The first snow came. It was exciting to watch the flakes fall to the ground. It made Berdina think about Thanksgiving which would soon be here. This year they would have relatives for dinner; some years they would go to her cousins. Berdina remembered how last year, when they were going through the woods, she had stood up for a minute on the bobsled and lost her tassle cap on a tree branch. Pa had to stop the horses and go back and get it.

Thanksgiving morning everyone was up early to get the work done. It was fun for Berdina to watch her Ma stuff the goose. When she peeled the apples for the stuffing, she would try to make the peeling all in one piece. Berdina and her sisters would eat the peelings as fast as Ma could peel. Berdina and Lydia sat at the table, but Ma and the older girls did the cooking. It was also fun to watch Ma mix up the pie crusts, roll them out and flip them in the pie pan. Today she made pies from the pumpkins she had cooked the day before. Grandma and Lydia had put the pumpkin through a sieve to make it nice and smooth. The pie would be topped with whip cream for dinner, there was always plenty of cream as Ma would skim it off the milk can before the milk man came to pick it up.
After praying and eating there were lots of dishes to be washed, but there were lots of people to help and soon the dishes were clean and placed in the cupboard in the pantry. This cupboard had a big door on the front that was covered with screen to keep the flies out in the warm weather. The pantry also held the big grey metal flour bin which easily held one hundred pounds of flour, a big rolling pin aid flour sifter. Ma always made certain that bin had plenty of flour in it. Sugar also came in one hundred pound sacks, it was emptied into a big metal can in the pantry.

The sacks from the flour and sugar were used for sewing. First they had to be soaked and boiled to remove the print. The flour sacks made sheets and pillow cases. Since the sugar sacks were softer, they made dish towels and bloomers and petticoats for Berdina and her sisters. There was no money to be spent on store bought things that could be made at home.

The day after Thanksgiving vacation was an exciting day as Berdina and all the other children who attended the little school down the road received their part to learn for the Christmas program that would be put on for the parents. Some got a short piece to recite, others got a part in a play. Each day they all practiced Christmas songs they would sing.

At church Berdina and her sisters and brothers also had a part to learn, it was part of the Christmas story from the Bible. Each Saturday forenoon they practiced for this.

More snow came. Now the wood had to be dug out of the snow after school each day, there was some stored in the root cellar in the basement that could be used if too much snow came.
Ma took her geraniums and other house plants off the window sills as the window panes were now covered with frost in beautiful pictures of trees, flowers and fairies.

Ma said, “Jack Frost came in the night and made the pictures.”

Berdina wondered what Jack Frost looked like. Now the plants, which grew in tin cans that were painted white or red, sat on a small table in the kitchen. The big ferns that stood on pedestals in the living room had also been moved away from the windows. Ma loved caring for her house plants and didn’t want to lose them to the frost.

Berdina’s oldest sister, Rose, was a school teacher; she was also a good seamstress. On weekends when she came home, she sewed for the girls. Everyone had to have a new dress for Christmas. Berdina thought that this year her sister was making her the prettiest dress she ever saw. It was red, black and silver plaid, the dress had long sleeves and a little bolero.

Ma was busy these days baking for Christmas, she made cut out sugar cookies: white ones and molasses ones. There were stars, trees and angels. Berdina’s favorite was a rocking horse. Everyone helped frost and trim the cookies with colored sugar then they were placed in big jars for Christmas Eve. Berdina and her sisters were allowed to eat the broken ones. The house smelled so good from the baking and the fudge that was cooking on the range, a big kettle of it. Berdina’s sister, Ottillie, was making it. After it was cooked, Ottillie would beat it until it was cold; then she added butternuts to some of it. The rest she put raisins in, then poured it on big platters. It was good to be able to lick the kettle.

Pa bought some candy at the little store, hard red cherries on a wire; these could be put on the tree and eaten later. He also bought a hard chocolate covered candy that was called fairy food.

A few Christmas cards arrived the week before Christmas from relatives in Germany and Michigan. These were saved and read over and over again. The Bible, the catalog and a farm magazine that came each month were about all there was to read except for school books.  The program at school was held a few nights before Christmas in the evening after the milking was done. Berdina could wear her new dress and a little ribbon in her curly hair. Her hair sometimes caused friction between her and Lydia and Pauline as they both had straight hair.  Berdina sometimes wondered why she had the curly hair and not her sisters. One year at the Christmas program Berdina had to recite this piece:

There was a little girl she had a little curl
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good she was very, very good

but when she was bad she was horrid.
 

