Christmas In The Old South: Yuletide Season Brings Nostalgic Thoughts Of Joyous Event At Famous Womack Home
By Mrs. Sam Bason [Martha Eliza Hatchett (1896-1993)]
Yanceyville, Dec 14 -- The old farm house sets empty and forlorn by the side of the road as those of us who knew and loved it for so many years pass up and down the highway. The very sight of it brings to us a feeling of nostalgia for the old days, especially at Christmas time!
This old house was the home of one of Caswell County's most illustrious sons. The marker in front of the house reads, "Bartlett Yancey, congressman, state legislator, political leader, died in 1828 at the age of 42. His home and grave are here."
Wonderful Days
Bartlett Yancey's grandson, Thomas Pancoast Womack and wife, Mattie Hatchett Womack, later owned it and lived there. It was during this period that we shall do a bit of reminiscing.
Days of preparation for Christmas Day itself and the holidays themselves were wonderful days at "Summer Hill." "Aunt Mat" and "Uncle Tom" had no children of their own, but there were always some of the many nieces and nephews around. Christmas was the time, and "Summer Hill" the place for gathering of the clan.
For days before Christmas the kitchen with its big wood range was a busy, good smelling place. Aunt Mat and Cousin Jence (our old maid cousin whom we adored) were cooking cakes, pies, cheese straws, beaten biscuits, etc. Often this cooking went on until far into the night. The children shelled walnuts and hickory nuts, grated cheese and coconuts, of course tasting as we went along besides scraping bowls from cake batter and icings -- humming Christmas songs as we worked.
Aroma Of Cedar And Food
The huge home-cured ham was put on the stove. The turkey was prepared for roasting and ingredients cut up for chicken salad.
"Uncle" Warren, the old colored man who lived there for years, brought in the greenery. Then we would deck the big halls and rooms with holly, pine and running cedar. The smell of these, mixed with the spicy aroma coming from the kitchen, still lingers with us.
On Christmas eve, after dinner dishes were washed, we would drag boxes of nuts, fruits and candies from the big hall closet into the middle of the sitting room, and fill a pile of paper bags with them. Aunt Mat was superintendent of Prospect Methodist Sunday school for a number of years, and, as was her custom at Christmas, she filled and placed these bags around a big tree at the church on Christmas morning -- one for each child.
Stockings Were Hung
Just before bedtime, stockings for the younger members of the family were hung under the mantel. If we were not there on Christmas morning -- being at home instead, two miles away -- as soon as we waked up, regardless of time, we would dress, and race up the road through the woods, across the branch (not even stopping to see if any rabbits were in the "gums") on up the hill to Aunt Mat's, where we were welcomed at the big double doors by Aunt Mat after much pounding and shouting "Merry Christmas" and "Christmas Gift."
The stockings were taken down and emptied on a newspaper in the middle of the floor. They were always filled with many surprises other than the goodies. In the toe would be a silver coin wrapped in a piece of writing paper on which Santa had written, "Be good and I will come again next year."
Shown Reindeer Tracks
Uncle Tom, with a twinkle in his eye, would invite us out to see the tracks of the reindeer. They were queer looking little tracks, and in later years I wondered just how Uncle Tom made them!
With the advent of Christmas, a round of family reunions began. We children looked forward with special interest to the one at Aunt Mat's. If it was a nice day we would romp and play outside. Our favorite game was "Hide and Seek" around the big boxwoods. If the weather was bad there were plenty of games for indoors, as "I Spy" or "Button, button whose got the button," etc.
When the dinner bell rang -- what a happy sound. The grown-ups ate in the Sunday dining room and the children in the one used every day. Included with all the good things mentioned before, were vegetables, home-made pickles, hot biscuits and ice cold buttermilk (for us) and ambrosia or boiled custard for desert. We stuffed ourselves to the hilt. The tables were pictures of loveliness with candlelight, snowy linens, silver and crystal and handsome china -- laden with beautifully prepared food.
Young Guests For Night
Once several of the young folks stayed for the night following one of these reunions. The next morning the ground was covered with a heavy snow, so we stayed for several nights. What a good time we had! There was still an abundance of delicious things on the Sunday dining table and we ate when we pleased. We sat around a big log fire -- Aunt Mat piecing quilts and Uncle Tom reading to us from "Peck's Bad Boy." Several times during the day one of us went upstairs, opened a window, scraped snow off the roof and Aunt Mat made snow cream (better than any ice cream we had ever eaten).
We also liked to go upstairs, reach down into barrels and get juicy apples and pears which had been stored, wrapped in newspapers. In a big basket were "goobers" from the farm. We sat around "nibbling" to our heart's -- or rather to our stomach's -- content.
We loved the ash cake Aunt Mat made. She would take hot ashes from the corner of the fireplace, put down a corn pone, flatten it, leaving the prints of her fingers on it, and cover it with hot ashes. When done, she would take the cake, dust off the ashes and wipe clean with a damp cloth. We ate from a table placed in front of the fire. Such a meal was fit for a king -- ash cake, smothered in good rich butter and thick icy buttermilk.
Carols and Hymns
Gathered around the piano in the evenings we sang Christmas carols, Sunday school and church hymns. We also especially liked Stephen Foster's songs. Aunt Mat would join in the singing while Uncle Tome beat out time with his foot.
The Bible was read and we had prayers each night before retiring. Then we would file upstairs carrying lighted candles in little china holders.
There was a mad rush in the mornings to get faces scrubbed before breakfast. (Though some timid souls tried to play hooky.) The basin was on the open porch and often ice had to be broken on the water bucket.
Nostalgic Thoughts
Those days were packed with joy and happiness. How I wish my own children could have had such days to remember.
As I pass the lonely old house, I find myself wishing that it could talk. Christmas is such a good time for remembering the many blessings that have come to us through the years, and to be thankful for friends and loved ones who meant much to us and have gone on.
But especially should we be thankful for those who are still with us, and we should let them know that we love and appreciate them.
Let's do that this Christmas and say from the depths of our hearts. "Thank you for your love and friendship" and as Tiny Tim said, "God bless you every one."
Greensboro Daily News (Greensboro, NC) 15 December 1957.
No comments:
Post a Comment