Christmases past are so different than Christmases present, however the spirit of the holiday lives on—no matter if one is young or old. Some of the residents at Abbeyfield House share their childhood memories of the holiday.
Elsie Cherry, the third oldest child of a family of five girls and three boys, was born in Manitoba. Her father, of Scottish/Welsh background, was a barber who owned his own shop and also did construction work, while her mother, Norwegian/Scottish, looked after the children at home.
“Our Christmases were old fashioned, meaning traditional,” recalls Cherry.
“We used to go to church on a horse and sled on Christmas Eve and to the seasonal concerts the days before Dec. 25. There we all took part at the events by singing and acting. I remember we would have our horse all nicely decorated for the trips to those events.”
In preparation for Christmas, she said, she and her siblings sed to decorate their tree by making rings and using popcorn they had previously painted, attaching it with strings to the tree.
“Our mother used to cook a goose for dinner, although sometimes we also enjoyed turkey. It was nice and delicious. “The morning of Christmas Day saw us performing the exciting task of opening the presents, which normally consisted of socks, toques, knitted items and a toy. (We believed in Santa!).
“I have good memories of my Christmas time when I was a child!”
Winnie Koal has lived all her life in Port Alberni and was the oldest of a family of 14. The celebration of Christmas by her family always took place on the evening of Dec. 24.
“On that evening we waited for our grandparents to come over, and once they arrived, my mother would play the piano and we all sang along to the traditional Christmas carols, followed by my grandpa’s reading verses from the Bible,” says Koal.
“As young children, we used to recite verses from a Christmas book. It was nice to have our house full of decorations, streamers, garlands, etc. And on Christmas Day we all opened the presents. (As a pre-teenager, I was very devastated to find out the truth about Santa).
“Then, the special dinner, cooked by our mother, followed. What a treat!
I miss a lot of those Christmas days.”
Orlando Delano writes the Valley Seniors feature for the Alberni Valley News.
