This week's edition of Rewind has a completely 'Christmassy' theme in keeping with the season. Robert recalls some tales from Christmases past and also sends out a Holiday greeting to the Rewind reading audience. He also shows ​a few old time holiday photographs.

This scene is reminiscent of what​ has​ happened in many homes across the land at Christmas time​ as far back as anyone can remember. ​(File Photo)

Christmas is upon us and however you​ ​​choose​ to celebrate this festive season I hope you are enjoying yourself. I have seen more than a few holiday seasons and each one has been special​; ​no two have ever been the same. I can recall when times were much 'leaner' than we know today and back in those days we gave and received less, but the spirit of Christmas still prevailed.

​Christmas at our house will be much like it has always been; a bit of the old and the best of the new. Always an enjoyable time shared by those most important in our lives.

​Each year ​I take a special joy in writing my Christmas​ Rewind​. It isn't about ​the usual subjects​, but more about some holiday memories. Today I have chosen to pen a couple of little stories associated with the Christmas season ​from long ago ​​as I now recall them. ​Each year it stretches my memory a little further to come up with a couple more.

As a very young boy, perhaps only six years old or so, I can still vividly remember a pre-Christmas happening that was so very simple and basic but it has obviously stuck in my memory bank forever​. Leading up to Christmas, perhaps about the Sunday before, my father took my older brother and I out into the woods to cut down a Christmas tree. My older sister undoubtedly stayed home, she wouldn't have cared for such an outing. We didn't go to a Tree Farm or anything that elaborate, in fact it was pretty darned simple, like most everything else was back then.

My father was a lumberman and logger and for many years and ran a sawmill. However in our area very few evergreen trees, the kind you would choose for Christmas grew in the local forests. Our trees known as Carolinian were oaks, elms, ashes and maples not ​fir, pine or spruce. The ones that did grow nearby were pretty scrubby to put it mildly; but that didn't deter us. My Dad put an axe in the car and away we went a few miles to the woodlot that bordered the sawmill. I was "as happy as a clam", it was like a fairy tale to me.

​My father wasn't too big on Christmas nor its traditions, however he did seem willing to participate in the tree hunting excursion. Once into the woods we scoured the area for a suitable tree and believe me there wasn't much to choose from. ​We would finally find one that we thought would do and he would chop it down. We then dragged it back to the car and in the trunk it went. The big happening was when we showed it to my mother. She was always gracious and accepting of whatever we picked, probably sensing how much fun we had in getting it.

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​As I think back now I can't imagine just how downright ugly (there isn't a much more suitable description available) those trees really were. They were short, crooked, lopsided, sparse and besides that didn't have too much going for them. Little did it matter as we all loved them. In later years we did realize just how unsightly they really were and have had many a laugh at how much fun we had and how little it mattered about how the tree looked. ​

In one of the many great Christmas TV mMovies we have watched this year I did see one where a person said they always picked out the ugliest tree on the lot and for a reason. They didn't want it to be the only one left without a home on Christmas day. Maybe we were a little ahead of the times and didn't know it.

​On a Christmas day year many years ago I can recall my grandfather coming to spend the afternoon and evening with us as he did every year. This may have been one of the last he was part of the festive day at our house. By then past 80 and a bit worn by the years, he was perhaps a bit like the Toby Keith song and not as good as he once was. His gait was rather unsteady and his memory was not the best. Many years a widower and living alone had undoubtedly taken its toll. One thing he did still enjoy was a good stiff drink. No need to ask; Rye & Water was his drink of choice. He also retained his sense of humour.

Once in the house and settled he quietly took a seat in his favourite rocker and lit up his cigar. After what seemed like a long time to him I'm sure, my father finally asked him if he would like a drink. Despite his compromised hearing and sometimes inattentiveness, he was quick to answer in the affirmative. ​ As I recall he made pretty quick work of it. After another lengthy passage of time my father finally said "Raymond, would you like another drink?" He quickly responded "YES I WILL....and by the way, not nearly so much water in the next one, I've heard they put quite a bit in it when they make it!"

A typical Christmas day​ dinner​ gathering of family and friends from yesteryear's. ​The young fellow at the far end of the table thankfully gave up the practice of wearing a bow tie quite a few years ago.

In closing I would like to wish everyone in the Rewind audience the merriest of Christmases and the best of the coming New Year. My thanks to those of you who enjoy reading my tales of bygone days and for the many who send in comments or contact me. I would also like to thank Standardbred Canada for making Rewind a regular feature. Remembering our past is so important​. In June of this year this column began its ninth year of existence dating way back to June of 2009 when I wrote about Levi "Jiggs" McFadden in the very first edition​. A lot of memories have followed. ​

​Final Note: We received a wonderful card from a couple of long-time Rewind followers ​with the following heartfelt message. "Your memories of days gone by bring joy to many." To them I say Many Thanks!
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​MERRY CHRISTMAS!! ​
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Christmas isn't only for humans as this 100 year old picture shows. The sign reads "Free Christmas dinner for horses. Hot Coffee for drivers. 12th and Little B Streets. ALL WELCOME. (File photo)