Christmas In Old Cuba

This December we had a conversation with a life-long resident of Cuba Township regarding her memories of Christmas' long past. It is repeated in the first person for your reading enjoyment.

“I was born into a farm family here in Cuba Township during the height of the depression in the 1930's. I was one of three children living on Rainbow Road where I was born. The house I was born in, which is still standing today is one of the older farm houses on Rainbow Road. When I was a little girl we moved up close to Honey Lake Road and Route 22 and farmed there. I was one of about twenty-five students at Honey Lake School for 1st through 8th grade. We all learned together in a one-room schoolhouse taught by Miss Austria who received the princely sum of $98.00 per month for teaching eight grades at the same time. She got $5.00 for a Christmas bonus.

Life wasn't easy in those years. Our farmhouse was heated by coal delivered by Hager's in Barrington or Snider's in Lake Zurich. The kitchen stove used wood. We had no running water and no electricity. Light came from kerosene lamps and water was carried in.

It wasn't a very exciting life but it taught fortitude. We all had chores and we all milked before going to school, cows had to be milked every 12 hours regardless of it being Christmas or not.

Christmases were not real exciting. There weren't any vacations to Florida or other warm climates. There wasn't time to go skiing, the depression was on and the animals had to be fed, yet we were very happy. The family was very important at Christmas time. There wasn't any money for presents but we had a good meal. Generally a farm-raised Christmas goose or chickens. Probably one of the worst memories of those Christmas's were when mom made cookies using goose grease. They were just awful! One Christmas my gift was a winter coat several sizes too big so I could grow into it. My sister who is older was very happy to see me get that coat. I was pretty disappointed. Probably the most exciting Christmas happened when I was in charge of watching the Christmas tree. You see in those days we cut a tree down in the local area and brought it inside and decorated it with things we made and rope-type decorations and it was lit with real candles. Whenever we lit the candles on the tree one of us was designated and put in charge of watching the tree. One year all the candles were lit and I was in charge of watching it and I guess I didn't do a very good job because suddenly it was on fire. I am sure you all know how fast a Christmas tree burns and I can still remember my dad grabbing hold of it and dragging it out the door and throwing it out in the barnyard. That was the end of the Christmas tree for that year.

Most years Christmas Day revolved around our Christmas dinner sometimes on the farm on Rainbow Road or near Honey Lake Road or in town on Hough Street where my grandma lived. We always had enough to eat because we grew it or raised it. And of course we went to church. I have always gone to church in Barrington and still do.

After I grew up I became a telephone operator at the old telephone building that is now the Kaper building on Main Street in Barrington. I got a better paying job at the bank, but always came back to work the night shift around Christmastime during the war years because all the boys were trying to call home and extra operators were needed.

Christmas was simple and basic but happy and joyful. Our families and friends meant everything. Farm life was hard and it went on for seven days a week, but it was rewarding!