Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma's
         
by Dorothy Beck Cressman
         
Of course, there was always a Christmas dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's when 
I was a child.  Some of the things I remember about it were stringing pop corn
chains for the Christmas tree.  Also, we strung some kind of red seeds, 
I don't know what they were.  I remember the well worn tinsel that went
on the tree, along with other decorations.
         
Grandpa would go to the wood shed and crack pans of hickory nuts, butternuts 
and walnuts.  Evening time, and spare time, was spent picking out nut meats, 
the broken pieces went in one dish and the whole nut meats in another.  There
would be a candy making bee.  The white divinity would have a whole walnut meat
on top.  The seafoam would get a butternut meat, chocolate fudge had the broken 
nut meats, and often a whole hickory nut meat on top.  There was also maple 
candy.  Grandma or Aunt Opal made pop-corn balls and cracker-jack.  They also 
made a puffed rice candy.
         
Of course we got toys, but most of all I remember the "tin can" stools, 
made by covering tall juice cans, first with muslin, then with wool cloth, 
usually the good parts of old dresses or pants.  Then they were sewn together 
and feather stitched and embroidered with flowers and pretty designs.  Aunt Pearl
usually crocheted something for my dolls, and often made doll clothes. The boys
got crocheted or knitted wristlets, mittens, caps and scarves.  (Wristlets are 
circle bands about six inches wide that bridge the gap between mittens and 
short sleeved coats.
         
Then the Christmas feast was really something.  Grandma, Mother and the Aunts 
filled the tables to overflowing with wonderfully delicious foods, and we would 
really stuff ourselves.
         
These were extremely pleasant memories of very happy days.