Yuletide and a nutty aromatic pig’s pluck

Last year, I spent Christmas Day in Belgium, reconnecting with my old university friends and celebrating Christmas with their respective families. I enjoyed generous hospitality, food and conversation. It was a fitting conclusion to a superb three-month trip in Europe.

This year, I can’t help but think about ‘this time last year’ when I was meandering the Christmas markets in Germany, marvelling at the European traditions and the seasonal contrasts with the Australian Christmas. I’ve also been thinking back on the Christmas traditions of my childhood too. It led me to wonder how Christmas was celebrated over the generations? Looking for clues in the archives has unexpectedly revealed the kind of delicious variety you would expect in a Christmas stocking full of lollies. I found a mixed bag of useful and fun presents, fancy dinner settings, holiday complaints and bad summer weather.

Quiet Christmases in Albert Park

My great grandmother Mary Ellen Sidaway (née Belton) kept a diary during her first year in Australia. Originally from Crewe, England, she immigrated with her husband, Horace, and eldest daughter, Eileen (my maternal grandmother).  They took in a boarder, Charlie, and she had her second child, Bernie in April 1912. The diary is simply written without too much fuss on grammar or spelling and provides a rare and brief glimpse into the daily activities, the weather and the people in her life.  She commences the diary on the 1^st of January 1912 and maintains it until Christmas day 1913.

L-R Horace, Eileen, Bernie and Mary Ellen Sidaway 1912

Monday 12 February 1912

Our little Vera’s birthday. We had a letter from Emmie & one from Joe’s Pollie and Lily, and Randy, wrote a part each in it Randy’s is a very nice little letter. I could not help but cry when I read it he wrote so touchingly to Horace of the time when he was at home and he used to go and watch him play cricket and of how he thought of him at Christmas when Rowley Church Bells were ringing. We also had the papers from Emmie and Ernest. Have not been out to-day there was a lovely cool wind in the afternoon.

Wednesday 25^th December Christmas Day (Heavy rain and thundery in afternoon)

We had a very quiet day Horace & Charlie went to see the Mail boat go out H & E [Horace & Eileen] Melbourne came home with them, Brents came in after.

Thursday 25 December 1913

Eileen is delighted with her school from Fr Xmas. Bernie got a drum. We went to ten o’clock mass and did not go out again such a bad Windy & Dusty Day.

Snippets of Christmas missives

In 1918, my paternal grandfather’s older brother, Frank Meagher, was posted to Europe as a doctor in the last stages of the First World War. He described the Christmas day fare to his father, John S. Meagher, in a letter from Le Badelez, France on 28 December 1918.

There was a fall on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas morning but it was not heavy. We are in rather a sad plight for rations. There is the utmost difficulty in getting them. Our Christmas dinner consisted of soup (too highly peppered to eat), boiled mutton with potatoes and cabbage, blanc-mange and tinned fruit.  Luckily we had enough to drink. The men had soup, turkey, mutton and vegetables, plum pudding, cake and biscuits, cigarettes and a hell’s brew which we made for them and called rum punch… With reference to our lack of good cheer, I might mention that I have had no Christmas parcels at all bar one full of knitted stuff from a girly pal. Tho I have received notice from several other such that stuff is on the way, I have had no such notice from home.

Frank’s complaints about the lack of Christmas cheer do not match the bitterness contained in a letter from his father, John S. Meagher writing from Lorne, Victoria on New Year’s Day in 1919. John is highly annoyed about youths disturbing his sleep as they noisily enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivities at Hotel Lorne. This letter tells us that John took his family to Lorne for Christmas and its contents are as rich as a Christmas pudding. Of course it deserves its own future blog post, but this excerpt will give you a taste of how sour the occasion was for John:

An ancient barracouta would be much too good to waste on these degraded dolts, appropriate and condign punishment for these Circaens (you remember what_____ did to those landing on her island) would be the snitcher smitten with a nutty & aromatic pig’s pluck; well when I complained to Miss Leydin about these obscenities she quite frankly told me these youths were more profitable to her than was the family trade, she could give me no other room and if I didn’t like it I could & etc. then she added “In fact if you were not Frank’s father I would not have let you in before Christmas.” So there you are, see what glory I have from being your father.

Excerpt of John S. Meagher’s letter dated 1 January 1919

Gift-giving

Christmas gift tag c.1953

Dear Terence,

Here is a small present for Christmas.  I would be very sorry if you didn’t reach your goal of £10.0.0 in the money box by Christmas and this should make it a certainty.  See that you have a lovely Christmas and see that the kids behave themselves.

Love from Uncle Leo (the old uncle) 

6 Dudley Street, Ivanhoe

8.1.1957

Christmas thanks to the Meagher children from Lux Meagher 1957

Dear Children,

How kind and thoughtful you are to remember Uncle Lux as you did, by your nice Christmas present! The socks will be most useful and are a very welcome addition to my wardrobe. I have had a very severe cold and have been disinclined to write earlier. It gave me a very comforting feeling to know that you were thinking about me. I hope all at home are well. I was very glad to know that you girlies were demonstrating at Seville recently.  Everybody should have confidence in the water.  A very necessary part of growing up but strangely enough many people do not even bother to learn to swim.

Best love to you all from Aunt Muriel and Your very affectionate Uncle Lux

In 1939, my great grandfather, John S. Meagher, gifted a sketch of his home, Ikerrin, to his future daughter-in-law Dorothy Donovan (my paternal grandmother). You can read more about the sketch here.

Christmas caught on camera

The family photographs are just as telling: fashions, culinary and social trends, broad smiles and family togetherness. All perfect ingredients for the annual Christmas festivities.

The next generation of the Sidaway family celebrated Christmas together at Bernie and his wife, Kathy Sidaway’s house in Dank Street, Albert Park.  The present giving time of the day has been captured in 35mm slides. In the first photo, my mother, Elizabeth Hall holds up a gift of a ceramic bell and in the next photo, her mother and aunties all nurse cigarettes and wear their best pearls. The older ladies from left to right feature Mary Luke (née Sidaway, Eileen and Bernie’s youngest sister), my grandmother, Eileen Hall (née Sidaway) and Kathy Sidaway (née Dunne). In front is my mother’s cousin, Maureen Luke.

Elizabeth Hall on Christmas day at Dank Street, Albert Park c. 1960s

Sidaway Christmas day at Dank Street, Albert Park c. 1960s

The Meagher family celebrated Christmas lunch at Yonga Road, Balwyn circa 1969 in classic style.  In the photos, also reproduced from 35 mm slides, from left to right is Cynthia Meagher, Dorothy’s brother-in-law, Frank Coleman, Dorothy’s sister, Elsie (née Donovan), Jack Meagher and Maureen Houston (née Meagher).  In the next slide is Dirk Houston, Des Meagher, Terence Meagher, Dorothy Meagher and a slightly improved view of Cynthia Meagher. On this particular occasion they are dining on the fashionable pineapple dressed ham and roasted vegetables. Lindemans Cawarra Claret is the red wine of choice, the fruit punch is draped with festive cherries and the festive table centrepiece includes thistles and orange candles. It looks like cheers from all, and I too, wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas day at Yonga Road, Balwyn c.1969

Meagher family Christmas day at Yonga Road, Balwyn c.1969