The Citizen, 1990-12-21, Page 27THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1990. PAGE 27.
Memories of
a Zorra Christmas
BY MARY ANN MINERS
RR 2, BLUEVALE
Grandma’s house wasn’t the
quaint Victorian house that you see
in the ads on television these days.
All gingerbread trim with fire
places glowing, and inviting friend
ly rooms enticing families homes
for the holidays.
No, Grandma’s house was small
and though I never realized it as a
child, it was ugly. Dreary red
insulbrick siding with rusty brown
painted doors, and sooty windows,
clinging close to the edge of the
railroad track. It was the Section
house. Grandpa worked on the
C.P.R. and the house came with
the job.
The house had the luxury of
electricity and there was a tele
phone in the hallway which gave off
electrical shocks if you were not
carefuly how you cranked for the
operator. That was the extent of
her conveniences. Grandma didn’t
have running water, just a cistern
in the cellar with a hand pump at
the sink. A bucket of drinking
water, sat on the end of the
counter, with its dipper hanging on
the side, had to be carried from the
good well across the road at the
“Station” each day.
Of course there was no indoor
plumbing. A two-seater sat at the
far end of the garden path. A
commode chair was hidden behind
the upstairs bedroom door. But it
was for elderly guests like Great
Grandma when she came. Or
emergencies only. Even on snowy
Christmas Eves we children were
expected to take the flashlight and
accompany each other on our last
excursion before bed time.
The largest room in that house
and I guess my favourite was the
kitchen. Especially at the holidays,
when the aromas that filled that
room were near to heavenly. I can
still recall them clearly.
There were two stoves in the
kitchen, the big old wood range
with the warming shelf on top and
the warm water reservoir on the
side. On winter nights when the
wind howled outdoors the side of
that stove would glow red, while
bricks heated in the oven to be
wrapped in towels and placed near
our feet in the freezing beds above.
The second was a propane stove
that we called the summer stove
because it was never used when the
Christmases at home. But for a few
unforgettable years we joined the
festive gathering at Zorra.
Uncle Ken, who never called us
by our right names, my brother
was always Jake and I was Shorty,
would get out the Romoli and the
game grew with each new arrival.
Everyone joined in the fun and
what a great time we all had.
Soon we children got the word
that it was time for bed. The four of
us including my Aunt Sandra, who
was a year younger than myself,
were sandwiched turn about head
to toe crossways in her bed. I am
not sure where all the adults slept.
That is except for Aunt Marj and
her husband Uncle Alfie who
always got to sleep on the couch in
the front room beside the tree. And
Uncle Les, his feet and legs
dangling, had pushed the two big
overstuffed chairs together for his
bed. He looked so uncomfortable
that it was almost hilarious.*
I remember, being the oldest,
wanting to stay up and sneaking
back downstairs for a peek but
getting caught and sent packing
once again with a stern warning
that Santa would not come until
everyone was asleep. I worried that
Santa couldn’t find us out here in-
the country. I also thought that he
might not stop when not everyone
was in bed. For that game down
below continued into the wee small
hours of the morning. I woke often
to the laughter rising through the
stove pipe hole.
Christmas Day was wonderful.
At six we were awakened by Aunt
Marj calling Merry Christmas. I
wondered is she slept at all or if she
stayed awake so she could be the
first one up. Then it was pande
monium. Young and old, yawning,
hugging and greeting each other
with the best wishes gathered
round the tree in that crowded little
room. Some sat on the floor, my
sister was on the bed with my aunt,
and uncle. I perched on the back of
the big chair behind my Dad’s
head. Grandpa handed out the gifts
with lots of comment and laughter.
Santa had found us alright. The
walking doll, that I had dreamed of
and hoped for despaired of ever
getting, the one with the blue eyes
and the yellow hair?was cradled in
my arms. No one got to even touch
her that day.
Eat. We all must have been
stuffed. Breakfast was no sooner
over^than the smells of turkey
roasting filled the house. After a
couple hours outdoors trying to
sled down the incline at the front of
the house and ending tangled in
the fence we were called in to our
Christmas dinner. We always had
to sit at the second table, the little
table stuck over in the corner. But
we were served first so we got lots
to eat. Sometimes, Grandpa, after
he had said grace, would let me say
grace for our table. “God is great.
God is good. Let us thank Him for
our food. Amen.”
Uncle Alfie, had a shoe repair
shop and he brought a collection of
ice skates along. So in the after
noon a few of us tramped away
down the track past the Station
house to a flooded section of field
that had frozen into a fairly smooth
rink. You had to skate to keep
warm and we chased each other
round and round. Even my mother
had on a pair of skates that day.
When we got back Grandma had
hot cocoa ready for us and we
munched on sugar cookies. Anoth
er game was in progress until
supper when we ate all the left
overs from dinner. No one was
hungry for that meal after the
nibbling that we had done all
afternoon.
Finally the time came to pack up
all the gifts and start for home. We
were tucked into the back of
Grandpa’s car with a big heavy
robe around us, to keep us warm on
the ten mile trip home to Wood-
stock. Tired, cranky and oh so
happy. Heading home after anoth-
er Christmas at Zorra.
HEART
AND STROKE
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OF ONTARIO
Improving your
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Quit-smoking
quick tips
Buy only one
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Your local Heart and Stroke
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has details on quitting.
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
LYLE AND YVONNE,
DARRYL, KAREN & DEREK
YOUNGBLUT PLUMBING
BLYTH 523-9585
CHRISTMA
HERE
May your holiday joys be boundless.
You’ve been a joy to know and serve.
CALDWELL CONSTRUCTION
range was lit. The one exception
was the day before Christmas when
Grandma used both ovens to bake
all the pies and bread and her
Scottish shortbread and those, oh
so melt in your mouth, sugar
cookies, that she needed to feed
her family over the holidays.
By the time my family, Mom and
Daddy and my brother and sister
and myself arrived, having been
fetched in Grandpa’s Model A, the
ancient kitchen table, was cleared
and ready for the coming of the
clan. My aunts and uncles came
from different directions, some
early, some, with farther to come,
later. But come they ^11 did. Laden
with parcels that us kids were
dying to shake and rattle and guess
at as they were added to the
growing pile surrounding the tree
in the front room. Our own house
was so tiny and cramped with a
growing family that we had no
room for a Christmas tree. I think
that was why when we moved to a
larger house my father brought
home the biggest tree he could
find. After that time we had our
We Wish ¥)u A
Merry CIhristmas
Hoping for you and yours a holiday that sings with joy!
Thanks, friends.
CHRISTMAS CHEER
TO ALU
' We appreciate having the
opportunity to be of service to you.
Davies
Accounting
Service
BRUSSELS 887-9595