Christmas Preparations 1962

L-R: Philip, Linda, Sandra, Nathan, Ruth in Grandma's dining room

 Grandma D kept a Christmas diary and each year she recorded what cards and gifts she sent and received, the menus of each special meal, and the names of the people who celebrated the season with the family. While the Christmas tree, fresh from the farm, never went up until a day or two before Christmas Day, other preparations started at the beginning of December. 

The menu on Christmas Eve was always Christmas beef with Grandma's fruity chili sauce, harvard beets, a jellied salad, to name a few items I remember. And of course, there were cookies and her Christmas cake which we still make every year. The Christmas beef was a big deal because the preparation of the large roast started at least three weeks before Christmas. Grandma kept the meat in her cold cellar in a big crock as it was cured. 

Here is the recipe in Grandma's handwriting. She ordered the 14-pound roast at the butcher shop two doors down from her house. When the three weeks of marinating were done, the meat was cooked in the oven, cooled, thinly sliced, and served cold. Spiced beef was a popular holiday treat in the British Isles, particularly in Ireland. I wouldn't be surprised if Newfoundland's Jigg's dinner has a linked history.

Mary Ann Griffin, Grandma D's great-grandmother, came to Canada from Ireland so the recipe was likely in the family for a few generations.
Rose Murray published a cookbook called Canadian Christmas Cooking and her recipe for Spiced Beef was almost the same as Grandma's, but her instruction is for a more reasonably sized five-pound roast. (Click on photos to enlarge them). I made this recipe once and it turned out satisfactorily. Today, it would be easier to go to the deli to find a similarly prepared beef cold cut. 

Other food preparations included rolled shortbreads cut into shapes and decorated with bits of candied cherries. Grandma made squares with graham wafers, sweetened condensed milk mixed with lemon juice and a thin icing. She also made an unbaked roll of graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk and marshmallows which were sliced before serving. She was a fan of graham flour which was very popular during her lifetime.

Christmas Eve 1962; We were allowed to open one present after dinner. Uncle Bill is on the right.

Grandma is kneeling behind me, helping Philip find a present. I am exactly the same age now as she was in this picture. Our brother Mark was born three months later, and our youngest brother Stephen arrived 18 months after Mark. Once again, Dad's excellent photos stored on Kodak slides have not deteriorated and scanned well into a digital format.  

I now know how much work Grandma and Mom put into these Christmas preparations. Mom sewed the aprons for my cousins, my oldest brother and myself. (Philip was 2-1/2 years old and just wore a bib).

And I am thankful for these joyful family memories of Christmases' past.