Cow Bay Christmas
Christmas in the 19th century considerably different than today
Many of us are familiar with the traditional Christmas images of cheerful people in snowy villages, caroling or riding in horsedrawn sleighs.
There are others of perfectly wrapped presents under a brightly lit tree surrounded by children with expressions of wondrous anticipation of Christmas. These illustrate a simpler Christmas, where the message of the season was of peace and good will. This was the type of Christmas depicted by Edith Archibald.
Edith and her husband, Charles Archibald, lived in Cow Bay (Port Morien) in the late 19th century. Charles was the manager and co-owner of the Gowrie coal mine. They were a family of wealth who lived in a beautiful mansion in the village called “Seaview”. In 1910, Edith wrote a book called “Bedtime Stories for My Grandchildren”. Her 33-yearold daughter Georgie had died the previous year, and Edith wanted to tell Georgie’s children about their mother’s happy childhood growing up in Cow Bay. Despite sadness in her heart, she describes in great detail, the joyful Christmases in Cow Bay in the 1880s. On Christmas Eve bundles and parcels were wrapped all day long. They included warm clothing, toys, tea, sugar, raisins and figs, as well as cakes, pies, and jam. Georgie and her brother Tom included their own toys. When everything was ready, the children headed out to the town with their sleds loaded with parcels. Many of their friends were poor, and they would leave a surprise gift at the door of their homes. Then, they would scamper away before they could be discovered.
The children would return and hang their stockings on the huge fireplace. Letters to Santa Claus were also sent up the chimney. On Christmas morning, the children rushed to see what was in their stockings. Later at breakfast, after prayers, they would find a silver piece under their plate, and a number of wrapped presents close by.
After breakfast, if conditions were right, the horse and sleigh would be brought to the front door from the stable. The children, dressed warmly in their fur robes, accompanied their father on a 10-kilometre sleigh ride to the home of Alex and Kate Macaulay, located at False Bay Lake. Their daughter Flora and son Neil lived there as well. They were warmly welcomed upon arriving at the Macaulay farmhouse and were treated with sweet cakes. The men went out on the ice to cut a hole and laid down spruce boughs. The guests were given fishing lines to fish for smelt, and a fire was built on the shore if the children wanted to warm up. After a while they would go indoors to the kitchen heated by a big stove and be treated to more homemade goodies by the Macaulay family.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Archibald and the servants were busy preparing the Christmas meal. Charles and the children returned by five o’clock, just in time for everyone to have a delicious feast. Afterwards, the drawing room door was opened, revealing, as she described “a wonderful glittering Christmas tree, all shining with lights and sparkling ornaments and with toys and candies hanging from every bough.” The servants joined them, and Mrs. Archibald played the piano and led the group in Christmas carols. After a busy day, the sleepy youngsters made their way to bed.
The Christmas tree stood for many days after in the corner of the drawing room. Children from the village who came to visit were always encouraged to take something from the tree.
Edith Archibald lived in a 19th century, class-structured society, a social structure of the privileged and the poor, even in Cow Bay. That being said, her Christmas harkens back to a simpler time and the underlying message is clear. Her wealthy family experienced the joy of Christmas not by exchanging lavish gifts but by appreciating its true meaning — of kindness and goodwill towards the less fortunate, and spending time with family and friends. That message could still ring true for many today, passed on to us from many Christmases ago in 1880s Cow Bay. Ken Macdonald is a retired school teacher and administrator, and a community volunteer. His family can be traced back seven generations in Port Morien, where he has lived almost all his life. He can be reached at morienbay@gmail.com.