmas tree up till then. There were no artificial trees in those days. They managed to keep that tree fresh enough to have a party the last week of January. In between then, there would be 2 or 3 nights a week you'd be going to parties; we'd all take our turn. And then working every day, wouldn't we be tired. But we were young then. Oh, what great times at Christmas, I must say.
All the stores would be decorated. Christmas Eve was always the men's day. For some reason, the men would always go shopping for their wives on Christmas Eve. You'd see more men there, they'd be alone then, of course, picking out something for their wives. They'd always leave it till the last minute, I suppose, or it was just tradition or something. But there would be an awful lot of fellas in there (on Town Square) on Christmas Eve. The mines would be closed then for the day. The only time they used to close then was two weeks at Christmas to make the necessary repairs and give the men time off. No such thing as vacations then in the summertime until after 1950. The union got in (1948) and then they began to have vacation pay. Oh, they worked hard, those men, I'll tell you. They worked 6 days a week and no vacations."
* * *
Gwen Tremblett, Concilio Crane, Mildred Crane and Cavell (Crane) Hussey. Photo by Dorothy Hawes, daughter of Concilio Crane, taken at her house, Christmas 1959.
George Picco
Christmas on Bell Island in the 1950s-60s
Christmas on Bell Island in the 1950s-60s
Here is a Christmas memory of Town Square around 1960 as told to me by George Picco (1911-1997), a former miner who was a neighbour of ours on Tucker Street in the 1950s-60s:
"I remember one Christmas Eve, after supper I was having a couple of drinks and a smoke, and I said to Sarah, 'I think I must go up on Town Square and see if I can win a turkey.' They had a big raffle on Town Square at that time. It was so calm and the snow was coming down straight as you'd mind to have it. Big flakes of snow coming right down in your face. My God, what a Christmas Eve, and what crowds of people on Town Square! I went over on Lou Lawton's steps; he had the big drug store there. And the chimes in the Roman Catholic church, they were playing Christmas carols. I stayed there about an hour, I suppose, listening to the chimes. Down right opposite Nathan Cohen's store, this is where they had the big stand set up for raffling off the turkeys. I went down and bought 3 or 4 tickets and held them in my hand. When he had enough sold, he spun the wheel. 'Now,' he said, 'ladies and gentlemen, watch your tickets. I'm going to spin the wheel.' He gave the wheel a gull-darn big spin. And when the wheel stopped, he sang out the number. I had the tickets in my hand and I waited to see if somebody would call out that they had the number. Finally, I opened my hand and here was the number! It was a bloody big turkey. Oh, what a size of a turkey. And he gave me the turkey and I put it under my arm and I went up over the hill as happy as a lark. Sarah got some surprise. I went in the front room and I opened up my bottle again and had another drink. What a night, what a night."
"I remember one Christmas Eve, after supper I was having a couple of drinks and a smoke, and I said to Sarah, 'I think I must go up on Town Square and see if I can win a turkey.' They had a big raffle on Town Square at that time. It was so calm and the snow was coming down straight as you'd mind to have it. Big flakes of snow coming right down in your face. My God, what a Christmas Eve, and what crowds of people on Town Square! I went over on Lou Lawton's steps; he had the big drug store there. And the chimes in the Roman Catholic church, they were playing Christmas carols. I stayed there about an hour, I suppose, listening to the chimes. Down right opposite Nathan Cohen's store, this is where they had the big stand set up for raffling off the turkeys. I went down and bought 3 or 4 tickets and held them in my hand. When he had enough sold, he spun the wheel. 'Now,' he said, 'ladies and gentlemen, watch your tickets. I'm going to spin the wheel.' He gave the wheel a gull-darn big spin. And when the wheel stopped, he sang out the number. I had the tickets in my hand and I waited to see if somebody would call out that they had the number. Finally, I opened my hand and here was the number! It was a bloody big turkey. Oh, what a size of a turkey. And he gave me the turkey and I put it under my arm and I went up over the hill as happy as a lark. Sarah got some surprise. I went in the front room and I opened up my bottle again and had another drink. What a night, what a night."
A winter's day on Town Square in the 1950s. In the right of the photo, between the brick fence post and Fleming's Drug Store, is the entrance to St. Pat's Lane, George's route to and from Town Square. One of the windows of Lawton's Drug Store, where he stood listening to the chimes of Immaculate Conception Church playing Christmas carols, is just visible in the left of the photo. Further down that side of the street, about where the two figures are walking, would be where Norm Cohen had the turkey raffle set up on Christmas Eve. Photo courtesy of A&SC, MUN Library.
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My Christmas Memories of the early 1950s to mid-1960s
by Gail Hussey-Weir
with comments from "Historic Wabana Nfld" Facebook group members
by Gail Hussey-Weir
with comments from "Historic Wabana Nfld" Facebook group members
Gail's Christmas Memories, 1950s-60s (Part 1): Dreaming of Christmas
"The arrival of the Simpson's & Eaton's catalogues in the Fall heralded the approach of Christmas. I would spend hours pouring over the pages of toys and clothes and filling out the enclosed 'order forms' with my wish list, which Santa often ignored as I never did get the walking doll I craved! Closer to Christmas, shop windows on Town Square would be filled with toys and other lovely things, and 'window-shopping' would be a favourite after-school activity. Unaccompanied children with no money to spend were not welcome in most shops unless we were on a specific mission from our mothers, so there was no such thing as browsing the shelves to actually handle what was available. In fact, I was warned by my mother that if I did venture inside the shops to view the toys, it would upset Santa Claus and I might get only lumps of coal in my stocking!"
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Terry Brazil: "We too used to refer to the Sears catalogue for our Santa Claus requests. It was stipulated that a certain amount was set per child, so on occasion we would pool our amounts to get that table-top hockey game or small pool table."
From Sharon Bedard: "We loved the arrival of the Simpson's & Eaton's catalogues too. We made our lists but it was rare we ever got anything from them, but we could always wish!!"
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Terry Brazil: "We too used to refer to the Sears catalogue for our Santa Claus requests. It was stipulated that a certain amount was set per child, so on occasion we would pool our amounts to get that table-top hockey game or small pool table."
From Sharon Bedard: "We loved the arrival of the Simpson's & Eaton's catalogues too. We made our lists but it was rare we ever got anything from them, but we could always wish!!"
