Christmas Memories: Holiday vignettes from pioneer families and recipes from Grandma’s recipe box

Life was rugged and the day’s work was never ending for the pioneer families that homesteaded a century or more ago. Christmas though, was always a day to find a way to take the time to make merry in even some small way. Celebrations were simple then, but families had their traditions and the day was special. There were decorations, visiting, special meals, an extra kindness for a neighbor, or maybe just a few cents worth of chocolate, but one way or another the day was remembered and celebrated. Here are glimpses of those Christmas’ long ago.

Along with the stories are Christmas recipes from the old recipe box, the kind all our grandmothers and great grandmothers had.

Away from Home

The Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1804, and therefore their first Christmas in what is now North Dakota at the Knife River Indian Villages. The winter and their work was hard, but Christmas day was one of merriment and relaxation. It was a day to acknowledge and remember who they were.

Expedition Sergeant John Ordway wrote in his journal: “December 25, 1804 – we fired the Swivels at day break &each man fired one round. our officers Gave the party a drink of Taffee. we had the Best to eat that could be had & continued firing & dancing & frolicking dureing the whole day…we enjoyed a merry christmas dureing the day &evening unitl nine o’clock – all in peace and quietness”

Honey Fruitcake

¼ cup candied orange peel, cut small, ¼ cup candied grapefruit peel, cut small

½ pound figs, ¼ cup stewed prunes, ½ pound seedless raisins,

¼ cup stewed dried apricots, ½ pound pitted dates, ½ pound currants, 1 cup candied cherries, cut small, 2 cups honey, 1 cup butter or lard, 3 eggs, 3 cups flour, ¼ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ cup cold coffee, 2 cups walnuts

Mix fruit together. Pour honey over mixture and stand overnight. Cream shortening and add well beaten eggs. Sift dry ingredients several times. Add to cream mixture. Add coffee and nuts to fruit mix. Bake in a slow oven, 250-275 degrees, for 3 hours or until done, in a in a well-greased and paper lined pan or pans.

Saved and Comforted

In her book From Dreams to Reality, Hedvig Clauson Svore told the story of a young girl and her family who in the winter of 1908 got lost on the way home from Christmas festivities but were saved by other homesteaders. One of the girls wrote: “We had been in Alexander for a Christmas program…A storm came up and we stayed until morning, dancing to while away the time. But we wanted to get home to eat our Christmas dinner, so we started out and soon were lost….We finally found George Plymate’s shack. He was still in bed, but got up and carried my mother and sister into his shack. The homesteaders were all so kind to us. ….they came and cooked our dinner and sat up with us and did everything they could for our comfort. They were real friends in need…”

Gingersnaps

1 cup sugar, ¾ cup lard,1/4 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons molasses,1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cloves,1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1 egg, 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons soda.

Mix and form into balls the size of a walnut.  Dip in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees.

Three Days of Christmas

In Hedvig Svore’s other book, Lest We Forget, Elise Gunderson remembered her family’s Christmas traditions. Her parents had emigrated from Norway in the 1870’s. “At Christmas we celebrated first, second and third day Christmas. Preparations were made for days in advance. On Christmas morning bundles of grain were hung high for the birds and the cattle and horses were generously fed. The spirit of Christmas prevailed. Church services were attended and special services conducted”

Mock Mince Pie

1 cup sugar, 1cup breadcrumbs,1 cup water, ½  cup raisins,

½  cup sweet pickle liquid.

½ teaspoon each of: cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg and a small piece of butter.

I also add a few more raisins and some canned apples to improve the taste..

The Whole Year Led to This Day

Dorothy Stickney, the daughter of Dr. Victor Hugo Stickney, (1855-1927, “The Cowboy Doctor,” 1957 inductee into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame), fondly remembered Christmas growing up in early Dickinson. She wrote in her memoir,  “And then there was Christmas. Gay, glittery, shiny Christmas. The day the whole year led up to. For a week before the house was full of secrets and excitement and good smells, and on Christmas Eve the tree in all its glory. Colored wax candles lighted, and the tree festooned with the dear familiar ornaments and draped with the ropes of popcorn and cranberries we had strung by the kitchen stove the night before. And afterward, the walk to midnight mass with the air smelling of clean snow, and the stars popping out of the sky, and the snow squeaking under our overshoes, and the singing of Oh Holy Night, and Come All Ye Faithful.”

