LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - DECEMBER 6, 2020 by Lynne Belluscio In the front parlor window of LeRoy House is our Victorian tree. This is the tree traditionally that we share with the students from Wolcott Street School, but alas, this year is different. But here is the story about our Victorian tree. We really don’t know when the first Christmas tree was decorated at LeRoy House. There is no mention of a tree in any of the files that we have. Trees decorated with toys and candles became more popular after an illustration appeared in Godey’s Lady’s Magazine, in 1850. It showed an American family standing around a decorated tree on a table. The illustration was actually taken from an English illustration, in 1848, of Queen Victoria and her family around a similar tree. The Queen’s husband, Prince Albert, was from Germany, and the tradition of the Christmas tree has strong connections in many German towns. The American illustration, was identical to the English version, except Queen Victoria’s tiara was removed and Prince Albert’s moustache was removed. Our tree this year, is a full-sized tree, not our usual table-top tree. (That tree will be decorated for the upstairs window – story coming next week.) The tree is trimmed with paper chains, toys, paper cornucopias, gingerbread cookies, (albeit, made from play dough), and ornaments made from colored illustrations known as “scraps.” Some of the popcorn chains are pretty stale because we save them from year to year. Commercially made ornaments were not available until late in the 1800s and many people did not have the money to buy them. There is mention of cotton being spread among the branches like snow, and the popcorn balls were made to look like snow balls. The cornucopias were filled with nuts and candy. Candied orange and lemon peel was a very special treat, because citrus fruit was not grown in Florida, but in Spain and the Mediterranean. These exotic fruits were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to ports on the East Coast and then transported to small towns like LeRoy. The fruit was a special treat, and the rinds were saved to make candy. After boiling, the white pith on the inside would be removed with a silver spoon (yes this works best) and then the sliced peel was simmered in sugar syrup until transparent. Then it was drained, and rolled in sugar - - a rare treat indeed! During the Civil War, it was not uncommon for people to place small American flags on their trees, in honor of the men serving in the War. In 1864, the ladies of LeRoy cooked a Christmas dinner for the wounded veterans and their wives, which was served at Starr Hall. A Christmas tree was set up by the Sunday School at the Presbyterian Church with small gifts, and the store windows on Main Street were filled with ideas for Christmas, from parlor stoves, to books and candy. There are candles on the parlor Christmas tree, but unlike the trees 150 years ago, they are electric candles. (I am not happy with the candles that we have, and may switch them for another set if I can find it.) Candles were dangerous - - to say the least. Modern trees are not grown for open flames. Trees that grow wild are best suited for candles, with sturdy branches spaced far apart and cut fresh. Special candle clips were necessary to securely hold the candles on the branches. And the candles would only be lit for only a short period of time. This comes as a surprise to the students, who know Christmas lights being on all the time. And of course, close by would be a large bucket of water, just in case the tree caught on fire. I have had several candle-lit trees at my house, although it has been several years. It was always exhilarating but scary at the same time. The red fire extinguisher was part of the Christmas decoration, I guess. For some families, revealing the Christmas tree was part of the tradition. The tree would be set up in the front parlor, behind closed doors, while the children played games in the back parlor. They would dress up and put on skits or arrange a “tableau” of a famous historical or Biblical scene. Sometimes a large sheet was hung up, and a shadow skit was put on for their parents. And there were would be singing around the piano or parlor organ. And then at the appointed time, when everything was ready, the children would gather in the back parlor, ready for the doors to open. When the students would gather in the back parlor, they would sing “We Wish You and Merry Christmas” and then we would open the doors, and there would be the tree! (I always asked them to exclaim- - “Oooh and Ahhhh” when they saw the tree, which they always did. ) We will miss the “oohs and ahhhs of children this year, but perhaps if you have children or grandchildren, you can share some of these traditions with them so the story of the LeRoy Christmas continues. LeRoy’s Christmas Trees – AVictorian Christmas