1898 Christmas Recollection

Morris McHenry was perhaps the most beloved citizen of Crawford County. He lived in Union Township, was a school teacher, surveyor and held various county positions during his lifetime. Known to all during his later years as "Uncle Morris McHenry" he was called upon time and time again for everything from mapping out plats, roads and railroad rights-of-way to hosting events, writing historical articles and serving various charitable organizations. The following is an article from the December 13, 1898 Denison Review.

PIONEER CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

By Our First Santa Claus, Morris McHenry

Christmas, as I first recollect it, was different from other days, in that when I got up on Christmas morning I found my stocking hung up with a “fried cake” in it. I soon learned to hang up my stocking myself, by the big open fireplace, so that it would be handy for “Santa Claus” when he came down the chimney. If I got a big red apple with my fried cake I was much elated. As I grew in years, my ideas of what a stocking might be able to contain were very much enlarged, consequently my Santa Claus had a hard time to adjust my wants to the size of the stocking. Such a thing as a “Santa Claus” that could be seen, heard and admired at a respectable distance, as the children do now in our churches of Christmas Eve was not dreamed of.

The first real live Santa Claus I ever saw, and the first one that Crawford County Sunday school scholars ever saw was about Christmas 1859. The place was the Court house; then the only church in Crawford County. The Sunday school was a Union school, composed of Baptist and Methodists. The Methodists had their Sunday school at nine o'clock in the morning and the Baptists at two o'clock in the afternoon. The same children attending both schools. The union consisted in both churches “going for” the same children and having a Christmas tree in common. Miss Seagrave, (later Mrs. F. Prentice) who had lately come from way down East, brought in her mind the latest pattern for Santa Claus.

Crawford County Courthouse

I, the Superintendent of the Methodist school, was picked upon as a good frame to make Santa Claus over. I was pretty thin in those days but the ladies found plenty of pillows to make a respectable “bay window” for the front side of me, and with the regulation fur coat and cap with a plentiful sprinkling of snow and the long flowing white beard that Santa Claus must have, I made a Santa Claus dressed in full style for the period.

A Christmas tree then required besides a Santa Claus, tree pickers, the short ladies and gentlemen to pick the low branches and the tall ones to pick the top of the tree, and Santa Claus' children to carry away the presents. It is wonderful how time speeds away.

I often meet the Santa Claus children of those days, but they are children no longer, their grandchildren are now Santa Claus' children and their children are the hard and steady workers in the Sunday schools of today. Who can say that Sunday school work does not pay?

( Photo Illustrative only)

As the years went by the Sunday school workers raked their brains to vary the program for Christmas eve. About the year 1873 quite a sensational Santa Claus made his appearance at the Methodist church, accompanied by “Kris Kringle”, Santa Claus' man. Mr. L.A. Sewell represented Santa Claus and Charlie McHenry, Kris Kringle, “with his peaked hat and reindeer sleigh.”

This is what the children saw – A curtain was stretched across the front of the church, all lights were turned out except one on the platform behind the curtain. A deep silence fell on the audience when suddenly the sound of the rein deer's bells was heard and a sound as of heavy foot falls on the roof, then one of Santa Claus' feet came down through the ceiling to the floor, immediately followed by the other with a great noise and Old Santa himself stood revealed in all his glory, and as the curtain was rolled back here came Kris Kringle driving up with a hintable rein deer, horns and all, hitched to his sleigh which was loaded down with presents.

When Santa Claus' task was done the curtain was again drawn, Santa Claus said he must pass on, said “good-night” stepped with one step to the ceiling, drew the other foot after and was gone. I hope if the children keep coming, that Christmas and Santa Claus may keep up with the procession.