Brazos Past: Celebrating Christmases past
By Terri Jo Ryan
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Christmas in Waco for many years has meant the Jaycees’ Christmas Parade, tree lighting ceremonies at Heritage Square, Jingle Bell runs and holiday light tours.
But more than 80 years ago, especially in the rural environs around the city, Yuletide celebrations were much simpler affairs of family, food and faith.
The late Carl A. Osborn of Mount Calm, cousin of Billy C. Loden of Lorena, wrote two lengthy essays for the Tribune-Herald in December 1971 and December 1972, reminiscing about the Christmases of his youth in the early 1920s.
From 1915 to 1924, Osborn attended the Griffin School, a little white schoolhouse on the side of the road between Mount Calm and Penelope that was taught by Nettie A. Polley from the rural community of Satin.
In December 1922, he recalled, his father and his uncle, Lewis Osborn of Waco, hauled a cedar tree from the Navasota River bottoms to the schoolhouse for the teacher. Meanwhile, Carl Osborn filled a gunny sack of mistletoe for Miss Nettie.
The students strung popcorn and cranberries on sewing thread to decorate the tree, and the teacher provided the candle holders and candles.
One of Osborn’s favorite memories of that Christmas was his gift from Santa Claus — a 1,000-shot Daisy air rifle.
“We all received nice gifts at home and had a very merry Christmas as the result of having raised a good crop of cotton and received a good price for it,” he wrote in 1972.
tjryan@wacotrib.com
757-5746
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