My favourite Xmas memory from years gone by. Raised in a small community with 11 siblings in the family. Many fond memories of growing up. A few days before Xmas my brothers and sisters and our dad would go in the woods to cut down a Xmas tree, with an axe. We put the tree on a handcat( homemade wooden sleigh).We would all sit on on the sleigh with the tree.Going down the hill was great but when we got to the flat we all got off and pushed. We would put the tree in the shed to dry off overnight.Next morning dad would bring the tree inside and we would make the decorations. We would make bulbs out of egg cartons covered in tin foil. We color paper red and green and make chains to go around the tree. We would hang our stockings ( Dad old western wool socks) some had holes in them but that didn’t matter.Xmas morning the first thing we did was open our socks to find apples and oranges and some candy that was wrapped in brown paper and boy did it ever taste good. Some of the candy you had to suck it of the paper. Next we opened our gifts. Some new clothes , knitted hats and mittens, girls got a doll and the boys got a truck. We all loved what we got.We played with our gifts until it was time for Xmas dinner.Our Xmas dinner was meat or turr with vegetables, and we can’t forget our syrup and cake.Like the song says Xmas is not like it was as granny would say as she knit in her chair things has gone modern Spoose that’s the cause. After dinner when our chores were done we would each get a piece of canvas from the kitchen floor that was replaced with new. We would all go sliding. From the top of strides hill to the bottom to the wharf. ( not many cars back then on the road)What fun we had.   Rose Noel growing up in Hampden White Bay