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From Sonia Neary Harvey: "I just went through my albums and found the picture of my daughter, Joanne, and the 'walking doll.' She is probably 4 in this photo. It was taken at Mom's on Bell Island." |
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Gail's Christmas Memories (Part 2): Matchless Paint, Canvas Squares & Fruitcakes
"In those days of coal stoves and the ever-present soot, it wasn't easy keeping the kitchen clean. So every Fall our mothers would all give their kitchens a new coat of Matchless white enamel paint to brighten things up for Christmas visitors, who all came in by the back door. This was also the time of year for a new 'canvas square' for the kitchen floor, the old one having been worn down by the wear and tear of many feet, and the constant sweeping and scrubbing. Every housewife baked at least two fruitcakes, one light and one dark, for Christmas, depending on the size of the family and the number of expected visitors. These would be baked a month or more ahead of time, stored in cake tins and placed on the highest shelf in the pantry, out of the reach of little hands, in order for the flavours to mature. I remember standing in the pantry on a dark Fall evening and staring longingly up at those tins, enjoying the rich aromas being released and wishing for Christmas to hurry up so I could have some cake!"
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Robert Bartlett: "I remember washing the kitchen walls. Never realized how smoked they were until that first stroke with the soapy cloth. I think we did this in the spring. I remember helping Mom paint at Christmas."
From Brian Burke: "Whenever I catch the scent of that [oil] paint, Christmas is the first thing that comes to mind."
From Sharon Bedard: "Still love fruitcake but miss my Mom's. She let me help her make one when I was about 12 but I had to get her to finish it as I couldn't stir all the ingredients together. She still gave me the credit though for making it! Wish I had thought to ask her in later years about her fruitcake recipes as they are confusing to a non-baker; a package of this, a can of that, no temperatures or baking times. It makes you wonder how anything ever baked right, but it always did!"
From Gail Hussey-Weir: "In those days, most things only came in one size package or can, so there was no guess work on the amounts. Getting the coal stove oven to the right temperature and keeping it there was an art form and you kept an eye on whatever was baking until it was done. Women really were slaves to those stoves."
From Robert Bartlett: "Mom used a straw from the broom to check when it was done."
From Con Power: "People used a broom straw. Insert the straw in the cake. When you pulled it out, if anything stuck to it, the cake was not baked."
From Helen Dwyer Bertrand: "I have fond memories of my Mom's Christmas cakes. My birthday was the 15th of December and my sister Janet's was the 14th. Mom would cut one with lots of cherries, my favourite."
From Janet Dwyer-Dans: "My favourite was the one she made with coconut and pineapple."
From Larry Power: "My Aunt Sally made the best Christmas fruitcakes. Her secret ingredient...Screech."
From Con Power: "The half bottle of Screech in them sure made a lot of difference."
From Dorothy Furey: "My Mom put rum in hers too. I loved the dark fruitcake best, especially with a bowl of homemade turkey soup. The soup was made on Boxing Day with the leftover turkey bones. It is still one of my favourites from Christmas."
From Linda Eveleigh Kent: "You couldn't jump up and down in the kitchen when the cake was in the oven or it would go down in the middle."
From Eileen Kavanagh: "To this day, when I taste fruitcake, I automatically taste Purity Syrup. The two flavours just melt together for me. I still make dark fruitcake."
From Don Peddle: "Sliding on Mercer's Hill [West Mines, close to Nellie English's store, and Ches Earle's and Farrell's], skating on the river [behind our house, close to Marg Brazil Skehans' place]. Playing cops & robbers on a moonlit night on the river. The smell of cakes baking as I walked down the laneway on the way home."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "After Christmas dinner, you'd be out on the nearest hill with your new slide, yelling 'Spare roads!' as you went down the hill. I think it was meant to be, 'Spare the roads!' In other words, 'Get out of my way, here I come.'"
From Bernice Costello Henderson: "The best time of our lives. We tied old canvas on our boots and skied down the meadow."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Robert Bartlett: "I remember washing the kitchen walls. Never realized how smoked they were until that first stroke with the soapy cloth. I think we did this in the spring. I remember helping Mom paint at Christmas."
From Brian Burke: "Whenever I catch the scent of that [oil] paint, Christmas is the first thing that comes to mind."
From Sharon Bedard: "Still love fruitcake but miss my Mom's. She let me help her make one when I was about 12 but I had to get her to finish it as I couldn't stir all the ingredients together. She still gave me the credit though for making it! Wish I had thought to ask her in later years about her fruitcake recipes as they are confusing to a non-baker; a package of this, a can of that, no temperatures or baking times. It makes you wonder how anything ever baked right, but it always did!"
From Gail Hussey-Weir: "In those days, most things only came in one size package or can, so there was no guess work on the amounts. Getting the coal stove oven to the right temperature and keeping it there was an art form and you kept an eye on whatever was baking until it was done. Women really were slaves to those stoves."
From Robert Bartlett: "Mom used a straw from the broom to check when it was done."
From Con Power: "People used a broom straw. Insert the straw in the cake. When you pulled it out, if anything stuck to it, the cake was not baked."
From Helen Dwyer Bertrand: "I have fond memories of my Mom's Christmas cakes. My birthday was the 15th of December and my sister Janet's was the 14th. Mom would cut one with lots of cherries, my favourite."
From Janet Dwyer-Dans: "My favourite was the one she made with coconut and pineapple."
From Larry Power: "My Aunt Sally made the best Christmas fruitcakes. Her secret ingredient...Screech."
From Con Power: "The half bottle of Screech in them sure made a lot of difference."
From Dorothy Furey: "My Mom put rum in hers too. I loved the dark fruitcake best, especially with a bowl of homemade turkey soup. The soup was made on Boxing Day with the leftover turkey bones. It is still one of my favourites from Christmas."
From Linda Eveleigh Kent: "You couldn't jump up and down in the kitchen when the cake was in the oven or it would go down in the middle."
From Eileen Kavanagh: "To this day, when I taste fruitcake, I automatically taste Purity Syrup. The two flavours just melt together for me. I still make dark fruitcake."
From Don Peddle: "Sliding on Mercer's Hill [West Mines, close to Nellie English's store, and Ches Earle's and Farrell's], skating on the river [behind our house, close to Marg Brazil Skehans' place]. Playing cops & robbers on a moonlit night on the river. The smell of cakes baking as I walked down the laneway on the way home."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "After Christmas dinner, you'd be out on the nearest hill with your new slide, yelling 'Spare roads!' as you went down the hill. I think it was meant to be, 'Spare the roads!' In other words, 'Get out of my way, here I come.'"
