Christmas On The Farm

After the chores were done, family fun, lots of food and good cheer took centre stage

- Ruth Zelinski

Christmas was always a very happy time of year, especially when everyone was around. Our family consisted of Mom and Dad, three girls and three boys. It didn’t matter if it was Christmas or a regular work day; we lived on a farm, so the animals always came first. We never had a tractor, so the horses had to be fed by hand, the cows milked and fed, and the sheep and chickens looked after before we had breakfast. Regardless of what work had to be done (inside the house or outside), no one had a specific job to do, but the older people did the heavier work. When Christmas came around, everyone helped out with baking Christmas cake, mincemeat tar ts , shortbread cookies and pies. No pastries were ever purchased from the local store. Also, everyone helped with decorating the tree and rooms around the house.