Old Home Christmas Memories

I could only find  these two pictures of Christmas time in the old days.  The first is of Mark playing with his new Christmas toys,  The second is of Dad all dressed up and ready to go to our Church meetings during the Christmas season..

We always had a fresh-cut Christmas Tree.  It was work to get it from the hills but it was always fresh and smelled so good.  This tradition has continued in our family to the present day.  This year (2009) Ryan and I went together up Emigration Canyon to get our Christmas trees.  Ours stands in the lkiving room and is just beautiful.  I always enjoyed the tree but even more memorable were those special occasions when Dad took me with him to get the tree.  I remember one time after a heavy snowfall going up to the Pine Grove on the tractor for a tree.  We got stuck and had quite an ordeal.  Not just any tree would do; it had to be the best one we could find.  When we got the tree home it was beautifully decorated with lots of home made ornaments and a few store-bought ones as well as a few lights.  I, for one, loved the Christmas season and all the anticipation of Santa, and, of course, the Christ child and His story were never forgotten.  We didn't have a lot of money, but none of us ever went without and we were always made to feel special.  I know Mom and Dad sacrificed a great deal to make nice Christmases for us.  All that really mattered to them was to see a smile on the face of their children.  I remember several Christmas Eves when we had a preliminary visit from Santa before we went to bed.  I never did quite figure out how Mom and Dad  pulled that off.  And then, of couse, there was always the ward Christmas Party at the  Lanark Ward Church.  We always had a good time there with our friends and neighbors and usually a delicious Pot Luck Supper to go along with it.  No party was complete without a visit from Santa and a bag of goodies passed out to every child.  These were good times, anxioulsy awaited. Of course, no Chritmas was complete without a beautifully fresh cut Christmas tree from the mountains near by.

Please add any memoies that come to your minds, and photos too if you might have some.

Mark at play with his Christmas toys.

Dad dressed for church where we learned the real reason for the season.

Another little interesting tidbit came from Mother's memory of Chritmas time at their home in Liberty.  Remember Grandpa Hymas had twenty kids, senventeen by our Grandmother, Elizabeth Price, including three sets of twins, and then three additional children by Mom's stepmother, Martha.  Of course, not all of them were living, but the family was still very large.  Mom told of how, on Christmas Eve a strong long rope was stretched across the living room form one door knob to another on the opposite side of the room.  Just before retiring for the night and along the rope, at intervals, a stocking was hung for every member of the family.  She said that during the night Santa Claus magicly appeared and filled all of the stockings with fruit and nuts and candy as well as samll gifts.  In the morning when they arose and went into the Living room, it was to the sight of a long rope sagging in the middle  under the weight of all the heavily laden stockings,  I think they had wonderful memories of the large family together at Christmas time and I can just imagine what it took on the part of the our Grandparents to make these happy Christmas time memories,  Another thing Mom always talked about was ward Christmas programs and especially the part played by the family with thier musical talents.  Grandpa Benjamin was the Ward Choir leader form any years and developed quite a reputation for putting on special presentations at Christmas time as well as for sacrament meetings and other special occasions.  I'm sure they was much more, but these are the things that have stuck in my mind over the years.

by Bart