From Bernice Costello Henderson: "The best time of our lives. We tied old canvas on our boots and skied down the meadow."
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Gail's Christmas Memories, 1950s-60s (Part 3): Letters to Santa
"One of my early memories is of my older brother and sister and I sitting around the kitchen table writing our letters to Santa. When we finished, we went to the coal stove where our mother lifted the damper so we could throw the letters into the fire. We gazed in awe as the paper burned and the fragments were drawn into the chimney. Then we ran outside and watched the smoke rise into the sky, imagining it floating away to the North Pole where it would magically reform into our letters for Santa Claus to read, just as our mother told us would happen!"
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Bernice Costello Henderson: "When we finished our letters, Dad put them in the flue. Up they went."
From Diane Delaney: "We also did that. Never understood about the letter being burned. How would Santa read them? LOL"
From Wally Byrne: "This happened at our house as well."
From Eileen Kavanagh: "I had forgotten about that, but I'm pretty sure that's what we did too."
From Thomas Fitzpatrick: "We did the same thing."
From Robert Bartlett: "Remember it well."
From Loretta Metcalfe: "So remember this!!"
From Jean-Wayne FitzPatrick: "Done this many times."
From Chester Sheppard: "I remember it well."
From Lillian Kent Cruickshank: "We did the same thing and were sure it would get to Santa."
From Gary Hammond: "That one and the brick behind the stove in Nan's kitchen where Santa came out. Two of my favourite memories."
From Wally Byrne: "The brick behind the stove was the same story our Mom told."
From Dodie Crawford: "Oh yes. We did the same thing when I was a child. I remember when we got the oil stove in the kitchen being upset because how would Santa get our letter now. Mom said that Santa had given the Post Office his mailing address because so many people didn't have coal stoves anymore and he knew everyone wanted to make sure he got their letter."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Bernice Costello Henderson: "When we finished our letters, Dad put them in the flue. Up they went."
From Diane Delaney: "We also did that. Never understood about the letter being burned. How would Santa read them? LOL"
From Wally Byrne: "This happened at our house as well."
From Eileen Kavanagh: "I had forgotten about that, but I'm pretty sure that's what we did too."
From Thomas Fitzpatrick: "We did the same thing."
From Robert Bartlett: "Remember it well."
From Loretta Metcalfe: "So remember this!!"
From Jean-Wayne FitzPatrick: "Done this many times."
From Chester Sheppard: "I remember it well."
From Lillian Kent Cruickshank: "We did the same thing and were sure it would get to Santa."
From Gary Hammond: "That one and the brick behind the stove in Nan's kitchen where Santa came out. Two of my favourite memories."
From Wally Byrne: "The brick behind the stove was the same story our Mom told."
From Dodie Crawford: "Oh yes. We did the same thing when I was a child. I remember when we got the oil stove in the kitchen being upset because how would Santa get our letter now. Mom said that Santa had given the Post Office his mailing address because so many people didn't have coal stoves anymore and he knew everyone wanted to make sure he got their letter."
Mom and me placing gifts beneath the tree on Christmas Eve, 1965. When we were small, we sure loved throwing tinsel at the tree!
Gail's Christmas Memories (Part 4): Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas Tree...
"There were only real trees used back then and they brought a lovely, fresh-cut scent of the forest into the house with them. Because they had to last till at least Old Christmas Day (Jan. 6th), they were cut as close to Christmas Day as possible, usually Christmas Eve. I have a memory of a bright, sunshiny, snow-covered day going with Dad to cut the tree one year. We had two strings of coloured lights we'd put on the tree; they were joined together with black electrical tape. The Christmas after Dad died, 1961, when I was 13, my sisters and I were decorating the tree while Mom was at work serving last-minute shoppers at Charlie Cohen's store. For some long-forgotten reason, I decided I needed to cut away this electrical tape, an idea I abandoned quite suddenly after feeling a tingling sensation in my arm just as the lights went out! By some miracle, I survived nearly being electrocuted that Christmas, but the steel scissors had a dent burnt into them that took some explaining when Mom got home!"
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Lew Kelloway: "Pleasant to remember those past Christmases and the smell of the tree."
From David Conway: "Yes, Christmas Eve, real tree, didn't come down till Old Christmas Day. As the youngest and smallest, I had to crawl under the tree and water it, coming out with my hair full of needles. And, yes, the beautiful smell."
From Robert Bartlett: "The trees were cut a few days before Christmas. One of my best Christmas memories was going in the woods to cut a tree."
From Sylvia Roop: "Your memories are the same for so many of us, except for taking the electric tape off and nearly getting electrocuted! LOL"
From Cal Best: "Cutting away the tape. Been there, done that!"
From Angie Burke: "Yes, I remember electric tape on the light cords and your picture with the cards on the tree certainly brought back memories. We also used something called Angel Hair which gave a snow-covered effect. However, it felt like insulation on your skin and was certainly a type of fiberglass."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "Yes, and God help you if the Angel Hair got in your eyes! We put the tinsel on one and two at a time. Also, the lights on the tree were bigger than the ones we have now and they got sort of hot."
From Cynthia Penney-Crane: "Those were great years. We had Bubble Lights."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Lew Kelloway: "Pleasant to remember those past Christmases and the smell of the tree."
From David Conway: "Yes, Christmas Eve, real tree, didn't come down till Old Christmas Day. As the youngest and smallest, I had to crawl under the tree and water it, coming out with my hair full of needles. And, yes, the beautiful smell."
From Robert Bartlett: "The trees were cut a few days before Christmas. One of my best Christmas memories was going in the woods to cut a tree."
From Sylvia Roop: "Your memories are the same for so many of us, except for taking the electric tape off and nearly getting electrocuted! LOL"
From Cal Best: "Cutting away the tape. Been there, done that!"
From Angie Burke: "Yes, I remember electric tape on the light cords and your picture with the cards on the tree certainly brought back memories. We also used something called Angel Hair which gave a snow-covered effect. However, it felt like insulation on your skin and was certainly a type of fiberglass."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "Yes, and God help you if the Angel Hair got in your eyes! We put the tinsel on one and two at a time. Also, the lights on the tree were bigger than the ones we have now and they got sort of hot."
From Cynthia Penney-Crane: "Those were great years. We had Bubble Lights."
