Children’s Christmas Letters 2

Christmas History 29.  Last time we looked at some letters from children published in a January 1910 edition of the Iowa Homestead.  The following is another, heartwarming selection:

Christmas eve we were surprised with a Christmas tree. There were about twenty candles burning, and mamma bought lots of decorations, so the tree looked real pretty. We all got many presents. Christmas Day, as my cousins were over, we all went sleigh riding. We took a long ride and came home just in time for dinner. We were all hungry, so we enjoyed a big dinner. In the afternoon we played games and snowballed. We were having such a good time that we forgot all about how late it was getting until mamma called us to supper. I think that was the happiest Christmas I ever had.

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I live in Ohio near a city of about 6,000 population. We have lived here about one year. We formerly lived in Iowa. I will be ten years of age next March. I go to school in the country. I am in the Fifth Reader, Advanced Physiology, third part of arithmetic, primary history, Long’s Language, Primary Geography, and Modern Spelling Book. There are twenty-seven pupils in my school. We had a Christmas entertainment Friday evening. Our teacher gave us a very liberal treat, candy, oranges and lead pencils for head marks. Our teacher’s name is Mr. Geo. J. Christman. Christmas morning I went hunting, but did not get any game, as it was snowing so that I could not find any rabbit tracks. After I came back from hunting I read some in a book that was given to me by my uncle as a Christmas present. The subject was “Grit,” written by Horatio Alger, Jr. In the evening I went to a Christmas entertainment at a church in the city, where I go to Sunday-school. They had a very good entertainment. I saw Santa Claus; he came in at the front door and went up on the pulpit where the Christmas tree was and said a few words and then went out at the back door. There was a little boy in the audience that wanted Santa Claus to stay longer. On account of my little brother being sick I went alone, for papa and mamma could not go with me. I arrived home about nine o’clock. I received a number of post cards, lots of candy and oranges, books, a cap and a pair of overshoes as Christmas presents.

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The day before Christmas it snowed and Christmas day the sun shone beautiful. It was a fine Christmas day and everybody seemed happy. Old Santa brought me a boomerang gun, post card album, two books and a toothbrush. I had a fine time shooting the boomerang gun. At dinner time I sat down to a fine dinner. In the evening we all went for a sleigh ride. I am a little boy, seven years old, go to school every day.