Show YOU AND YOUR HERITAGE Mrs Maud Greaves Deakin now 85 years old Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas past when children would come with their stockings begging begging begging beg beg- ging on Christmas Eve At Christmas time we always had doughnuts candy nuts apples fruitcake and many good things to ea eat They knew they would get a treat Sometimes they would come caroling we always had bad them sing a song My father Peter Greaves would go out caroling caroling caroling car car- oling with members of the AlFred Alfred Al Al- fred Bailey family There was an elderly lady that use to come every Christmas and get a basket filled We didn't know her e name we just called her the Christmas woman I h always l ys hung my stocking above the fireplace on Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas Ev Eve My brother John played play play- ed in the orchestra so he was the last one home He put a lump of coal in my stocking I found it there the next morning Those were happy days All of the c children ildren and grandchildren grandchildren grandchildren grand grand- children of Grandma and Grandpa Grand Grand- pa Greaves gathered at their home for a wonderful and yet most exciting Christmas party I ever remember It took place upstairs upstairs upstairs up up- stairs in the band room The tree was a large pine trimmed in silver silver silver sil sil- ver and gold tinsel then sold bythe by bythe bythe the yard with ornaments and old fashioned candles in candle holders The first part of the evening was spent in singing around the tree Then the gifts were distributed distributed distributed dis dis- by Santa The gifts I l' l remember so well were a long along string of red beads with a tassel on from Grandma and Grandpa a bag of candy and a hair ribbon from Aunt Lillie also a doll bedfor bed bedfor bedfor for my sister and I. I When Santa was through distributing distributing distributing dis dis- the gifts gifts- he stooped over and his beard caught fire This set a limb on fire They took the tree out on the upstairs porch and threw it down on the lawn in the snow It caused quite an excitement but no harm was done As near near as as I remember I was 8 years old and my sister Cassie was 5 making it the Christmas of 1901 The home is the big white rock home South Main Street the theold theold theold old Peter Greaves Greaves' Sr home now owned by Aunt Maud Deakin Joyce Greaves Folster |