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From Gail Hussey-Weir: "Little sister, Bonnie, at age 9, Christmas 1966. I had forgotten that we used to put balloons on the tree!" From Glenda Bursey: "We had balloons on the tree also, usually one on either side near the top." |
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Gail's Christmas Memories, 1950s-60s (Part 5): Christmas Day
"My older brother would always be the first one awake on Christmas morning, usually around 5 or 6:00, and he would wake the rest of us. We didn't have a fireplace, so Santa left our stockings on the end of the beds. These were old socks or stockings no longer in use, and would mainly be filled with things to eat: a 5-point apple in the toe, a large orange, striped hard candy, licorice candy, nuts and grapes, a treat we normally only saw at that time of year. There was usually a small gift as well. We'd grab our stockings and head to the front room to open our gifts, and we'd soon be playing whatever new board game Santa had left, or putting together the new jigsaw puzzle. I remember the year my brother got the metal table-top hockey game. That was a big hit with everyone. We would be in the midst of enjoying the new toys when Mom would announce we had to get ready for church at St. Cyprian's. When I was younger, I would not be best pleased to be taken away from my new dolly!"
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Thomas Fitzpatrick: "Christmas Day was a holy day of obligation in the RC Church, so there was always midnight mass and Christmas Day mass, no matter what day of the week it fell. In my day, the girls all wore long stockings and they got new ones for Christmas. Our parents used the old ones as our Christmas stockings stuffed with orange, apple, grapes, nuts and hard candy. They were laid side-by-side at the top of the stairs and were all alike, so no need to fight about who owned which."
From Mildred Symons: "Us RC people were in the choir, so had to go to all services."
From Bev Crane Widmeyer: "I went to St. Cyprian's as well. I know for sure they had service Christmas Eve. Mom was just talking about that. Her mother would come and she and Mom would go together."
From Nina Mcteer: "I attended the United Church. No matter what day Christmas fell on, church was at 11:00 a.m. You had to be near dead before you were allowed to miss church! Loved those ribbon candy. Always got a special gift in the stocking, a ring, necklace, etc."
From Judy Farrar-Skanes: "St. Cyprian's always had a church service on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. Our stockings were filled like Gail's, always apple and orange and hard candy."
From Sharon Bedard: "We attended the United Church and back in my childhood memories from the 60s, there was always a service on Christmas Day morning. My youngest brother was always the first one up. As soon as we heard him, the rest of us quickly followed! We would open our stockings first and get into the goodies. Mom always included a small wrapped gift in there with the usual apple, orange, ribbon candy and nuts in the shell. Remember using the special picks and nut cracker/bowl that Mom only brought out at Christmas. Daddy was always the last one to get up! We would sit around and watch excitedly while he opened his gifts. Then we would all head to church while he stayed home to cook the vegetables. Christmas dinner (or lunch today) was ready for us when we returned with just a few final touches needed by Mom. She went all out with her Christmas decorations and the table was always very festive!"
From Gail Hussey-Weir: "Have the same 'nutty' memory as well. LOL. So many things only happened at Christmas time and that made them extra special."
From Judy Hammond-Warford: "There was always a service Christmas morning."
From Eileen Kavanagh: "In the RC Church, it was every Christmas morning. We got all the same things in our stockings as you did. Those 5-point apples were so good and are still my favourite. We always had nuts in shells too, and a rolled up colouring book. The stockings (regular long stockings, but white) were hung on the bed post and Santa left our presents (unwrapped) on the floor beside our beds. We would wake up during the night and feel around the floor. Whoever felt something would send out the alarm that Santa had arrived. We had four girls all in the same room, so it would get pretty exciting."
From Liz Stanford: "Yes, always church service at St. Cyprian's on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I was in the choir."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "We would always go to midnight mass at the church out to the Front. Then we were free on Christmas Day to enjoy our toys and a lovely turkey dinner. I remember those delicious candy. It's a wonder we have a tooth left in our heads! LOL"
From Mildred Symons: "I got some of those candy this year and had them on a candy dish my Mom used when I was growing up over 60 years now."
From Heather Lindsay: "I remember going to Christmas morning service with my Mom and brother at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. for communion every Christmas. Was a real hit to start the day off right."
From Jean-Wayne FitzPatrick: "Such cherished memories. We may not have been rich in money but we were sure rich in love. We went to St. Cyprian's Church as a family every Christmas Eve at midnight (there were actually midnight services then)."
From Lillian Gear: "I still buy a can of hard candies at Christmas."
From Mike Phelan: "Our stockings were the same as Gail's. I remember getting the same hockey game as her brother. My best memory of it is playing with my brother-in-law, who passed way too young. I think he let me win once in a while. When we moved to St. John's, there was midnight mass I believe on the 24th as St. Patrick's."
From Bonnie Wellman: "I bought a knitted stocking many years ago and always wondered why when there were so many other ones that were more functional. Now I know why. Thank you for reviving my memories. How many times I have made or bought something that evokes a warm feeling of home, of memories of Nanny, Poppy, Mom and Dad, and of my siblings."
From Marg Brazil Skehans: "So funny now when I think of it, if we were lucky enough to get a DOLL, we were over the moon. The smell of the new doll was totally breathtaking, really 'breathtaking.' (Probably filled with formaldehyde. LOL) We lifted it and handled it more gently than a baby. I don't know if anyone else did this, but my friends and I did. After the Christmas handling, hugging and admiring the doll, we put it back in its original box and hung it on the wall. I still wonder WHY??? Maybe we thought it had to last forever so this was the safest place, to be admired but not touched. I still don't know if it was an expectation or what, but it seems we were satisfied to admire it from its fixed location. LOL. Whatever the reason, the memories are precious. No doll ever looked, felt, or smelled like that bride doll I had and so admired (again, from a distance after Christmas. LOL)."
From Henry Crane: "I remember my father getting a bridal doll for my mother. She always wanted one and finally, when things were a bit good and there was a tiny bit of spare money, my father got it for her. It hung on their bedroom wall in the original box until the day she died. My sister has it and boy, when I see it, the memories of Christmases past come flooding through. Looking at the hard Christmas candy reminds me of the time when my father had gone to Carol Lake, now called Labrador City, to work. My mother brought a large tub of Christmas candy just like the picture of the one here and, to pass the lonely nights for her, my brother, Gary, me and our mother would play bingo from a bingo game we got for Christmas. A full card was worth five candy."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Thomas Fitzpatrick: "Christmas Day was a holy day of obligation in the RC Church, so there was always midnight mass and Christmas Day mass, no matter what day of the week it fell. In my day, the girls all wore long stockings and they got new ones for Christmas. Our parents used the old ones as our Christmas stockings stuffed with orange, apple, grapes, nuts and hard candy. They were laid side-by-side at the top of the stairs and were all alike, so no need to fight about who owned which."
