18 : A mleorable C A memm oreab
Letters
hri stma s dinner
Christmas dinn er For various fam ily reasons, in 1937 at age fiv placed in the Winnipeg Chi e, I was ldren’s Home. pleasant, it was While staff wer a Spar tan exist e ence. We slept 20 to 25 boys in dorms with , ate commun ally segregated siblings, were from female fed repetitive bland meals al that alternated ong with dess between tapioc er ts a and bread pu white bread w dding (stale ith milk). It was no t a pleasant ex The following perience. year I was take n to my uncle’ dinner. He was s for Christmas a Scot and his wife Ukrainian My six-year- ol . What a feast! d eyes saw an ! enormous turk lots of cabbag ey, a huge ham e rolls, steamin , g veggies, appl and Christmas es, oranges, cake along with ice cream! I at stuffed I was e until I was so barely able to move. It was th ever eaten. e best meal I ha d The next day I was back at “The Home” but that Christ and its routine, mas dinner w as the absolute four years ther highlight of m e. y
12: “I’ll Be Hom “I ’ll bee FohroChmrisetmfo as…” rC
hristma s…”
It was Christmas Eve, 1943. The Second World W and, at this tim ar was well unde e, Canadian ship yards were chur rway ever y week to he ning out two ne lp in the Battle w ships of the Atlantic. The Canadian Na vy was strugglin g to find qualifi and men. Our ei ed crews, both ght weeks of Ne of ficers w Entr y Training we were now “t had come to an rained” Ordinary end and Seamen in the w Navy Volunteer ar time Royal Ca Reserve. Those nadian of us who had hi better were mus gh school gradua tered, given an tion or Of ficer Candidat those who were e board intervie successful (I thin w and k ever yone ) prom week Of ficer Ca ptly underwent ndidate Training a threeCourse during w ships as Of ficer hich we were po Candidates. st ed to Along with a bu nch of my other 18-year-old class HMCS Renard, based out of Ha mates, I joined lifax. Renard w purpor tedly the as a conver ted fastest ship in th yacht, and e Canadian Navy been used befo . She had suppos re the war by he edly r Ne w working out of York owners as the Caribbean. Russell W regg a rum runner it t Her duties with the Royal Cana dian Navy had “torpedo trainin been as a g ship,” but by the end of 1943 “emergenc y on “e , she was primar -call vessel” in ily the Halifax area Candidate train Ca and an Of ficer ing vessel. There are few Our first Christm words in our la as Eve away fro nguage that ar as that of “Chr m home was in just ju s back from a pa ouse as many istmas.” For m HMCS Renard, feelings trol in the North e, Christmas w friends and fa Atlantic and alon as a happy tim Halifax Dock yard Ha mily gathered e when gside in . Needless to sa together. Dad our tree. Wha y, we were all fe would take us and homesick. an t fun it was to el ou in Th g t en very down to st in omp about in cut the af ternoon on flushing a deer pr prou the snow, som o dly returned ! e of our of f-dut et on im y messmates bo es ar d from shopping Victoria winte do downtown Halif rs were much on Barrington St ax with a new 78 colder then. W reet in sleighing on th rpm record whi ppllaying on our e loved skatin e Cedar Hill G ch he star ted mess deck reco g and olf Course and bonfire while rd player. warming ours sipping hot co Before many m elves by a oments had pass coa. Christmas to make. Each ed, a couple of cakes took a w meessssmates grab family membe our other hole day bed the record r stirred and m we tip-toed ar of f the turn-tabl ade a wish an tthhe ta ound the hous t bl e, op e, smashed it on en d ed a scut tle and then e as they slow thump or bang tossed it out ov ly baked, darin ooccean. causing the ca n er the side into g not to kes to flatten. The Santa Cla the The record was us Show at th th e e Royal Theatre ne I longed to be w ly re le as ed bbyy Binng Crosby. “I’ll be Home fo was fairyland! in it gliding ab r Christmas” How out in a tutu an plump and wou d wings. Alas, ld have been gi I was ven the part of Hudson’s Bay Mig s Turner a chubby elf. Bo and Eaton’s bo asted “Santa th the No- one could Claus”. convince me th at he didn’t sh those two delig uffle between htful places. To yland sparkled unbelievable to and offered sig a small child. hts Santa presided window attend My mother w there or in the ed by elfin he as left in Lond store lpers. on, Ont., with Just before th while our dad e long-awaite three young ch was stationed d da ildren, Concer t, whe in y, Halifax and “N th co er nv e oy w as duties across re the true mea the Sunday Sc ew fie John” on th e hool ning of Christ A tla gazed in won nt ic escorting su Unite t d Kingdom mas was reveal der as our cost pply ships to th during the war ed. We umed peers re e At home, the . The gift that I told that ageles tree glowed w re ce s iv st ed or th ith snowball lig y. at while garland to w th as is day remains m th t e year we (m hts and ornam s and tinsel w y favourite y twin sister an ere strung from ents then it arrived I remember th d I) received ou wooden beam ... that long-a e po rbed lamps. w er s. And an waited day! Th d re of turkey drift sp onsibility this Instead of com e tantalizing ar ed about. Ther gift gave to m ing up stairs to oma e were Christm e. ribbon candie tuck us in and mothe h r now would as lillies, lychee s, ginger and turn out our lig al lo nu ta w ts bl us , es laden with ht our plum pudding to go up to th be e stairs “lights d and read un mince pies, sh and sauces. A out in five min til she called or tbread, fter the feast, with the soun ut Ye es ar a th ”. s e later, when I w ds of the pian old rooms echo o, carol singing as a parent m ed winner cr ying among family yself, a casual and, later, a ha , “BINGO!”. brought up th conversation pp y e subject of C Those days ar re la yed my bed-la hristmas mem e as alive in m m p m ories and I em y or y. mind as they w treasure the m My mother w ere then. How emories and gi as there and bu I ve thanks for made them po rst into tears an that waas the C those of my fa ssible. d said that to hristmas from mily who her hell. The gove navy income ta rnment had ad x payable for ju st ed da ys po th rt eir ships were s and amount Barbara Mon in Canadian s owing were tgomery deducted from allowances with spouse /family out notice just before Christm To Mom o our slim C as . hristmas was was able to as a nightmare. I sure her that fr was so glad th om my young at I precious gift an child’s view th d memor y. at was a
Chri stma s memori
e s of the 1940s an
d 1950s
T he ti me wa s ea
rly 1940s
Caryl Oja (nee
Smillie)