How did I get on this topic. When I got up on Christmas morning I said , "This is my 79th Christmas." Then I suddenly thought, "What was my first Christmas like?" The more I thought about the idea, the more I wanted to talk about it.
I was born in late October so I was only 2 months old at Christmas. I was the first child in the family. I've written before about the house being small, uninsulated and cold. The first thing my parents did when they got up in the morning was to light the fires and put a kettle on. They didn't go back to bed. They just got dressed and started the daily routine.
Having a new baby meant some changes in habit. We didn't have a Christmas tree. My paternal Grandma and aunt would have given me presents but that's it. The presents would have been baby clothes.
That noon my parents would have taken their horses and sleigh and gone to a neighbors for a big Christmas dinner which was at noon. They stayed all afternoon until an evening meal which was left overs from the big noon meal. They stayed all evening until around midnight when they had a cold lunch coffee or tea. They spent time visiting and playing games. .
The trip home was about one mile but it would have been cold. The fires in the house had gone out long ago so the place was cold. Fires were lit. It must have been pretty cold when that new baby had diapers changed.
Things were simple but rough. People survived well and were happy.
I enjoyed hearing about your first Christmas! I guess if you knew your parents routines you could piece together what the day was like. I know a little about my first Christmas from old photos plus I had two older brothers. I hope you and the Micromanager had a pleasant and peaceful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteYou're exactly right that I put together the routine ans the stories we were told as we grew up. We had a very good Christmas.
DeleteYou have good memories of your first Christmas:). I was born at home in Amsterdam in winter and there was no heating in the bedroom. My mother always told me the windows had frostflowers. But we had hot-water bottles in the bed.
ReplyDeleteI was able to put together some of what I was told . Frost flowers? We had those too.
DeleteI was only four days old, so remember nothing...I am sure I did not open my eyes much, in my defence.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet your parents had a great Christmas with their new baby.
DeleteWhat a lovely memory, piecing together your first Christmas. The old traditions and family routines were so different back then.
ReplyDeleteIt was a completely different world.
DeleteI imagine my first Christmas was somewhat like yours, not as cold in rural Oregon, but certainly with wood stove heat in a small, cold house. I was number two out if eventually seven kids.
ReplyDeleteOur folks learned how to survive under these conditions. They were also tough.
DeleteHello, love this Christmas post and the photo. I wish you all the best in 2019, a very happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThanks and all the best to you in 2019.
DeleteI was born at the beginning of February, so it was the better part of eleven months by the time of my first Christmas.
ReplyDeleteYou still wouldn't remember anything but you could put things together as your parents told the story.
DeleteI don't remember my first Christmas either. I probably just laid around and was waited on. :) Nice little story, Red.
ReplyDeleteWe were certainly waited on when we were little guys and if we weren't looked after we howled.
DeleteGreat post! That was a tough way to live but it sounds like there was a lot of joy. I was born in February, so I imagine I was sitting up and enjoying Christmas with my two older brothers, even though I had no clue what was going on.
ReplyDeleteYes, little kids don't have much of a clue about Christmas but they do have a good time.
DeleteVery imaginative ... but that wood pile provides lots of evidence.
ReplyDeleteYes, the would pile could be a source of stories. Since you pick out the wood pile you must have some experience with wood piles.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds a lot like how my family lived until I was about sixteen, except we eventually had an oil burner added to our wood stove in the kitchen. We had two wood stoves for a very small house, ashes to be taken out every morning, my mom lit the fires every day, etc. But we survived.
ReplyDeleteWow I got here late, after 20 comments! I really enjoyed imagining your first Christmas, Red. And I'm only three years younger than you, so it must have been similar, although in California. :-)
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine bringing a baby home to an unheated at Christmas time in Canada (or Minnesota for that matter! Wonderful picture of the proud dad.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a neat post. I don't remember ever living in a house that was cold, but I do remember when we visited my grandparents. It was just like you wrote about. They got up early and lit the fires. Their house was freezing and the only warm spot was standing by the wood stove. We have it made these days don't we? Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteFrom what you have said before, I can guess that life would have been very tough for your parents and most of your neighbours and Christmas would not have changed that very much. Little Red rocking and gurgling in his cradle would have reminded your mother and father of baby Jesus.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone in not remembering your early Christmas celebrations, Red, as I too have no memories of mine. You did a good job of imagining what yours would have been like. Best wishes for a Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteLove the pic! Hope you had a lovely Christmas. I still remember getting a tangerine in my stocking and being thrilled, and that was in the 60s!
ReplyDelete...I was born in early December and don't remember my first Christmas or my first several Christmases for that matter. You have enjoyed about 10% more Christmases than I have. I'll try to catch up!
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