by Jim Putnam
Millie Johnson Blanchard and her family happily cel-ebrated her birthday a few weeks ago. She was born in 1926, about a mile from the house in which she has lived for the past 70 years. According to the South-wick Town Clerk, she is Southwick’s longest continu-ous resident, a proud 98-year-old joyfully sprinting toward 100.
On a warm November afternoon, I visited Millie at her home. At her kitchen table, she was flanked by daughters Andy and Debby, as well as good friend Diana. The family photo album was already open, with numerous special photos that she had picked to show, including a prized photo of her younger self with famous country singer Tammy Wynette.
Wow, did she have memories and stories to share! Our ensuing conversation romped through 98 years of her Southwick life story. I had come prepared to capture as much as possible, but I soon found myself racing to keep up with all her wonderful memories. She had so much she wanted to tell and such amazing recall.
There was joy mixed with a healthy portion of love in her stories. Millie has certainly experienced sadness in her long life. She has relegated those times to her mind’s back corners. She shared a lifetime of good memories, mostly family times, in this town which she loves.
Hang onto your hat, and let’s share some of Mil-lie’s favorite memories!
Growing up Farm Girl
Elmer and Aurilla Johnson lived on a farm on Southwick’s on Feeding Hills Road, just beyond the Agawam line. (Today we know it as the Calabrese Farm.) Here five children were born, including Mil-dred on November 26, 1926. Elmer Johnson, her dad, milked a herd of 15-20 dairy cows. Millie still recalls the cows being milked by hand. The warm milk was dumped into stainless steel milk cans and placed in an ice house next to the barn to cool. The milk was then sent to nearby Pioneer Dairy, operated by the Nutter family who were relatives.
Each winter, Elmer Johnson harvested and stored ice to ensure that the daily milking could be cooled year-round. Millie recalls accompanying him to King’s Beach where blocks of ice were cut, floated to shore, and loaded onto the truck – surely cold, hard work. (We now know this as the North Pond Conser-vation Area on South Longyard Road.)
The 1930s were tough times for America, includ-ing its farmers. In addition to their “cash crop” of milk, the Johnsons grew most of their own food. This required the hard work of the entire family. Millie re-calls regularly doing farm work after school, week-ends, and summer vacation from her early childhood onward. In addition to the cows, there were hogs, horses, and chickens requiring daily chores. There was a large garden from which a variety of vegetables was harvested. Gathering turnips on the back slope on a very cold late fall day still sticks with Millie. All of this was hard work necessary to growing up, and Millie talks about it proudly with no regrets.
The dairy cows were fed hay and corn silage. While her dad owned a tractor, there was not yet a mechanical chopper to harvest the corn stalks. Millie and her siblings cut the stalks in the field and loaded them onto a wagon. This was brought to the upright silo next to the barn where the stalks were fed into a chopper/ blower and propelled up into the silo. Mil-lie also got to climb to the top of the silo to help pack the silage down. To my question about whether this scared her, she quickly retorted that there was no time to be scared. There was a job needing to be done!
Another memory is of her dad driving her and her siblings to a farm in Feeding Hills to pick straw-berries in June. (Probably on Northwest Street which had many market garden farms in that era.) They re-ceived 2 cents for each quart they picked. (That would be equivalent to about 35 cents per quart in 2024 dol-lars.) The job done, they walked home, up and over Provin Mountain! There wasn’t much vehicle traffic in those days and they loved to walk.
There was also fun woven into the hard work. The Johnsons grew dry grain corn to feed the ani-mals during the winter. The ears were picked in the field and brought to the barn for storage. On some evening in the late fall there would be a husking bee to which family and neighbors were invited. The as-sembled group would “husk” (remove) the dry leaves from the ears. Among the many thousands of ears husked, there were a very few that had red kernels. When someone got one of these, they could choose someone for a kiss!
What Millie looked forward to most, however, was the music. There was a fiddler, a guitarist, and perhaps other musicians who played throughout the husking bee. Millie and siblings were supposed to al-ready be in their beds. With a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she recounted how she would sneak out to the barn, lie in the hay, and enjoy this wonderful con-cert. It started her love of music at a very young age, a topic to which we will return.
In the winter, the entire Johnson family en-joyed sledding “down the hill” starting at the Hast-ings Farm (now 268 Feeding Hills Road) all the way to Brookside Café at Great Brook (now Crepes Tea House). This downhill glide of about one mile was followed by an uphill walk pulling sleds. The family would make this round trip several times in a given afternoon outing.
The Johnsons shopped each Saturday night at a small grocery on Meadow Street in Westfield. It was a family adventure with the five Johnson children enjoying an “open air” ride on the back of the fam-ily truck. No seatbelts of course! While their mom shopped, Millie and her siblings explored downtown Westfield.
As a teenager, Millie worked at the Arnold tobac-co farm for four years. Early in the season, she worked under the tents, tying up plants to the overhead wires. During harvest, she was in the barns. There she would carefully remove the leaf from the baskets and stage it to be sewn to the lathes which were then hung to cure. She recalls it as hard, dirty work, but they had fun. Surely the cash wages were a welcome plus to a teenage farm girl when it came time to go back to school in the fall.
