"Between the Creeks" Page: 278
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CHRISTMAS STORIES
Churches celebrated Christmas in special ways 12-20-87
The jingle of harnesses and the excited laughter of children echoed in the cold
night air as families made their way to the "Christmas Tree." Some people rode on
horseback over muddy or hard-frozen roads. Some rode in style in buggies, but most
large families came in their wagons, all bundled up together in quilts. There was a warm
glow shining through the church windows to greet them when they arrived in the dark
churchyard; someone had gone earlier to light the lamps and to build a fire in the pot-
bellied stove.
Everyone rushed into the warmth. While their parents greeted their neighbors and
kin, the children stared in awe at the giant Christmas tree in the corner. The tree was a
native cedar, probably cut that day from a nearby pasture. It was as big a tree as could be
hauled through the church doors. It was so tall that the top branches scraped the high
ceiling.
When everyone had arrived and had warmed up, the program began. Carols were
sung, a child or two said their piece, and the Christmas story was given. Sometimes the
story was enacted as the Bible verses were read. After the program, fruit and candy were
given to the children. Some parents placed small gifts under the tree for their children.
This was a scene that was repeated annually at most rural or small town churches
for many years. The term Christmas Tree was used to refer to the event as well as to the
decorated tree. The Christmas Tree remained as transportation changed and electricity
reached our small communities in the 1940s and 1950s. Although some small churches
still have Christmas Trees, most were lost as the rural schools closed and the small
churches disbanded. They are now just nostalgic memories for many of us of long-ago
childhoods.
A couple of years ago, I asked several people who are longtime residents of this
area what they remembered about their childhood Christmases. Gladys Young, who lives
near the old Rowlett Baptist Church, said that her father would ride a horse over to the
church on the day of the Tree to attend to the tree and all the other details. He would get
the building warm before he rode home to take the family to church in a buggy. Gladys,
who first played the piano for church services when she was 12, played for many
Christmas programs at Rowlett.
In Allen, another young musician, Viola Rose, played for the First Christian
Church when she was so small that she could not reach the piano pedals. The church had
an old pump organ, too, but she never played it because she could not pump it. Christmas
was an exciting time for Viola and her sister, Minnie. They could not wait for Santa and
usually searched for hidden treats. Rose said if they got a rag doll, they were satisfied.
Roland Miller said that the ten Miller children did not get many gifts while he was
growing up, but each child hung up a stocking. His sister, Roberta Story, was only 7
when their father died, but she remembered that he would bring in a cotton sack full of
fruit and would hide it under a bed until he filled the 10 stockings on Christmas Eve.
Kathleen Leach said that the Bell children did not get much for Christmas. "If we
got one thing, we were tickled to death," she said.278
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[Name Index to Gwen Pettit Articles] (Text)
Spreadsheet index of personal and family names found in the compiled transcriptions of newspaper articles written by Gwen Pettit about the local history of Allen, Texas.
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Pettit, Gwen. "Between the Creeks", book, July 2006; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth752794/m1/283/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .