The Rural Voice, 1980-12, Page 8Christmas past
A nostalgic view of the "good old days" at Christmas time
BY DONNA THIEL
The ghosts of Christmas past don't
only haunt Ebenezer Scrooge. At this
time of year, few of us can help bringing
some treasured memories of past
Christmases out from wherever
they've been stored.
Ella Hoegy and Elizabeth Matheson
both have memories of some very special
Christmas traditions their families
celebrated in the 1920's.
Mrs. Hoegy, who could manage the
horses and machinery on the farm when
necessary, is a tall, vital lady who
obviously got through tough times with a
laugh and a smile.
She recalls, "Our farm was located
four miles west of Brodhagen and this is
where Fred and I began our married life.
The farm is now operated by my
grandson, Wayne. We operated a mixed
farm and only used manure (to fertilize)
our land and still had good crops," Mrs.
Hoegy said.
"On Christmas Day, Fred and the four
children and I would go to my family's
home, the Dooer farm, seven miles west
of Stratford. Here our family and my
eight brothers and four sisters joined
together to enjoy the Christmas dinner of
chicken or goose and all the trimmings,
with mince pies and steamed puddings."
Elizabeth Matheson, a schoolteacher
for 29 years, lived in Mitchell almost all
her life.
In the 1920's, "Mitchell was the center
of a thriving farm country. The
population was under 2,000 people.
There were four hotels then and many
other businesses that have disappeared.
With a smaller population than today,
there were more doctors and lawyers to
serve the people."
"The Christmas meal was turkey and
all the trimmings. Plum pudding was also
a favourite. 1 shared the meal with my
Aunt Elizabeth and her daughter and
husband, Mr. and Mrs. John Ford."
On the farm, Ella Hoegy remembers,
Christmases could be spartan.
TIMES WERE HARD
"Times were hard then. 1 was a
dressmaker and made all my childrens'
clothing and I even made my own
wedding dress. So gifts given at
Christmas were handmade, but they were
treasured because there was only one for
each child," she said.
"The tree was lit with candles and
decorated with strings of popcorn and
gingerbread men. Bows of evergreen and
paper decorated the rest of the house,"
Mrs. Hoegy recalled.
Christmas today isn't the same for
Elizabeth Matheson, who now lives at the
Ritz Lutheran Villa in Mitchell.
Christmases today with her family which
includes 20 grandchildren, 27 great-
grandchildren and one great, great
grandchild.
"There are many differences between
1920 and now," she says. "One gift was
Ella Hoegy, with her children. spent this wintry afternoon in the 1920's going for a
sleigh ride around their Brodhagen-area farm.
Elizabeth Matheson. a schoolteacher for many years. used this horse and buggy to
get back and forth to school during the early days of her career.
When she was a young teacher, she
made all the gifts she gave and loved to
do tatting or paint landscapes.
"My family and friends and
neighbours would gather in our large home
and sing carols around the fireplace. We
also played cards. But a tree wasn't
always purchased, because of fires
caused by carelessness. It was often
forgotten so I could have peace of mind,"
the retired teacher says.
But when she was getting ready for the
holiday, "1 always decorated my home
with homegrown Canadian holly."
Ella Hoegy, now a widow, spends her
PG. 8 THE RURAL VOICE/DECEMBER 1980
appreciated but youngsters of today tear
off the wrapping paper and look for
another one to open."
"People were more sociable thenl You
were greeted with a smile on the street,
even from strangers. There were no
invitations given to friends and
neighbours to drop in. People dropped in
anytime and didn't give a thought about
waiting for an invitation."
Today Ella Hoegy also lives at the Ritz
Lutheran Villa and fills in her spare time
with crafts from ceramics to rug hooking.
Time changes things and time makes
other traditions richer with age.