Consolidated School and Fun Southwick Times
Millie started first grade in 1932 at the Consoli-dated School which had a single class room for each of the eight grades. It was still relatively new, having been put into service in 1929. Mr. Demings was her bus driver, and his route must have cov-ered much of the eastern side of town. She fondly recalls Miss Durst, her first-grade teach-er as “so sweet.” She easily recalled the names of all eight of her Consolidated School teachers.
Today the Consolidated School is the Town Hall and Senior Center. Visits there bring back good mem-ories, even though the remodeling has largely obliter-ated the original classroom floor plan.
She recalls the school children gathering at Con-solidated each year on Memorial Day. They would then march in the Town Parade south on College Highway to the cemetery to place flowers on the vet-erans’ graves. The kids picked whatever flowers were in bloom in the fields and forests near their homes in late May. For Millie and her siblings that was lady slippers which grew everywhere in the woods around the Johnson Farm.
For Millie and her friends, the town was their playground. They walked everywhere. There was swimming at Dibbles, a swimming hole on Great Brook near what is now Crepes Tea House. There were picnics at McMullin Grove. There was the “best pizza ever” at the Brookside Café.
One of the family’s most prized possessions was a radio in this time before television. “Amos and Andy” was a favorite show as was “The Lone Ranger.” The family eagerly gathered around the radio for soap operas, musical variety shows, and breaking news. On December 7, 1941, they heard about the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor which propelled the USA into World War II. The next day they listened live to President Franklin Roosevelt’s stirring “Day of Infamy” speech in which the Unites States declared war on the Empire of Japan.
Millie did her part for the war effort. In her later teenage years, Millie was a Southwick “Rosie the Riv-eter,” working as a burnisher at the Springfield Ar-mory on the 11-7 shift for 50 cents an hour.
In July 1944 the catastrophic Hartford, Conn. cir-cus fire occurred during a live performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. The canvas big top exploded in flame and the ensu-ing fire and crowd panic resulted in the deaths of 167 people. In the wake of the tragedy, the circus animals, personnel, and remaining gear were evacuated to Southwick for two weeks. Millie remembers walking down to the field at the corner of Feeding Hills and Foster Roads with family members to view the cir-cus animals. This was surely an interesting distrac-tion during a wartime summer when everyone was missing their loved ones overseas and working hard to support the home front war effort. To be Continued in Next Month’s Issue
By Clifton (Jerry) Noble, Sr.
1953-1960 saw a gap in my journal keeping. Only records of survey progress for Massachu-setts Department of Public Works and daily ex-penses remain to jog memory. Before tapping the monthly notes of 1961 it seems well to men-tion facts omitted in my books 31 High, Califor-nia Here We Come, Home to New England and Lovin’ Country Livin’.
No number 31 exists on High Street. I used that number in the title of my book to protect current owners. The real 21 High, pictured on the book’s cover, was the house my father, Clif-ton Allyn Noble, had built in the early 1920s. Post-war carpenters’ wages rose steadily until his mortgage was $13,000. That was steep for a $35-dollar-a-week purchasing agent at H.B. Smith foundry. My 39-year-old mother, Minnie Emerson Noble, brought her baby son home to that house from OLD Noble Hospital. The back yard had 5 big apple trees, 2 pear trees, one cher-ry, one peach, one plum, a blackberry thicket and my father’s vegetable garden. There was also a rose arbor, mother’s scattered flower beds and a prolific grape vine. Mama was a good cook and capable canner.
We had a cellar room stocked with winter food plus grape juice for weekly Lord’s suppers at Papa’s Believers Meeting Room (Brethren) downtown. Papa was generous. He befriended Winslow Avery who was unwelcome in his own home. He bought Winslow a winter overcoat, settled him in our spare room, and got him a job selling cars for Fenton Chevrolet. Mama loved to ride but her dream of a car evaporated when Fenton fired Winslow for taking his girl friend joy riding instead of contacting custom-ers. Papa died in 1936 a couple weeks before my tenth birthday. Winslow was active at the house funeral, and Mama never saw the money the neighbors put in the envelope with their flow-ers. Winslow vacated our spare room. TODAY, in 2013, 21 High made news. On Sunday, March 24, 2013, my 87th birthday, it was damaged by fire starting in a clothes dryer while owners were at church.
At four houses south on the same side of High Street Mary Ferber Anderson taught “pi-anoforte.” Papa paid a dollar a week for my pia-no lesson. I was four years old and had the John Thompson books with their “Tweedle Dum Tweedle Dee” tunes. A metronome kept me on 4/4 or ¾ beat. Assuming that I didn’t know frac-tions, Mrs. Anderson told me to “push” dotted notes so I pushed for all I was worth. (How I learned to count time properly comes later.) In a couple years I was playing simplified classics like the “Anvil Chorus.” It delighted Mama to have me play her sheet music for “Maiden’s Prayer.” About this time Mrs. A had a recital in the music room of the Gillett mansion on Tekoa Terrace. I was to perform a 4-bar version of “Brahms Lul-laby” accompanied by Ellen Dale Gillett on the zither. I came out of the waiting room, sat at the grand piano and started my memorized piece. Whether or not stage fright was the cause I for-got to play bar three of the lullaby. Ellen Dale was thrown for a loop wondering where I was, but she saved the day. We ended up together and got our applause. I don’t recall who finally told me my mistake. TODAY I’ve been church organist for several years.
