In an earlier post on today's thread I commented about one of my most memorable places we went to, now here's another place I remember with fond memories, I was hesitant to name this place since it is not in the US, but, since we did spend Christmas there several time when I was growing up and my mother was born and raised there, I need to mention it.
I told you about my dad's birthplace and parents and family. But we would alternate our visits between my dad's people and my mom's folks.
Mom was born in a small town in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, called St. Walburg.
A small town who's main source if income was grain crops and beef and dairy products. It was founded in the early 20th century by mostly people from Minnesote, North Dakota and other northern states. There were also Germans, Ukraininas, French, English, and even Jewish people there. but the town was predominately Catholic, such as my mom's family.
Her parents migrated there from Minnesota at separate times in around 1903. They met and married in 1911 and raised 6 children in different towns in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. My mom was thier youngest child.
When I was growing up in the 1960's we used to go one year to Tennessee and the nexy year to Saskatchewan. so we got to know both sets of grandparents and Aunts and uncles.
Though, my mom's dad died before we were born, so I only knew my grandmother.
I can remember all the fun we had in Saskatchewan. I loved to hear about the antics of my mom and her siblings. There were not as many cousins to play with as my mom was the only one in her family to marry and have children. So we played with each other and explored the area around were my grandmom's farm was. We went acouple times to spend Christmas with Grandma Fuchs, as we would call her, and our Aunts and Uncles there. We would always have to bundle up there as winter in that part of Canada was wicked and when it snowed it didn't fool around with a few flurries here and there, It would start to snow in around October and stay til April.
A week before Christmas our uncles would take us kids out to find a Christmas tree, that evening we would spend in setting it up and decorating it. they didn't have a regular stand so they used an old wagon wheel that worked just fine!
On Christmas Eve we always opened our presents.
What I loved most about my mom's family was the closeness they had/have to each other, the sense of humor of each member.
Though ther are only my mom and one of her sisters and two of her brothers left, the memories keep the others alive!