| I remember one special Christmas morning, | | | | why the terminology changed; must have been |
| when dad and mother yawningly turned the | | | | Yankee influence. |
| Christmas tree lights on in the corner of the | | | | |
| living room, illuminating all the wonders | | | | Even though Thanksgiving's feast had only |
| that Santa had brought the night before. | | | | been a month before, Christmas dinner always |
| This was before television and computers and | | | | was a little more spectacular, if only in the |
| well before video games. | | | | sweets department. There were no counting |
| | | | calories when I was a kid, especially on |
| As though it was yesterday, just as the | | | | Christmas day. In addition to my mother's |
| morning light was seeping through the | | | | contribution of sweets, my Aunts always came |
| windows, I saw a red cowboy hat and a Roy | | | | over and brought with them ridiculous amounts |
| Roger's gun and holster set under the tree. | | | | of sugary delights, all of which would be |
| On the other side of the tree there was a tan | | | | eaten. |
| cowboy hat and pistol set. This one was for | | | | |
| my younger brother. | | | | By dinner time the house was full of the |
| | | | fragrances of ham, turkey, sweet potatoes and |
| As I recall, that was the extent of my | | | | every kind of side dish you can imagine. |
| Christmas gifts. By today's standards it was | | | | Thanksgiving dinner had been just a warm up |
| sort of skimpy, but our family couldn't have | | | | for the main event. Christmas was the when |
| enjoyed the day more. In addition to our | | | | relatives you hadn't seen since Aunt Bertha's |
| genuine cowboy outfits, Santa Claus brought | | | | funeral showed up for dinner. That year was |
| mom a new hand bag while dad got another tie. | | | | no exception! |
| It was a wonderful Christmas morning! | | | | |
| | | | Mom always made the coconut cake and |
| The day however, was just beginning. After | | | | fruitcake. It was her specialty and no one |
| my brother and I had chased off any outlaw or | | | | would even try to match her on either one of |
| renegades that might have sneaked into our | | | | those. I'm not sure of the recipe, but she |
| house during the night, we greedily ate some | | | | made her cake with real coconuts. I recall |
| of the apples, oranges and nuts that Santa | | | | her cracking the hard shell with a hammer, |
| had scattered under the tree. Back then | | | | draining the milk into a glass and then |
| these fruits were a delicacy we only enjoyed | | | | prying out the coconut, which she shredded. |
| on Christmas morning and rarely were there | | | | No packaged pre-shredded coconut for her! An |
| any left for the next day. | | | | hour before the table was set, Aunt Vida |
| | | | arrived with two of her chocolate pies and |
| Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor | | | | enough fudge to feed Rhode Island. Aunt |
| cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is | | | | Helen balanced a real German Chocolate cake |
| also the author and owner of this article. | | | | in one hand and a gallon of boiled custard in |
| Visit his sites at: It may seem as if | | | | the other. These were in the center ring of |
| I'm painting a picture of a poverty stricken | | | | our Christmas dinner circus. |
| household, but on the contrary, we were | | | | |
| somewhat more affluent than most of our | | | | While other folks brought food items, none |
| neighbors. It was just a simpler and more | | | | were in the same class as my mother's Coconut |
| innocent time with each gift important to us. | | | | cake and my two aunts' chocolate pie and |
| Receiving only a few items at Christmas | | | | German chocolate cake. Sometimes there was a |
| seemed to give make those gifts more | | | | little controversy as to whose boiled custard |
| precious, if you can call a Roy Rogers | | | | was the best. No one ever really won that |
| genuine cap gun and holster set precious. | | | | argument! |
| | | | |
| When things began to settle down a little and | | | | While none of us can turn back the clock, |
| the wrapping paper was packed up and stowed | | | | this is a time for remembering special |
| in trash cans, the ribbons carefully save in | | | | moments of the past. Maybe this year's |
| a box for next year, mom began Christmas | | | | Christmas will be a great memory for one of |
| dinner. In the south back then, lunch was | | | | our kids. It's nice to think so. |
| dinner and dinner was supper. I still wonder | | | | |