My Earliest memories of Christmas back at the Brada farm are from just at the time of the start of the great depression. The contrast to Christmas today would be hard to understand for the modern generation. Now people spend  two months facing advertising, decorating home and office and gift shopping, At that time Christmas came magically on Christmas Eve. There was no exchange of gifts between members in our family and none were expected. Santa Claus brought gifts, one per person. He was a magical figure who brought Christmas and all its decorations wondrously on Christmas Eve.

Oh! I understood that Christmas was coming on December 25^th and if I was good, Santa Claus would bring me a present, placed under a tree on Christmas Eve.  The biggest event to stir my anticipation for that exciting time happened at the school. We prepared for the Christmas Concert. I don’t remember what part I took in that performance, but every student had a role. It was a necessary part of their school training. It took weeks to learn one’s lines and lots of practice before the day came for the actual evening concert. The stage was a raised construction added to the front of the classroom just for that occaision.  Finally we got to do our part before our parents and neighbours. The best part was when a jingle of bells announced that Santa’s sleigh had arrived. He came bouncing in with his, “Ho! Ho! Ho!’s”, carrying a big sack filled with presents. Along with some little gift, each child got a small paper bag of candy. Then with a big, “MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO A GOOD NIGHT”, Santa was out of the door and it was time for us to climb back into Dad’s sleigh for the ride home.

The next few days seemed to take forever to pass as life at home mostly returned to normal. My interest then went to watching Dad finish a kids’ sled that he had been working on for a while. I marvelled at how he could take a board and fashion such a fine item with his hand tools. Especially nice were those beautiful curls of wood that were the result of the plane that he used with such skill. Once the wood-work was finished, the sled got a coat of pretty red paint.  Finally Christmas Eve had come and there was no hesitation to get to bed early and with great anticipation of the next morning.  

Christmas morning  the usual calls of, “Can I get up now?” came early from upstairs and it was soon a scramble while the eldest, sister Bee, marshaled the six of us in line with the youngest first and herself last and ready to march down the stairs. Oh what glory!  Streamers of red and green had appeared from corner to corner on the ceiling; a spruce tree was up and decorated in the corner; stockings were filled with oranges, nuts and candy and presents were on the tree. And very prominently at the front, that red sled with HARRY in big letters painted upon its top. I had reasoned that sled would be for all and here it was – my own gift where Dad had just helped Santa. Christmas had finally come to the Brada Farm.