Puttin' up the "Santy Bush"

[electra225]

We are putting up two fake Christmas trees this year. One with all-blue balls and lights, one with the usual collection of ornaments and multi-colored twinkling lights. Every flat space in the house will have some kind of ornament on it. The wife has been collecting Christmas stuff since she was a little girl. This is "her" time of year, she goes all out, and drags me into the project. The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the official start of the Christmas season to the wife.

When I was a kid, grandpa had a team of Percheron mares. He had a set of show harness for them that belonged to his dad. Instead of having iron hardware, the fancy harness had silver hardware. The mares had long tufts on their feet, they had bushy tails and manes. He curried these "gentle giants" until they were show quality. After Thanksgiving dinner, with both sides of the family dressed in their Sunday best, we would mount his sled made for the occasion, pulled by the mares, and go out to the woods down by the Monon railroad tracks, to cut the Christmas tree. There we no chain saws, this was done by axe and crosscut saw. There would be 30 people on the sled, sitting on plank pews, drinking hot chocolate, singing Christmas carols ( and usually passing the jug). The "Santy bush" would have been pre-selected by grandma. They cut the tree down then we repeated the trip back home. The men would get the tree into the knotty-pine panelled "front porch", then everybody would decorate it. The front porch had tall ceilings, so we always got at least a 12' tall tree. This was a big deal back then. Choreographed pandemonium. The women would argue about which ornament should go where. The men said if the women didn't quit changing their minds, they could do it themselves. It was great. And a memory I'll never forget.

[TC Chris]

Make sure that the memories are printed out and passed on to the relatives, the younger ones, so they will have some family history. Memory is frail and having the stories on paper will preserve them.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I have an open reel tape of one of our Christmas tree decorating sessions. I processed it to CD and offered it to the younger generation. Not one single taker, not ONE. I had everybody introducing themselves, many of them are now gone. My great grandmother, who was my school teacher until the 8th grade, prayed for the blessing on our assembly and for the season. We all were singing, the elders told stories of how things were done when they were younger, great grandmother was cussing in German. She never did cuss in English. You could tell when she was aggravated when she started speaking German. She was in her 90's then. I have a tape of her when she turned 100. No takers. I have pictures, momentos, my childhood chair Uncle Fort made out of black cherry, my baby dish and spoon, grandma's radios, our first TV, mom's and my first record players, all that stuff. Nobody cares. Sad, really sad. All they are interested in is video games, phones and the "in" sneakers.

They will pay $150 for a pair of fancy sneakers, then try to see how dirty and nasty they can get them as fast as they can. They show up for dinner on their phone, walking on their dirty shoe laces, too lazy to tie them up. I don't get it. When my wife was considerably younger, she wouldn't be caught DEAD with even the tiniest spec of suspected dirt on her sparkling white PF Flyers. Only one of "those girls" would be seen wearing even slightly soiled sneakers. Keds were acceptable if they were on sale, but in all cases only sparkling white with a spare pair in case of tragedy would work......

My grandfather would not touch a TV set or a radio or a record player to run it himself. That is what he had "THE BOY", me, for. But he insisted on having me run the "Victrola" so we could have music during supper. I had to tune the radio in his Buick. He would turn it on and adjust the volume, but that was it. He wouldn't touch the TV, no way, no how. He would jinx it. Then if it didn't work for Lawrence Welk, he knew he would be "in for it".......

Dad's favorite singer was Redd Stewart. He was the singer for the Pee Wee King band. Dad could sing exactly like Redd Stewart. I have a tape of dad singing, with the western swing band at church backing him up singing "The Kentucky Waltz" and "You Belong To Me". Nobody cares. Dad has been gone since 1987. All the guys in the band are gone except one. My dad could not read nor write, but he could sing and he was light on his feet, a skill that certainly passed my generation. Therein lies a tale.....

[William]

I don't understand it either. I have offered many a family heirloom to generations below me and they have all said no thank you. I guess, like you said Greg, they are too busy with their phones to care about their ancestors and what it was like for them. Very Sad!

Bill

[walyfd]

I agree it's sad. There will come a time where they may feel differently and it'll be too late...

I put up the tree today. First time without my dad... its the same artificial tree they bought the Christmas before I was born and the only one I've ever known. Now that's a whole lot of nostalgia but I'm glad I did it. Life has to go on but your past isn't disposable. I have ornaments from the original owners of our house that the family left behind. And I find that sad because I think all their kids are gone now... I will be, too, but, for now, I'll keep the faith.

And I had to fix a string of lights that mysteriously decided to stop working this year.

[William]

I have boxes and boxes of every Christmas light every invented along with all kinds of vintage ornaments, some even date back to my great/great grandparents. Two summers ago, I went thru all the Christmas stuff and separated out my favorite things which still left me with many a box. Since no one in the family wanted any of it I gave it to the neighborhood kids. Parents' permission of course. The kids were thrilled, and I was happy it went to a good home.

