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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1985-12-23, Page 3• CHR IS TM Editor's Note: Each year the News -Record attempts to bring its readers a Christmas edition that will enhance their holiday. We try to localize Christmas with pictures of school concerts, thoughts from readers and stories on in- teresting people, places or things. This year we decided to take our readers back in time. Back to when gifts were not so plentiful. Back to when Christmas trees were not common place. And back to when sleigh rides were the only mode of transportation available. We hope the following pages will bring back fond memories, add a little knowledge, or just put a smile on your face. By Anne Narejko HURONVIEW - Childhood memories. Everyone has them. Remember the first time you rode your two -wheeler without anyone hanging on or your first day of school? Do you remember your favorite teacher or that special childhood storybook that you'd still enjoy reading today? The News -Record asked Huronview residents to think back to a childhood Christmas. Some had clear recollections while ' others remembered only the highlights. "It Was'Wonderful" • Leah Curie's memory of Christmas as a child is vdry clear and seems delighted to tell her story. The 86 -year-old lived two miles outside of Wingham on a farm with her parents and two older brothers. There were no cars at that time so everyone used horses to pull their cutter and sleigh. "I can remember going into town in the cutter with, my mother. The cutter would have bells on it and we'd go through Lots of snow," she said. "We'd see all kinds of peo- ple and there would be lots of things going on in town." As a young girl, Miss Currie was fascinated with the stores she saw town. "One store, the George Mason Store, was just wonderful. It was filled with toys and dolls and little china dish sets," she said. "It An was beautiful." Another shop ,'Miss Currie remembers IMF clearly is Field's Butcher Shop. She recalls the shop being very big with plenty of in- teresting animals under the high ceilings. "There was a shelf that had stuffed birds from the community on it. And below that, full-sized animals and a half cut of another animal would be hanging," she said. "There were all kinds of meat in the shop as well as barrels of lard. The lard would be in a dif- ferent sized cohtainers." CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1985—Page 3 IN YE RS GO LEAH CURRIE LES MACKENZIE MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN 109. The Currie family didn't have a Christmas tree when .the children were lit- tle, but the children hung their stockings by the stove. Miss Currie explained that the stockings were not like those children use at Christmas today, but stockings that were tint by her mother. "We hung up our stockings by the stove the night before, and when we came down in the morning, they were filled with oranges, candy, nuts and toys.", Miss Currie was out of her childhood years when her brother brought home the family's first Christmas tree. ' There was 90 acres of sv arnp land by our farm, and my brother went out and brought home the most beautiful tree. It went right from the floor to the ceiling," she said, not • remembering whether they later decorated the tree. Another highlight for the Currie family was the Christmas meal. "Oh, we had lots of good food," com- mented Miss Currie. "My mother was a , good cook." The Christmas meal consisted of roast chicken, roast pork, Christmas cake, short- bread, homemade bread and pies. "It was done very well. I'll alw iys remember the taste of that," said Miss ( ur- rie. Even when she was away at business col- lege in Toronto, Miss Currie made sure she made it home to spend Christmas with her family. "When I was 20 -years -old I went to Toron- to to go to business college...I came home at Christmas on the CNR (Canadian National Railroad) with my arms filled with boxes for Christmas and my brother would meet me at the station," she explained. Miss Currie feels there is on difference between. Christmas when .she was a child and Christmas today. "We were taught the meaning of Staff, volunteersmake Christrnas special HURONVIEW, - Cliff Mitchell is one of ap- proximately 65 residents who stay at Huron - view op Christmas Day. He doesn't recall Christmas as a child, but he does 'enjoy .Christmas at Huronview. According to Mary. Gibbings, Supervisor of Social Services, nobody is forgotten at Christmas time. "There are between 285 arrd 295 residents with about 50-75 here for Christmas... he staff goes all out to make it ( Christmas ) special for them," she said. • Activities at Huronview kicked -off on December 1 and will run until January 1 with music, presents, food and visiting topp- ing the entertainment list. One of the things that makes Christmas time so special for the residents at Huron - view is the many visitors that pass through the doers. According to Mrs. Gibbings, various ladies' groups, legions and clubs make a point of visiting with the residents, even if they don't know them. They even go as far as to bring gifts. . . 