Thursday, September 11, 2014

December 1956

My grandmother had ended November with a sore throat - so she started December really sick!

December 1
Saturday.  Have a real case of flu or virus.  My!  What a sore throat!  And a degree of fever.  Stayed in bed nearly all day.


December 2
Sunday.  Had to miss S.S. and church.  Did manage to go to Woman’s Day Service and introduced speaker – Mrs. L. D. Moran from First Church, Ft. Smith.  Subject – “Women and Prayer”


December 3
Monday.  Tried to take care of my cold and do what had to be done.


December 4
Tuesday.  Feeling better.  Did some washing and went to Group 2 meeting at Edith Easleys.  Enjoyed the meeting and seeing Edith’s newly decorated home.


December 5
Wednesday.  Looked after spreading dirt at home and at the church.  Shopped for Jay & Scotty and got things for Mary Jane’s birthday.  Mr. Shaw scattered more dirt.
Granddaughter Mary Jane's birthday - December 10th - she would be five.


December 6
Thursday.  Supposed to go to Garden Club Christmas, but didn’t – too hoarse.  Got two kinds of medicine – sure it will kill or cure.  Glory be!  Got that pile of dirt moved.


December 7
Friday.  A gloomy day after a hard rain last night.  We had lunch with Nora, Maude and Grandma.  Willie Shaw finished spreading the dirt.  Had TV checked.  O.K. now.


December 8
Saturday.  Made cookies and applesauce cakes for Christmas boxes.  Night – played pitch and ate popcorn with Grace and Doc.
She always fixed boxes of Christmas goodies - cookies, candy, cakes - to send to her children who lived away.  After she died, my mother took up the task and continued to send Christmas boxes to her brothers.  I think it probably started during the war years.

  
December 9
Sunday.  A.M.  Sunday School & church.  Took Nora and went to Grandma’s afternoon.  Letty & Cy came.  Fort Chaffee Choir of 33 voices gave a concert at night.  Coffee and cake served in fellowship Hall.


December 10
Monday.  Got packages off to Jay and to Becky and Ike.  Nearly finished addressing Christmas Cards.


December 11
Tuesday.  Mailed pkg. to Pauline & Aura.  P.M.  Helped group 2 get ready for party.  Beautiful table of gifts for old peoples home.  Fine program and fine crowd.  $182.71 in Christmas stockings.  My huge stocking had $5.00 worth of dimes from CWF.


December 12
Wednesday.  Nora, Maude, Emma Mae and I packed old peoples pkgs ready to mail.  P.M. made green organdy apron.


December 13
Thursday.  Maude, Nora and I went shopping in Ft. Smith.  Make brown organdy apron.  In evening wrapped packages.
Wonder who the fancy aprons were for?


December 14
Friday.  Finished packages and cards.  Cleaned house.  Made beef strogonoff for Minnie, Bill and Wilbur’s birthday dinner.  K.M. and LaVonne came by.


December 15
Saturday.  Looked for JoEllen’s folk all morning.  Didn’t come.  P.M.  Took Nora, Maude and Grandma to see Santa Claus parade.


December 16
Sunday.  A.M. Sunday School & Church.  Afternoon – Grandma’s.  Church at night.  NBA film strip – Jim Patton and Oscar Holland baptized.


December 17
Monday.  8:30 A.M. went to get a permanent.  Shopped a little.  Had lunch and a nap.  P.M. wrapped 2 or 3 more pkgs – including one for JoEllen’s B’Day.
JoEllen - my mother - had her birthday on December 21st.


December 18
Tuesday.  This is Becky’s birthday.  A.M. put out washing & fixed spinach.  P.M. Sat with Grandma while Maude went to Group meeting.

  
December 19
Wednesday.  Usual grocery shopping.  Got half of ham to take to Springdale.  P.M. went with preacher Bob to Sparks Hospital to see Adda Hays and Marion Smith.


December 20
Thursday.  Washed – ironed.  Addressed more cards.


December 21
Friday.  General Christmas rush.  Took food to Birdie Hays home in a pouring rain – no one there.   Mr. Hays funeral  2 p.m.
Not all the Hays families that lived in and near Van Buren were our kin - I wasn't able to figure out who this was Hays was that died in Dec of 1956.


December 22
Saturday.  Baked half a ham to take to Springdale.  Also got clothes ready.  Doc and Grace came for dessert & Welk show – Then played pitch.
Getting ready to come to Springdale to spend Christmas with K. M. and JoEllen's families.


December 23
Sunday.  Left for Springdale at 9:30.  Got to JoEllen’s while they were in church.  Graydon’s folk came after noon for a visit and package exchange.  Saw JoEllen’s choir program at night.  K.M. & LaVonne sang with them.  JoEllen & Kay had solos.
Graydon's family would have come over from Tulsa to join the family.  I suspect this was our Christmas Cantata at First Christian Church in Springdale.


December 24
Monday.  Helped JoEllen get ready for Christmas.  Had tree for their family that evening.  Howard Backus family was there.
Howard & Lorraine Backus and children were friends of the McKim's - they lived on the next corner from the McKim's Pleasant Street house.


December 25
Tuesday.  First voice we heard was Joe calling “Merry Christmas”  then the children tore loose.  They had emptied their stockings.  We made hot cinnamon rolls and put turkey in the oven.  Then had breakfast at ten o’clock.  Ira and Minnie came at 12:30 – also Joe’s mother.  We had dinner at 3:30.  Then K.M’s folk came for the tree.  Graydon called in the afternoon – and we called Jay that night.  Santa was very good to us.
Mama's cinnamon rolls - oh, how I'd like to have them just one more time.  I've tried to reproduce them several times - but never do they turn out like hers did.


December 26
Wednesday.  Left for home 9 A.M.  Stopped to see Letty & Cy and found Letty in bed with heart attack.  P.M. Took Grandma with us to call on Lee and Mary Byrum.  Their Golden Wedding Anniversary.


December 27
Thursday.  K.M. & LaVonne & Kids came for two days while K.M. took in Sales meetings.  Took Grandma to Nora’s.  Attended Marion Smith funeral  4 P.M.


December 28
Friday.  Just entertained LaVonne and the children.  K.M. came in time for lunch.  They left for home 2 P.M.  Then I put out washing and aired some bedding.


December 29
Saturday.  House Cleaning day.  The usual Sat. night activities.
Probably TV and card-playing with the Farmers!


December 30
Sunday.  A.M. Sunday School & church.  Dinner with Nora and Eula.  Grandma is with us again.


December 31
Monday.  Did two washings for Minnie.  Wrote letter to Jay – long letter from him.  A good way to end the year.  There’s much to be thankful for.




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