Pioneer Christmas in Kaysville

          What was Christmas like in Kaysville during the late 1800s, a time when pioneers were still alive and everyone worked together to establish a prosperous community? When Great Grandpa Frank Hyde was a little boy in the old two story adobe home down on the farm, Christmas was a very different experience than the commercial and much-hyped holiday of today. In 2013 holiday music is a constant accompaniment to daily bustle starting in November; a light parade down Main Street; carts of food from Bowman's Market; poinsettias; blogs and posts instead of Christmas cards; Internet purchasing; gift cards and returns of unwanted gifts on the 26th; shopping trips to take advantage of sales, specials, blow-out bargains; and a night out to the movie theater are a few items and activities the Hyde children wouldn't have recognized.

          Frank's brother, George Tilton Hyde, made a recording of his remembrances of a quiet Christmas in a much slower and less greedy era. In that recording George tells of Christmas in the old home on Holmes Creek in Kaysville. Perhaps reading his story will sooth the over-stimulated spirit and help us recall the importance of another humble family on another Christmas Eve over 2,000 years ago.

Children of Rosel and Hannah Simmons Hyde.

Oldest to youngest: George, Clara, John, Mary Ann, Mabel, Rosel, Frank, Ida

“Well the first Christmas that I can remember would be when I was about twelve years old.  I can remember coming down the stairway and the weather was about below zero - talk about being cold weather.  And when I reached the bottom door of the stairway I just opened the bottom door I just reached around the corner and there was my socks and I can remember that in those socks was a singing top and also the bottom of the sock was a bismark, that’s kind of donut, in a way, only it was round and in the inside of it has jelly. My brother Frank, he followed me down the stairs about the same time.  And I believe if I remember right he got a harmonica and he got an orange, same with me, I had an orange, some peanuts, well that’s about all I remember about that.

Hyde adobe home in Kaysville, Utah. Painting by Betty Hyer.

 “At any rate, in those times we didn’t have heat like we have here.  We had sage brush for kindling, and we went to work and made a fire in the old coal stove.  And we soon warmed the house up and by that time the rest of the folks was coming down.  Those four girls, they came down and got what little Christmas they had.  I wouldn’t remember what they got, but there was no dolls, I know that.  They got too big for the dolls.  Well it wasn’t long ‘til we were all up.  There was, I think there was eight of us surrounded the table for breakfast.  Eight and the father and my Aunt Mary (Mary Ann Cowles Hyde) - yes, that’s all there was at that time.  That made ten of us around that table and we had a large pot of cornmeal mush, if you know what that is.  It was mighty good eating in those days, too..  We had good milk, plenty of cream and hot biscuits.  Well that was the breakfast meal and for Christmas, if I remember right, we had a turkey and we had beef, also; we had mince pies.  I had a sister that was one of the best at making mince pies and we had all kinds of mince pie and we had a wonderful day of it, just our own family.  There was enough of us so we didn’t have to call in the neighbors to take up part of the time and, uh, I was busy spinning my top most of the day and Frank was busy trying to learn to play the harmonica.  Well, I believe that’s about all about my first Christmas.  No Christmas trees in those days. We just hung our socks along the mantelpiece.  That’s all we got (what was in the socks), shucks, we didn’t have much in those days.  No, in those days...(4).”

            In another account George was quoted as adding more details about delicacies and gifts which the family might receive.

          “At Christmas time our presents would consist of popcorn, apples, doughnuts, molasses candy and a few nuts that had been bought. In addition we might get a little china or tin toy. The china toy would be like a china lion which I got one year and which I kept for many years after I was married. The tin toys would be tin cups or whistles. My mother would always make plum pudding, and we would have turkey, and perhaps a rich mince pie. I didn’t ever know about oranges or bananas (1).”

From the chapter "Growing Up" in the book The Making of a Grandfather by John Forest Barker. Source notations are from that book as well.
1. History of George Tilton Hyde
4. Transcription of George T. Hyde tape recording