Adams County Pa. Related Historical Articles
Ghosts of Christmases
past
Elwood W. Christ
After living in
Gettysburg for 22 years,
around Christmas time I
still time warp back to
my youth and family life
in Lehigh County. My
parents, Warren G. and
Sarah M. (Strauss)
Christ, both Berks
County natives, owned
and operated the
Trexlertown Airport and
a gas station (ca.
1946-1966) located on
Rt. 222 about five miles
west of downtown
Allentown. Today, urban
sprawl blankets the
Trexlertown area like a
blizzard. I'd hardly
recognize the small town
of my memory if it were
not for the tall trees
that still line the
highway. The airport,
where I spent my first
13 years, is now the
Trexler Mall, complete
with shops, Salvation
Army Santas, and a
McDonald's.
Yet, despite the passage
of time, I recall fondly
the memories of
old-fashioned
Pennsylvania "Dutch"
Christmas traditions.
Religiously every year
my mother produced from
scratch batches of
chocolate-chip and
cut-out sugar cookies. I
loved to help my Mon
make them, but that
didn't help my waist
line. I loved the taste
of raw cookie dough and
the aroma of cookies
baking in the oven.
Another tradition was
decorating the Christmas
tree. About two or three
weeks before the 25th my
Dad drove a half mile
down Rt. 222 from our
place to Tercher's
Market to buy a
freshly-cut tree. One of
the joys of the season
was its decoration and
its smell. I remember
one Christmas vividly.
With the tree trimmed,
and the lights from it
as the only illumination
in the room, Mom,
brother Harvey, and I
sat around the tree and
sang traditional carols.
I still recall feeling
that the true meaning of
Christmas was more than
just the tree and the
exchange of gifts. I
also recall feeling a
strong sense of
belonging to something
bigger, whether it was
my family or the family
of humankind.
Due to the amount of
work to make ends meet,
my father was around
infrequently for these
traditions. Pop,
however, was in charge
of building the "Putze."
Among the Moravians, the
word "Putze" meant a
landscape erected in
church or homes at
Christmas time. In the
Christ household, the
Putze was a 4' x 10'
platform on which sat
the tree and a miniature
village around which ran
two Lionel O-gauge
trains.
But the fondest
Christmas-time memory of
my father was back in
January or February
1960. Being a pilot and
flight instructor, after
a blizzard, when the
ground was covered with
a foot of snow, he put
skis on our Piper J-3
Cub, NC-6003H, which now
hangs in the Henry Ford
Museum in Dearborn,
Michigan. I recall the
flight vividly…
With I in the back seat
and Pop in the front, he
cranked the Cub up and
away we did jump. We
soared and swam through
icy cold air, as a
quilt-like pattern of
white fields and fence
rows made us both stare.
The blue of the sky and
the purity of the snow
made us both wonder,
"what all does God
know?" But as soon as
the flight started, it
had to come to a close.
We landed and coasted to
the hanger where we
warmed up our toes.
Although my parents are
gone and my brother
keeps in touch, that
cargo plane full of
memories will survive
both of us.
Do
you know of an old
legend related to Adams
County?
If so, send it to us at: History@myGettysburg.net
Read More articles by Elwood Christ