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| Farmhouse c. 1918 |
The
world outside was dressed in white finery. While Ina appreciated the beauty of
it, she couldn’t help but worry about those who would be traveling – Ethel and
her family, Myrtle, not to mention untold others. The time was still a few days
off, though, and there was nothing she could do about the weather anyway. She
just as well relax and enjoy the scenery.
This
was upstairs cleaning day. Shirley and Ina donned their sweaters and went
upstairs to ready the bedrooms for guests. Yes, it was chilly up there. Thankfully,
the guest bed was ready, and now that they knew for sure that Myrtle was
coming, they made a mattress of quilts for Sadie on the floor of the room her
parents would use. Shirley stretched out on it and proclaimed it comfortable
and then they made it up as a bed.
Ina
dusted and Shirley dust mopped, and then they hurried down to the kitchen to
warm themselves by the wood range, teeth chattering. After a hot lunch of baked
beans and bread, which they ate at the little table in the kitchen, they made
quick work of the dishes and set to work wrapping gifts to be mailed.
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| Ina's house is basically unchanged. |
Ina
sent gifts to her three absent children as well as her sisters, Ida and Mabel.
Gift items included “new” books they had carefully read; handmade items, such
as aprons, dress protectors, or bread basket liners; “premium” gifts awarded
through the seed warehouse; jar goods, such as jams and jellies put up in the
summer; beans from the harvest; popcorn grown by Jack; or any item Ina deemed
useful but wasn’t using herself. Giving was important to Ina, and she gave from
her storehouse.
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| Used wrapping paper |
But,
Ina did not mail early. When they had finished wrapping the gifts in used paper
carefully saved from last year, she and Shirley moved them to an out-of-the-way
spot. She would see to it they were all mailed by Monday, the 21st.
The boxes would be delivered before Christmas – or not – but Ina would have done
her part.
The
fun of Christmas, you see, was that boxes were delivered during the season – I mean,
right at Christmastime. Never mind that the Post Office couldn’t keep up with
this old-fashioned practice and was already admonishing people to “mail early.”
Ina
was pleased that she had finished the nightgown for granddaughter Sadie’s rag
doll. She suspected that the doll would be most important at bedtime. But she
was also pleased to find she had extra time to make a dress or two for the
doll. It would just have to wait till tomorrow, that’s all. KW
3 comments:
You know, I sometimes think I should have days for certain work, but then I say, "Nah, I need to be spontaneous!" Too bad spontaneous doesn't happen often enough. :-)
Christmas card writing and design is so flat compared to the thoughtful cards of past. I like the little message.
I can certainly relate to what you say, Chris. Cleaning house cuts into my creative time.
I'm no expert on the history of Christmas cards, but it's an understatement to say the tradition has fallen off. The cards aren't what they used to be (and there isn't the demand for them), postage is high, and people don't have the time.
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