I went to a one-room school in the country, outside a small village (bar, gas station, feed mill, general store/post office) for the first four years. Every year we had a Christmas program, and each of us had a reading, song, poem recitation, in front of the whole community. I can still remember part of my poem from one year, although not enough to find it; and I will never forget listening to one of the older students sing "O Holy Night." Although we were a public school, the program included the Christmas pageant as well, so we had roles in that. And then parents and other community members would perform and join in a carol sing. At the end, Santa came in with small brown paper bags for each child, and those bags would have hard candy, sometimes nuts in the shell, and an orange.
The Christmas program was held in an auditorium (a big room with a stage) above the general store, up steep and narrow stairs accessed in a door at the side of the building. We would practice for a couple of weeks in our school, then walk almost a mile each way at least once to rehearse on the stage. While we were practicing in the school, while waiting for our parts, we would work on gifts for our parents. My mother kept these, and I now have the fruit bowl made of Popsicle sticks. Another was a metal plate that we etched a design on and then brushed with steel wool, actually very pretty. I have that also.
Then Christmas Eve our large Lutheran church in the nearest town had the children's Christmas pageant, so many children and so many attending that there were two services held in the evening, one for the farmers after milking. Again we sang and some recited verses or poems, ending with Silent Night in German, because this was a German immigrant community. And again Santa with the brown paper bags of treats, and maybe a religious book from our Sunday School teacher. I remember ribbon candy and peanuts, maybe a chocolate or two.
Please excuse how long this is, but once I started I decided I should add more and copy it for my grandchildren. I have a few pictures to add to it for them. Celebrations are different now, but family and friends are still important.