After Papa died Mama rented six rooms and bath of 21 High for $28 a month to make mort-gage payments. She made an apartment for us in the master bedroom and little sewing room. Sec-ond tenants were principal of Westfield College Training School, John Vey Merrill and wife Hel-en. After a year or so Helen died from an over-dose of sleeping pills. Vey asked if Mama wanted him to leave to avoid talk. She answered, “I can stand it if you can.” (I had nicknamed Mama “Monny” aping my friend, Phil Cole, across the street who had nicknamed his widowed mother Nonny). Monny cooked meals. Vey was good to us. He invited us to listen to his radio evenings and told me to play Helen’s popular music on her piano. Music lesson had stopped with Papa’s death. One night when I was “pushing” dotted notes Vey jumped out of his Morris chair, stood behind me and, in ten minutes, taught me all I needed to know about counting time, He didn’t direct the school band for nothing. Vey contin-ued to see his former Concord secretary. Elsa Lundstrom. Mama’s $28 payments were too small. The bank foreclosed. Vey took over the mortgage, married Elsa, and we had to get out. He got himself a college professorship, married twice more after Elsa died of cancer, and moved back to Maine. TODAY they’re all gone.
Papa had Mama teach me at home by cor-respondence with the Calvert School from Bal-timore, Maryland. In the 1930s Calvert took a child to high school in six grades. Intelligence tests placed me in eighth grade or first year high but Vey told mother eleven was too young for high school and to leave me in grade school till I was twelve. I finished 1936 school year in Miss Rosengrand’s 6th grade. Year older friends were there. I didn’t know Raymond West but he beat me up the first day after school. Later I heard he was involved in car theft. What became of him? The West house on Granville Road was recently torn down to enlarge parking for Stanley Park. TODAY, this morning, I reread a mystery by the late Agatha Christie and found she gave Miss Marple’s admiring nephew the name of RAY-MOND WEST.
Mama loved to ride, but papa couldn’t afford a car. He walked the mile to work and some-times rode with next door neighbor Sid Dor-rington who tinkered with used ten and twenty dollar cars to transport his wife, son and daugh-ter. As purchasing agent Papa got gifts. He gave Sid tickets to take son Donny and me to the Bar-num & Bailey circus in West Springfield.
Aunt Susie and Uncle Charles Longeway from Greenfield came occasionally and took us to ride. Locally, it was more apt to be Papa’s sister Aunt Florence Boyce and husband Sam. With them a favorite, 1930s trip in their Buick was west along Route 20 through Russell’s Cres-cent Mills section. OLD pictures show a river footbridge below the dam which allowed 19th century workers to arrive by Boston and Albany trains and walk across to the mill. Texon was the most recent Russell mill to close. What I don’t forget was that Route 20 was high enough on the hillside to give a view east to idyllic farm coun-try beyond the river. Even as a child I thought, “I’d like to live there.” I didn’t know that area was Carrington Road and part of Montgomery, and never dreamed that by April 1949 Monny and I would actually live in the disused Clark District school one mile south and 100 feet high-er than the attractive view. Monny died at age 80, November 30, 1967. Even my wife Elizabeth died at age 83 on October 4, 2009. However I con-tinue as church organist and enjoy both electric power, running water and drainage across from the schoolhouse and a tenth mile from son and daughter in law. TODAY Jerry Junior has far sur-passed me musically. He composes even sym-phonies, accompanies the voice department of Smith College, records CDs, and performs con-certs all over (including England and Europe). A picture article in Springfield Newspapers by Cori Urban bears witness to his accomplish-ments.
DecemberBy R.F. MillerNow it’s the last month of the year,A time for Santa drawing near.We rally round at Christmas time,And end the year with Auld Lang Syne.Lest we forget, in all our mirth,There are sad times for some on earth.Men and women who serve this day,And those who there in stillness lay.They can’t be here with kith or kin.They mount a war that’s theirs to win.Some children may not understandOnes they love in a foreign land.Folks here at home, though sad may be,Still have to shop and trim the tree.For all those little minds perceiveThat Santa comes on Christmas Eve.The seventh is Pearl Harbor DayRemembered now as thus we pray.Two thousand souls beneath the sea,The day that lives in infamy.The seventeenth, the First of FlightFor brave Wilbur and Orville Wright.They blazed a trail that afternoon.A path we know reached to the moon.The twenty-first, Pilgrims came o’erAnd landed on New England’‘s shore.They settled down in Plymouth townAn odyssey of world renown.The twenty-fifth is Christmas DayAnd Santa’s going on his way.He’s heading North with his reindeerAnd won’t be back until next year.This year is running out of time.This scribe is running out of rhyme.MERRY CHRISTMAS to one and all.‘And NEW YEARS EVE - go have a ball.
Dec. 2003
Dec. 2013
Remembering Way Back and Today
21 High St. July 11, 1926 Notice apple tree in backyard.
21 High St., July 11, 1926. Notice apple tree in back yard.
Above: Millie with Friends
Right: Millie (middle) with sisters
A
Southwick
ClassicPart 1
Above: Johnson Homestead, Feeding Hills Road
Right: Millie (3rd from left) and Her siblings
Millie at home with her Diamond Bead Art
Merry Christmas! I hope you have an amazing Christmas this year and I hope you’re reading this with a great, big, beautiful smile.