Berdina didn’t like saying this piece but her teacher insisted she say it. Everyone laughed when she was through. Berdina liked the one her brother Teddy had to say:

I am going to hang up my stocking
I want to hang up two
but Mother says, “No Theodore
I think that one will do.”
 

Then he brought out a huge stocking that he had hid behind him. It was fun to stand on the stage which had been made from planks and watch the curtains pulled back, curtains that were made from sheets and strung on wire.

Some of the pupils were so frightened they couldn’t recite.

There was a trimmed tree in the corner on the stage, the first one anyone had seen so far this year. This real excitement came when Berdina heard bells and Santa came through the door. He carried a big bag that held a small toy for each child and a little bag of candy.

The day before Christmas finally came. In the afternoon water was heated in the big tea kettle on the range, the wash tub brought into the, living room and placed near the heater stove. Berdina and her sisters had their weekly bath. Berdina was glad to get out of the water and pull on her clean long underwear. The only time she took it off all winter was for her bath. After their bath the girls went upstairs to sleep or at least rest.

When Berdina and her sisters came down for supper the door to the living room was closed.

Ma said, “Santa is in there trimming the tree.”
After supper the door was opened, and there in the corner stood the tree all lit up with candles and shiny with tinsel, dolls and decorations of all shapes. An angel stood at the top. Under the tree were gifts, no wrappings, just dolls, sleds and many more. There was a big doll for Berdina with a pink party dress and bonnet to match. She had on socks and black patent shoes that Berdina could take off. Best of all she said “Mama” and closed and opened her eyes. Lydia got tin dishes and Pauline
got a doll too, but her’s was smaller and when Pauline laid her down she said, “Her eyes don’t close like Berdina’s doll’s do.”

She was very unhappy and didn’t want her doll.

Ma said, “You will get a bigger one when you are older.”

There wasn’t too much time to play as tonight was the service at church. Everyone got dressed in their best clothes, then bundled up in their warm coats and boots and walked the short distance to church.

There in the church was a tree reaching almost to the ceiling. It was lit up with candles and several men stood close by watching the tree. As the service started, Berdina could hardly keep her eyes off the tree and the big brown bags under it. She knew there were goodies in them. Christmas songs were sung and the Christmas story told by the children. After the service the men handed out the bags, one for each child. They held peanuts and an orange, something Berdina only got, if she was sick. There was a small bag inside the big one that held hard Christmas candy and a few soft sugar candies.

Back home everyone warmed up with hot cocoa and Christmas cookies. Berdina and her sisters were awake early the next morning and down by the tree in a hurry. After breakfast they had to do the dishes as Ma and the older girls were busy cooking. Some of their Aunts and Uncles were coming for dinner.

Soon Berdina head the sound of sleigh bells growing louder every moment, then the bobsled came up the road and drove up to the house. Everyone was covered with quilts and horse blankets. They were bundled up so much they could hardly walk. Shep barked and ran about but he was a friendly dog and soon settled down.

As soon as they were all unwrapped and Berdina and her sisters had all received kisses from the Aunts, they ran in by the tree to show their new gifts to their cousins.

At dinner all the children had to be quiet as the older folks talked. They knew they were expected to be seen and not heard, but they were busy eating and didn’t mind. Today there were enough grown ups to do the dishes so the children could go and play while the women worked and talked.

Berdina shared her candy with her cousins and Ma passed around the fudge. They all enjoyed playing Old Maid, a favorite card game, and Uncle Wiggely, a board game.

After a light supper the company had to leave so they could get home for chores.

There were two weeks of Christmas vacation, time to sleigh ride, play games and have fun.

Berdina’s next door neighbor was Lila. She was the only child in her family so she spent a lot of time at Berdina’s house. Berdina and her sisters also spent time at Lila’s house. Lila had an unusual Christmas tree. It was all decorated with food: apples, oranges, popcorn balls, nuts, decorated cut out cookies and ribbon candy. Each time the girls visited they were allowed to take something off the tree to eat. By the time vacation was over the tree was untrimmed.