JOY TO THE WORLD!

FROM WHERE I SIT  JOY TO THE WORLD! 12/16/13 Pat DeKok Spilseth

When Christmas arrives and the radio is playing carols, many of us recall the words we memorized as little kids practicing for school and church programs.  Guests will be arriving at our house for the holidays, so I’m practicing the songs that Miss Rahn taught me to play many years ago.  We’ll eat too much, remember past holiday joys and sing carols around the piano.  However, now I sit on the piano missing sharps and flats of songs I used to play perfectly.  Though my playing technique has suffered, I remember most of the words to “Joy To the World, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Angels from the Realms of Glory, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”    

Inside the piano bench, I found little paper song books that Mom had saved years ago.  Familiar carols are printed in the songbook; some of the pamphlets have the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20.  One booklet, a customer’s gift from the Pope County State Bank of Glenwood and Villard, has colorful Victorian illustrations of Charles Dickens’ tale, “A Christmas Carol”.   Scrooge has a sharply defined jaw with glaring eyes; Tiny Tim is perched on his father’s shoulders waving his crutch.  The booklet prints the tale of Marley’s Ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.  

Brownie’s Service gave customers a booklet of Season’s Greetings with a cover picture of a choir of young boys with large bow ties on their red and white robes.  Printed inside are the words and music of favorite English songs like “Good King Wenceslas, The Wassail Song and God Rest You Merry Gentlemen.”

Forbord Oil Company gave a songbook of 17 carols.  Printed on the back cover is Luke’s Christmas story.   Esther, my Mom, also saved a pamphlet from the Bank of Willmar, which has the words to “Home Sweet Home” and its refrain ending with “There’s no place like home!”  Isn’t that phrase so true?   In this season of merriment, many return to homes they grew up in to be with loved ones.  For lucky folks, family is still living at the old home place.  On the back page are the music and words to “The Star-Spangled Banner”.   The figures and scenes, illustrated by Christopher Wray, have nativity scenes, candles lit on Christmas trees, fireplaces burning, and horses pulling sleighs filled with happy folks.  Good feelings come through the illustrations and messages, just like Norman Rockwell’s paintings and magazine covers.

In Glenwood, my home town, everybody knew everyone in the fifties and sixties.  It was a holiday tradition for businesses to reward their customers with a small gift of appreciation.  I remember that we received calendars, can openers, pencils, wooden rulers, paring knives and letter openers.  The name of the business was printed on the gift, a good advertising tool used by business owners to tell their customers they appreciated their business.  In a small town, it’s tough to own a business if townspeople drive to larger towns to buy from big box stores, where few clerks know the names of their customers or even care if we shop there.

In Glenwood, the clerks would call me Patty when I’d go into Harry’s & Myrtle’s Corner Grocery Store and tell them “Please put it on our charge”.  Marie knew me at Bob’s meat market and at Potters’ Dime Store Dolly, the energetic, smiley clerk, knew I favored the penny candy shelves and maple nut goodies.   At Wimpy’s, where Dad ate breakfast with the guys, Doris and Erv staffed the counter, and at Dick’s Recreation Hall, the guys playing pool in the back room knew my name.  After all, several had celebrated Christmas at the jail with my family around the Christmas tree.  

Treasures like these little songbooks reflect a kinder, gentler time of life.  Life wasn’t so rushed and simple tokens of appreciation were valued.  Silent nights and the full moon over the frozen lake slow me down, letting me enjoy reading Christmas cards, the lights on the tree and anticipate my family coming home for the holidays.  

Merry Christmas to you and your families!  707 words