'The ladies' groups look after the people who don't get anything or have anyone,'.' ex- plained Mrs. Gibbings. The legions and Lion's Clubs in the area are also very good. The legions look after their. - veterans, visiting and bringing gifts." Various church groups also drop ,by and the Central Huron ,.Secondary School students helped decorate the halls this year while school choirs bring the old familiar carols to the residents. The Salvation Army also pitches in, bring- ing each resident a fruit basket. This year, the staff at Huronview has tried a few new approaches to the festive season. They have tried to., make the season more enjoyable for the residents by becoming a little more involved with them; as • well as letting the residents get.a little more involv- ed in the programs. "This year we are giving each floor a Christmas meal before Christrnas," said OUR ANNUAL STOCK REDUCTION Mrs. Gibbings. "`The residents and staff plan the menu and then go to the auditorium and eat together. This gives the staff a chance to be with the residents, plus, those that go out to have Christrhas get to have a Christmas meal at here." The meal is meant as a social gathering and lasts anywhere from one to two hours.. Another way of getting the residents in- volved in the festivities is to luring back memories. "This year, for the first year, the residents are making their own Christmas cookies and squares in the kitchen. When they're done, all the residents from the floor come and eat them...It helps bring .back fond memories of making cookies," said "Mrs. Gibbings. '!'hanks to caring people like Mrs. Gibb- ings and her staff, the many volunteers and groups, residents of Huronview have the op- portunity to participate in the festive ac- tivities. STARTS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27 at9AM Sensational markdowns on fine furniture for every room in your house. Shop early! This is an outstanding Annual Furniture Sale Event. BALL & MUTCH FINE FURNITURE FINE FURNITURE AND DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES • ALBERT STREET • CLINTON • 482-9505 -r BY Christmas. I'm not sure whether it's being taught today'" Tree In The Mail Les MacKenzie was born in Saskatchewan in 1916 and remembers Christmas as a child fairly well. "There was lots of snow and good crops some years, but in the 1930s there was hard- ly any snow," he recalled. Mr. MacKenzie, the third of six children, said his family always had a Christmas tree for December 25. "An uncle in B.C. (British Columbia) sent us a tree...He sent it express," he said. To decorate the tree, Mr. MacKenzie's mother and sisters would cut ribbons and tissue ,paper and string popcorn. To finish off the tree decorations, candles would be placed on'the branches. When asked about the Christmas • meal, Mr. MacKenzie said "pretty well everything" was prepared for the feast. 'We had plum pudding, turkey - lots of turkey because we use to raise them, vegetables and potatoes." Under the tree on Christmas morning, the MacKenzie children would find "a . fair amount" of presents. The girls get gift such as dolls and the boys would receive skates and gloves. The MacKenzies didn't make all of their presents, instead they ordered them from local catalogue stores or take a shopping trip to the nearest town. During his school years, Mr. MacKenzie took part in Christmas concerts similar to those held by the schools today. He also remembers going for sleiglfr rides. "We hooked up the teaiin of horses and would go for sleigh rides out to the skating ponds that were nine miles from town," he said, explaining that they would use just about anything they could find for a puck when they played hockey. Mr. MacKenzie, who moved to Ontario in '1937, also spent Christmas on a steamboat twice. "We'd pull into a harbor and spend Christmas and New Years there. Some of the men would go home, others would stay. "We had a tree and a good meal but no presents," he said. Mr. MacKenzie also spent one Christmas at Canadian National Institute's Hall in Lon- don where he lived for six months. "Christmas was pretty well the same there," he said. "There were about 30 peo- ple there. Some of them stayed for Christmas while others went home." Those who stayed at the Hall exchanged gifts. Mr. MacKenzie lived in Seaforth for a period of time and has been at Huronview since August. He plans on spending the holi- day with sister and brother who live in the Seaforth area. "Those Sleigh Rides..." When winter transportation is mentioned to Margaret McLaughlin, her mind races to an incident that happened one Christmas day when her family was travelling to her grandparent's home. "We went to our grandmother and grand- father's home in the sleigh and father turn- ed into the lane so fast that mother fell right out of the sleigh," she laughed. Miss McLaughlin remebers getting up early, about 5 a.m., on Christmas morning, going to church and, then coming home to a scrumptious meal. "We had goose, pudding, pies and all the trimmings," she said. Although the McLaughlin's didn't have a Christmas tree, they did receive presents. "We'd get a pair of rubbers or something to wear. We couldn't afford anything else," . said Miss McLaughlin. Originally from McKillop Township, Miss McLaughlin has been in Huronview for three years. This Christmas she will spend the day at her sister-in-law's. In this time of happy thoughts and warm hearts, we wish you and yours a holiday season filled with Love. We're grateful for your support over the past year! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US AT CLINTON GLASS! LEFT TO RIGHT: Hans Van Dyke, Lloyd Poelman, Rita Van Dyke, Don Hoytema. o1inton TF kQ3g z aL mirror and altuflliraum products 24 Princess St. West, CLINTON 482-3322