Now
I must go and build the fire in our room and wash my late dinner dishes and do
all the little things to make the evening comfortable. – Ina
 |
| The last Christmas at the farm, 1952* |
While Ethel went off to meet Sadie
on her way home from school, Ina sat down in the rocking chair near the dining
room window to rest a while before doing “the little things to make the evening
comfortable.” She mustn’t sit long, for daylight would soon wane, but for a few
minutes, she would let her thoughts drift toward the pending Christmas
celebration.
In Ina’s world, the Christmas season
was not extended. That is, there was no advanced decorating. “Getting ready for
Christmas” meant wrapping gifts, packing boxes for mailing, writing one’s
Christmas cards, and perhaps baking fruitcake. All household decorating was
deferred until Christmas Eve.
 |
| Christmas Seals |
And even though the post office was
trying its best to get people to mail early, Ina was not obedient. She had her
own schedule for holiday happenings. Her cards and boxes were mailed by Dec. 20.
The one exception was the package to daughter Pearl, farming with her husband
in northern Alberta. That box was mailed a little earlier – just a little.
On Christmas Eve, Jack would cut a
four-foot fir tree and set it up on the library table in the living room. Then
together with other family members, Ina would decorate it with a few Shiny
Brite balls, tinsel (likely saved from previous years), and candles in clip-on
holders. Oh! She must remember to buy more candles when she went to town. Before
they opened the gifts on Christmas Eve, they would light the candles, douse the
kerosene lamps, and enjoy the beauty of the tree for a few minutes. It was
especially beautiful when bathed in moonlight. Maybe that would happen this
year if the sky were clear. Then they would blow out the candles and resume
their festivities. 
Additional decorating might be done on
Christmas Eve also. Boughs would be placed over doorways and pictures. Sisters
Ida and Mabel, still living in Drain, Oregon, often sent holly, and Vance,
living near the Washington coast, would include a swag for the door and
additional boughs of holly and bull pine with his box of gifts.
But – Ina had no holiday knick-knacks, nor did she want any. Her celebration was understated – and just right, in her opinion. KW
[*Ethel Dobson Robinson, her daughter Shirley Jean, Ina Dobson, and Shirley Jean's daughter Patricia]
7 comments:
Did Patricia take piano lessons from your dad? I seem to remember her from recitals... Or maybe I'm imagining things!?
I had forgotten about that. As I recall, she played pretty well.
I thought I remembered a Patty, or Patricia, who played who was some sort of relative of yours. At the time, the only connections I could make in families were direct ones--cousin, aunt, uncle. Beyond that I couldn't fathom. I'm older now... LOL!
Pat's mother, Shirley Jean, was my cousin, so Pat and I are cousins once removed.
Little Sadie in our story is somewhat patterned on Shirley Jean because of the timeframe. However, I renamed her partially because I take liberties with her age and also because it's confusing to have two Shirleys -- daughter Shirley and granddaughter Shirley Jean.
It wasn't 'til I started doing family history a few years ago that I figured out all that first, second, third cousin thing and the "once removed". I get it all now, but as a child it just confused me (probably because it was never quite explained to me).
Isn’t it odd how dark the floors look there? They appear as dark as the baseboards.
Yes, and you know that wasn't the case. The white maple hardwood floor was rather honey-colored. However, it was relatively dark in the room. Whatever lighting was by kerosene lamp, which isn't bright. The photo was taken with a flash.
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