10

LB: Christmastime they would always have the tree at Aunt Mary's.

LC: My sister Annie would come home from where she would be working. She was a school teacher and she would have her brother go up to the mountains and get a lovely, great big Christmas tree. Then she would always put it in Aunt Mary's house. I don't know why. I never did know why.

Christmas in our homes was special. I remember what lovely and joyous Christmases we would have. We would always hang up our stockings, and Mother would always say, "Santa Claus will come and fill them." One Christmas I remember so well when I was about five years old. My sister, Annie, had come home from teaching school. After opening things in my mother's home, we went over to Aunt Mary's and there was a tall Christmas tree touching the ceiling, trimmed beautifully. My sister Annie gave me a beautiful big doll. It was the prettiest doll I ever had. She also gave me a rocking chair, and I was so happy to get these. I even kept that chair and rocked my babies in it. It was a chair without any arms on it so I could sit in it when I was older. We enjoyed Christmas dinner and sang Christmas songs in which my mother took the lead. Father wanted so much for his family to get together with dinner and reunions. He liked to entertain.

One Christmas my brother Eugene gave me a beautiful gold, round locket with stone of blue and pink on it. It opened up to place a picture in it. Another time he gave me a pretty gold ring with three large opal stone, and another time he gave me a ring with a red stone.

LG: Tell me some more about your life in Farmington.

LC: In the wintertime we would go in the big bobsled. There would be some hay in it, and we put quilts over us. Some would sit with their back on one side and some would have their feet in between others at the other side of the wagon. We would sit there in two rows with one row on each side of the wagon box. We would go for a sleigh ride, a bobsleigh ride, with the music of the sleigh bells on the two horses and the beautiful white snow. Part of the time we were singing. It was fun and exciting.

I also remember going out riding with two horses on a sled with sleigh bells with a young man driving. I remember how fast we would go just racing by and feeling the warmth of the other horse just passing by. They would be so close.