The following is a story I wrote for the Cape Bretoner Magazine but was too late for publication.




No matter how old I get (and I have been around for some time) or how many
Christmas holidays go by I often reminisce about Christmas holidays during my childhood
in Glace Bay and realize there has never been a time in my life that has quite measured up
to the wonder and magic of those times back in the 40's and 50's and it is difficult if not
impossible to find those memorable times in a Christmas holiday anymore.

Remember the 40's and 50's when strict discipline was the norm and parents were
in control not the children. We were taught, guided and disciplined by our parents, our
teachers (ouch!), the church (no gabbing in the back pew - ever wonder how our parents
knew about these things by the time we got home?) and indeed adults on the street who
were not above telling us to quit slouching and take our hands out of our pockets. It was
from this type of leadership that we learned to be responsible for our actions and to fully
appreciate what Christmas was all about.

We did not have lengthy lists of items we expected as kids of this generation do
because we knew times were hard and money was difficult to come by just to keep a family
going. We would give hints of something we would “really like” to have well before the
season began. At the beginning of December anticipation would start to build and by the
time snow started to fall and the stores began to display their goods in the windows we
were demonstrating our best behavior in the hope we would not get a lump of coal in our
stocking (parents always used the “lump of coal” when they felt it was necessary to keep us
in line). The beautifully decorated windows on Commercial Street would easily take me
away to a wonderful fantasy world and I would become mesmerized with the toy trains,
gorgeous dolls with bright faces that glowed with the colored lights and all the latest toys
that children would be delighted to find under their tree on Christmas morning. We would
save pennies from our meager allowance to buy gifts and would spend hours in
Woolworth’s looking for just the right gift our nickels and dimes could buy. Christmas was
the most wonderful time of the year and my parents worked hard and sacrificed a lot to
create an atmosphere that was purely magical and memorable and that was the greatest
gift they gave to us. The love and warmth of the Christmas season back then will always
remain in my memories.

The breathtaking aroma of cakes and pudding being baked in the oven of the old
coal stove on cold and windy days in November reminded us that the holiday season was
not too far away. The kitchen would get a new coat of paint (remember white enamel)
usually on Sunday my dad’s only day off and at least one of us kids would always come
from church to get white paint on our clothes despite warnings to be careful. Christmas
greetings cards, letters to Santa, and gifts were prepared and sent out and we anxiously
looked forward to receiving greetings and gifts delivered by the mailman in the days
leading up to Christmas Day (hard to believe we would become excited by the delivery of a
simple Christmas card). Then it was time for Christmas baking and I loved decorating all
the fancy and delicious cookies which were stored away from kids who would surely be
tempted to sneak one or two - out of sight, out of mind, well perhaps not out of mind but
we could wait after all we WERE SUPPOSED to be on our best behavior!! I often wonder
how my mother’s baking always came out of the old coal stove oven just right when the
temperature could vary so much. With just days to go it was time to go hunting for gifts
which was almost always quite fruitless as our parents somehow became smarter each year.
One Christmas my parents hid the presents in the garage which was about 100 feet from
the back door and low and behold on Christmas Eve it snowed and snowed along with a
strong wind which filled in the path as quickly as it was shoveled out - they persevered as
they knew what Christmas would be like for us kids without presents under the tree but
needless to say the presents were not hid in the garage after that eventful eve. The tree
would be set up a couple of days before Christmas and us kids took great delight to help
with decorations to make it the best one ever each year. Our handmade decorations were
always proudly displayed unlike the artistic theme trees we see these days. The lights back
then would become very hot and there was always the danger of fire so the tree could not
be left unattended - the lights constantly burned out and we would become frustrated
trying to find the bad one - remember angle hair- good heavens, what were they thinking!!

Who could forget the Sunday School Christmas concerts and how excited we were to
get dressed up and do our little Christmas presentations on stage. Talent was in short
supply but some of the performances or lack thereof were quite “memorable”. I was
somewhat surprised my brother would remind me of these concerts as when the big fellow
in the red suit came through the door bellowing his “Ho Ho Ho” he was under mother’s
coat where he remained for the rest of the evening while my brother or I would retrieve his
gift from Santa.

