This story was just passed to me by my Mother. I think it is just a wonderful reminisent and thought all of you might enjoy it. I'm hoping she doesn't mind but we are getting into the season again and I'm hoping this story might brighten up what for some of us is a dreary time. Mostly the best Christmas's are the ones long ago, in different times and with people who have passed and will never come again: Renee I remember a lot about the Christmas display. What I remember of dad's Christmas trees is from what I was told by my Mother, brothers, and the one time Dad set the trees up for me. Dad set the display up for me one time using one pine tree and one white tree. He then told me that the next time it was set up it would be up to me to do the work. The last time the display was set up was in 1954. I set it up using one white, and one pine tree for my Mother. This was the last Christmas that my Mother was alive as she passed away October 30,1955. The preparation for the Christmas display would start in the summer when Mother would string small bits of cotton on white thread. These bits would be spread out in varying spaces that would eventually look like snow. Dad would prepair two small saplings with strings of blue lights following the branches with the lights. Possibly a paper hornet's nest and a bird nest on each. What ever he could find. He then would cut strips of cotton and wrap the branches covering them and the wireing and what ever he used to attach the nests. The light bulbs themselves would not be covered. The Day after Thanksgiving the display work would begin in earnest. Dad would clear most of the funiture out of the room. Dad would fasten lights across the celling that would later look like stars in the sky. He would then cover the walls and celling with white sheets behind and above where he intended to place the trees. (There were generally two or three pine trees and two white trees). Then dad would string white threads across the celing over where the trees would stand. He would then set the pine trees in place and cover them with lights and strings of tincle. Next would come some balls on the back of the pine trees. The white trees were always covered with glass birds. The decorating would have to start along the back and top of the display. Dad would start tying the threads that had the cotton bits on them over the trees cuting the strings of cotton to follow the contor of the trees. He would decorate the pine trees with the balls and icecicles just far enough ahead of where he was working with the snow thread so he didn't have to worry about knocking them off of the tree. When he was close to the front of the trees with the decorating overhead he would build a town underneath the trees. There was everything imaginable in the town. In addition to the houses and some small trees there was always a working train, several skating ponds, (some even with ducks on them), snow covered roads with cars on them. People walking to stores and the skating ponds, etc. The overall display looked like a winter scene with a stary sky and the snow falling over the trees. The lighted town underneath with it's beautiful display. There were people that drove long distances to see the display that Dad put up each year. In trying to describe this makes me long to be able to go back to see it once again. It is just one of those good times that I try to describe for my children, and grandchildren but will never be able to create it for them to see. My brother may possibly have some of the cars that dad used under the trees, but for the most part dad destroyed the decorations along with many other things after Mother died. Leah ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

That was a beautiful story. Marjorie ----- Original Message ----- From: <Reneelwaring@aol.com> To: <PACLEARF-L@rootsweb.com> Cc: <PACENTRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 6:02 PM Subject: Re: [PACLEARF] Cotton Batting on Christmas Trees > This story was just passed to me by my Mother. I think it is just a > wonderful reminisent and thought all of you might enjoy it. I'm hoping > she doesn't > mind but we are getting into the season again and I'm hoping this story > might > brighten up what for some of us is a dreary time. Mostly the best > Christmas's > are the ones long ago, in different times and with people who have passed > and > will never come again: > > > Renee I remember a lot about the Christmas display. > > What I remember of dad's Christmas trees is from what I was told by my > Mother, brothers, and the one time Dad set the trees up for me. Dad set > the display > up for me one time using one pine tree and one white tree. He then told > me > that the next time it was set up it would be up to me to do the work. The > last > time the display was set up was in 1954. I set it up using one white, and > one > pine tree for my Mother. This was the last Christmas that my Mother was > alive > as she passed away October 30,1955. > > The preparation for the Christmas display would start in the summer when > Mother would string small bits of cotton on white thread. These bits > would be > spread out in varying spaces that would eventually look like snow. Dad > would > prepair two small saplings with strings of blue lights following the > branches > with the lights. Possibly a paper hornet's nest and a bird nest on each. > What > ever he could find. He then would cut strips of cotton and wrap the > branches > covering them and the wireing and what ever he used to attach the nests. > The light > bulbs themselves would not be covered. > > The Day after Thanksgiving the display work would begin in earnest. Dad > would > clear most of the funiture out of the room. Dad would fasten lights across > the celling that would later look like stars in the sky. He would then > cover the > walls and celling with white sheets behind and above where he intended to > place the trees. (There were generally two or three pine trees and two > white > trees). Then dad would string white threads across the celing over where > the trees > would stand. He would then set the pine trees in place and cover them with > lights and strings of tincle. Next would come some balls on the back of > the pine > trees. The white trees were always covered with glass birds. The > decorating > would have to start along the back and top of the display. Dad would start > tying the threads that had the cotton bits on them over the trees cuting > the > strings of cotton to follow the contor of the trees. He would decorate the > pine > trees with the balls and icecicles just far enough ahead of where he was > working > with the snow thread so he didn't have to worry about knocking them off of > the tree. When he was close to the front of the trees with the decorating > overhead he would build a town underneath the trees. There was everything > imaginable > in the town. In addition to the houses and some small trees there was > always > a working train, several skating ponds, (some even with ducks on them), > snow > covered roads with cars on them. People walking to stores and the skating > ponds, etc. > > The overall display looked like a winter scene with a stary sky and the > snow > falling over the trees. The lighted town underneath with it's beautiful > display. There were people that drove long distances to see the display > that Dad > put up each year. > > In trying to describe this makes me long to be able to go back to see it > once > again. It is just one of those good times that I try to describe for my > children, and grandchildren but will never be able to create it for them > to see. My > brother may possibly have some of the cars that dad used under the trees, > but > for the most part dad destroyed the decorations along with many other > things > after Mother died. > > Leah > > > > > > ************************************** See what's new at > http://www.aol.com > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > PACLEARF-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message