From Mildred Symons: "Us RC people were in the choir, so had to go to all services."
From Bev Crane Widmeyer: "I went to St. Cyprian's as well. I know for sure they had service Christmas Eve. Mom was just talking about that. Her mother would come and she and Mom would go together."
From Nina Mcteer: "I attended the United Church. No matter what day Christmas fell on, church was at 11:00 a.m. You had to be near dead before you were allowed to miss church! Loved those ribbon candy. Always got a special gift in the stocking, a ring, necklace, etc."
From Judy Farrar-Skanes: "St. Cyprian's always had a church service on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. Our stockings were filled like Gail's, always apple and orange and hard candy."
From Sharon Bedard: "We attended the United Church and back in my childhood memories from the 60s, there was always a service on Christmas Day morning. My youngest brother was always the first one up. As soon as we heard him, the rest of us quickly followed! We would open our stockings first and get into the goodies. Mom always included a small wrapped gift in there with the usual apple, orange, ribbon candy and nuts in the shell. Remember using the special picks and nut cracker/bowl that Mom only brought out at Christmas. Daddy was always the last one to get up! We would sit around and watch excitedly while he opened his gifts. Then we would all head to church while he stayed home to cook the vegetables. Christmas dinner (or lunch today) was ready for us when we returned with just a few final touches needed by Mom. She went all out with her Christmas decorations and the table was always very festive!"
From Gail Hussey-Weir: "Have the same 'nutty' memory as well. LOL. So many things only happened at Christmas time and that made them extra special."
From Judy Hammond-Warford: "There was always a service Christmas morning."
From Eileen Kavanagh: "In the RC Church, it was every Christmas morning. We got all the same things in our stockings as you did. Those 5-point apples were so good and are still my favourite. We always had nuts in shells too, and a rolled up colouring book. The stockings (regular long stockings, but white) were hung on the bed post and Santa left our presents (unwrapped) on the floor beside our beds. We would wake up during the night and feel around the floor. Whoever felt something would send out the alarm that Santa had arrived. We had four girls all in the same room, so it would get pretty exciting."
From Liz Stanford: "Yes, always church service at St. Cyprian's on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I was in the choir."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "We would always go to midnight mass at the church out to the Front. Then we were free on Christmas Day to enjoy our toys and a lovely turkey dinner. I remember those delicious candy. It's a wonder we have a tooth left in our heads! LOL"
From Mildred Symons: "I got some of those candy this year and had them on a candy dish my Mom used when I was growing up over 60 years now."
From Heather Lindsay: "I remember going to Christmas morning service with my Mom and brother at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. for communion every Christmas. Was a real hit to start the day off right."
From Jean-Wayne FitzPatrick: "Such cherished memories. We may not have been rich in money but we were sure rich in love. We went to St. Cyprian's Church as a family every Christmas Eve at midnight (there were actually midnight services then)."
From Lillian Gear: "I still buy a can of hard candies at Christmas."
From Mike Phelan: "Our stockings were the same as Gail's. I remember getting the same hockey game as her brother. My best memory of it is playing with my brother-in-law, who passed way too young. I think he let me win once in a while. When we moved to St. John's, there was midnight mass I believe on the 24th as St. Patrick's."
From Bonnie Wellman: "I bought a knitted stocking many years ago and always wondered why when there were so many other ones that were more functional. Now I know why. Thank you for reviving my memories. How many times I have made or bought something that evokes a warm feeling of home, of memories of Nanny, Poppy, Mom and Dad, and of my siblings."
From Marg Brazil Skehans: "So funny now when I think of it, if we were lucky enough to get a DOLL, we were over the moon. The smell of the new doll was totally breathtaking, really 'breathtaking.' (Probably filled with formaldehyde. LOL) We lifted it and handled it more gently than a baby. I don't know if anyone else did this, but my friends and I did. After the Christmas handling, hugging and admiring the doll, we put it back in its original box and hung it on the wall. I still wonder WHY??? Maybe we thought it had to last forever so this was the safest place, to be admired but not touched. I still don't know if it was an expectation or what, but it seems we were satisfied to admire it from its fixed location. LOL. Whatever the reason, the memories are precious. No doll ever looked, felt, or smelled like that bride doll I had and so admired (again, from a distance after Christmas. LOL)."
From Henry Crane: "I remember my father getting a bridal doll for my mother. She always wanted one and finally, when things were a bit good and there was a tiny bit of spare money, my father got it for her. It hung on their bedroom wall in the original box until the day she died. My sister has it and boy, when I see it, the memories of Christmases past come flooding through. Looking at the hard Christmas candy reminds me of the time when my father had gone to Carol Lake, now called Labrador City, to work. My mother brought a large tub of Christmas candy just like the picture of the one here and, to pass the lonely nights for her, my brother, Gary, me and our mother would play bingo from a bingo game we got for Christmas. A full card was worth five candy."
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From Mildred Symons: "My doll (photo on the right) that I got one Christmas. I remember begging Mom for her, so I guess Santa listened. She is now over 60 years old and still wears the same clothes. From Sharon Cook Murphy: "I had that same doll. Finally gave it away a month ago." |
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Gail's Christmas Memories, 1950s-60s (Part 6): Christmas Gifts of Old
"There were no extravagant gifts back then. Every little girl got a doll and every little boy got a toy truck. There'd also be colouring books & crayons, jigsaw puzzles, jump ropes and balls. We'd think ourselves lucky to get cowboy or cowgirl outfits, but settled for the toy gun & holster. Older children might get ice skates, and board games such as checkers, Chinese Checkers or Snakes & Ladders. There'd often be new flannelette pyjamas or nightgowns, and bedroom slippers. We girls usually got small Jergens-Woodbury toiletry sets and pretty packaged hankies. I remember the year my sister and I got crinoline slips. We thought we'd died and gone to heaven. Another early memory was the discovery at about age 7 or 8 of our mother's secret hiding place for the presents: in the bottom of her bedroom wardrobe. This was both an exhilarating and a disappointing experience, as it confirmed the rumours that, indeed, there was no Santa Claus. Or that if there was, he had gotten me the twin of the same doll he'd given me last Xmas!"