Turkey dinner with all the trimmings was a once a year treat and held as much
excitement as the gifts we would receive from Santa. I remember it was the only time of the
year we had bottles of Coca-Cola in the house and were allowed to have it on the table with
our dinner - what a treat that was! We of course ate like it was our very last meal and
could hardly move away from the table although before long we were into the Christmas
candies, nuts and other treats that were only available at Christmas. Imagine oranges and
figs were a real delicacy which were only available at Christmas and kids were delighted to
find an orange in their stocking!! I also remember that first and foremost the joy of
Christmas centered around a celebration of the birth of Christ, churches were beautifully
adorned and carols were sung at Christmas services, in the schools and on the streets.
Glace Bay was the only place I ever heard the church bells ringing out the sounds of
Christmas on Christmas Eve and what a wonderful memory to recall. On that night I can
remember waiting for my dad to come down Main Street struggling with his crutch
through the snow after closing the shoe repair shop on York Street where he worked six
days a week and most nights; the aroma of the fir tree and the glow of the colored lights;
and of course the excitement of the arrival of Santa sent us off to bed early in our new
pyjamas and housecoats. As we got older we were allowed to stay up and listen to the story
of “Scrooge” on the old radio and who can forget “Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus” - if
that did not make you a believer, nothing would! In the morning we would wait for my
parents to get up first to light the fires as the house would be quite cold (remember seeing
your breath on cold mornings and dressing under the covers, that took some talent!!) and
then my dad would insist we all have breakfast before going into the living room to see if
Santa paid a visit during the night. We were so wound up we could hardly get a bite down
while my mother would plead with my dad to let us loose before we burst at the seams.

We would not get all the presents we hoped for but would surely get something we
asked for and there were always new board games to learn and play along with clothes that
we needed. I can remember wishing for a pair of Barbara Ann Scott figure skates for a
number of years but with two older brothers I was “bestowed” with their hand-me-downs.
I was about 7 or 8 years old when my mom took me to the Miners Forum to see Barbara
Ann Scott perform and I was in absolute Heaven. In my dreams at night I would perform
all the artistic twists and rotations as graceful as Barbara - she was my idol and I just knew
that a pair of Barbara Ann Scott skates would surely help me to attain my goal to be a
professional figure skater. Finally, a number of years later and after much begging and
pleading a pair of figure skates appeared under the tree - needless to say I was on top of the
world. My dad whose sharpened most of the skates in Glace Bay at that time remarked
“you’ll fall on your face with those fancy looking skates” and sure enough that is exactly
what I did before my dad took them to the shop and filed off the picks. Those of you who
skated to the Donkin Bank in the Miners Forum will remember we did not do figures.
Anyway, I never did learn to twirl around the ice like Barbara Ann Scott but I never forgot
how much joy she brought into my life and that of other little girls whose dream it was to
become another “Barbara Ann”.

There was always a bit of a let down when the holidays were over as we knew it
would be another whole year before we would experience another wonderful family
Christmas. It is difficult to explain to my grandchildren how much enjoyment we received
from what they would consider to be inconsequential as it is definitely a different world
today with new values and unfortunately I doubt they will ever experience or indeed be
able to appreciate that same magic and wonder of the true meaning of Christmas as I did
so many years ago in Glace Bay.

Although I have been away from my hometown for many years my most treasured
moments of Glace Bay are not only of good times, Christmas memories or of the beauty of
Cape Breton Island but also of the people who live there - a kinder more caring people one
could never meet - it is and always will be the dearest place in my heart. Our house was not
fancy, no telephone, fridge, TV, central heating, etc but it was a “home” full of love, the
door was always open, the teapot never empty, and the old rocking chair by the kitchen
stove was the scene of many stories and much laughter.

Thank you for allowing me to share my precious memories of a Christmas Past.