Christmas shopping traditions

The snow sits firmly frozen to the ground. The temperature will not even reach a melting point on Monday. Outdoor Christmas lights have already displaced the Halloween decorations. Stores have begun their change over to the Christmas season.
Retailers have planned special Christmas promotions across the Rainy River District.
More lights will be added to homes across the district in the next few weeks as preparations are made for the holiday season.
My wife has stocked the house with baking supplies and has received guidance from our sons for Christmas baking. Each has their favorites. I have put in my request for mincemeat tarts. It is a long family tradition that comes from my Scottish heritage. My grandmother made her own mincemeat and it was a treat as a child to have one of her tarts at Christmas.
Christmas is a magical time for children. I remember back to my youth, when my father gave my brother and myself $20 for Christmas shopping. It had to go a long way with gifts for my mother, father, grand parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Don and I had to be really frugal spenders.
Our shopping was always on a Friday night, when most stores in Fort Frances were open to nine for the five Fridays leading up the Christmas and every night for the last two weeks prior to Christmas. Maybe it was the lights downtown. Maybe it was the festive decorating that merchants did in their windows. Maybe it was the balls, and Christmas decorations hanging from the ceilings. Maybe it was the Christmas music being played on phonographs. For my brother and myself, being together, shopping without supervision was magical. It is a memory that I would love to experience again.
For my little sister, we always stopped at the Rijnol because the store carried Barbie dolls, accessories and “Barbie” clothes. At Forsberg and Lindberg, Mr. Forsberg sold ties for $1 and they would be boxed and wrapped for you. It was always a stop to pick up presents for my father and uncles.
Wilkins China and gift store was always a treasure trove for gifts. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins were always attentive to us. Maybe it was because my parents were family friends. You could buy crystal, fine china, figurines, and flowers in one location. Mrs. Wilkins was particularly kind taking extra time with Don and myself. It began a long relationship with both he and myself. One of my fondest memories was our picking out a lead crystal toothpick holder that had little artificial violets in it. It was for my grandmother and she placed it prominently on a table for all to see.
We would wander down to the Clinic Pharmacy and purchase “Dessert Flower” bath powder for my mother. It was our most expensive purchase.
The Friday nights were magical. Storeowners helped make those Friday nights memorable. That $20 also had to include, paper, tape and bows for those gifts where gift-wrapping was not provided. Later Don and I had paper routes, but we continued to shop together. It was a Christmas tradition that we carried on throughout school.
–Jim Cumming,
Publisher