Christmas on Elmwood Street, Part Two (Reposted from last year)

Our home on Elmwood Street, Circa 1929

The continuing story of my dad, "Billy" Mursch, at the age of ten, around 1928-29.  Be sure to read the part one reprinted last week.  I originally posted these last Christmas, but this year I am reprinting them in loving memory of my Dad, "Billy Mursch", who passed on to be with the Lord this past spring.  Be sure to watch for the 3rd part sometime next week...I hope you will enjoy reading these as much as I enjoyed hearing these stories from my father's own lips.  Reading them again brings him closer to me somehow...

Wintertime was an idyllic season for us kids on Elmwood Street. When the snow fell the town would close off some of the side streets and the kids could ice skate in the flat icy areas and go sledding down the hilly snow-covered streets. We’d build a fire in an old oil drum so we could warm up between sled rides. Many a day we stayed outside until our noses were red and our toes were numb, and then we dragged our sleds back to our warm cozy houses for some hot chocolate and steaming bowls of soup at the end of the day.  

Another favorite Christmas memory was the smell of cookies baking in the kitchen, and then the many tins of cookies and other goodies, stacked up on the attic stairs to keep fresh, waiting to be eaten by family and friends at Christmas. We kids were forbidden to touch the containers before Christmas…but it sure was a temptation! My favorite cookies were Anise Cookies and Sand Tarts. These were very special old German recipes that my mother loved to bake for our family, and we sure loved to eat them!  (Recipes can be found on my blog page- "It's Recipe Thyme"---Another New Recipe)http://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/p/its-recipe-thyme-new-recipe.html

When we set up our Christmas tree, it was traditional in our family to put a toy train under the tree. The train that we used was actually built by my father, and I still have it today. When I was a little older I designed a very unique village to go with our train. Prior to Christmas I would go out in the woods and gather Sphagnum Peat Moss to be used as grass and to fashion small trees for our village. Then I constructed little houses and other buildings for the village by using the wood from the apple boxes brought home from the grocer. One year our village was quite elaborate as I set up a small lake in a pan in the fire box of the fireplace, and placed the moss and trees around and laid out the railroad tracks to run from one side of the bookcases lining the fireplace to the other. I built a mountain on one side and constructed a hotel on top, complete with people and cars and trucks. On the other side was a farm, with a barn, silo, farmhouse, and animals. Next to the farm was a Nativity Scene with Mary and Joseph, the Baby Jesus and the other members of that holy place. Down in the village the train ran through town and made its stops at the local schoolhouse, the Village Church, stores and depot. This project was a forerunner of the hobby that I would enjoy for many years as an adult.

The Christmas Tree and the Train Village I made as a child. (Billy Mursch talking)
(click on pictures to enlarge, and then use back arrow to return to blog)

Another view of the Train Village under the Christmas Tree in the living room
at our home on Elmwood Street.

"The locomotive and train  is the one my Dad made for me.  The village
was an elaborate creation that got better every year as I learned how to
add more interesting stuff to it."  (per Billy Mursch)

Please come back next week to hear the rest of this story...it keeps getting better...!

Link to "Christmas on Elmwood Street, Part Three"