Preserving the Past by Pat Mulso

I recently saw a photo that advertised “Saturday Night Bath” and memories of that custom became vivid in my mind. I remember quite well the Saturday night ritual that included heating water on the stove to somewhat warm the water in our little galvanized wash tub in the kitchen for our Saturday night bath. This kitchen ritual was a weekly event until I was in second grade, at which time my dad and a friend of the family built a bathroom in our rural home that was furnished with a tub, with running water, both hot and cold. Prior to that we pumped our water outside.

That same year my dad installed a forced air oil furnace to heat the main level of our home. The second story of our home remained unheated, but at least the bathroom was warm. We thought we were living in luxury. The modern day conveniences were brought to light because of my grandmother’s failing health. She died in December of that year.

My dad had been in a very serious auto accident that Thanksgiving and was off work for several months, so Christmas was looking pretty grim, as far as presents under the tree. But we were happy to get Daddy home from the hospital before Christmas and the love of our family and the celebration of the birth of Jesus was not forgotten. We went to church on Christmas Eve, just as we always did, and Mom someway or another had managed to sew each of us something new and had the gifts under the Christmas tree for our annual ritual of opening gifts after church on Christmas Eve. We had some mystery gifts under the tree as well, one for each of us. A billfold with $20 in it, and at age 7, I thought I was the richest person around. We later learned that the gifts were from one of my dad’s nephews and his wife, Roger and Evelyn. My parents always taught us it was more blessed to give than receive, but we couldn’t have been more grateful for the generosity of our family.

Christmas is a time for family, for friends, for memories, for giving, for sharing love and for thanking God for our many blessings. “May you have the gladness of Christmas; which is hope, the spirit of Christmas, which is peace; the heart of Christmas, which is love,” by Ada V. Hendricks. Do you have Christmas traditions? Whatever they may be, don’t let them become lost by the busy lives we live in today’s world. A random act of kindness or a tradition to help those less fortunate than ourselves is a great way to show charity at this special time of the year.

Merry Christmas and happy new year from all of us at the Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library & Village.

We will host a four-hour defensive driving refresher class from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 10. The cost is $20 for AARP members and $25 for nonmembers. You must register for the class by calling the museum at 507-373-8003 or stopping by during our regular business hours.

We have many events and programs that will begin in 2015. Watch for details in my next article. Have a safe and happy holiday season and remember kindness is never wasted!

 

Pat Mulso is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library and Village, 1031 Bridge Ave.