828—Lawcastf Faming, Saturday, Dacambar 10,1983 BY KIMBERLY HERR EXTON Irma Hoober, of Intercourse, remembered when Christmas morning meant receiving a big, juicy orange from her grandfather. Irma, the oldest of eight children, remembered that they did not eat turkey on Christmas. “The food that I remember most is that we had goose on Christmas day,’’lrma said. Some of those favorite memories Irma, wife of Charlie Hoober, continued and passed along to her daughter, Joyce Hershey, wife of Art Hershey. Joyce, in turn, has continued them with her own children. Irma, Joyce, and Joyce’s Participants at the Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas program got to sample some of the traditional goodies, such as chocolate-dipped peanut butter crackers and ribbon candy. m STRIKE IT RICH! SELL IT MOTH A LANCASTER FARMING CLASSIFIED A Pennsybn daughter, Julie, gathered at the Chester County Library Wed nesday night to entertain their audience with a program on how the Pennsylvania Dutch celebrate Christmas in both Lancaster and Chester Counties. As the program began, Joyce defined what they meant by the Pennsylvania Dutch. “We’re thinking of the plain people, the Amish and the Men nonites,” said Joyce, who is of the Mennonite faith. She explained that both her family and her husband’s family came to the United States around 1719 or 1720. Joyce related to the group the memories she had of Christmas both as a child and as a mother y Golden Gobbler silo unloaders The unloader 1 that delivi by the to The Golden Gobbler. rugged, tough and powerful unloader that performs the way livestock producers want fast and at the “flip of a switch” Check out P & D before you make your final decision if you’re look ing for a bonus return on your investment HOWARD NEGLEY-MILLER RIBSTONESILO TERRE HILL HARKLEROAD SILO CO. OF PA SILO CO. Westover, PA Shermansdale, PA Troy, PA Terre Hill, PA 814-743-6340 717-582-4108 717-297-2108 215-445-6736 id Dutch Christmas: herself, “The person of Christmas is the very basis of- our Christinas,” Joyce said, explaining that the religious aspect of Christmas was important to her family. “We always had a nativity scene and it was usually one that the children could play with, moving the figures around as they learned the Christmas story.” Joyce then turned the program over to her mother who had some memories of when she was a child. “We weren’t taught to believe in Santa Claus,” Irma said. “But we children always hung our stockings.” Many of Irma’s memories revolved around the food of the holiday season. She explained that certain foods were not always available as they are today, and it was a special treat to eat those foods over the holidays. “Oysters were special to my family,” Irma said. She also remembered eating dates, stuffed with peanuts and rolled in sugar. And celery was a nice Christmas dish. “You always tried to save it so you could have home-grown celery for Christmas,” Irma said. She also spoke of a certain dish that was especially designed to hold celery, causing many in the audience to nod their heads as their memories matched Irma’s. Aside from the food, Irma remembered attending a one-room schoolhouse where Christmas meant special plays and recitations. “The older boys at the school would go and get the tree,” Irma remembered. She also recalled someone dressed as Santa Claus coming to the school and handing out boxes of candy. When Irma married and had five children of her own, a new tradition was bom. Each of her children played a musical in strument, and that meant home concerts at Christmas. One year, they even traveled to a nursing 502-877-2468 Rising Sun, MD 301-658-5359 PENNSYLVANIA PM Then end Now Three generations gathered in Chester County Wednesday night to share their Christmas memories. Seated is Irma Hoober. Her daughter, Joyce Hershey, is pictured at left, and Joyce’s daughter, Julie is on the right. home to entertain the guests there. These memories were shared by Joyce, who reflected on how she has continued many of these traditions in her family. For example, she still gives her children - she has four - oranges in their Christmas stockings. Julie, Joyce’s daughter, ex plained how she used to hang a paper chain, which had the days before Christmas numbered on it, on her bedroom door. Then, as each day passed, she tore off a link. It was only in preparation for this program that she learned that her grandmother had made paper chains as a child, but they were used for decoration, not to count the Have hpfnre Christmas IMPROVE FEED PAL AT ABILITY AND PROFITABILITY BY USING v _ LIQUID AND DRY MOLASSES PRODUCTS IN YOUR FEED iCSr-afe FORMULATION FOR ANIMALS FROM ZOOK * MOLASSES CO. Liquid Feeding Cane Molasses Honey Brook Brand Dried Molasses - 50 lb. Bag Z Brand Dried Molasses - 50 lb. 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During this time, many of those in the audience shared their own memories of Christmas. Some remembered favorite cookies, while one woman remembered special days doing pre-Christmas baking with her grandmother. One woman in the audience seemed to sum up the feelings of the evening. “It’s so nice to hear about other people’s traditions,” she said.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers