An Old-Fashioned Christmas

Piano in the parlour at the Calvin Coolidge Homestead. Photo was taken on my recent visit to Plymouth Notch, Vermont.

I remember having a piano in my childhood home. None of we children ever had lessons but my mother knew how to play. She kept assorted songbooks inside the storage area of the bench. I loved taking out the Christmas books and trying to play them.

One of my weekly chores was to dust the living room. I took special care of the piano. It always seemed like home to have that piano in the house. It was especially nice at Christmas time. My mother rarely played, but with our urging, we convinced her to play just a few Christmas songs for us. I can still remember us all standing around her, as she sat on the bench. Mother played while Dad and the children sang the songs.

Winters were cold by the ocean at our Massachusetts home. We lived in a beach cottage on an acre of land. The home belonged to our grandparents and was passed down to our mother. We all lived with grandmother and grandfather until they went home to be with the Lord. It was a humble place kept nice by mother's housekeeping and father's maintenance work.

As the Christmas season is coming soon, I have begun to reflect on an old-fashioned Christmas. There was not much money in my childhood home. We wore sweaters indoors and mother was very hesitant and careful when she turned up the heat. We had an 8 -track tape player with a little rack full of Christmas songs. We loved to hear these old classics as we did our chores and puttered around the house.

In those days I don't recall elaborate decorations on the houses. You would not see colored lights on the outside of the house. There was nothing on the yards except snow. The only thing one could see while walking by the houses, in our neighborhood, was a lit-up Christmas tree in each living room window. It was humble, charming, and modest. As I think of it now, the simplicity was lovely and refreshing.

Indoors, we had a tree in the corner of the living room. The only other decoration to announce the season was a nativity scene placed carefully on top of the piano (or on an end table by the couch).

None of us realized there was a lack of money. In those days, it was not common to buy gifts for friends or for those at work. We worked hard, saved, and sacrificed to get a gift for Mother and Dad. We could not even imagine coming up with funds to buy presents for those outside the family. I don't think it even entered our minds. We were just so happy to have enough for the family.

When seeing neighbors or friends, A "Merry Christmas" was cheerfully wished to all and then we all went to our own beloved homes. I think family life was more intact in those days, in the general culture, when Mother was often at home and the relatives lived nearby in established neighborhoods. We all worked hard at school and with jobs so that being home meant everything. It was a place to rest and feel safe. It was even more so at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I want to mention that the day after Thanksgiving was a family day. We enjoyed a vacation and just stayed home. In those days, Black Friday had not even been invented yet! There was not much emphasis on shopping or spending money. This was in the days before easy credit and credit cards.

This Christmas season will be similar to the ones of my childhood. There is not any spare money available. We need a Kerosene delivery this week to keep the house warm. We have a medical trip coming up soon. The cost of food is rising and we just received notice that our annual house insurance bill has skyrocketed. I have a few little gifts safely tucked away for some of the grandchildren that I managed to buy earlier in the year. I have been thinking how nice it would be to have one little gift, beautifully wrapped, in the living room for my husband and me. This would help make Christmas special for us. (I wonder if this is just a passing thought of selfishness?) We have spent many years without gifts because the children and grandchildren come first. We only buy little, inexpensive things for the family (perhaps for $4 or $10 each). Even then, it is a struggle. I am always so grateful to be able to do this. On what I consider good years; I am able to get my husband a new package of socks or a warm winter shirt as a surprise gift. He is happy and thankful and never asks for anything. We are used to living a life of humble means with great faith in God.

Despite what sounds like a hardship, we feel content and blessed. We have a home to live in. We are always here to welcome the children and grandchildren home. We have learned to be creative and inventive, making the most of life without much money. This is why an old-fashioned Christmas can be so special. We can read from the book of Luke, enjoy homemade Christmas cookies, and bring cheer and happiness to the family from hearts full of love and kindness.

May you be greatly blessed this Thanksgiving and Christmas season and always!

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Peaceful old time Living - Quiet Duties of Home.  

What Many of Us Crave - An Ordinary Life at Home.

Taking Care of the Family - A Covered Bridge and Graceful Living in Rural Vermont. 

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"Serving in the Kitchen: Cookbook with Recipes, Advice, and Encouragement for the Christian Home"

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