How many of you are planning to spend time with your family this Christmas? I love being surrounded by my family at Christmas … I think.
One time, we had the whole family together at our house. I’m not sure if it was Christmas Day, but I’m sure it was one of our family gatherings. But on this particular day, our grandson, Declan, found a roll of duct tape in a kitchen drawer. He said, “Hey, Pop! I’ve got an idea. How ‘bout you let me tape you to the wall?”
I said, “Sure! Why not? This will be hilarious. What could possibly go wrong with this idea?” So, I stood spread eagle against the family room wall, and he taped my arms and legs to the wall. When I started to say, “Okay, that’s enough,” he duct-taped my mouth shut and taped my head to the wall.
So, it was a pretty funny scene, and I was sure that I was going to go down in history as the Most Pop-ular Pop on the Planet! Until … I decided I’d had enough of this game, and I yanked myself free.
Little did I know that, when I would pull myself free, the duct tape would pull away the drywall from our family room wall. Picture ripped drywall in the shape of my body!
Have no fear though! I am the “Man of the House” and I know exactly what to do in these types of delicate home repair situations … I called my wife. Kathy can fix anything! Her maiden name was Fitzgibbons, so I know she can “Fitz” anything I break. And she did.
My point is: Christmas is all about family. And my other point is: No family gathering is perfect. We love our family but, hey, every family has issues.
But can I tell you something? God invites you to be a part of His family. That’s what Christmas is re-ally all about. It’s not just about what’s going on in your family – it’s that God really wants you to be a part of His family!
Listen to this! The Bible says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
Would you please personalize that right now? “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon … you! Insert your own first name … that you should be called a child of God! And that is what you are!”
You are a child of God – that is who you are! There is royal blood running through your veins. You are His son. You are His daughter. He loves you! Jesus didn’t come to make you a member of a church. He came to make you a member of His Family.
Who is this child lying in a manger? He is your brother. In fact, He wants to be closer than a brother. He wants to be your best friend. And who wouldn’t want a friend like Jesus?
I heard about a little girl who said Jesus is her best friend. In fact, she said she knew Jesus so well, she could draw a picture of Him!
She said to her mom, “Jesus is God, right?”
Her mom said, “Yes, that’s true.”
“And the Bible says that God is love. Isn’t that right?”
Her mom said, “Yes, that’s right.”
She said, “So, here is a perfect portrait of Jesus …”
The little girl took out a magic marker and care-fully copied down the words of 1 Corinthians 13, that famous “Love Chapter” of the Bible. But every time she got to the word “love” she replaced it with the name “Jesus.” So, here’s what her perfect portrait of Jesus looked like.
Jesus is patient and kind. Jesus is not jealous or boastful. Jesus is not proud or rude. Jesus does not demand His own way. He is not irritable, and He keeps no record of when He’s been wronged. He nev-er gives up on you, He never loses faith in you, and He is always hopeful.”
Her mom smiled and thought to herself, Yes, that is the perfect portrait of Jesus. She said softly to her little girl, “What a wonderful friend to have.”
Who wouldn’t want a friend like Jesus in your life? A friend who is patient and kind, a friend who never gives up on you, a friend who never loses faith in you.
You say, “Jeff, how can I get to know Jesus like that? How can I feel close to Him?”
It’s the simplest thing in the world … Just talk to Him like you’re talking to your best friend.
He never gets tired of listening. He always cares. He always understands. And He can work out your problems better than you can. Talk to Him all the time, about everything.
Merry
Christmas
by Carlene Americk
I or rather centuries of people have celebrated this season in different ways, and for different reasons, and each generation and nationality has brought new customs to the holiday season.
Several thousand years ago in what is now England and France, Druid priests decorated oak trees with gilded apples and lighted can-dles. The apples were a symbol of gratitude to the god Odin for bestowing fruits, the candles honored the sun god Balder.
The Egyptian goddess Isis, who was the god-dess of growing, had a festival in her honor in late December. Palm branches were taken into Egyptian homes as a symbol of continuing life.
According to legend, the first Christmas tree was revealed by a miracle one Christmas Eve about 1,200 years ago. Winfred, the English mis-sionary who was later named St. Bonafice, was in Germany trying to win over pagan tribesmen. When he found the pagans gathered around the Oak of Geisman ready to sacrifice Prince Asulf to the god Thor, Winfrid stopped them, cutting down the “bloodoak”.
Legend has it that as the oak fell a young fir tree sprang up, which was proclaimed the tree of Christ, a symbol of goodness and love.
Another Christmas tree legend has it that Martin Luther, inspired by the beauty of tall evergreens against a starry sky, took one home and hung candles on its branches to signify the stars in the heavens above Bethlehem.
The Contemporary Christmas tree may have had its roots in the “Paradise Tree” of the Mid-dle Ages. A European miracle play depicting events of the bible featured a fir tree hung with red apples. By the fifteenth century, people were putting up Paradise Trees in their homes on De-cember 24 the feast day of Adam and Eve.
