During the 1950s in Forney, the Themer Family lived at 605 Maple Street, which on some documents was named Maple Avenue. Some of our neighbors were the King and then Rhea families directly across the street, the Smith and then Kinser families across Maple to the right, the Quinn family across Maple to the left, the Thomas family even farther to the left, and next to us towards College Street were the Richey and then Taylor families. Next to us towards Shands Street was the Shipley family, and after them was the Montgomery family. The lots that had two families were “earlier established” lots! The Compton “mansion” was across the alley behind our house and was multi-storied with a basement!
Early Christmases for the Themers involved attending Christmas Eve’ Church Services at Hope Lutheran Church on Day Street in Dallas, Texas, and then hurrying home as fast as possible with parents who were greatly involved with the telling of the Christmas Story from the Bible during the evening service and then with the handing out of “Christmas Goody Bags” as folks left the Sanctuary.
When we arrived home, Santa had always already visited our house and left our SANTA PRESENTS, since (as Mom and Dad explained) “Santa had to travel around the whole world, and so he had to make some of his stops at various times during the CHRISTMAS EVE’!!! Then, the next morning, before we went to Christmas Day Service, we opened the wrapped presents, usually saving some for after Church and before the noon Christmas Dinner! Oh, to be under 9 years old again! That day, we were allowed to eat “a lot” of candy and other sweets and to play as much as we liked with our new toys! ***All of our relatives lived in Oklahoma and Kansas, so we quite often were with just our immediate family!***
**Memory from Betty Pippins Haynes—On Christmas morning, my Dad would light the stove in the living room, and when it was warm we went in to see what wondrous items were under the tree. My sister would open slowly (I later found out she had cheated and opened early and re-wrapped.), but I tore into mine. We would enjoy the time and then dress to make our annual Christmas stops: my Great-Aunt and Uncle, Ringtom and Paul Clarkson, and O. J. and Mary Ledbetter, who later became my In-Laws. The last stop was to visit my Grandmother Pat Pippins, Aunt Marie and Cousin Richard Fisher. And then, finally, a good Christmas dinner at my Grandmother’s! On New Year’s Day, we would visit Mrs. Mattie Taylor and Ollie King, Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. Everet Aslin, and others I don’t recall. I enjoyed those times, because it always gave me a warm feeling from people who were important to my Mom and Dad and, thus, to me.**
**Memory from Naoma “Ruth” Tune McAnally—I always loved Christmas. Our “at home” Family was small: (Mother) Nettie Tune, (my twin Brother) David, and (me) Ruth. Our Father, Mose Tune, died in 1950, and these memories are from 1950—1958, “The Days of My Youth” and the realization now so strong of the struggle it must have been for Mother to always make our lives special after Daddy had died.
Mother worked for years at Southland Athletic but also had other jobs, and one was at a Variety Store (located where Flower Basket is now), and I spent many hours walking up and down the aisles, looking at all the wonderful things, especially at CHRISTMAS TIME and especially a “tiny tea set.”
A lot of my Christmas memories revolve around First Presbyterian Church (corner of Bois d’Arc and Church Streets), and I can still picture the beautiful old building alive with candle light and also the Christmas Pageant, when Santa would appear!
Mick Spellman would always provide a huge live tree for the Sanctuary and also stockings filled with fruit and nuts for all present at the Christmas Eve’ Candlelight Service, when Church People would bring their out-of-town relatives to share our joys at remembering the BIRTH of JESUS.
In 1953, our older Brother, Tom Tune (Tommy) and wife Jeanne had a son, Thomas Walter Tune, and our Christmases centered around him for many years. Brother David had severe asthma, so older brother Tommy would take us out into the country to cut down a thorn bush instead of a green tree, and we would decorate it with colorful gum drops, tinsel, and other gaudy things. Mother (Nettie), whom I still miss, would fill our stockings with fireworks, fruits, and nuts. I still have the “Angel” “treetopper” from those days! CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS to all of you!**
**Memory from Frank Rhea, who lived across Maple Street from the Themers—My favorite time was Christmas back then. We opened our family gifts on Christmas Eve’ “night” and then woke up early the next morn’ to see what Santa had brought.
I got a Forney football suit and helmet one Christmas and an electric race car and train tracks another. I have to admit that once I picked them up and put them where they belonged, they seldom came back out!
My favorite things to get each year were “ARMY MEN,” which were so great when you were stuck inside on rainy days. I would set up both our living and dining rooms with all the figures and equipment exactly as I would dump them out of the bags—World War II, Civil War, Old West, Revolutionary War, you get the idea! Then I would use rubber bands to shoot them down and rotate from side to side to “make things even.”
