Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Seniors recall best Christmas ever

Not everyone looks forward to Christmas each year.

Yet many of us cannot wait until it rolls around.

If asked we could all think of our worst Christmas ever, but who wants to hear that. With the circumstances we are all living in right now, we want to hear something good and positive, something that changes the way we all feel.

Let's talk about The Best Christmas ever. You know if you think hard enough you can think of at least one.

The kind people at the Gurdon Senior Adult Center put their heads together to come up with what they felt was the best Christmas they ever had.

Emma Herron wrote, "My best memories are when my four children were small. It was good to see them open their gifts that I had made for them. Small things they could use at home.

They would pop corn for the tree, make chains of colored paper. That was before we had all the fancy trimmings. Christmas meant HOPE for all of us."

Lillian Manson wrote, "All my Christmas' were special because my mother and dad were both there to make them so special. For several Christmas' my grandfather lived with us and it was also nice to have him there.

During the Depression my mother, who was a good seamstress, made us two girls rag dolls and made shirts for my two brothers who were at home. My oldest brother was living in Colorado with my aunt and uncle as he was sickly and couldn't breathe to well in the lower climate.

Since I married and had children of my own, it was nice to see how excited they would get at Christmas."

Ben Medcalf said he was 10-years-old during the Christmas of 1926. "My brother who was four years older than me told me there was no Santa Claus. However, my parents let me help put the presents under the tree for younger brother and sister." Medcalf also said he could recall being discharged from the army 10 days before Christmas. "I think it was one of my best Christmas'," said Medcalf.

Eulah Wilson had her best Christmas ever thanks to her husband and children. "One Christmas my husband, Doyle O. Wilson, and children Helen, Beverly and Doyle Jr., surprised me.

When we had Christmas at home I didn't get anything. It was a financially bad that year, so I was happy just having my family together.

When we went to Benton for the Wilson family Christmas, under the tree was a big box with five little boxes inside. The boxes were individually wrapped with beautiful Christmas paper. Inside the smallest box was a beautiful Mother's ring with birthstones signifying the birthdays of my husband and me. Was I ever surprised."

Jewell Kyle remembers, "When I was a little girl we would get up at 4 a.m. I would get my doll and toys while my mother cooked breakfast. My father would go out and harness the mules and get the wagon ready to go. Meanwhile my mother would put bricks in the fireplace to get good and warm. She would then put the bricks on the wagon to keep us warm. Since I was an only child it didn't take many bricks. I would sit in my chair with a warm hat and gloves that Santa gave me and we would go 12 miles to Gurdon to my grandmothers house. Despite the icy conditions."

Art Cooper's most rememberable Christmas was spent on a farm in Weeping Water, Neb. With 30-inches of snow on the ground and the temperatures at 18 degrees below zero.

Cooper said, "Mother, bless her heart, made ornaments of popcorn and popcorn balls from sorghum instead of sugar. It was the winter of 1932. There were nine of us including my mom, dad, brothers, sisters and "Pal", my squirrel dog. What a memory. Christ being the top and center."

Watson Smith wrote, "Mother and dad decided it was too bad to try to be with us one particular Christmas. The roads were iced over. So we decided to go to Amity. It was hard driving. We got close to the peach orchard and saw some people in the road talking. They told us the hill was too bad and we should go home. I realized why they said that, they had not tried."

Beatrice Stafford said she didn't know about depression. "We learned to enjoy whatever we received. I only had one doll as a child. However, our family was large and full of "Love".

Her husband Ellis said he remembered Christmas dinners on the fireplace the best.

Ann Smith wrote, "Watson and I had been married about six years. We went to mother and daddy's for Christmas dinner. We ate our dinner and exchanged gifts. I had asked for a milk disc doll. I looked around and didn't see it.

The baby that I am, I started to cry. They wanted to know why. I said "No doll." Watt got up and went to the car. It seems Santa had told him where he had put my doll and Watson forgot it."

Doris Vance remembers how sad she was when her husband was fighting in World War II and she was at home with her one-year-old child. However, her good Christmas memories were having snow in Missouri where she was originally from. "We always had snow and I remember going to Grandmother's for Christmas. One year my mother had bought three dolls. Two had brown hair and one had blonde. Since I was the only blonde I thought I should get the blonde doll. However, my sister threw such a fit I gave her the blonde one. I also remember having Christmas programs at school. One year the girl who was playing the lead didn't show up and I had to fill in for her.

Christmas is a time when we should realize what the meaning really is."

Florence Dodgen Hammonds Van Camp remembers having a big family of eight girls and three boys and always having a big Christmas. "We always had a big tree with pretty decorations on it and a little present for everybody. We had lots of food. So much you wouldn't believe," remembers Van Camp.

Sybil Harris wrote, "June 6, 1958, my husband and I adopted a beautiful nine-month-old baby girl. I had good Christmas' before, but none stood out like the first one with Dianna. Her big brown eyes sparkled when she saw the tree and all her gifts. She was my gift."

Doug and Joyce Quillin's most memorable Christmas was in 1957 when Doug had just been drafted into the Army and sent to Alaska. Joyce moved up in October. This was the first year they had both been away from their families on Christmas Day.

On Christmas Day they called Doug's sister Myrtle Bell, who cried for the first 15 minutes on the phone, the phone call lasted about 30 minutes and cost $87.

Dr. George Peeples remembers 52 years ago when he asked Jean to marry him. He said she was in nursing school and they had to wait two years for her to get out so they could marry.

Harell Everitt remembers hanging his stocking by the fireplace as a child. One Christmas he got a .22-caliber rifle. His grandfather said, "He needs a .22 rifle as much as a hog needs a sidesaddle."

Geneva Everitt said, " Christmas was a happy time when I was young although we didn't have much money. We always chopped down a cedar tree and decorate it with red berries and popcorn. Mama cut a star of cardboard and we covered it with foil to put on top of our tree.

We had Dolly Dimples dolls that mama made for us. Daddy made a doll bed and mama made the mattress, pillow and linens. Daddy also made a table and two chairs.

When I was about five-years-old we went to Granddaddy's house the night before Christmas because they said Santa was coming there.

We were sitting in the fireplace room waiting when everybody asked, "Did ya'll here that? I bet it's Santa Claus." We would listen and peek out the window.

Finally we all went across the hall were the Christmas tree was decorated. All of the sudden we heard Ho! Ho! Ho! We all got very quiet and still. Then Santa came trough the window with a big red bag.

I was too scared to get up and get my gift. Finally Santa just handed it to me. I was so excited. I opened my present and it was a full set of toy dishes. They were blue metal.

I was thrilled to death and ready to go home so I could play with my dishes on the table my daddy had made me.

Memories never fade."