Our Own Christmas City

Today, in my mind I walk the mile or so from the Village to downtown Taunton.  In this memory walk there is crusty snow under my feet.  I can see my breath in icy clouds.  I'm heading for  the Taunton Green in all its Christmas glory.  It may be evening, the stars in a clear sky, before light pollution, of course.  The Green is at its Christmas best, as it has been each year since 1914!

                                                                Here it is in 1929

I apologize for not recalling provenance of this photo.

In 1914, a group of Taunton businessmen gathered to discuss how to increase traffic to the shops downtown.  They were spearheaded by Mr. C.W. Foster.  In a delicious historical coincidence we have this photo below, probably from the 30's, of my Aunt Alveda Souza on the left with a friend on the Green at Christmas.

  Since earlier days there had been a Yuletide

display on the Green, so this seemed a good place to for those businessmen to put their efforts.
Since the Green was an intersection of many main roads, this was perfect.
The display attracted people from all over southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island at
Christmas time. A cold night, music and lights....magic!

The display started with just a few lights, today they number a million.

Look closer: there are marvelous notes to this photo.  First, the men's shop founded by that same

Mr. Foster is seen prominently on the right.  To the left is the Taunton Bus Station and Comfort Station we all knew so well: a real bus from the time out front.  That station served travelers from as far away as New York, Providence, and of course, the Village.  For us: the Jackson and School Sts. bus picked us up and brought us home. I can still feel the metal poles we held on to as we prepared to get off.

The station itself was warm and clean and the ladies even had an attendant keeping things in good shape.  The stationmaster's office was elevated above everyone else. 

He announced the buses in a deep voice of great authority.

   

Below is a photo from 1947: Bliss Lumber Co. kept these photos for years: we have them to thank.

(Photo from the website cardcow)

The photo below from 1948 is also from that same website and provides us with none other

then a sighting of one of the little diners on the Green.  Anyone know which?

Finally, another photo below from my Aunt Alveda's collection thanks to her daughter, Shelley Au.  This is a beautiful reminder of the sentiments often expressed on the Christmas Green display.
There was usually a nativity scene prominent displayed.


The display that year sat upon the honor role that listed the names of those Taunton servicemen and women lost in World War II. This display must have been in the 1940's sometime. 

The honor roll, as far as I know, no longer is on the Green.

Christmas lights twinkle in my mind

Back in the day, it would be time to find a Christmas tree.  Our folks would either go out into the woods and chop one down or more likely go off to a lot where they sold them
 (and a lot cheaper then, too).

Once the live tree was roped to the top of the car it would come back home with us. Would it fall off the car before we arrived?  Would it fit, would it hit the ceiling, its slender top tilting off to one side? Would Dad have to chop the top off?  Would the star fit on top?

                    Did you know that today only 25% of people in the U.S. buy a fresh Christmas tree?
                                                            Wall St. Journal report 2012


The tree would next be fitted into the stand and screwed in place.  This could be a  tricky feat, as we had to hold it straight so that it would stand upright. Then the stand had to be watered, it was live, remember?  But, up it would go.  Often we would let it be for the night, letting it "settle."

Do you think Dad had a good drink beforehand?

Phase I : The lights. Those big clunky strands that would somehow not have been put back correctly the previous year ending up in a tangle.  Dad and we got them all worked out and stationed along the branches.  Put on the lights: oh, no, one bulb must be out!

 And on and on and on....

                                 I remember these bubble  lights, too, though they were soon 

                                           replaced with the big colored ones.

                                               

                          Dad needs another drink....and the boys sneak out of the house.

Phase ll: the tinsel.  Yep, the tinsel. You took it out of the original  boxes where it had been recycled last year and packed away.   No cheating now: no bunches flung in heaps.  Delicately, strand by strand.  Kneeling, pushing through the branches, reaching up and around.  Suddenly, someone would yell the dreaded: "you missed a spot!".  Finally, probably after an hour or more: done with the tinsel.
       
    Little known facts about tinsel:  from an old french word meaning sparkle, it used to be made of real silver (only for the rich), then it was made of aluminum (when we all got on board), and now: ready: polyvinyl chloride - translated - do not let your babies and animals chew it.  Thanks to Humor me Blog for those tidbits.

About  now Dad had another libation to keep from uttering words children, they thought, did not know. Dad may have even  quit the process altogether.  Up to us and Mom now.  Looking for ornaments in their old boxes which had sunk in tops from being used year after year.  Mom and us commenced to decorate the tree, finishing with a satisfying sigh...

                                                          Photos all from Pinterest


The house was now scented with that beautiful smell of pines, no spray cans needed, thank you. The glow of the lights reflected off the ornaments and tinsel and also our hearts.  The rest of the house lights went out and,  job well done, we sat and listened to the memories of earlier Christmas days.  We remembered loved ones gone, while visions of sugar plums danced in the minds of we children, for the celebration to come....and the presents (not too many) that would lie at the foot of our tree.

                                 Somehow a quick pre-decorated tree does not do it.....it was all
                                 part of a seamless ceremony, those twelve days of Christmas.

                 This year even more hugs for grandchildren.....and gratitude for the innocence of
                       the Christmases we had as youngsters in our very own Village...safe.

Thank you...

This post is for giving my thanks to all those who have supported, commented, spread the word and in general acted as a team for this blog.  The blog is written with love, every word from my heart. It is grand to feel that others share that emotion for the place that made us what we are today.

In particular, I wish to thank Arlene Gouveia and her son John for creating flyers for the blog which will be placed around Taunton as well as for their patience in digitally sending so many wonderful photos that grace the posts. Arlene's written memoirs have provided so much information with more yet to come!  My sister Kathy for her help, my sister-in-law Carol Souza for steadily sharing the blog through her Facebook posts. Thank you to my cousin Shelley, who so willingly shares memories and photos from her Mom's collection: my wonderful Aunt Alveda. Thank you to Charlene who signed on as a member along with my sister Kathy. Thank you to my sister Mariellen for her support.  Did you know you can do that and automatically be made aware of new posts? Thank you to Dave Semas for sharing his memories and precious photos. Thank you to Margaret Walker for a delightful telephone interview about the Village before my time. To Gina, Elaine, Emma Andrade, the Abreau ladies.... I am sure to forget someone but if you are not on this post you are in my heart. Gilda Mello Lynch, Tom Hoye, Nancy Hendrickson, Debbie Moniz: thank you for your interest and comments. Thank you to my nephews Peter and Ryan..I know you are checking in.  Thank you to all the new friends who grew up in Taunton now starting to follow this blog, as well.  You are a rich source of information for this amateur historian.

Comments keep bloggers going! It is more appreciated than you can know.  To everyone who visits: now all over the country and into Europe! Thank you for tuning in.  I started this project when I was getting to what I thought was the end of my written memoir of growing up in the School Street Village. At that point I made the decision to put it online in this blog...as Robert Frost said:

                    "....I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference!"

The blog and each of you pushes me into new territory, 

into areas of information and memories that delight us all.  

Finally, to my husband who proofs, listens and shares his own growing up adding to each and every post my heartfelt thanks. It is not an easy project, this blog, especially as it grows. I now have a big poster storyboard in my studio to try and keep topics straight and listed.  I need you all, your thoughts and comments, especially stories and photographs.

                                   So keep this coming....we have a long, wonderful way to go!

To each all and your families we wish a Merry blessed Christmas - let us keep the legend of School Street alive and well !!!

                                                           Sandy Souza Pineault