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Rosalind Babb: "Does anybody know how to play Chinese Checkers?"
From Gail Hussey-Weir: "I had forgotten how to play, so I Googled it. Sure enough, there is a Youtube video for that! Now I want to ask Santa to get it for me for next Xmas! LOL."
From Rosalind Babb: "Thanks, I will give it a try! That would be a great gift for next Christmas. My earliest Christmas memory is just a toddler alone under the tree. I smell the pine needles, see the twinkling tree lights and hanging silvery tinsel. (The tinsel was hung one by one.) There under the tree was a little ironing board and iron that actually worked! Imagine giving a plug-in toy to our kids today! I was ironing my dolly's clothes while Mom watched from her bedroom. It must have been a sweet moment for her too."
From Lorraine Shirlow: "Good memories, and I loved to play Chinese Checkers, marbles, Snakes & Ladders, and for hours would play Chip Chip with marbles in one hand behind our back." [Gail's note: I did not know this game but found the following in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English: "Chip-Chip is a children's game in which the players guess the number of marbles or other objects hidden in hand or bag... Children would say, 'Chip-chip, how many men aboard?'"]
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "That's the first time I heard of 'chip chip' since my childhood. Things stay hidden in our memories."
From Bill Parsons: "I used to like Chinese Checkers."
From Henry Crane: "My wife and I played Chinese Checkers for years. We still have the game. It is great."
From Lillian Gear: "We played many a game of this when growing up."
From Mike Phelan: "Loved Chinese Checkers as a kid. I was also lucky to have a Davy Crockett buckskin outfit."
From Rosalind Babb: "My sister and I had the jacket and the hat. We loved Davy Crockett, King of the wild frontier. How about a little washing machine? I also got a kaleidoscope one year!"
From Helen Dwyer Bertrand: "There was also a little China tea set with cups, saucers, teapot and cream and sugar dishes."
From Maxine Winsor: "I remember the tea set. Played for hours with it. Our grandmother always gave us a wooden pencil box which would slide open."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "I loved those wooden pencil boxes. There was an eraser, pencil and ruler in them. I loved the View Master. Over the years I received pretty well all the gifts mentioned above. I love playing Chinese Checkers."
From Dorothy Furey: "Always wanted the cowgirl outfit in Eaton's Christmas catalogue. Got a set of glass dishes instead. Had them until last year. Made in the Republic of Japan."
From Rosalind Babb: "Yes. Cowgirl outfit!!! I asked for a cooking set one year. My father handed me a little set of pots!!! He was right, I was crushed! I had visions of a beautiful baking set with tea pot and dishes, all I could imagine. To this day, I dislike pots! LOL. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. Good life lesson."
From Bonnie Wellman: "Mom must have known you found her hiding place so she changed it up a little bit, to the top of her wardrobe!!! I remember finding a plastic tea set that I loved sneaking in to play with until I got it for Chistmas."
From Don Hussey: "This brings up many fond memories of Christmas on Bell Island during the 40s & 50s."
From Cyril Murphy: "My favourite gift was a sled and we all had to share it. LOL."
From Karen Dwyer-Green: "Sounds like many of the presents we received as kids. Thanks for the memories."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Rosalind Babb: "Does anybody know how to play Chinese Checkers?"
From Gail Hussey-Weir: "I had forgotten how to play, so I Googled it. Sure enough, there is a Youtube video for that! Now I want to ask Santa to get it for me for next Xmas! LOL."
From Rosalind Babb: "Thanks, I will give it a try! That would be a great gift for next Christmas. My earliest Christmas memory is just a toddler alone under the tree. I smell the pine needles, see the twinkling tree lights and hanging silvery tinsel. (The tinsel was hung one by one.) There under the tree was a little ironing board and iron that actually worked! Imagine giving a plug-in toy to our kids today! I was ironing my dolly's clothes while Mom watched from her bedroom. It must have been a sweet moment for her too."
From Lorraine Shirlow: "Good memories, and I loved to play Chinese Checkers, marbles, Snakes & Ladders, and for hours would play Chip Chip with marbles in one hand behind our back." [Gail's note: I did not know this game but found the following in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English: "Chip-Chip is a children's game in which the players guess the number of marbles or other objects hidden in hand or bag... Children would say, 'Chip-chip, how many men aboard?'"]
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "That's the first time I heard of 'chip chip' since my childhood. Things stay hidden in our memories."
From Bill Parsons: "I used to like Chinese Checkers."
From Henry Crane: "My wife and I played Chinese Checkers for years. We still have the game. It is great."
From Lillian Gear: "We played many a game of this when growing up."
From Mike Phelan: "Loved Chinese Checkers as a kid. I was also lucky to have a Davy Crockett buckskin outfit."
From Rosalind Babb: "My sister and I had the jacket and the hat. We loved Davy Crockett, King of the wild frontier. How about a little washing machine? I also got a kaleidoscope one year!"
From Helen Dwyer Bertrand: "There was also a little China tea set with cups, saucers, teapot and cream and sugar dishes."
From Maxine Winsor: "I remember the tea set. Played for hours with it. Our grandmother always gave us a wooden pencil box which would slide open."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "I loved those wooden pencil boxes. There was an eraser, pencil and ruler in them. I loved the View Master. Over the years I received pretty well all the gifts mentioned above. I love playing Chinese Checkers."
From Dorothy Furey: "Always wanted the cowgirl outfit in Eaton's Christmas catalogue. Got a set of glass dishes instead. Had them until last year. Made in the Republic of Japan."
From Rosalind Babb: "Yes. Cowgirl outfit!!! I asked for a cooking set one year. My father handed me a little set of pots!!! He was right, I was crushed! I had visions of a beautiful baking set with tea pot and dishes, all I could imagine. To this day, I dislike pots! LOL. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. Good life lesson."
From Bonnie Wellman: "Mom must have known you found her hiding place so she changed it up a little bit, to the top of her wardrobe!!! I remember finding a plastic tea set that I loved sneaking in to play with until I got it for Chistmas."
From Don Hussey: "This brings up many fond memories of Christmas on Bell Island during the 40s & 50s."
From Cyril Murphy: "My favourite gift was a sled and we all had to share it. LOL."
From Karen Dwyer-Green: "Sounds like many of the presents we received as kids. Thanks for the memories."