Fruits, nuts, gingerbread men, paper roses, and the Christ Child with angel wings were some of the decorations on early Christmas trees in Germany. On Polish trees, there are always an-gels, peacocks and other birds. In Sweden, gaily painted wooden ornaments and straw figures of animals and children are popular. In Denmark, mobiles of bells, stars, snowflakes, and hearts join strings of tiny Danish flags on Christmas trees. Japanese Christians adorn their trees with tiny fans and paper lanterns.
Lithuanian women make bird cages, stars, and geometric shapes of straw, a material that signifies a wish for good crops in the coming year. Czechoslovakian trees are hung with orna-ments made of painted eggshells. A Ukrainian tree might have a spider and web for good luck. Long popular in our country are strings of pop-corn and cranberries, paper chains, and stars, made by children in anticipation of the coming holiday.
Christmas tree decorations are a highly per-sonal collection of memories, the ornaments brought home proudly by children from school, those carefully crafted by family and friends, or purchased long ago in a place half-forgotten that is brought back to mind with the yearly unpack-ing of those special boxes.
Tree
Traditions
Dec. 1987
The holiday season is a time of wonder and togetherness. During the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, and planning, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters. Christmas is about more than the gifts under the tree or the sparkling lights that decorate our homes—it’s a celebration of love, gratitude, and giving.
For families, this season offers a unique op-portunity to create traditions that stress the im-portance of connection and reflection. By focus-ing on what truly matters, we can teach children the values of kindness, appreciation, and gener-osity. These five activities are designed to help your family connect with the heart of the holi-day season and create memories that will last for years to come.
1. The Gift of Love
Love is the foundation of the holiday season. It shines through thoughtful gestures, shared moments, and acts of kindness. Helping chil-dren recognize and share love reinforces com-passion, empathy, and an appreciation for the relationships that bring joy into their lives.
Activity: Kindness Chain
Materials: Colored paper, scissors, markers, and glue or tape.
Instructions:
1. Cut paper into 1-inch by 6-inch strips.
2. Write an act of kindness or a way someone in the family has shown love on each strip. Ex-amples might include, “Helped me with home-work” or “Made my favorite meal.”
3. Link the strips together to form a chain, adding one link each day leading up to Christ-mas.
4. Display the chain where everyone can see it as a reminder of the love shared within your family.
The Kindness Chain not only serves as a fes-tive decoration but also as a visual reminder of the love and kindness that make the season meaningful.
2. Spending Time Together
Time is one of the most precious gifts we can give each other. The holiday season is the per-fect opportunity to slow down and prioritize moments with your loved ones. Shared activi-ties, no matter how simple, strengthen bonds and create traditions your family will treasure.
Activity: Christmas Memory Box
Materials: A small box or container, paper, pens, photos, and small mementos.
Instructions:
1. Decorate a box together with festive designs and personal touches.
2. Throughout December, add items that rep-resent special moments, such as photos, written memories, or small tokens.
3. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, open the box together and share the stories behind the items.
The Christmas Memory Box becomes a time capsule of love and joy, capturing moments that will warm your heart for years to come.
3. Gratitude and Reflection
Gratitude helps us focus on life’s blessings and fosters a spirit of contentment. Teaching children to reflect on what they’re thankful for instills an attitude of appreciation that can last long beyond the holiday season.
Activity: Gratitude Garland
Materials: Holiday-themed coloring pages (download from websites like Crayola or Super Coloring), scissors, markers or crayons, small squares of paper, glue, ribbon or string, and clothespins or tape.
Instructions:
1. Print holiday-themed coloring pages with shapes like ornaments, stars, or snowflakes.
2. Color and cut out the shapes. Glue a small square of paper to each cutout to create a space for writing.
3. Each day, write one thing you’re grateful for on a shape.
4. Attach the shapes to a ribbon or string, cre-ating a garland to hang as a festive reminder of your family’s blessings.
The Gratitude Garland is a creative way to re-flect on the season’s joys while adding a mean-ingful touch to your home’s holiday décor.
4. The Spirit of Giving
Giving is at the heart of Christmas, and it’s not just about material gifts. Time, kindness, and thoughtful gestures can bring immense joy to others. Teaching children the importance of giving instills generosity and reminds them of the difference they can make in someone’s life.
Activity: DIY Holiday Cards for a Cause
Materials: Blank paper or pre-made cards, markers, crayons, stickers, and craft supplies.
Instructions:
1. Sit down as a family to design and decorate holiday cards.
2Write thought-ful messages in-side, such as, “Wishing you peace and happi-ness this holiday season!”
3. Deliver the cards to a local hospital, nursing home, or com-munity organi-zation to spread cheer to those who may need it most.
This activity teaches children the joy of giv-ing and how small acts of kindness can brighten someone else’s day.
5. Sharing Stories of the Season
Stories are an essential part of holiday tradi-tions. They carry lessons of love, kindness, and hope that resonates with all generations. Shar-ing stories during the holidays creates oppor-tunities to reflect on these timeless values and deepen your family’s connection.
Activity: Seasonal Story Time
Materials: Printed holiday stories (download from websites like Storyberries or
Short Kid Stories), favorite storybooks, or tra-ditional family tales.
