The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1931-12-17

S.s:s VIII h we who
ez...-.-.z..zA--:assz have lived in cold
er chimes have grown to think so nee
essary at the Yuletide. Yet we al
ways associate holly and mistletoe
with the Christmas period and this
is the land where these symbols are
to be plentifully found.
The early settlers of Virginia car
ried with them from Old England the
practice of celebrating Christmas in
a joyous manner and the season was
always one Of great happiness in ter
ritory adjacent to where the city of
Washington is now. Those were the
days before the coming of electricity,
oil, coal and coke as fuels and when
furnaces were unknown. Fireplaces
still prevail hereabouts and in Colon
ial times they were the regular order.
Consequently it was not strange that
much of the merriment of Christmas
conferred around the great glowing
hearths where burned the Yule logs
brightly. George Washington, in his
diary, mentions on days before
Christmas that he was busy seeing
to it that great quantities Of wood
were made ready Tor burning in the
various fireplaces on the most import
ant Christian holiday.
What a wonderful thing it must
have been to have been a guest at
Mount Vernon over the Christmas
period and to have awakened in the
fine old house on the morning of De-
cember twenty-fifth to find all in
readiness for a fitting and proper OBJ
servance of the day, which, you may
be sure, was started by the singing of
Christmas carols about the mansion.
There were many servants at the
great Virginia estate and to them
Christmas was always a period of un-
stinted pleasure, according to old ac-
counts, their condition at such per-
iod being pointed ont in the lines,
Christmas comes but once a year,
but when it comes it bring good
cheer; every one must have his share,
apple cider and simmon beer"
1t was not necessary for the good
folks at Mount Vernon to go to Alex
andria to buy much food for Christ
mas, and they could not come to the
city of Washington, for this town was
not here at that time. Residents of
Mount Vernon found the rivers,
woods and fields filled with food for
the taking,-fish, games, fruits and
nuts. Wild swan, for instance, was
a common item on the family menu.
And, of course, wild turkey could be
taken at will.
Item from Washington's diary:
There was company, as usual. We
dined on Irish goose and drank a
health to our absent friends"
Of course, people of quality sort of
associated together in those times,
distinctions between aristocracy and
other states being recognized, and
this resulted in the close union Of
many old families in bonds of kim
ship through intermarriage. and thus
it was that such places as Mount
Vernon were always prepared to keep
open house for relatives as they
might happen along. When it is -e-
membered that there were not re-
strictions in the size of families in
those times and that it was common
to find eight and ten children in each
household, it can readily be under
stood that when one or two families
swooped down upon such a favorite
home as Mount Vernon, the house
would be quickly filled up. Conse-
quently there was an ever present
necessity for Mr.. and Mrs. Washing
ton to be prepared to provide for the
inner wants of a scor. or two of
visitors, if necessary, and especially
was this true when Christmas rolle.i
around. And to the visitors the great
numbers of servants, and the idea can
be grasped that teeming pantries and
larders and Easements were always
essential.
In those peaceful days Of the Vir-
ginia countryside, folks did not just
drop in on Christmas Day, have din
ner and Immediately depart. No one
was in any particular hurry. Calm
and placid enjoyment of life was more
the rule than the exception and no
one felt the necessity of hurrying
back to his job, his business, or his
profession. In fact, people were
mostly planters, and things could
really be put off, especially when it
is realized that all the well-to-do
families had plenty of servants who
could be depended upon to take care
of the routine duties of households
and farms.
Thus it was that the Christmas
season did not end on Christmas
night. 1t was quite apt to continue
throughout the remainder Of the
week and well on into the one follow