Christmas memories from care centers

CRESCO - Look to the local area care facilities for the true holiday spirit. Everywhere there are boxes full of colorful decorations and green trees full of lights. The jolly sound of voices of the medical staff and the sweet memories from past Christmas seasons by the residents.

When the question of what was their favorite tradition and memory of Christmas the residents had many wonderful responses.

Darlene Ferrie recalled, “Santa came and there were plenty of bundles under the tree. We would all go to church together. Christmas noon we got together for a big dinner. That was very nice. Christmas included everybody — Grandmas, uncles, aunts.”

Alice Praska recalled opening gifts. 

Doris Ferrie would get together as a family. “When you got older, then you would go to your own. Not having to cook was the best part.”

Loretta Vokaty said she would “get an apple and orange every single year.” They always had a Christmas tree.

Marcetta Perry remembered, “We always had good Christmases. We went caroling, had family get-togethers, a Christmas exchange and Christmas programs at school.”

Myrtle Larson had a member of her family dress up as Santa but by the sound of his voice others knew who he was and were not surprised. She lived on a farm that butchered 800 of their own chickens of which many were used for the holiday meals.

Rose Fenske said, “When we were kids, we did not hang up stockings but still wanted to be good because Santa Claus would come. We always had a real feast. We lived on a farm and usually had duck or goose or chicken. As a big family we probably had to have a duck or two. 

“Mother made very good dressing. She seemed to have a pretty good sense of seasoning every thing, like a pinch of that a spoonful of that. She never used a recipe book. I do not know how she seasoned it.”

Ada Walter remembered,  “We always had a tree. We had candles on the tree in 1920 at home and on the tree at church. We did not buy a tree in them days.” They grew their own Christmas trees. She was born in 1917 and is 101 years old. In winter they traveled by horse and sleigh. “It was 12 miles to church in a surry, and I hated it. I was the little one so I sat in the back and could not see out.”

Curtis Gjetley “We used to do a lot of sleigh-riding. All over the hill and everything. We would ride on the horses and would pull the sleigh. Then dad would bring around the sleigh to ride.”

Richard and Beulah Fadness together told of a family story of a young grandson who was in a hospital in Iowa City during Christmas. “He had a good time, they had a lot of gifts for the kids in the hospital. Since the rest went home, he got about seven or eight presents.”

Gerald Nehl reminisced, “One year, I was not very old, maybe seven or eight, and I got a train for Christmas. My sister put her foot down right on top of it. Father bent it back. At that time, it was made of metal. I always played with that train and that car. As a kid, we were never allowed to see the tree before supper. Back then, we did not have electricity. It was all lit up with candles.”

The joyous season of Christmas full of traditions and memories certainly has come to the area in abundance.