Instructions:
1. Select a story that aligns with your family’s values, such as kindness, generosity, or hope. Options might include How to Catch an Elf by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkertonor, Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson, Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht and Last Stop on the Rein-deer
Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck.
2. Print stories from the recommended web-sites or use books you already own.
3. Create a cozy atmosphere with blankets, pillows, and warm drinks. Take turns reading aloud or acting out the story.
4. Discuss the story’s message and how it re-lates to your family’s holiday
Traditions. This activity reinforces shared values and creates a meaningful tradition that your family will look forward to each year.
Conclusion
The true meaning of Christmas lies in love, gratitude, and giving. These simple yet impact-ful activities help families connect, reflect, and celebrate the values that make the season spe-cial. By embracing these traditions, you can cre-ate lasting memories and instill values that will guide your family for years to come. May your holiday season be filled with joy, warmth, and the priceless gift of togetherness.
A Psychologist’s Guide
Inside the Young Mind:
Five Activities to Celebrate Love, Gratitude, and Giving
By Dr. Simone Phillips
10-5
I recently spent an afternoon with my friend Annie. We were trying out a few new recipes to serve at her annual Christmas open house only a few days away. With the sampling of everything, we were soon pretty full, mellow and warmly con-tent. We sat down by the fire with a cup of pep-permint tea.
Relaxed and quiet, we stared mesmerized at her beautiful Christmas tree. Soon we were deep in nostalgic memories. Christmas, more than any other holiday does that to all of us I guess. This was an afternoon | will tuck away amongst my sweet-est memories. Too often when we are experiencing something lovely and memorable, we don’t recog-nize it until much later when it’s all past. We were both quiet and contemplative when Annie spoke.
“Have you ever gazed intently into one of those round shiny Christmas ornaments and no-ticed how the whole room is reflected into a kind of distorted panoramic view and if you squint your eyes a little, you can see behind the image of your own face, scenes from long ago?”
“I don’t think I have, Annie, at least not the way you describe. What do you see?”
“Somehow scenes from long ago seem to come back, things you thought you’d forgotten. Like, I can see my Dad long passed on now but there he is sitting in his blue Morris chair, usually with a book in his hands. He was not an educated man but he was deeply introspective, curious about the world around him, and closely attuned to wild-life and nature. In this reflection, he is so clearly there. He read to me often when I was small and told me magnificent stories. He was so kind and generous to everyone. I can never remember him being angry. He didn’t talk at great length, never lectured, and never tried to convince anyone that his ideas were the only correct way. More often than not he listened truly interested. He had such a strong character. He adored me and here I am seventy-something and when I see him reflected In that Christmas ball, I miss him so much, I want to weep.”
“Annie, I hope those are not all sad scenes. Tell me a happy one.”
“It isn’t sad to me. You know how we live day after day embroiled in all the chores of survival. We barely have time to think beyond the shopping list, the doctor’s appointments, or what to make for dinner. Deep reflection like this is so, well almost therapeutic. It forces us to slow down and reflect on our own lives, and appreciate the good things that happen every day if we just take the time to see them. Sure I miss my Dad but, I love remembering him in all the ways he was so special to me.”
“Of course, if you want a happy and busy memory I can tell you about my mother. She was never happier than when she was preparing a big Christmas dinner for the family and company, and with Mother there was always company. In the Christmas ball, I see her in a new apron bending over the stove, testing the tenderness of a roasting turkey. If I stare deeply enough into the Christmas ball I can almost smell the turkey and the spici-ness of pies always made from scratch. She was a woman of plenty. She bought too many presents for Christmas and prepared too much food. Just when you thought she was done with all the shop-ping she would come up with one more, one more. She always had spares on hand in case someone dropped in, boxes of chocolates, fancy nuts, things like that. She was a restless woman, who when she wasn’t entertaining or planning the next celebra-tion she was quick to become depressed. I can see her in those many scenes of parties and dinners she so excelled in.”
“There are the funny memories too, like the year the tree caught on fire.”
“On fire! Annie, how could that possibly be funny? What happened?”
Annie chuckled before going on. “Well, It was when the boys were small. ] only had the first two, one about three years old. All through the holiday, fuses kept blowing. We figured there was probably a short somewhere in one of the strings of lights, so once Christ-mas was over we decided not to light the tree again and in the back bed-room making the bed when there was a loud noise like a muffled ex-plosion. I went running to the living room where the noise had come from. There was my little son staring panicked at the tree which was in flames. The plug to still in the wall. I quickly dis-connected it, grabbed the baby from the room and got a big pail of water and tossed It onto the tree. Thank God I got it out quickly. It could have been a horrible tragedy. Needless to say, I took the tree down immediately.”
“Annie, I still don’t see what was funny.”
“Oh, the funny part came later, when my son was old enough to tell us what really happened. It seemed that he wanted a tree that twinkled, so he was pushing the plug in and out and in and out, to make it do just that when it blew. He was terrified of course and it was a lesson he would never forget, not to fool around with electricity. He’s all grown now with sons of his own, but he still remembers that incident. I see him in the Christmas ball reflec-tion, such an adorable curly-haired mischievous little boy and I chuckle. I don’t think I truly appre-ciated what a lovely life I was enjoying at the time.”
