The Huron Expositor, 1998-12-23, Page 1010 -TME HURON EXPOSITOR, DECEMBER 23, IIMS
A CHRISTMAS STORY - Grades 7/8 students at St. Columban School performed this year's Christmas play last week.
The actors in this scene are, from left: Kevin Murray, Katie Scott, Justin Hill.Scrooge (on the right) was a young lady,
Anne Culligan, for a change in last week's production of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol at St. Columban School.
The others in the photograph, from left, are: Shawn O'Reilly and Stephen Hartfiel. John Crowley of McKillop Township
played one of the parts in the Grades 7 and 8 performance of A Christmas Carol. CAMPBELL PHOTOS
Holland Christmas during war still meaningful
FROM Page 1
sled from Blyth to Harpurhey
where her father had asked
them to come to treat the
children to a ride..
Louella and her four
brothers and sisters were
taken by sleigh from
Harpurhey into Seaforth and
hom4tagain:
Shc remembers there was
lots of snow and all the kids
carne running out to see the
unusual sight.
That is one of Louella's
fondest Christmas memories.
Family coming together
The hest Christmas for
Eleanor Sharpe, another
resident of Seaforth Manor,
is, "When all the family is
together."
The family would gather at
her mother's home in
Hanover with all her brothers
and sisters and their children.
Shc remembers a time,
after her father had died, that
her brother disappeared
outside after the family
dinner and came hack in as
Santa Claus in a fakc beard
and costume to surprise the
children in thc family.
Children make it special
There isn't one particular
Christmas that is more
special than another for
Margaret Gorwell of
Maplewood Manor.
Instead, there arc several
when her six children wcrc
young and all at home.
"I think Christmas is
around family," Margaret
said; particularly thc children
which she said arc the joy of
the holiday.
"The birth of Christ, it was
a child we were blessing and
celebrating," she said.
Christmas morning would
mean getting up early in their
Seaforth home and finding
what Santa Claus had left for
them under the tree.
The children would enjoy
the surprises and Margaret
shared that joy.
With six children, four cats
and two dogs, there was lots
of confusion and commotion
hut she said that was all part
of what made it special.
"It's part of the joy," she
said, adding it was exciting
for her to see the children
liking what Santa had brought
for them.
The oldest child wasn't
quite 15 when the youngest
was horn so there was still
plenty of magic around for all
of the children.
And every gift from Santa
was to be shared.
"That's very important,"
she said. "They were taught
they had to share whatever
they got."
Once the gifts were open
the children would often he
found outside skating or
sledding and enjoying the
surprises they'd found that
morning.
But they'd all be together
again for Christmas dinner.
Their grandmother and an
aunt were almost always
there and there were usually
other children besides her
own to share the family's
festivities.
"Everybody was always
welcome. We never sat to any
mcal where we didn't have
others over," she said of the
children brining their friends
to the Christmas dinner.
Church during World
War II was a special place
Christmas Day meant
celebrations in the Catholic
Church in Holland, whether it
be in the dark to avoid being
targeted by German bombs or
as a child listening to the
singing of a Christmas mass,
for Maplewood Manor's
Martha Van Bakel.
As a child St. Nicholas
would come on Dec. 6 to
bring treats and toys and the
second day of Christmas,
what North American's know
as Boxing Day, was spent
visiting friends and family..
But on Christmas Day, she
said, "There was no one on
the street. It was very quiet."
Everyone was at home or at
church.
She remembers having
farm work to do early on
Christmas morning and then
her family getting together
for a hugc breakfast around
six or seven in the morning.
From there, they would go to
at least two or three church
services ending with a
midnight mass.
"Thc hest clothes we had,
we had on that day," she said.
Shc remembers having to
change the midnight mass
service to 5 p.m., after
Germany took over Holland
because of curfews.
She also remembers having
services without any lights
because they didn't want to
alert a passing bomber to any
targets.
On Christmas Day, she
said, "Wc spent more time at
Students from St. James Catholic School entertained seniors at a Seaforth and District
Community Centres lunch on Thursday aftemoon.
BILL LEE PHOTO
church than at home."
She particularly enjoyed
the singing that took place
during the services. Only the
men were allowed to sing but
she remembers it being one
of the best parts.
"I enjoyed it. Everybody
was listening to the singing.
The church was decorated
with greens," she said.
At 89, Martha said,
"Church is still an important
part of Christmas."
flOQoA' GiniNos
Wishing you a season that's merry and bright. filled with
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