Christmas 2009

I am celebrating my 85th Christmas. I was born in November so I was only a month old on my first Christmas. I really don't recall the Christmases between then and my 6th Christmas. We had moved from Springfield, O to Cincinnati, O because of the economy. We were just on the edge of the Great Depression. Dad got a job that paid more than his railroad job so we moved. On that Christmas Santa brought my sister, Mart, and I a wicker doll buggy and a cradle. We were to share that. We each got a baby doll too. The baby doll had a cloth covered body and a china head, arms and legs. When she was turned over she cried "ma ma" and when she was placed on her back she closed her eyes. Those were very new features for a doll baby to have.

I loved the doll buggy! In a few years, three or four, we moved back to Springfield and I used to use the buggy to take my dog, Trixie, a walk. She was very cooperative and would lie in the buggy and even tolerate a cover on her. The people we met along the way always remarked about what a cute 'baby' I had.The doll baby, Betsy, stayed in our room in the cradle. She occasionally got to go for a walk.

Christmas was a magical time. We would always spend it in London, O. with my Grandparents. As I mentioned, times were not good; the Depression years were very hard on most of America. We never, ever received elaborate gifts. Agnes and Catherine, my mother's sisters were both single women and lived with Grandma and Grampa Morrissey. They usually got us new pajamas and sometimes a scarf or mittens. Santa brought sox and maybe a new dress or sweater and as an extra treat if Mother could afford it we would get an orange and a candy cane or some hard tack in our stocking. Still, it was so great to be with all of our relatives and enjoy the good food and good conversations. ( We were listeners. Children were seen and not heard!)

As the years went by, the traditions did not change, we looked forward to that special day and it continued to be magical. The presents were still not elaborate. On top of the Depression we also suffered through the worst drought that the country had ever seen and since most of my relatives were farm people we second or third hand felt the affects of the drought.

The focus was on the religious celebration and the story of Christmas. Helping other children and helping people that were lonely and/or ill. Warm clothes and food and a warm place to stay were uppermost in the scheme of things.

The contrast between then and now is so vast that it would take many pages to try to evaluate it and to conjecture about the cause of the change. I am not one to want to go back to 'the good old times' because I know that we had plenty of hardships and unhappiness then but we are definitely lacking some of the innocence and the civility that we had in the times past.

I have so many thoughts and ideas running around in my brain , so many things I would like to write about or comment on but I'm afraid I would get bogged down with comparisons that are not relative to my own existance.

I do still feel the magic of Christmas and still see the joy and innocence in the eyes of my grandchildren and great grandchildren. I am heartened by their joy and feel the love of their parents and hope that they can keep that alive in their hearts throughout their lives. I hope they do not become jaded and disillusioned by the harsh world we live in. Ciao