Gail's Christmas Memories, 1950s-60s (Part 7): Christmas Week
"I suppose it was because there were so many of us children in the post-war years that, when we went visiting with our parents to our relatives' houses, the kids all stayed outside playing while the adults had some cake and syrup (or something stronger) inside. I don't have any specific memories of going inside to see my cousins' trees or gifts, or of them being in our house either. Neither do I recall ever seeing Jannies or Mummers, either on the roads or in our house, although I had heard of Jannying. Perhaps they came around after we were put to bed for the night and we heard about it the next day. My memory is that, when we went out on Hallowe'en in the 1950s, we did not say "Trick or Treat." Instead, we used the Christmas question, "Any Jannies allowed in tonight?" even though we didn't want to be invited in. We just wanted them to give us some candy so we could hurry on to the next house. It wasn't until I was a teenager in the early 60s taking my little sister around on Hallowe'en that I first heard the phrase "Trick or Treat" used. Except for sliding and skating, my recollections of activities during Christmas week are pretty fuzzy."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Eileen Kavanagh: "We kids would go all around the neighbourhood asking, 'Can we see your tree?' They would invite us in, show us their tree and give us a cookie or a piece of fruit cake, and sometimes a glass of syrup. I hated seeing the trees thrown out because we would milk that one as long as we could. We used to get some Jannies too. I remember Thelma Picco, our next-door neighbour, coming with some friends one night, maybe even a few Christmases. I remember some other Jannies coming too but I didn't know them, so don't remember who they were. They were probably people Dad knew from the Lion's Club because they weren't people who came all the time. They were always happy times. I still get Jannies sometimes. I think [next-door neighbours Herb and Lucy Hammond] went jannying too. I think [Lucy's sister] Brenda and I watched them get ready. Getting ready was the most fun."
From Ita O'Brien: "I remember going to the neighbours houses and asking if we could see their tree too. We would always get a cookie and syrup."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "I remember kids coming to our house to see the tree. Some were strangers and some, of course, were my friends. Do you remember how Jannies would say, 'Any Jannies allowed in tonight?' You had to say it while intaking your breath. It wasn't easy. Just try it. The way I remember it, the people in the house had to try and guess who was underneath the Jannies' costumes. Then we would leave. I went Jannying only a few times."
From Doreen Hammond: "We went Jannying when we were young. We never knew the word 'Mummers.' We dressed up in old clothes. Also, we got tin cans and made music [with them]. We did a dance. We went to our friends' and cousins' houses to see their tree. Friends came to our house too. When my parents had company, we went in our rooms. Children were never in the room with our parents' company. Their coats were hung up in the hall. I would model their coats in the hall. The kitchen door or front room door would be closed. My mother would catch me sometimes. I got heck. We did a lot of skating and sliding, but never on Sunday."
From Inez Butt: "I remember the long johns my Mom wore one time."
From Dorothy Furey: "I remember going jannying in the night during the Christmas season, and getting a barrel apple as a treat. Also, visiting my first cousins on Christmas Day. We would go make the rounds with our father while Mom stayed home to cook the turkey. We got cake or cookies while our Dad got rum."
From Judy Hammond-Warford: "I love Christmas, skating on the big pond (LOL. It is a lot smaller now when I go home.) and sliding. We used to visit cousins but don't remember their tree or gifts. My friend, Veronica, gave me a box of chocolates one Christmas (best ever). After Christmas and going back to school, we had to write what we had done over Christmas. My sister, Marge, wrote the best one and the teacher called Mom to read it. It was so funny. Only can remember some of the essay: 'It was the worst Christmas I ever had. I woke up Christmas morning and had my baby sister (me) with a pissy diaper stuck to my head and a sticky candy stuck on the other side.' Oh, the excitement of Christmas morning, waking up to a beautiful Christmas tree (real then) and the smells of a turkey cooking. Running down the hallway to get our stockings and going back to bed eating the sticky candy, orange, apple and nuts. We got our one gift when our parents were out of bed. I remember the comings and goings of my parents' friends. We had too much fun to be bored. I remember going around and Jannying. I loved the old stove with the fire burning (cried when my parents replaced it with a modern one) and Mom rocking in the old rocking chair (a treasure for sure, and I still have it). Going to Christmas Eve service. Loved my childhood."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Eileen Kavanagh: "We kids would go all around the neighbourhood asking, 'Can we see your tree?' They would invite us in, show us their tree and give us a cookie or a piece of fruit cake, and sometimes a glass of syrup. I hated seeing the trees thrown out because we would milk that one as long as we could. We used to get some Jannies too. I remember Thelma Picco, our next-door neighbour, coming with some friends one night, maybe even a few Christmases. I remember some other Jannies coming too but I didn't know them, so don't remember who they were. They were probably people Dad knew from the Lion's Club because they weren't people who came all the time. They were always happy times. I still get Jannies sometimes. I think [next-door neighbours Herb and Lucy Hammond] went jannying too. I think [Lucy's sister] Brenda and I watched them get ready. Getting ready was the most fun."
From Ita O'Brien: "I remember going to the neighbours houses and asking if we could see their tree too. We would always get a cookie and syrup."
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "I remember kids coming to our house to see the tree. Some were strangers and some, of course, were my friends. Do you remember how Jannies would say, 'Any Jannies allowed in tonight?' You had to say it while intaking your breath. It wasn't easy. Just try it. The way I remember it, the people in the house had to try and guess who was underneath the Jannies' costumes. Then we would leave. I went Jannying only a few times."
From Doreen Hammond: "We went Jannying when we were young. We never knew the word 'Mummers.' We dressed up in old clothes. Also, we got tin cans and made music [with them]. We did a dance. We went to our friends' and cousins' houses to see their tree. Friends came to our house too. When my parents had company, we went in our rooms. Children were never in the room with our parents' company. Their coats were hung up in the hall. I would model their coats in the hall. The kitchen door or front room door would be closed. My mother would catch me sometimes. I got heck. We did a lot of skating and sliding, but never on Sunday."
From Inez Butt: "I remember the long johns my Mom wore one time."
From Dorothy Furey: "I remember going jannying in the night during the Christmas season, and getting a barrel apple as a treat. Also, visiting my first cousins on Christmas Day. We would go make the rounds with our father while Mom stayed home to cook the turkey. We got cake or cookies while our Dad got rum."