“Then there’s my Aunt. She was wonderful. I always felt like I had two mothers. She never had any children of her own, and I became her child. She was both funny and tragic. She had one real love of her life, a man who died very young. I don’t think she ever got over it. She eventually mar-ried but it was a disaster. Except for her lost lover and me, I don’t believe she experienced any real happiness yet she was always cheerful and opti-mistic, courageous and unafraid. She had a great influence on me. In many ways, I’m like her, not unafraid of course. Sometimes I’m scared to death of lots of things in our fanatic world today, but in other ways. I think I am as optimistic as she was.”
“She was great at making lists. She made lists of lists and I tend to do that. It helps keep me focused. In the Christmas Ball, I see her sitting In her rock-ing chair, wearing a bright flowered quilted house-coat that was her favorite, with a pad and pencil always at hand. She loved the sea too, as I do. I see her on the last little voyage that I had taken her on. That was her last summer with us. There she sits in a deck chair, the wind blowing her white hair, a soft contented look on her face. She was beautiful to the day she died.”
“Annie, all these memories are sad. Maybe you shouldn’t look at those reflections.”
“Oh, you don’t understand. They’re wonder-ful magical reflections. Sure sometimes they make me shed a tear, but it’s like for a brief moment in time, I am with all of them again and I feel good. It makes me realize what wonderful times I have had with them. Maybe someday my children and grandchildren will remember me that way, seeing me reflected in a Christmas Ball. I wonder what that image will be.”
Annie is not so crazy all the time. I can see bits and pieces of all those people in her. She’s right you know, we are too busy most of the time to see all the lovely moments we have right now, as well as appreciating and reflecting on what we’ve had in all those years that have gone so quickly.
Happy Reflections in a Christmas Ornament to you all.
.
by Carol S. Nummy
Dec. 2004
Traditional Rolled Sugar Cookies
• 3/4 c. butter softened • 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. sugar • 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 large egg • 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp grated lemon peel • Water
Cream butter in a large mixer bowl. Add sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, lemon peel, and extract until well blended. Gradually mix in flour and salt until well blended. Beat in water, a few drops at a time, only until dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl, Shape dough into a large flat disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with cook-ie cutters dipped in flour. Place on buttered cookie sheets. Paint with Edible Tempera Color, if desired Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies begin to brown around edges. Carefully remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely on wire racks. (Decorate as desired if cookies have not been painted.)
Edible Tempera Color—Lightly beat 2 large egg yolks and divide evenly among 5 small containers. Use liquid food coloring (adding a few drops at a time) to color each mixture as desired. Apply colors with a small clean paintbrush before baking cookies. Yield: about 4 dozen cookies.
Christmas Hermits
• 1 c. softened unsalted butte
• 2 c. seedless raisins
• 3 c. light-brown sugar
• 2 c. currants
• 1c. chopped nutmeats
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• Grated rind of 1 med. orange
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 6 c. sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and eggs. Sift baking powder with 3 cups of the flour. Add to the creamed mixture. Blend well. Add the raisins, currants, nutmeats, and orange rind and mix well.
Sift spices with the balance of the flour and add to the mixture. Blend together. Drop by the tea-spoon 1 to 1 ½ inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pan and cool on wire racks, Yields about 10 dozen.
Christmas Punch
Serve Cheddar Wafers and Stuffed Prunes with this festive, non-alcoholic, hot fruit punch.
• 12 c. pineapple juice • 4 c. apricot nectar
• 5 c. apple cider • 3 c. fresh orange juice
• 8 cinnamon sticks • 20 whole cloves
Combine all the ingredients in a large, non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook for 10 min-utes. Strain the punch and serve hot. Yields for 12 persons.
A Fragrant Brew
It will fill a house with the aroma of holiday spices.
• 2 c. water • 1 tsp. whole cloves
• 1 whole nutmeg or • 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp. of ground nutmeg
On the stove, in a medium-sized pan, combine the ingredients above and let them simmer. Add additional water and spices as needed.
Tea Cookies
• 1 cup soft butter or oleo
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• extra powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
In a medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Mix in flour and salt until well combined. Add the nuts, mixing well. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or until dough is stiff enough to shape into marble-sized balls. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until set, but not brown. While still warm, roll into powdered sugar. Let cool. Roll in sugar again. Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.
With all the hustle and bustle of our modern Christmas, I invite you to join me in an adven-ture of discovery in this imaginary tale showing the peaceful and exhilarating sides of the holiday that are so easily missed. I will be your guide with trusted wife and helper Susanna but first, we need to wait for our ride.
Sleigh bells are ringing and coming through the fresh, white snow around the winding path set before us is a red, green, and gold-colored sleigh. The steel runner blades are waxed coated, allow-ing smooth traveling. A bounty of small, shining brass bells outlines our Christmas Glider, symbolic of Santa’s Sleigh. Pulling the sleigh are two gentle horses, statuesque in structure with an elegant chocolate hide covering one horse and her partner a brilliant white glowing male horse. The setting is like a Christmas painting of a winter of comfort, peace, and fun. No traditional reindeer’s needed. With ride in tow let’s strap in and whisk away like Ebenezer Scrooge and his guiding ghosts in “A Christmas Carol”.