Cranberries Ice

1 quart cranberries, 1 ½ cups water, 2 ½ cups sugar,

2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Bring the water to boil. Add the cranberries cooking ten minutes.

Run through the sieve and

 Add the sugar to the pulp and cook five minutes.

Just a Little Chocolate

Richard Jahn was a young Lutheran ministerial student who volunteered to serve the people of Schafer, North Dakota and other small congregations in the area for a year. He rode a circuit and preached in both German and English. Richard kept a diary of his days that was compiled into the book, Called to the Prairie.  Generally Richard’s entries were brief, but if you think of the times, the expanse, and remoteness of the area, you can understand the significance of often simple things.

“Saturday December 25, 1915: Emil had caught Rex last night. I hitched him to Whitney and drove to Schafer. Stopped at Croffs for mail. Had to face a heavy snowfall all the way; luckily it was wet and not blizzardly. To my joy Hoffman had not moved my kitchen. Emil had sent coal and wood along and soon I had a good fire. Wrote several letters and ate .25 worth of chocolates.”

Sour Cream Fudge

3 cups sugar, 1 cup sour cream, 4 tablespoons corn syrup,

3 or 4 tablespoons cocoa or chocolate.

Let cook until soft ball stage.

Beat when cold with 2 tablespoons butter and vanilla.

Add cream of tartar and walnuts.

Christmas Kindnesses

Anne Brosten remembered the hard times of her childhood after her father died and left her mother with a homestead to work and three young daughters. She also remembered the joys and kindnesses they encountered. Her mother carried on with determination but it was not always easy. Anne recalled stuffing old newspapers in between her clothes when it was cold. Neighbors would help in ways they could including putting up her family’s grain after they did their own. Anne particularly remembered the kindness of Mr. Vaux. Mr. Vaux was a community leader and had the mercantile and many other businesses in town. He would let Mama Brosten charge groceries and just pay whenever she could. There was excitement each Christmas when Mr. Vaux would bring the Brostens a box of fresh oranges, and for each of the girls a Christmas package with a variety of items including candy and mittens. As an adult, Anne bought winter coats, gloves and hats that she donated to children in need, because this was done for her as a child. Christmas was also a time for special visits. They would heat rocks up in the oven to keep them warm on their sleigh rides to visit family and friends who they longed to see.

Cranberry Orange Bread

2 cups flour, 1 orange, ½ teaspoon salt,1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons shortening, 1 egg beaten, 1 cup chopped nuts, 1 cup raw cranberries.

Sift dry ingredients together twice. Put orange through food chopper to juice, rind and pulp; add shortening and enough water to make ¾ cupful.

Add egg and orange mixture to dry ingredients. Add chopped nuts and cranberries. Bake in loaf pan at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

More Oranges (or More Kindness)

The novelty of Christmas fruit is something we often hear about from our grandparents and great grandparents. The fresh fruit in winter which we are so used to was a delightful luxury. Dennis Johnson remembered his father Norman telling him about an aunt who “married well’, and would ship them apples and oranges for Christmas. The larger than normal holiday meal was always eagerly anticipated, but what they looked forward to most of all, was the gift of fruit from the auntie because there was no money for fresh fruit in the winter otherwise.

Orange Delights

¾  cup shortening, 1 ½  cups brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla,  Grated rind of 1 orange. ½  teaspoon soda in ½  cup sour milk, 3 cups flour, 1 ½  teaspoon baking powder, salt,nuts or raisins as desired.

Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs and beat. Add sour milk, rind, vanilla and flour. Drop by spoonful. Bake 375 degrees.

While warm spread with this glaze: juice one orange, one cup sugar, grated rind one orange. Keep this glaze well stirred.

Santa is Here

Off to one side of the living room in the house out at the ranch was a sofa bed that was pulled out each night for the littlest two of the Martell family to sleep. The family had grown quickly and the three bedrooms filled fast so this was the solution until the house could be expanded. At Christmastime the tree was set up and decorated in the corner of this same room. One Christmas in the 1930’s when the house was quiet and all were asleep, Santa arrived. His footsteps were quiet but the sound was enough to wake Helen. She opened her eyes, oh so carefully, and did not move an inch. There he was! Santa was putting presents under the tree. She quickly closed her eyes not wanting Santa to know she was awake. The next morning she told the family she had seen Santa but they all just snickered at her. It didn’t matter, she knew who she saw. Even out in what was still the frontier of rural North Dakota, Santa made it to their little ranch house with Christmas cheer.

