JINGLE BELLS & THE NIGHT SKY
Seasonal exhibit now on display in the Cut Knife Library, 113 Broad Street.
“The concerts in the mid-thirties (which I recall the best) were a bit different than they are today. The day of the concert, preparations were made earlier in the afternoon, such as putting bricks in the oven to warm up, as we used them for foot-warmers, blankets were folded and ready to go. Chores, like feeding the cows and horses were done early, along with the milking and separating. The old cows must have wondered what was happening as the milking was done much quicker than usual. When supper was finished, the horses were harnessed and hitched to the open sleigh, but one must never forget to attach the bells to the harness.” ~ Dorothy MacDonald, page 15
“Somewhere in the 30’s when money was scarce and mostly disappeared on the necessities of life, a system was set up by the school board and community ensuring a gift for all pre-school children and students. A list of children, including age and gender was sent to Eaton’s. The company filled the order well. The big boxes that arrived at Gallivan station had to be sorted and labeled. There were such items as games, books, gloves, and wallets. There were toys for the younger children. The appropriate gifts were of excellent value and much appreciated.” ~ Dorothy (Hardy) Stewart, page 58-59
“Usually the last item on the program was the beauty and reverence of the nativity. In this the young performers were taught the true meaning of Christmas – Christ’s birthday was the reason for the season. It was often in the form of a pantomime with a narrator. The stage was dimly lit with a lone bright star placed above the stable.” ~ Ruby Sleath, page 55
“I was five years old when I first remember going to the concert with the family with a team and sleigh. It was a clear, warm evening and the bells on the horses’ harness jingled as they trotted along the road. Dad loved working with horses and no doubt the horses were “dressed up” too with braided tails and shiny harnesses… As we returned home, I was fascinated by the dancing northern lights.” ~ Mary Biggart, page 3
“Elsie remembers one year when she was about 11 years old… While her twin baby sisters rode in the cab with her parents, Elsie clearly remembers standing between the cab and the truck box in a narrow space with her brother and sister. She recalls the clear sky filled with stars as they drove the mile home after the concert.” ~ Elsie Sawatzky as told to Bonnie Ramsay, page 34
“I remember going to my older brother’s Christmas concert at Euclid school near Neilburg. I clearly recall my brothers, Stan and Les Christensen, rushing in to tell me, their little sister, that not only had they seen Santa and his eight reindeer (Rudolph hadn’t joined the team yet) land on the porch roof, they had also watched him climb back into his sleigh and drive off into the night sky.” ~ Alice Ramsay, page 25
“The men would assemble the stage from planks fastened together, and hang the curtains well ahead of the concert so we could practice in school hours, during those years that the school was still in use. After it was closed, the people of Wardenville bought it for a community centre and continued to hold an annual Christmas Concert. In later years Ross remembers standing in front of the stage on little white benches trimmed with red, to give his recitation.” ~ Amy Singh, page 38
“For several years Georgie Gallivan and I organized a Christmas concert at the Gallivan hall. This was after both schools had closed. We had quite a time inveigling children to perform, but they reluctantly participated. Riding Hill and Rockhaven people came as well… The seniors really looked forward to this old time concert with coffee and lunch served afterwards. Edwin Armstrong always looked after the fire in the old coal furnace. Finally we pretty well ran out of young children and the Rockhaven community did one at Rockhaven for a couple of years.” ~ Vilda Laing, page 14
“For a few years after the Wilbert School children were bussed to Cut Knife (1957), our Wilbert Homemaker’s Club sponsored a Christmas party for the children at the Wilbert School. There would be a program performed by the children and Santa would come with candy bags for the children. It was a very pleasant evening for all.” ~ Verna Veikle, page 66
Previously: The School Concert, Part 2 | The School Concert, Part 1 | Intro to Prairie Christmas.
If you have any memories of early Christmases in the Cut Knife area that you’d like to share with our readership, please email or add to the comments below. We’ll put them all together in a final blog post in early January.
All excerpts in this Prairie Christmas blog series will have been taken from Prairie Christmas: A Collection of Stories and Recollections published as A Clayton McLain Memorial Museum Project, Cut Knife, Saskatchewan 2006 – 2007. Remaining copies are available for purchase for $10. See the website’s Gift Shop page here.
~ Debbie M.
Clayton McLain Memorial Museum 