Triangle Review
25 November 1987

1890's diary relates early Christmas in city

By Jane Bass
For the Triangle Review

I hope that all of you have received your invitation to the special Open House at Avery House, 328 W. Mountain, on Dec. 5-6.

THIS PHOTO OF Avery House was made from a negative found in this diary.

Costumed guides, two Victorian Christmas trees, decorations upstairs, music and refreshments may be overdoing it a bit, but perhaps today's celebrators demand more showmanship than the low-key holidays the Avery family actually observed in the house.

Edgar Avery's diary, written on each day of 1890, is surely an indication of how a good Methodist family experienced the Christmas seson. No mention is made of a tree at home, Santa Claus, neighborly visiting, nor of a special dinner of turkey and fixings. There were gifts, howeververy ordinary, useful articles; little indication of wealth or ostentation.

On Dec. 22, a group of boys (probably 13-14 years of age, as Edgar was) went into the mountains after a tree for the church. "It was a very pleasant morning. Horace and I hitched the horse up to the Old Red Wagon and then we got Wilson Heisey and Jimmie Doncan and we went up to Belvue and got Winnie Holmes. From Belvue, we went up to Devil's Gulch and we got a Christmas tree for the M.E. Church. We were pretty tired when we got home."

On Dec. 23, "Horace (Edgar's cousin who lived with the family for a year) and Mamma went over to Aunt Pheobe's (Edwards) and they worked on Christmas presents. In the afternoon, it was quite pleasant and Horace and I went skating on Sheldon Lake."

On Dec. 24, the Avery children remind one of the parentless characters in the Peanuts comic strip. "In the evening, Ethel Mettie Horace and I went down to the Church to the Christmas Eve Christmas tree."

The entry for Christmas Day was an inventory of family gifts. "It was a beautiful morning. I got for Christmas a knife, brush holder, Croconol board, a fish line, writing paper, a fountain pen, a pair of mittens, two books and some candy. Papa gave Mamma a very nice diamond ring. Mamma gave Papa a pair of Opera Glasses. Mamma also got some gold beads, a silver bread plate, a bon bon dish, some nut picks and other things."

Horace and Edgar spent the next day playing Croconol.

New Year's Eve came and went with little fanfare. "Papa, Mamma, Horace, Ethel, Mettie and I are all well. I went to bed early."

Let's look back at the diary's detail of other holidays. Easter was a church observance with an evening program of "recitations and readings given by the Sunday School." Did the Avery children color eggs and await a visit from the Easter Rabbit? Edgar never mentions such frivolity!

A Valentine was a personal exchange between friends, not handed out wholesale to every child in the schoolroom, whether you especially liked him or her or not. "Ethel got three valentines and I got one."

Perhaps one carried the message of an early card in my collection: "There is no distance Love cannot span, Love knows no limit since earth began."

There was a "maskcaraid ball" in town in the evening, but only the "hired girl" attended.

Washington's Birthday was more involved and meaningful. Feb. 6: "Ethel is learning to speak Barbria Frictie to say on Washington's Birthday." Preparations began on Feb. 19: "I went to hunt ever green trees for the school with some other boys-we got quite a good many trees." Feb. 20: "I went out to hunt ever green trees again today. We got a good many trees. We have got our room all fixed up now for to morrow. I went down to Miss Armstrong's room after school to help her fix up her room."

Feb. 21: "We all went to school. Some of the boys and girls decorated some this morning. We spoke our peaces over in school in the morning. Ethel spoke her piece and Mettie went to school with her in the afternoon. Mamma was over to school." Just another school activity? But how unusual to have "Christmas trees" in February!

May 30 was "Decoration Day," but the Avery family "did not go to the service."

The Fourth of July went off with a bang! On July 3: "In the afternoon, Ethel, Mettie and I went down town and bought our fire works. Ethel and I had 75 cents apeice and Mettie had 55 cents." July 4: "Ethel, Mettie and I got up at half past five o'clock this morning. We fired a great big fire cracker the first thing. I had five bunches of fire crackers. Ethel had five bunches and Mettie had three bunches. We celebrated a little in the evening."

Thanksgiving Day found Edgar hunting with."Uncle Rob Edwards and Jimmy Doncan. We all went over to Uncle Alf's (Edwards) for dinner."

So times and lives and celebrations were simpler nearly 100 years ago. The family, the church, and their country were underlying influences on the holidays.

The commercialism of today were absent. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, firecracker safety laws and Butterball turkeys have changed the thinking of Americans. Maybe you'll get a feeling for the oldfashioned Christmas at Avery's.

Why not string a few cranberries and some popcorn for your family Christmas tree?

The Fort Collins Historical Society will observe Christmas with a potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Foothills Unitarian Church. Meat will be furnished and music will be provided by Larry Lashley, the Fiddler. Required reservations may be made with Joan Day at 482-8088 or Doris Greenacre at 484-4309. The public is welcome.