Imagine Christmas morning dawning clear and cold at the Martin ranch. Did Ellen have a Christmas tree shimmering in a corner by the window, one Peter had carefully selected and brought down in his wagon? Did the fragrance of baked gingerbread men and steaming mulled cider fill the air? What were their Christmases like?
I wonder what combination of Peter’s Scottish and Ellen’s British Christmases were carried into the family traditions. If anyone has any insights, please add them below.
For Christmas 1893, however, we do have a small glimpse of what happened in the Martin home, thanks to Delores Allen Higginson.
“Harry” was four years old and “Willie” had just turned seven at Christmas 1893; these were two of their gifts, apparently, on Christmas morning. These two gift boxes of spoons have been handed down through the family and are 124 years old.
On the top of each box, the boys’ names are written in pencil–the handwriting appears to belong to their dad, Peter. (The inscription was rewritten above by some unknown hand, probably to make sure the words weren’t lost with time.)
The spoons have a lovely silver pattern on the handle and on the back the maker’s mark is given: H&T MFG CO. That indicates the spoons were made in Connecticut by Holmes & Tuttle.
Willie’s box still has three spoons; Harry’s has only two of the original three. I’m making a wild guess, here, but at four years old, he may have used the small spoons on a daily basis.
You will note also that on the back of Willie’s box, someone was practicing penmanship. “Dog” “h” “l” “s” “dog” again in fancy roman letters. I’m hoping this was seven-year-old Willie practicing his penmanship!
I had theorized that these spoons might have been a Christmas gift from Uncle William who had gone to the Chicago World’s Fair in October 1893. But I think, since they bear Peter’s writing, that they were just a nice gift from Mom and Dad. Why mine for silver if you can’t give your sons silver spoons for Christmas?
Consider Peter’s childhood memories: he was a son of an ironstone miner in Scotland, living in a small and crowded rowhouse, with a half dozen mouths to feed. His Christmases would never have included silver spoons! How gratifying was it for Peter to celebrate Christmas with a richness and plenty he could not have imagined in his own childhood!
Thanks again to Delores for sharing these!
