THE OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS
by Naomi Bliss, Switzerland County, Indiana

    These days, I think of the Christmases of my childhood in the early years of this past century. I don't recall ever having a Christmas tree or decorations. I doubt if Mama would have permitted a tree to be cut for use as a decoration. She had a great reverence for trees and never liked to see one cut.
    Mama and Papa read us Christmas stories nightly for a week or so before the 25th. Often the story was read from the Bible. A few days before Christmas Eve, Mama baked large sugar cookies. My bother and I were each given a cookie wrapped in a clean paper to give to our teacher. Just one cookie to a teacher. The rest of the one batch of cookies was shared with friends and relations as they joined us for a cup of coffee.
    On Christmas morning we were all up early. Poppy had our old Florence heater going strong. Mama in the kitchen was stirring pancakes and frying eggs. The coffee aroma filled the air.     Breakfast over, we gathered in the sitting room to receive our presents. We knew in advance if our shoe soles were worm through that we would perhaps get a new pair of shoes. Shoes for growing kids cost a lot, sometimes $1.50, and for my brother as much as $3.00.
    My brother and I also received one of Mama's large sugar cookies. They were special because each had a sprinkling of red sugar. Usually we each had an orange too.
    Sometimes we were even given English walnuts. Six were the most I ever received. But those lasted me for at least six days! I would ask Papa to crack one for me. He would crack it slightly and then put every speck of it in a piece of newspaper. I'd make that one walnut last me for hours. Just a nibble at a time.
    When times were good, Papa would give each child one nickel, and that made me happy. Visions of a bag of candy, new pencils, or a hair ribbon danced in my head.
    One year Mama got a huge aluminum coffee pot for her present, the first of that metal I'd ever seen. Papa also bought her a pair of double wool blankets once. They were the most beautiful ones I've ever seen, black and red plaid.
    Our Christmases were full of peace and love. We were rich beyond measure.