The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1959-01-09
DOWN
TO
EARTH
BY
CARLTON
MORRIS
Editor. The Index
coiesviIle. N. G.
THAT HAPPY, FOOLISH
TINE IS HERE AGAIN

That happy, foolish, gay time
called Christmas is here again and
every year / become more and
more convinced that it was invent
ed for children only.
Once it was great event to me,
but now it represents hard work,
hu1rying, frantic people, frayed
nerves, shopping, shopping and
more shopping. Morris, you're get
ting old.
1t is still the greatest time of
the year for young and old alike.
The kids look forward to the great
day in anticipation of what they
will receive and we old folks look
forward to it because no matter
how old we are, we can never for,
get our own childhood.
can never forget the high ex-
pectancy that always preceded the
day when l was a child. The world
was sort of slow and unhurried in
those days and just before Christ
mas time stood absolutely still.
School always turned out a week
or more before Christmas and how
the hours did drag. l always had
plenty of work to do. AS the only
boy in a family with three girls,
l had the task of supplying fire
wood, and no matter how much
wood / got together in the early
fall, we always ran out just be-
fore Christmas.
1t seemed to me as if all my
friends were free as the air and
they passed me by as l struggled
with axe and saw to keep the home
fire burning. My dad was a task
master and he would invariably
set me the task of cutting a couple
of loads of wood during the week
before Christmas. l couldn't work,
for even when / was too busy to
see my friends pass by, l could
hear their guns as they rambled
and hunted every day.
was never sure | would get
exactly what l wanted even when
| grew to the age where / didn't
have much faith in old man Claus.
Hunting was our main pastime
and l could never muster enough
money for more than half-dozen
gunshells at the time, so l always
put in my order early with the old
gent for a whole box of shells at
Christmas. When / received a box
of Is shells l had all any boy
could want.
No matter how slow time drags
it has way of passing and finally
it would be the night before
Christmas. No TV kept US out of
bed in those days but that was
always night of little sleep for
me. | always envied my sisters,
for they could go to bed and sleep
like angels while l could only roll
and toss the hours away. The only
time in our house was the old
Seth Thomas on the mantel and l
usually heard it strike every hour
and half-hour until we'll after mid
night. Then / might sleep for
while, but the second it began to
strike q o'clock / was up lighting
the kerosene lamp.
Then / was faced with prob
lem. Should l put on my clothes
first, build fire first or look over
the offerings of Mr.. Claus? Us
ually he won the decision and
when the box of shells showed up
the day was going to be sue
cess.
Our shells were all loaded with
black powder in those days, and
a light gun would knock the plu-
perfect daylights out of 12-year-
old boy, but l always had to go
out and awaken the neighborhood
with a couple of blasts. One boy
in the neighborhood could never
hold any shells in reserve for the
rest of the day. When my blast
went off, he would get up and
hurry out to answer me. By that
time every boy for miles around
would be up and firing away. He
would answer every blast until his
25 shells were gone.
Times have changed. My two
boys will sit up until midnight on
Christmas Eve and l have to chase
them out of bed the next morning
and they get more loot than l ever
received during my entire child
hood. In addition to that, my old
est is 16 and he never built a
fire in his life, for we heat the
house with an oil furnace. He
doesn't want to get out of bed
even on a warm floor.
No one, not even this old dream
err, wants to go back to those hard
days, but l do believe they put
iron in the soul. And the kids en-
joyed Christmas more.
In the meantime, your old coun-
try editor is wishing for you and
yours very Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year. and il the