Oh, I forgot to mention cherry pie, dressing, turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy for my favorite food memories!**
**Memory from Harry Power, who was my college buddy and has remained “my bud” since Georgia and he got smart and moved to Forney more than 40 years ago!—I just remember FAMILY was always there and together—Mom and Dad, my Grandparents on my Mom’s side of the family, and my two Brothers. We always got up and headed to the living room to see what “Santa” had brought us. Those were very exciting times—just the anticipation of seeing those gifts under the tree and knowing the “jolly fat man” had come again to my house on West Burleson Street in Marshall, Texas.
The gifts were great: bicycles, scooters, BB guns, and even my first shotgun (a single shot, bolt-action .410.) “Man,” that was an awesome day when that gun showed up!
But all my memories really take me back to the food and the magnificent “smells” coming from our kitchen! Turkey, gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and on-and-on!
And the pies that Mom and Grandma made!!!.....lemon meringue, mince-meat, and chocolate especially for my Dad (his favorite!)
Great CHRISTMAS TIMES and bringing back great Christmas memories, because it was lots of fun being a “kid” back then in the 50s and 60s!
Side note: Harry remembers sometimes at Christmas when a famous professional football player, Y. A. Tittle of the Giants, would be in Marshall, his birthplace, and the “kids” sometimes played football in his local front yard!**
**Memory from Steve Dozier—When I was a young boy, we would go just down the road to Sam and Beulah (Grandparents) Dozier’s house, and all their children and grandchildren, some from Forney and some as far away as Texas City, would make the trips, for it was the only day that we would ALL BE TOGETHER!
Food, laughter, and a year of stories to be told, but the main thing to us young kids was when we would open presents and when Santa would “show up.”
I was just a young tyke then, but as I look back, I wonder how I could have been “hoodwinked” so many times. And I am referring to how it never failed that when it was just about time for Santa to arrive, Mom (Nettie Jo Dozier) would suddenly realize we had forgotten something back at home or maybe my shirt somehow got all wrinkled or dirty, requiring me to go home and change shirts.
Well, of course, by the time we returned, SANTA had just left, and our presents were under the tree. I would usually run outside to see if I could get a glimpse of him riding off into the sky! I FINALLY caught on to this trick, as well as the real status of SANTA. I think I was about 18!!!!
Glenna Beth and Lisa (my sisters) and I, along with our Dad, James Dozier, would take part in the “Christmas Tree Event” each year as we journeyed off to the pasture of some person Dad knew to look for our “not your typical Christmas Tree” CEDAR TREE—sticky and smelled totally different from a standard Christmas tree, but it was FREE, and we got to cut it down ourselves just like they do in all the good Christmas movies on television!
It was “OUR CHRISMAS TREE” and GREAT to a bunch of young kiddos, looking just like the real thing once we had it decorated.
The “bottom line” is that it doesn’t take much to make “kids” happy at Christmas, having fun doing things together and faster than Kris Kringle can drop though your chimney!
Oh, yeah, I think I was about 30 years old when the Doctor told me I was ALLERGIC to the CEDARS we had been cutting all those years!**
**Memory of the Beason Family (Charles and Shirlynn have shared 41 Christmases in Forney)—When Tamara and Clay were young, Shirlynn and Charles carried on the “Family Tradition” of hiding Christmas Stockings to be found Christmas Morning, and it continues today! It is a favorite family memory, and the Grandchildren especially want to be the 1st to find “THEIR STOCKINGS.”
One year, Clay wanted a motorcycle for Christmas and daily reminded us, often showing an ad he had found in The Forney Messenger for such a “motorcycle.”
On Christmas morning, he looked all around the house and was disappointed not to see one. Finally, he decided to go outside, and low-and-behold, there was a motorcycle—and a helmet! He was one excited boy.
Tamara remembers “it snowing” in Downtown Forney one Christmas—It was a “snow machine!” But, it was really fun!
Charles pleasantly remembers going to Grandma Beason’s house in Fair Play, Missouri, where the FAMILY gathered for Christmas Dinner with always a wonderful spread of food and a GIFT for EACH CHILD from his Aunt and Uncle.
Shirlynn remembers growing up in the 1950s with an American Flyer Lines model train on the track, with a puff of steam coming from the engine and circling around the family Christmas Tree.**
And Last-but-not-Least, my darling wife (Vivian Nan Hood), long before I knew her, remembers Smith Family Christmas gatherings in the home of her Grandparents (Ewell & Nan Smith) on her Mother’s side (Doris Smith Hood) and that “Santa Brooksey Roland,” complete with big belly, red and white Santa clothes, long white whiskers and hair, and black boots/belt, came after dark to deliver Christmas Greetings and Cheer in person several times—and the “kids” always looked forward to the appearance of Santa!
And with that, May you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
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