As a farm boy growing up in the ’50’s and ’60’s, Christmas was always a special time on the Wally Smith farm. There were always celebrations at friends houses to attend as well as entertaining those same friends at the Smith house.
Wally had built a large living room when I was just a little guy. I remember a man named Dickens had come out to help with the construction. That living room also gave us space to entertain friends and families which included the Oslands, the Jack MacDonalds, the Jack Venables, the Zarellis, the Phelps’, and Wally’s cousins Barbara MacDonald and Jim Stewart who were also brother and sister
Auntie Kay labored all day cooking a scrumptious meal. When the meal was finally served, it was consumed in an hour. The women and some of the men would wash the dishes, then all would settle down to an evening of cards and other table games.
A snack of cold turkey and rolls would be prepared during the evening to be washed down with home grown grape and apple juice. Of course we always provided home grown Filbert and Wall nuts to be shelled by the eater.
When 11 o’clock rolled around, the visitors started to leave, for children needed to go to bed and some of the farmers had live stock to feed in the morning. When all were gone, Wally and Auntie Kay would wash the remaining dishes leaving the rest of the tidying until morning.
May all the readers of this column, have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year.