As I would guess during the 1940s and 50s with many families in Greenwood, Stanley and Margaret Murray and their six children had a few traditions that they followed:
1. The tree is cut and brought into the house around the 20th.
2. It is decorated by the family two or three days before Christmas when the door is closed to the parlor and no one sees it again until Christmas morning.
3. Christmas morning, the children must remain upstairs until their dad (Stanley) comes to the stairs and calls them.
4. Then, they march down and wait at the parlor door for their mom and dad (Stanley and Margaret) to open the doors and allow them to see the tree and enter.
Decorating the tree consisted of strings of popcorn and paper loop chains made by the children. Maybe some other homemade ornaments, pine cones gathered from under the tree outside, etc.
John here. We usually were able to come down around 6:30 or 7:00 am. But, that wait could be hours depending on when Dad returned from plowing snow. One time, we actually had to wait in our rooms until 10 or 11 o'clock for Dad to get back. I am sure she did; but, I don't remember Mom giving us breakfast. If so, it was brought to us upstairs. And, another time, he actually came in, we opened presents and he went out again to plow.
Presents consisted of shoes and clothes for the winter months, a single toy and a group bag of fruits and some candies replaced separate stockings. And, were passed out by the youngest of the broad.
Sally (Coates) here. Sometimes, there were games like Monopoly or sleds that were shared by all of us. My most memorable gifts were my last baby doll at about 10 years old and a Brownie camera at 12. I took lots of pictures of snow that day. Now, Kathy told you we were not allowed to see the tree for the few days leading up to Christmas, but I remember sneaking down and opening the door just a crack to peek in after we got home from Midnight Mass at St Mary's.
Stan Jr here. My most memorable gift was the year it was about 60 degrees on Christmas day, I think it was 1956, and I got a hook and ladder fire truck from Santa. I don't know why; but, that year we were, or at least I was, allowed to take my toy to Grandma and Grandpa's house up on Holt Street. Usually, we left our toys at home. I remember playing with it outside Christmas Day.
We would go to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner. Uncle Gordon and Aunt Pauline, Dale and Betty were there. Dale would play baseball outside with us in the yard. Grandma's cousin Margaret and her husband Hubert Foster came from Whitesville too. They always brought us books of lifesavers.
John again. Grandma always embroidered hankerchiefs for the girls. I know we boys got hankerchiefs; I just don't remember there being any embroidery on ours. My most memorable gifts from Santa were a Tonka Dump Truck in 1945 or 1946 and a BB Gun in 1949. I remember going to the other side of the school drive, building roads and playing with that truck. Jim and Jack Snyder played there with us too.
Now this is not a memorable gift I received but one I gave...to my dad. I was working at Addison Cable for Lew Cornell and I bought a Polaroid land camera and showed it to Dad. He seemed to really like it. A few weeks later, I told him I sold it and then surprised him with it as a gift at Christmas. You know, he still had that camera on a shelf in his bedroom years and years later.
Stan back. Speaking of memorable non-Santa gifts, I remember Ellen giving me an electric razor and Catherine giving me a watch once they were older and working...maybe 1960 or 61. In 1961, Ellen had moved to New Mexico and told Dad she was not going to be able to come home for Christmas. You know how Dad was about his girls. Well, we sneaked Ellen home and had her hide at the station and surprise Dad. Dad just bawled, he was so happy.
Anna Marie (Schwartz) here. I remember receiving a doll. It had a rubber head and arms and a cloth body. It was life-size, just like holding a real baby.
In the 1960s when their children were grown and had families, dinner moved to Margaret and Stanley's home. As the grandchild count rose so did the chaos and noise on Christmas day. Many of us have already shared about the gifts we received from our Grandparents in Grandma's story: https://kmreynolds2.wixsite.com/greenwood/post/margaret-toombs-murray-part-3-of-3-hark-pardon-what-did-you-say.
Joan (Murray Kline) here. We always went to Grandma and Grandpa (Flora and Albert) Lounsberry's on Christmas eve, leaving in time to attend Midnight Mass. Christmas morning included the same ritual as my dad had as a child. We kids had to wait upstairs until Dad came and lead us to the tree where he passed out the gifts and we just ripped everything open with paper in heaping piles everywhere. I can remember years where the piles of presents almost covered the view of tree.
Trish here. Grandma and Grandpa Lounsberry would show up sometime during the morning to see what Santa brought us, moving on to each of their children's houses before dinner.
John here. Mid-day, we would load up and go to Grandma and Grandpa Murray's in Greenwood for gifts and dinner with the crowd we call family. The Kilbourns, Hawkins, Coates, the other Murrays and the Schwartzes were all there.
Speaking of the Lounsberry side of the family, Evelyn (Lounsberry Cornell) here. When we were young, Dad (Albert) would not get up Christmas morning. Us kids (Louise (Nye), Stub, Kathleen (Murray), Evelyn and Bobby) would all get together, go upstairs and line up on opposite of mattress from him and then roll him out of bed. We realized in later years he always looked forward to this on Christmas morning. Don’t know whose idea this was, maybe even Mother’s (Flora).
Kathy back. Now the John Murrays gather in Virginia for family Christmas. Dad and Colleen come from Indiana. We have a huge dinner, different themes each year. It has been everything from traditional turkey and ham to a roasted pig; this year we went Italian.
Santa joins us. And, he is a great one.
With his own beard and a suit you would swear was made at the North Pole. This year he had a new one with a plaid vest, old fashioned shirt with his monogram on the cuff and an unbelievable long gold embroidered robe with a fur lined hood. Our kids truly believe he is the real thing. He calls them each by name and talks about what has been happening in their lives since he saw them last. He tells stories about their parents when they were children and before he takes off to the sound of reindeer and sleigh bells into the night, everyone gets a chance to have special pictures taken with him.
And, we also have a cookie exchange 100s and 100s of cookies from which to choose. Followed by reindeer games...really just games that get us to remember stories, tell our secrets or just compete against each other for who knows more...more songs, more trivia, more anything.
It is not always just the John Murrays. We have adopted a few people. They don't just come to Sunday's family dinner, they join us for Christmas as well. The more the merrier.
The Stan Murray family got together at Raven's home this year. Uncle Stan, hop in Facebook Comments and give us the low down.
Sally and Anna Marie have not hosted theirs yet. We will have to get their stories after tomorrow. Ladies, please share in the Comments.
And everyone following A History of Greenwood by Those Who Lived It, please share your family's holiday traditions with us!