Gingerbread

2 cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup molasses, ½ cup sour milk, ¼ teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 egg, ¾ teaspoon ginger and cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt.

Melt the shortening, add the sugar, beat, add egg and molasses, and beat. Add flour, sifted, with salt, spices, soda, and baking powder alternating with milk. Bake 50 degrees.

Remembering Why

Christmas is celebrated with presents, parties, decorations, and all kinds of treats, but all this is for a reason; to show our joy for the birth of the baby Jesus. The pioneer families remembered this. Dora Jane can still see in her mind the family walking from their house in town the few blocks to St. Joseph’s Church for Midnight Mass. This is how their Christmas celebration often began. There always seemed to be new snow. Dora being the youngest was always the last of the five children in line. Mother followed them all so she could keep her eyes on her brood. Dora was little so even though she was walking in someone else’s footsteps the snow was often so high it would go up past her knees. Her sister Helen remembers they always had new outfits their mother had made. Daddy would proudly lead the group down the sidewalk to the church, and then up the center aisle to the first or second row where they always sat. After Mass they would “trudge” home and get to bed so Santa could arrive.

Cranberry Salad

              2 cups fresh ground cranberries, 2 cups sugar, let stand on berries. 2 packages lemon jello,1 cup hot water, 1 cup pineapple juice.

Mix the jello, water and juice and let stand until thick. Add 2 cups crushed pineapple, 2 cups chopped nuts, and 1 cup celery if desired.  When thickened add cranberry mixture.

The New Saddle

The James family began homesteading in 1905. A tradition in their family carried on by Freddy James was to open just one present on Christmas Eve. One Christmas Eve, Kathy, Freddy’s oldest child, was full of anticipation – she opened her gift and was thrilled to find the new set of stirrups she had been hoping for. Now Kathy’s father had a real hard time not giving all the presents early, especially this Christmas. After a while he made an excuse to go out to the barn, and when he came back in he had a saddle in his arms saying, “Look what Santa Claus dropped in the middle of the yard!” Kathy’s excitement could not be contained. To this day, over 60 years later, Kathy still has that saddle.

Steamed Christmas Pudding

2 ½ cups chopped dates and raisins, 1 ½ cups milk, 1 1/3 cups chopped kidney suet,1 ½ cups soft bread crumbs, 3 eggs well beaten, 1 ½ cups sifted flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, ¾ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons grated orange rind.

Cook dates, raisins and milk in a double boiler for twenty minutes. Combine suet, bread crumbs and eggs, and add to cooked date mixture, with sifted dry ingredients and orange rind. Pour into well-greased pudding mold and steam in covered kettle with water covering two thirds of mold for two hours.

Sauce for pudding: combine and cook in double boiler until mixture barely coats spoon Overcooking will spoil custard. 4 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, pinch salt, 1 cup milk stirred in while boiling hot, 1 teaspoon

vanilla.

The Christmas Letter

Theodore Roosevelt never spent Christmas in North Dakota. He always went back east during the deep winter. Still, he credited his experiences in North Dakota for being who he was, and he was a man who deeply felt the merriment of Christmas, particularly when watching the joy experienced by his children. In a letter to his sister in 1903 about the family’s Christmas, he wrote, “I wonder whether there can come in life a thrill of greater exaltation and rapture than that which comes to one between the ages of say six and fourteen, when the library door is thrown open and you walk in to see all the gifts, like a materialized fairy land…”

Eggnog

Beat yolks of 1 dozen eggs. Add slowly the following in order named: 1 pint rum, 1 pound powdered sugar, 1 ¼ quarts milk, and ½ pint cream.

Last add the stiffly beaten whites of eggs. These may be added just before serving.

Keep the mixture in a cool place.

All photographs from the Martell Family archives except the Stickney Family Christmas tree which is courtesy of the Joachim Center / Dickinson Regional Museums