Christmas Eve Service at the Lutheran Church

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Wednesday, December 24, 1913: Went to Watsontown this morning with Pa on the big wagon. This trip finished my Xmas shopping.

Ruth and I went up to McEwensville this evening to attend the Christmas services in the Lutheran Church. Was pretty dark coming home. Discovered on the way that I had left my umbrella behind me. Hope I get it again.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma generally attended the Baptist Church, but Messiah Lutheran Church in McEwensville apparently held a Christmas Eve service each year that community members attended. Grandma also attended the Christmas Eve services at the Lutheran Church in 1911.

(An aside: Grandma’s future husband, Raymond Swartz, attended Messiah Lutheran Church—though he and Grandma weren’t yet an item when this diary entry was written.)

Christmas is a time for memories. I’m going to reprint part of the post that I did on Christmas Eve, 2011 below. It’s equally relevant this year, and I thought that you might enjoy reading (or rereading) it.

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When I was a child I regularly went to candlelight services at Messiah Lutheran Church — the same church Grandma attended on Christmas Eve a hundred years ago. I wonder if the services have changed much over the years.

In the middle part of the last century, I remember singing wonderful old-time carols at the candlelight service —We Three Kings, Joy to the World, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Herald Angels, . .. . ..

We’d end with Silent Night after all of the lights had been extinguished except for the candles we were lighting.

I don’t know why, but I have strong memories of one year when an elderly woman didn’t extinguish her candle at the end of the service, and took the flickering light out into the cold night.

I remember asking my mother why the woman didn’t follow the directions—and my mother said that the old lady was remembering Christmas’s from long ago and that we should let her be. I looked at the woman and could see how happy she looked as her face was illuminated by the flickering light.

I hope that I have equally wonderful memories of Christamases past when I am her age.

How to Make a Triangular Candy (Gift) Box

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Tuesday, December 23, 1913: Made some more today. It wasn’t so bad. You see I know more about the making from experience.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Practice makes perfect. The previous day Grandma tried to make taffy, but it didn’t turn out right.

Since my Black Walnut Taffy turned out perfectly yesterday, I’ve moved on to making gift boxes for my candy. The December, 1912 issue of The School Arts Magazine had directions for making a triangular candy box.

Source: The School Arts Magazine (December, 1912)

A square piece of heavy craft paper is used to make the box. To measure a square, take one corner of the paper and fold to the opposite side. Cut the paper to create the square.

Unfold paper, and fold on the other diagonal. Then, fold one corner of the paper to the crease made by the previous folding. Unfold paper, and cut a slit to the new fold.

Bring a corner to the center of the paper and then fold. Repeat with the opposite corner.

Fold the paper into the triangular shape. Thread a craft needle with yarn. Tie a knot at the end of the double strand, then pull the yarn through the two layers of paper to fasten them together. Fill with candy, then sew through the top of the box to close. Clip the yarn to remove the needle, and tie bow.

These boxes are easy to make, and very attractive. I like them so much that I ended up making several, and used them for small gifts.

Old-fashioned Black Walnut Taffy Recipe

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, December 22, 1913: Carrie was over this afternoon. We picked out nuts. Made taffy this evening, but it didn’t get good and the nuts were wasted.

Grandma had problems, but my taffy turned out great.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Hmm. . . What kind of taffy did Grandma and her friend Carrie Stout make? . . . Maybe they picked black walnuts out of the shells and then made Black Walnut Taffy.

I decided to give it a try. . . and held my breath. My husband and I cracked, and picked out, some black walnuts last week-end. It was a lot of work—and I really hoped that I’d be more successful making the candy than Grandma was.

Old-fashioned Black Walnut Taffy

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

4 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup finely chopped black walnuts

Combine sugar, molasses, water, and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in cream of tartar. Reduce heat and continue to boil until the mixture reaches the hard ball stage (256 degrees on a candy thermometer).

Remove from heat. Stir in butter and baking soda; then stir in the black walnuts. Pour onto a well-buttered plate or shallow bowl.

As the candy cools along the sides fold into the center.

When cool enough to handle, coat hands with butter, pull the candy using hands until color lightens, and it becomes airier and less sticky.

Shape into strips approximately 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter, and place on wax paper that has been placed on a cookie sheet. Chill slightly, then cut the candy into bit-sized pieces.

Cut rectangles of waxed paper approximately 2 inches X 4 inches. Wrap the candy in the waxed paper and twist ends.

The taffy turned out wonderfully. The two intense flavors– molasses and black walnut—merged to a more nuanced, but awesome, taste sensation. I highly recommend this taffy.

Here are the links to two previous posts that you might enjoy:

How to Crack Black Walnuts

Old-fashioned Sugar Taffy

Hundred-Year-Old Holly Centerpieces

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, December 21, 1913: Went to Sunday School this morning. Spent the day in a lonesome way, any how this afternoon seemed that way.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Sounds like a boring Sunday. Did Grandma consider making of the holly centerpieces featured in the December, 1913 issue of Ladies Home Journal?

Two Unhappy Sisters

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Saturday, December 20, 1913: Ruth and I had a sorry time of it this evening. It was a tongue fight.

Source: Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine (April 1, 1913) — Source: Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine (April 1, 1913)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Whew, what anger! What did Grandma and her sister Ruth fight about?

Sometimes when I read a diary entry, I can’t help imagining a story in my mind even though it’s probably wrong.

Here’s the story I imagine—

I think that the fight was about who was going to milk the cows. Ruth went to Sunbury from December 15 to December 19. On the 15th Grandma wrote:

Ruthie left for Sunbury this morning, also left me all the milking, but I’m pretty hardened to that.

Since Grandma did all of the milking for four days while Ruth as gone, I think that she wanted Ruth take a turn at doing all the milking so that Grandma could go somewhere and have a little fun. . . but Ruth refused.

. .. . Or maybe Ruth just took off to visit friends or attend a show without doing her share of the milking, and Grandma was once again forced to do it all. . . . . . . Or. . . .

LaBlache Face Powder

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, December 19, 1913: Ruthie returned home this afternoon. The same Ruthie that went away last Monday. Wonder what she got me for Xmas.

Source: Ladies Home Journal (December, 1913)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

I think that Grandma’s sister Ruth attended professional development meetings for teachers while she was in Sunbury—but it sounds like she also found a little time to go Christmas shopping.

What Did Ruth buy Grandma? . . . maybe some face powder?

I bet that Grandma was glad to have her sister home. Ruth had gone to Sunbury four days earlier and left Grandma with “all of the milking.”

1913 Jewelry Advertisements

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Thursday, December 18, 1913: Kept house again and was this time so unfortunate as to burn the coffee. Ma was in town shopping. Wonder what she got for me. All that I know is that it came from a jeweler’s.

Source: Holmes Company Advertisement in November, 1913 issue of Ladies Home Journal

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Guessing is so much fun. . .

What gift did her mother buy her?. . . a pink cameo pendant? . . . a monogrammed scarf pin? . . . a watch?

Which jeweler did Grandma’s mother go to?. . . maybe Fielder’s in the nearby town of Milton?

Source: Milton Evening Standard (May 27, 1913)

Recent photo of South Front Street, Milton

Burning the Coffee

Until I read this diary entry, I never heard of anyone burning coffee. What is burned coffee? And, what might have happened that caused it to burn?