I have not decorated yet and I always start with the outside lights and work my way indoors. I did run the extension cords to the appropriate trees before the snow came so that would be ready. Next week I will start the outside.

I miss the traditions that we had when I was growing up. It was a much simpler time, a more relaxed time but maybe that was because I was a kid.

Bill

[electra225]

Bill, it was a simpler time. People knew their neighbors and everybody looked out for the other guy. People went to church, got involved with the school. You didn't screw somebody unless you didn't mind getting your head handed to you. You minded your manners. Your word was your bond and your handshake was golden. You opened doors for ladies, helped them with their coat and held their chair for them. You didn't cuss in front of your mom, grandma or the circuit preacher. I could cuss all I wanted when I was with grandpa or Uncle Fort, both excellent users of all the juicy cusswords. A kid didn't backtalk their elders, lest they risk getting their ears boxed. I could ride my bike to Patricksburg, to Mr. Durant's general store. All the ladies on the route would call grandma, telling her I was okay. Better than GPS, this was over 60 years ago. Eight miles one way. I would buy a 5 cent Coke and a 5 cent 3 Musketeers candy bar, "a belly ache for a dime". Then pedal back home. Kids couldn't think about doing that today.

[TC Chris]

Since no one in the family wanted any of it I gave it to the neighborhood kids. Parents' permission of course. The kids were thrilled, and I was happy it went to a good home.

Those kids may remember you long after you are gone. I have the bits of construction material that Mr. Phillips brought back from a sales trip to the Mackinaw Bridge, the Edison phono that Virgil Collins gave me, and radios from grandparent on both sides. Note that approx. 65 years later I can call out the names. I have the P-P 6V6 amp pulled from a school phone and the Magnavox 2A3 SE amp that Cal, the school system A-V repair guy, gave me. Etc.

You often will never know the effects of small acts of kindness.

Chris Campbell

[TC Chris]

I have an open reel tape of one of our Christmas tree decorating sessions. I processed it to CD and offered it to the younger generation. Not one single taker, not ONE. I had everybody introducing themselves, many of them are now gone. My great grandmother, who was my school teacher until the 8th grade, prayed for the blessing on our assembly and for the season. We all were singing, the elders told stories of how things were done when they were younger, great grandmother was cussing in German. She never did cuss in English. You could tell when she was aggravated when she started speaking German. She was in her 90's then. I have a tape of her when she turned 100. No takers. I have pictures, momentos, my childhood chair Uncle Fort made out of black cherry, my baby dish and spoon, grandma's radios, our first TV, mom's and my first record players, all that stuff. Nobody cares. Sad, really sad. All they are interested in is video games, phones and the "in" sneakers.

I'll bet that as they grow older, some of them might develop a greater interest. There is an age-related influence here. I could engage my GPs and GGPs in hours and hours of conversations now; when I was 25, I would not have known what to ask. A while back I found out that my GGF had been a partner in drug store in the town where I now live. I pass his partner's house on my bike every work day. Wouldn't I love to hear the family gossip bout that venture!! Way too late....

Chris Campbell

[19&41]

It simply takes getting older along with more and more of the old things dissapearing around them for them to take any interest in what we cherish. Then it will be harder to get those things and it will pique their interest more. Think of each of your interest in such things when you were younger, as opposed to now. It's a cycle between generations.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Greg,
Keep those stories comin'.
They are part of our modern history.

I am so glad to have memories of my Mom's
parents' small farm that we visited in my
childhood.
It was magical and maybe that's why I
always enjoy reading Dandelion Wine,
by Ray Bradbury. Innocence captured.

My grandmother never learned English, but
I always felt her love when she talked Czech
to us.
Usually my Mother would translate and
also get us to say a few phrases that always
made my Grandma beam !

And you cannot beat homemade bread made
in a wood stove oven !
That darkened crust was great !

[William]

When I was growing up there was a never married lady who was named Mae. To everyone that knew her she was Aunt Mae, kind of like a great aunt or grandma to everyone. She was from Czechoslovakia but had been in the US long enough to speak perfect English. Throughout her life she had worked many places, both in corporate America as well as domestic servant. During her domestic servant years, she was a chief for some very wealthy people in the Chicago area. Because of that, she needed to prepare exquisite meals. When she retired and moved back to our sleepy little town; she brought her cooking skills with her. She loved to cook for people, and I was one of the people she loved to cook for. Back then I could eat just about anything without repercussions. One of my favorite meals that she cooked, which has nothing to do with her fancy cooking skills was Veal Piprakash. My mouth still waters when I think of it. And lastly, in her little home in the country she had a stove. It was part electric, and part wood burning.