This is from my local small town newspaper, but you can see a lot of Mayberry in it.
Jake Shepherd Newnan GA As I sat in my car in the longest line of traffic trying to get through a stop light and watching everybody hurrying everywhere, I began thinking of how Christmas was in Newnan in my childhood years. I almost laughed thinking about my Mother and Daddy watching this “circus” of Christmas shopping and decorating and entertaining. I know they would not even believe what is happening on this earth and in this town today. Of course, there was no such thing as “online shopping.” All the Christmas shopping was done in what folks today call “downtown Newnan.” Well, in those days, though we lived within a mile of the Square, we always said we were going “uptown.” And it truly was “uptown.” You could get anything you wanted or needed in the stores surrounding that beloved courthouse. As children, the only lights we saw were the Christmas trees in store windows and the old street lights, and the trees were either cedar or pine, cut from a field out in the countryside. And Santa Claus was outside Kessler’s on Saturdays, ringing his bell and talking to the children. His “Ho Ho Ho” could be heard up and down the street. The stores offered exactly the perfect gifts, and what they didn’t have, you could order from that beloved Sears catalog. There was no such thing as “gift cards.” That was mainly because you only gave each person one gift, and that was a gift of something either yearned for or needed. I can remember my Daddy giving me money (by the way, there were no credit cards) to go across the street from his barber shop to buy Mother a box of stockings. How excited she was on Christmas morning to get not one pair, but three pair of stockings. And she always gave Daddy a box of linen handkerchiefs bought at Kersey’s men’s department. My sister and I were thrilled beyond words for Santa Claus to come, and we always got one “big something” such as a doll or, wonders of wonder, a bicycle. I well remember my “big something” when I was 15 years old—a 45 RPM record player. Yes, there were other things under the tree such as socks, scarves, gloves, and the stockings always had candy or nuts and what a treat to get a tangerine. I always went to Woolworth’s and bought Mother Evening in Paris perfume or some good smelling bath powder, and one year I remember getting Daddy a belt. Nothing was ever expected, so everything was a huge surprise, and my sister and I couldn’t wait to get on the one telephone in the hallway to call and see what our friends got and to tell what we got. Our tree was always a cedar with sticky branches which we as a family had all gone to my uncle’s farm and found and brought home. The lights were always colored and truly brought our home alive with its magic. I remember walking in that living room and smelling that wonderful aroma of cedar. Yes, life was simple then. Today when I hear someone fretting over not knowing what to give another for Christmas and when I hear every day of those who might not even get one thing, it reminds me more of the days when Christmas was magical and when the days before Christmas were spent in church or going in groups Christmas caroling in the neighborhoods. I wonder if caroling is still done these days. Mother did all her baking, and our kitchen was warm with the smells of cinnamon and the fruit cake cooking. I don’t remember Mother or Daddy getting stressed out over Christmas because they knew their limits, and they expected us to know that the real meaning of Christmas was love and sharing and celebrating the birthday of Jesus. Christmas cards were sent to family and friends out of town, so we didn’t stress over leaving someone out on our card list. Yes, Christmas was very simple back then but how very happy I was in those simple days and how to this day, reading the story of Jesus’ birth still gives me cold chills and thrills me beyond words. Today, I absolutely love driving “uptown” and seeing the magic of the Court Square area and all the lights around the buildings and on the trees and the wonder of Christmas will always be there for me. I am blessed to live in this place and to see the many evidences of others sharing with others during this glorious time of the year. But, I will always be thankful I can remember the magic of a simpler Christmas. (Norma Haynes is a long-time Newnan resident and community volunteer.) _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.wbmutbb.com/
