Christmas memories

this is going to be a really hard post to put in writing as i don't have any pictures and the memories are hard to remember .  Both parents are gone now and i feel so estranged from my family but here goes.......

We were such a poor family, dad was a bus driver and mom stayed at home looking after the home fires and the needs of the home.  We were without running water except for us kids who would run to the creek to carry back two 5 gallon buckets of water.

Every year mom decorated a green tree that grew in plentiful supply in the back yard. the colored baubles and silver icicles on its branches glistened in the light of the huge barrel wood heater in the living room of the school house we lived in.

We could not afford presents and we felt so lonely not getting anything under the tree.  But every year my mom's uncle, who lived in the states, mailed us a parcel that we just lived for.  It was the highlight of our year!!!  He was called Uncle Perley.  Inside this box was always a big box of chocolates called Pot of Gold.  They most certainlly would not last very long!!!  there were other things like manicure sets and socks and other things i can't remember right now, but we felt happy and were ready for the next year!!!!

Then we would all get dressed in our warm clothes and all three of us girls would go with dad in the old hearse made into a pickup, to cut three or four loads of wood.  Back home mom was making the most delicious Christmas meal.  After all that work!!!  which made us girls very strong and hungry, even the donkey meat that mom made was good!!!!

Actually it was not donkey meat as we were vegetarians, it was actually left over oatmeal porridge, with cornflakes, onions and a few spices, formed into patties, fried and a tomato soup sauce was poured on top and baked.  with a generous supply of butter on top it was very good to eat. the mashed potatoes and veggies with gravy were very good.  For dessert mom made pumkin pie.  yum.