We start at dawn with the winter sun peek-ing over the horizon. Our first sight has us move smoothly down Main St. USA. The time is mid-December and we see people at work stringing up colored lights on utility posts and frames of busi-ness establishments. Nearby are kind souls serv-ing hot cocoa with melted marshmallows to all. Nice to be welcomed and served a joyful reminder to slow down and appreciate your community and what you can do to make it better.
As we continue on we see that School has been canceled due to excess snow. Joyful singing to all kids and educators. I know the feeling from expe-rience being a young student and then as an adult a high school educator. The sleigh heads down a country road featuring village people of all ages constructing snowmen and snowwomen. The youth are busy creating “Frosty’s body” while adults are providing guidance and encourage-ment. Working together and knowing what role each of you has within your community is always a profitable blessing.
Suddenly, the Clydesdales are taking us down a farm-like path loaded with evergreens on each side. Blue Spruce, Balsams, Fraser Firs on and on. We see a happy logger inviting us to visit his tim-ber frame homemade from hand-hewn chestnut logs. Inside we are warmed by a soapstone wood stove and relax. Now, outdoors we go with a spe-cific purpose of action. A Christmas gift is found in choosing an evergreen tree to take home.
So much fun in cutting your personal Christ-mas tree with a sharp saw. We vision lights, vari-ous ornaments, and a bright star fixed on top of our fragrant green tree. Each person in the forest has their own evergreen, chosen with child-like vi-sion and love. That natural attitude seems to work best. Uniting together we secure the trees in the sleigh and glide slowly home.
Upon our way home while singing we find a manger featuring a newborn baby. His name is Je-sus. I saw a sign that stated: “Christmas starts with Christ” A gift of love to all. True today, true tomor-row.
We arrive at home sweet home with a fresh-cut Christmas tree in hand. Secured in a bucket with water and stones, we are ready to decorate this naturally created beauty. Now, let your creativity and energy flourish. Cookies for the kids, cheese and crackers for the “agers” Well done, my friend. Relax and enjoy the fruit of your labor.
While we depart here, the wintry adventure goes on. Participate by realizing your purpose dur-ing a season of giving. Getting involved in your vi-sion will make a positive difference in your spirit and within your circle of influence. Symbolically or in real life, raise your voice to help fuel enchanting melodies. Singing may not be your thing, so shake some sleigh bells and encourage others throughout your neighborhoods. Let the angel voices ring. You will be known for stirring up hope, with a nice mix of boldness and kindness. Merry Christmas every-one, you are loved and valued.
by Michael Dubilo
Montgomery Library
Upcoming Events
NIA Every Tuesday at 10 am. You are invited to dance, no experience necessary just the desire to feel good, moving in your own bodies way. NIA is a meditative dance practice that integrates elements of dance, martial arts and healing arts into one joyful practice. Think the mediation of yoga and the grace of Tai Chi. This class is free and open to everyone.
Yoga Wednesdays - Find your zen every Wednesday night at 6 PM. Reserve your spot by contacting Chris Brown at chrisbro40@yahoo.com.
Music in Montgomery - Enjoy live music every Thursday at 3 PM.
To include your event, please send information by the 1st of the month. We will print as many listings as space allows. Our usual publication date is around the 10th of the month. Email to: magazine@southwoods.info.
Southwick Community Episcopal Church
Financial Planning Seminar
January 16th, 6:30-8:30p.m. - Financial Peace Seminar Series is being offered by Southwick Community Episcopal Church (in New Fellowship Hall of Southwick Congregational Church at 488 College Highway) on Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:30 pm starting January 16th and continuing for 9 weeks. Cost: $60 registration and Materials for first 10 registrations. $80 after these slots are filled. Some Scholarships available if cost is a problem. Contact Mary at 413-250-1996 ormcurran@comcast.net.
Southwick Historical Society
Early Medicine in Western Mass.
Thursday, January 23rd, 2024 at 7:00pm - Join the Southwick Historical Society, Inc on Thursday January 23rd, 2025 as Al McKee discusses Drugs, Medicine, and Groceries: Early Medicine in Western Massachusetts. Event will take place at Meeting House Hall 222 College Highway, Southwick. Snow Date Sun January 26th, 2024 at 2:00pm. More info coming in next months issue.
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traprock driveways built & repaired. Gravel, loam, fill deliveries. Tractor services, equipment moved, York Rake. Bill Armstrong Trucking. 413-531-0498.
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RECORDS WANTED BY COLLECTOR - Rock & Roll, Country, Jazz of the 50’s and 60’s All speeds. Sorry - no classical, showtunes, polkas or pop. Fair prices paid. No quantity too small or too large. Gerry 860-668-5783 or G.Crane@cox.net
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Lakeside Property management - For all your landscaping needs. Mowing, new lawn installs, sod, mulch/stone installation, bush trimming, retaining walls, snow plowing/removal, etc. Serving Southwick, Suffield, Granby, Agawam, Westfield, Simsbury. Residential and commercial. Call Joe 413-885-8376. Give us a call and let us get that property looking the way you want it! Now accepting major credit cards.
Thank You for Prayers Answered.
St. Joseph
