Lillian Lorena Smith, Part 4

We never got much of anything for Christmas; usually a small toy, some candy, or a piece of fruit. Sometimes my dad’s sister would send us a big box with all kinds of toys and things in it, we would get so excited. I remember that we would go out and cut down a tree, and Jerelene would make ornaments. She would string popcorn, make chains from paper, and use the foil out of cigarette packages; cut real thin and twisted, to make icicles. We kids really liked her decorations. We usually had chicken and dumplings for Christmas dinner. Mom would always make a wonderful coconut cake, using real coconut for the icing. Unless the church gave us a basket, we usually didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. One year for Christmas; I will never forget, Uncle Bow (Walter Hicks) gave me a doll. I could wind her up and she would scoot across the floor. Uncle bow would always give us a quarter for our birthdays.
For toys, we used sticks for guns, a limb for a bat, and a tin can for a ball. We sure had fun with them though. Growing up in Tennessee was so much fun, with a little imagination. We had so many places to play, except in the winter; which were so cold and long, we would stay in the house with a coal oil lamp. We usually went to bed at dark; which was around six o’clock, but we always got up early. We did a lot of singing and listening to my mother tell stories, and she told lots of fairy tales. We would sit around the fire and parch corn. This tasted so good, but it was so hard on the stomach.
Before Toot (William O. Hicks) went into the Marines, he worked for Brigham hardware as a delivery boy. He had use of the company truck, and he would occasionally take us to Bertha Lee's or maybe to the creek so we could play in it. This was the only time we rode in a vehicle. Toot was also a good shot, and would bring home rabbits, squirrels, and certain kinds of birds home for supper.

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