97-year-old Carrie Moeller has fond memories of childhood Christmases in Denmark, which included the tradition of leaving shoes on the windowsill for Santa’s helper to fill with treats.
Drumheller’s Carrie Moeller, 97, was nine years old when her family moved to Canada from Demark in 1927.
It was a bit of a change for the young girl from her life in Denmark, which held fond memories of previous holidays.
“I remember Christmases,” said Moeller.
“The Christmas tree in the front room had real lights. We didn’t have electricity like we have now.”
Candles the size of present-day birthday candles were put in holders that had a clip, and the lights, the little candles, were clipped into the tree.
“The first time you saw the tree was Christmas eve,” Moeller explains. “That was your surprise.”
Moeller said another tradition was started a week to ten days before Christmas.
The kids would take their shoes and put them on the windowsill, and the Nisseman, Santa Claus’s helper (elf/gnome), would put a treat in the shoe.
“First thing in the morning you went and looked in the shoe,” said Moeller.
Moeller’s family emigrated to Canada just a few years prior to the Great Depression that hit North America and spelled tough times for many families. But they still tried to make holiday meals special.
“The depression was hard. Let’s put it this way - most women are cooks - they can make a meal out of next to nothing. You learn to do that from childhood, you watch your Mother.”
Moeller and her family spent a winter in Dalum, then moved to a one-bedroom place in a Calgary rooming house, where they were able to save money to purchase their own home.
The Danish Christmas dinner goose gave way to the tradition of Canadian turkey, but Moeller kept up the Christmas shoe tradition when she married and had her own family, and chuckles while remembering her son was twelve before he was willing to give up the holiday shoe tradition
Moeller said regardless of the times, her favourite thing about Christmases, in addition to the smell of pine trees, is being with people.
“Family. The children. Christmas with children is something I miss.”
She said she feels Christmas has become too commercial, and that something special is getting lost for families with so much focus on the material.
“Give me family and friends to celebrate with.”
Moeller lived with her daughter until about six months ago, and is now a resident of Sunshine Lodge, where she says you couldn’t ask for a kinder group of people. Her top Christmas wish for everybody is to see them content.
“Just to see people happy. Enjoying each other and family.”