From Judy Hammond-Warford: "I love Christmas, skating on the big pond (LOL. It is a lot smaller now when I go home.) and sliding. We used to visit cousins but don't remember their tree or gifts. My friend, Veronica, gave me a box of chocolates one Christmas (best ever). After Christmas and going back to school, we had to write what we had done over Christmas. My sister, Marge, wrote the best one and the teacher called Mom to read it. It was so funny. Only can remember some of the essay: 'It was the worst Christmas I ever had. I woke up Christmas morning and had my baby sister (me) with a pissy diaper stuck to my head and a sticky candy stuck on the other side.' Oh, the excitement of Christmas morning, waking up to a beautiful Christmas tree (real then) and the smells of a turkey cooking. Running down the hallway to get our stockings and going back to bed eating the sticky candy, orange, apple and nuts. We got our one gift when our parents were out of bed. I remember the comings and goings of my parents' friends. We had too much fun to be bored. I remember going around and Jannying. I loved the old stove with the fire burning (cried when my parents replaced it with a modern one) and Mom rocking in the old rocking chair (a treasure for sure, and I still have it). Going to Christmas Eve service. Loved my childhood."
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Gail's Christmas Memories, 1950s-60s (Part 8): Old Christmas Day
"We would get an extra little gift on this day, usually something inexpensive like a colouring book or a package of embroidered hankies for the girls. (Maybe regular handkerchiefs for the boys?)
One year, when we were 9 or 10 years old, my friend Beulah and I got the idea, probably from seeing others doing it, of dressing in our Sunday best and going door-to-door asking, "Can we come in to see your tree?" This was in the afternoon, probably on Boxing Day, but it may have been Old Christmas Day. We had never done this before and were feeling nervous as we knocked on the first door. To our delight, we were invited to step in and were shown into our neighbour's front room, where we heaped praises on the wonderful job they had done of decorating their tree. We were gob-smacked really because, even though back doors were always open for visitors to drop in year round, children rarely got past the kitchen door to see the mysterious rooms beyond. So there we were, not knowing what we should do next, and were about to make our retreat, when the lady of the house came back in with syrup and fruitcake for us! Encouraged by this, we continued on to the next house and the next. It was a surprise at one house to see that their custom was to lay the lighter gifts in the boughs of the tree. At some houses, we were given an apple or an orange. We stuffed them in our pockets, which were overflowing with goodies by the time we got back home feeling pretty darned pleased with ourselves."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Sharon Bedard: "We did this as well, but just at the neighbours who knew us, usually on Boxing Day afternoon. We were always welcomed in, shown their tree and some gifts, and given some syrup and maybe a cookie. I think our parents were happy to get us out of the house so they could get some peace and quiet for a while. Haha!"
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "Yes, the going from house to house was the thing to do. Children would come to our house but I think I only saw the trees of my friends. One of my favourite gifts was the colouring book and, of course, the box of embroidered hankies was so special. But we didn't get any gift on Old Christmas Day. I remember getting the embroidered hankies on my birthday. I loved them. We would dab a little bit of perfume on them."
From Dorothy Furey: "My Christmas memories of Old Christmas Day are hanging up our stocking and getting treats in it. We got an apple, candy, grapes and, best of all, a bottle of pop from Royal Beverages. My favourite was chocolate. Honest to gosh."
From Mary Mone: "Oh yes, we always got the fruit in our stocking only on Christmas. It was a treat."
From Eileen Kavanagh: "I don't remember ever getting a gift on Old Christmas Day and I didn't know anyone who did or I would have harassed my parents. LOL. We did get the pretty hankies too, but I'm not sure we ever used them. I seem to remember them in my dresser drawer more than anywhere else."
From Gail Hussey-Weir: "Yes, Eileen, the hankies were very delicately embroidered and too nice to blow your nose into. LOL"
One year, when we were 9 or 10 years old, my friend Beulah and I got the idea, probably from seeing others doing it, of dressing in our Sunday best and going door-to-door asking, "Can we come in to see your tree?" This was in the afternoon, probably on Boxing Day, but it may have been Old Christmas Day. We had never done this before and were feeling nervous as we knocked on the first door. To our delight, we were invited to step in and were shown into our neighbour's front room, where we heaped praises on the wonderful job they had done of decorating their tree. We were gob-smacked really because, even though back doors were always open for visitors to drop in year round, children rarely got past the kitchen door to see the mysterious rooms beyond. So there we were, not knowing what we should do next, and were about to make our retreat, when the lady of the house came back in with syrup and fruitcake for us! Encouraged by this, we continued on to the next house and the next. It was a surprise at one house to see that their custom was to lay the lighter gifts in the boughs of the tree. At some houses, we were given an apple or an orange. We stuffed them in our pockets, which were overflowing with goodies by the time we got back home feeling pretty darned pleased with ourselves."
Gail's Note: Here are some of the comments made by members of my Facebook group (Historic Wabana Nfld) after I posted this memory at Christmas 2018:
From Sharon Bedard: "We did this as well, but just at the neighbours who knew us, usually on Boxing Day afternoon. We were always welcomed in, shown their tree and some gifts, and given some syrup and maybe a cookie. I think our parents were happy to get us out of the house so they could get some peace and quiet for a while. Haha!"
From Sonia Neary Harvey: "Yes, the going from house to house was the thing to do. Children would come to our house but I think I only saw the trees of my friends. One of my favourite gifts was the colouring book and, of course, the box of embroidered hankies was so special. But we didn't get any gift on Old Christmas Day. I remember getting the embroidered hankies on my birthday. I loved them. We would dab a little bit of perfume on them."
From Dorothy Furey: "My Christmas memories of Old Christmas Day are hanging up our stocking and getting treats in it. We got an apple, candy, grapes and, best of all, a bottle of pop from Royal Beverages. My favourite was chocolate. Honest to gosh."
From Mary Mone: "Oh yes, we always got the fruit in our stocking only on Christmas. It was a treat."
From Eileen Kavanagh: "I don't remember ever getting a gift on Old Christmas Day and I didn't know anyone who did or I would have harassed my parents. LOL. We did get the pretty hankies too, but I'm not sure we ever used them. I seem to remember them in my dresser drawer more than anywhere else."
From Gail Hussey-Weir: "Yes, Eileen, the hankies were very delicately embroidered and too nice to blow your nose into. LOL"
Children of Main Street-Church Road-Greenwood Avenue area skating on frozen-flooded ground on Greenwood Avenue behind Bennett's service station, c. 1961. Photo by Tom Careless, courtesy of Dave Careless. The small crosses on the roof of St. Cyprian's would be lit up for Christmas.