Fruit and fireworks filled
Old Hoke County Christmases
by Soaya Falls
December 18, 1984, Raeford,
NC - Parents continue their frantic
two month search for Cabbage
Patch dolls and Transformers.
These elusive items, they are cer
tain , will mean the difference be
tween a perfect Christmas or a
disastrous one. Assuredly, the
Christmas tree will be surrounded
by gifts for their children, but
without these special it ems... welt,
come on, let's just try one more
store.
December 18, 1934, Raeford,
NC - The young boy counted his
money carefully. He had been sav
ing a long time for this. He had
just enough for all the firecrackers
he would need for Christmas Eve
on Main Street. The sound would
be awesome.
Christmas traditions, gifts, and
trappings, like everything else,
change with the times. Just as
Hoke County and Raeford have
grown from a small isolated farm
ing town to a larger, busier civic
region, values, lifestyles and how
people celebrate the upcoming
holiday have all changed.
Christmas in Raeford in the
'20's and '30's may have lacked the
commercial glitter it possesses to
day, but according to many Hoke
Countians, it certainly was an ex
citing, special time of year.
Families were larger and celebrated
together.
Churches and schools provided
most of the entertainment for the
holiday season and any extraor
dinary event, such as a Christmas
tree strung with electrical lights,
had special meaning.
Robert Gatlin, a longtime resi
dent of Raeford recently told of
Christmases (fest and of traditional
activities.
It was a longstanding tradition,
he said, for citizens to line both
sides of Main Street on Christmas
Eve, for a huge firecracker display.
A challenge would be made for the
loudest, most impressive ex
plosives.
"We saved everything we could
to buy fireworks," Gatlin said.
"1 would save the hog bladder
from Thanksgiving hog killing, dry
it out, blow it up and tie it off."
When stuck with a pin on
Christmas Eve, it produced a noise
as loud as any firecracker.
Gatlin remembers one
Christmas when, due to street pav
ing, Main Street was blocked to
pedestrians and traffic. Fireworks
were heavy that night he said. And
clean up, the next morning was a
major undertaking.
According to Gatlin, Christmas
gifts were fewer in those days.
County residents had less to buy
with, but also a lack of advertising,
communication and travel in
fluenced Christmas purchases.
"Fruits, such as oranges and
raisins, and nuts were seen only at
Christmas. My grandfather had a
crate full of oranges and apples in
a closet. They had been shipped by
rail for Christmas."
These special foods many times
were the only expected Christmas
treat. "I don't smell an orange to
this day that it doesn't remind me
of Christmas."
Decorations within the home
were scant, unless homemade.
Often a holly tree would be
brought in as the Christmas tree.
With its glossy leaves and bright
red berries, Gatlin insisted that no
more decorations were needed.
Door wreaths were not in fashion
but real candles were often set in
windows.
Christmas socializing occurred
primarily in the area school and
churches.
Sam Morris remembers school
programs as being religious in
nature and traditionally given each
year.
"There was more of an em
phasis on the true meaning of
Christmas," he recalled.
Christmas parties were held at
churches and schools with grade
moms and Santa distributing
mothers' homemade candy.
Carolers, usually the young peo
ple's groups of the Methodist,
Baptist and Presbyterian churches,
were a familiar sight around
Raeford, and Christmas morning
services were held frequently at
local churches.
Christmas, traditionally, is a
time to share with the less for
tunate.
Looking back, Gatlin and Mor
ris agree that Raeford, before
"Share Your Christmas" and the
Department of Social Services, was
still a giving,- caring community.'
They point out, however, that
philanthropic efforts were more of
a personal endeavor. Churches
looked after their own needy, farm
owners provided special boxes for
their sharecropping families and
for many years, the fire depart
ment repaired toys for poorer
children.
During the second World War,
Christmas could have been a
lonelier affair for glider trainees at
Camp Mackall, had it not been for
county extension clubs who pro
vided Christmas "ditty bags" and
cards for them.
Josephine Hall, longtime exten
sion agent in the county, recalled
other extension projects around
Christmas.
Slippers were made one year for
residents of McCain, and
Christmas programs were given
each year at the Pine Forest Com
munity Building under the auspices
of extension service. Many local
children participated in these pro
gram.
Through extension efforts,
county residents learned, socializ
ed and in 1939, gained electricity.
Hall cites that year as the first one
that county residents could have
lights on their Christmas trees as
the REA moved to electrify Hoke
County.
Christmas lights in Raeford have
been a part of the city's decor for a
long time.
Marie Warner remembers com
ing to Raeford for the first time in
1935 and being thrilled by the sight
of W.T. Covington's reindeer on
top of the Old Elk Restaurant all
dressed up, complete with lights, a
sleigh and a Santa. She and Gatlin
both described colored lights being
strung completely across Main
Street in the mid-thirties.
A special project of the
Woman's Club during this time
period involved decorations of
cedar trees on Main Street.
Spearheaded by Mrs. Florrie
Cameron, donations from
downtown merchants were col
lected to plant and decorate three
cedar trees on each median strip on
Main Street.
Luke McNeill remembers the
lights being so bright that touch
football was possible under the
trees.
For about 10 years, residents of
Raeford enjoyed these decorations
and many outsiders drove to see
these trees.
Mrs. Warner remembers
magazine coverage of them in
State magazine around 1937-38.
During the mid-forties, the trees
grew so large that the highway
department removed them, thus
ending another home grown
Christmas tradition.
Traditions are created and kept
because they are meaningful to
people. . ^ ~ - - ? -t
Although most people don't
value a gift of oranges and nuts as
our grandparents might have, new
traditions and values are created in
everyone's family at this time of
year.
The materialism and commer
cialism which is such a part of our
life today grew out of those
desperately poor depression and
pre-war years.
Those who treasured their small
gifts at Christmas are the very ones
who helped make this county one
of the most affluent in the world
thus enabling their children to have
more than oranges and nuts; in
other words, Cabbage Patch dolls
and Transformers.
A materialistic picture, yes, but
part of tomorrow's Christmas
memories.
December 18, 2044, Raeford,
/VC - The little old lady, grayhaired
and frail, cuddles her great
granddaughter closely. "Oh, my
dear. I wish you could have seen
my Cabbage Patch doll. Her name
was Lisa Trixie and she was
beautiful. "
? mr VMff^ vnrMirriiw
Bob Town stud fright) makes a big sale of mistletoe during the 1972 Christmas season.
Anticipation
Young Elgin Blue, who was recently selected as
Honorable Mention All-East by the Raleigh News
and Observer for his defensive play with the Hoke
High Bucks this year, is eagerly awaiting Christmas
in this 1970 photograph. Blue has gained some
weight , age and brawn since the photo was taken.
Are you kidding me?
This youngster at the first annual Knit- A way Inc.
Children's Christmas party In 1972 appears to have
had some doubts about the authenticity of Santa 'i
beard.