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Christmas
In John Hayes Hollow By:
Hazel Hedrick What was
Christmas like seventy years ago in John Hayes Hollow? Well, for sure it was
nothing like it is today, but oh so much better. Even though we seldom got a
toy, when we did it was homemade rag dolls, tops made from wooden spools and
games drawn on cardboard. Somehow
our parents managed to scrape up enough money to buy us something we only got
once a year like an orange, stick of peppermint candy or a pack of gum and those
in school would get a pencil and tablet, the cost of both was six cents. Those
who didn’t go to school might get a pair of stockings. It was always something
we needed. We
never hung our stockings on the mantle. We set our plates on the table for
Santa. At Christmas time only, Mom would make a fresh coconut cake and we would
let Santa have the first piece and a glass of milk. Along with that cake Mom
would make sweet potato pies, peanut brittle and popcorn balls. Mama
saved every piece of colored wrapping paper we got hold of all year. At
Christmas she let us kids cut that paper in little strips. She made a paste of
flour and water and we made chains to decorate with. We also went to the woods
and found running cedar. Our tree was always a holly with lots of red berries.
It didn’t need any more decorations. Christmas
was so simple then, so much fun, but most of all, it was so loving. There was no
t.v., no radio, no newspapers and no one tried to out do their neighbor. Christmas
was a time to sit around the fire and have Daddy tell us stories of his
childhood, sing Christmas songs and read the Christmas story from the Bible
which always lay on a table in our living room. We children were never allowed
to take that Bible off that table, but we could stand around the table and turn
the pages, look at the pictures and ask questions everyday, if we wished. We
wore that Bible completely out, but I still have the pieces in a plastic bag. Christmas
was a very special family time at our house. Santa was important but not for
what he might bring. If he didn’t bring us anything we knew it was because
we’d been disobedient or some kids down the road needed something more than we
did and Santa didn’t have enough to go around. We were taught to share
everything we had, not just with each other but with our neighbors too. Even
though we had very little we were never told that we were poor. If we ever
complained because some kid at school had something we didn’t, Daddy always
pointed out something we had that they didn’t. We were never made to feel like
we were beneath anyone. Mama would say, “It’s no sin to own only one dress
but it is a sin to wear it dirty.” I
have three children. One daughter and two sons plus three others we have sorta
adopted along the way. We have seven grandchildren and almost that many more
that call us grandparents. Every Christmas we try to get the family together for
a few hours. Our daughter lives in Baltimore, Md., one son in DC, and the other
son in Martinsburg, W.Va. We have been living in Ridgeway, Va. for the past 29
years and God has been very good to us. We have had Christmas together for all
those years. Seventeen
years ago, we decided to show our children and grandchildren what an old
fashioned Christmas was like. We found a large building in the woods about seven
miles from town. It had no electricity, no heat, and no running water. We found
an old wood cook stove and all agreed not to buy anything. We would make all
decorations and gifts. My brother and I would do the cooking. You
should have been there. We had thirty people ranging in age from two to
sixty-two. The weather was cold and windy, around nine degrees above zero was
the high. Everyone had a swell time. In fact, it was so great that they all
wanted to do it again next year. Christmas is truly the nicest time of the year
when it celebrated properly. Back
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