Pioneer Christmases in Ontario were do-it-yourself decorations, gifts, meals, entertainment, far different from today’s commercialism.
The pioneers’ small cabins lacked space for a Christmas tree. Instead, evergreen boughs were fashioned into garlands that were hung throughout the cabin and on the outside of the front door. The decorations were a mixture of natural and home-made. Nuts from trees, berries, feathers, pinecones, chains of cranberries and popcorn which the pioneers had been taught by Native Peoples how to make. Hand-made calico bows, ribbon and lace, strings of yarn, tiny figures fashioned from straw, cookies. A garland was woven into a hanging ball, called the “kissing ball,” that hung from the rafters.
Gifts were homemade. Jackknife, cornhusk doll, figurines whittled from wood, carved wooden rocking horse, wooden sleds. Potpourri, sachet, and pomander balls were often given to both men and women. Handkerchiefs were hemmed and scarves, mittens and hats knit. Girls learned to knit before they were five.
On Christmas morning the Christmas stockings were emptied and games of hide-the-thimble or blind-man’s bluff were played
Pioneers shot a wild goose or turkey, roasted it over an open fire, hanging it from a spit with string, or in a hearth or oven. They prepared the bird by cleaning it, removing fat deposits, and seasoning the cavity with salt, pepper, herbs, and other available ingredients like onions or apples. The bird was basted with its own rendered fat to keep it moist and cooked until the juices ran clear. In the fall when the leaves began to turn brilliant red, families headed into the neighbouring forest to collect chestnuts for roasting for Christmas dinner.
The women spent days making fruitcake, plum pudding, and mincemeat pies for dessert.
Eaton’s department store ‘s famous Santa Claus Parade in Toronto started in 1905, Santa rode from Union Station on top of a brightly coloured packing case on a horse-drawn Eaton’s delivery vehicle to Eaton’s Queen and Yonge Street store where he climbed a ladder to a second-floor open window and into the toy department.
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ontario pioneers’ mincemeat pie recipe – Google Search
Fruit Cake or Traditional Canadian Christmas Cake with Bourbon; Also: Parks Canada Heritage Gourmet Recipes
ontario pioneers’ plum pudding recipe – Google Search
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These books can be borrowed from the Toronto Public Library System. There are many more that the library has, but they can’t be borrowed.