Christmas amid rationing

They were lean years, 1939 to 1945. The Second World War was raging in Europe and the East. Most of our resources were directed towards “winning the war.” Christmas came as usual and, though times were difficult, there was no lack of enthusiasm, planning, baking and thoughts of Santa Claus.

In early fall, church groups and the Women’s Institute members gathered together and packed Christmas parcels for the men and women overseas. Always, there was a pair of hand-knit socks, candy, chocolate bars and cigarettes. The cigarettes sound shocking today but not back then. I once observed this packing but don’t remember what else was included. The items were packed tightly in a box, covered with wrapping paper and then with white cotton fabric. The folds were firmly stitched with sturdy thread. Then they were addressed.

Rationed in those years were tea, coffee, butter and meat. A good supply of sugar was required for Christmas baking. Some families carefully restricted their use of sugar until there was a sufficient amount for cookies and treats. Honey was not rationed and clever cooks knew how to substitute it for sugar. My father had up to 40 hives of bees during the war and sold many 50-pound buckets of honey to local people. The farm homes had plenty of meat from their animals, and butter, which they churned.

There were rules about selling it but, not surprisingly, people found ways around those rules. I remember my aunt and uncle from Toronto taking a side of pork back to the city. They were afraid the neighbours would see them carrying the meat into the house and they would be in trouble. They wrapped a blanket around the pork so no one would know for sure what it was.

I don’t think I even knew what a turkey was when I was quite young. Geese were the chosen celebration bird. They were delicious and much in demand, and not rationed. It is hard to believe now that a whole goose, not eviscerated, could be shipped with only an address tag tied around its legs. My parents could put a goose on board the afternoon train in Creemore and it would be delivered the next morning to our relatives.

Gas was also severely rationed during the war years. Only the owner of the vehicle could use the ration coupons. There was no sharing. This seldom spoiled Christmas celebrations. Most roads were snow bound and those old cars didn’t function very well in cold weather. The usual method of transportation in the Creemore area was by horse and cutter, or horse and sleigh.

Parcels, Christmas cards and supplies for local businesses arrived by train, which stopped in Creemore twice a day, six days a week. There always seemed to be enough coal to keep the trains running. My father often took the train at New Year’s to visit his sisters in Toronto. My mother, sister and I stayed home and looked after the animals in the barn.

The rationing of sugar, meat, butter, tea and coffee put a dint in Christmas preparations but that wasn’t the whole problem. Many food items were in short supply: in particular, raisins. Raisins could not be found in any of the Creemore grocery stores. Our family always had a Christmas cake at Christmas and I craved it. My aunt in Toronto came upon some raisins and sent them to my mother. She stored them on a top shelf in a closet. I would quietly go into the closet, climb up on things and eat raisins. When my mother discovered the raisins almost gone, she said, “There’ll be no Christmas cake this year.” That was severe punishment. My aunt found another source of raisins and my mother was able to make a Christmas cake after all. Being able to eat a few slices was probably the best Christmas gift I received that year.