xt77wm13rc15 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt77wm13rc15/data/mets.xml Kentucky  Caney Creek Community Center, Inc. (Pippa Passes, Ky.) issuing body 1925 4 unnumbered pages, 31 cm. Call Number: F457.K5 C36 1925 books F457.K5 C36 1925 English Caney Creek Community Center, Inc Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection Christmas -- Kentucky -- 20th century Mountain life -- Kentucky -- 20th century Pippa Passes (Ky.) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century Christmas in the Mountains and Caney's Community Tree: Bringing Joy of the Sacred Season Into 120 Remote Public Schools-reaching 18,000 Parents and Children, 1925 text Christmas in the Mountains and Caney's Community Tree: Bringing Joy of the Sacred Season Into 120 Remote Public Schools-reaching 18,000 Parents and Children, 1925 1925 1925 2023 true xt77wm13rc15 section xt77wm13rc15 CHRISTMAS

In The Mountains
And Caney’s Community Tree

 

Bringing Joy of the Sacred Season
Into .
120 Remote Public Schools- Reaching 18,000
Parents and Children

 

Spreading the spirit of the Christ- Child ‘
through the hollows and mist shrouded ~

 

Pllgrims Goinghome through the Dim "
Purple Shadows - From Caney’ s Com-
munity Tree

 

Caney Creek Community Center

Pippapass, Kentucky
News Letter - December 1925

 

 

Written by

Elizabeth of the Mountains
And Mother Betty of the Little Girls Cabin

0 Wing giifikfiwvcat uuuuuauo :73”. — ~~ 1-,

 

  

CHRISTMAS IN THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS

Christmas! Magic word! Eager little voices shouted it,
sparkling faces mirrored it, tiny hands, with bigger
hands, worked for it.

In the administration offices of the Caney Creek Com—
munity Center were boxes and boxes, tantalizing in
their contents for the wondering glances cast toward
them, for they were filled to the tOps and piled on,
with jolly toys, necklaces, dolls, drums, knives, and
everything that goes to make the heart glad. Over in
one corner stood a big box. It was filled to the tOp
with the warm clothing the Caney Greek Community Cen—
ter gives to its people every year.

Christmas! The boys shouted as they watched "Buddy"
the "hauling-man” urge his tired mules up the steep in—
cline near the post office, loaded with boxes and huge
parcels — tied on to the jolt—wagon with ropes — card-
board boxes, boxes of wood, and big paper parcels
which had come by Express to the little railroad—min~
ing-town twelve long weary miles away. These were full
of "pretties" from service-loving friends on the out—
- s‘irievfxirgghristmas-ifi—fiie—mcufitains. ~

 

Christmas! Shouted the mail—man as he too urged his
tired mules up the incline near the post office, his
jolt~wagon laden with heavy mail-sacks.

Christmas! Echoed the teachers and children in the 120
remote hollow-schools. as they joyfully climbed the
hill side looking for the biggest and greenest fir—
tree they could put into the school—house; getting
ready for the Gifts and candy and the treemtrimming
the Caney Creek Community Center had promised them.

In the two office buildings of the Caney Creek Commun~
ity Center, Blanche, the artistic, directed. little
hands making paper chains of red, green, gold,and blue
paper, donated by friends of the work, for extra tree—
trimmings. Holly sat in a corner by a table joyfully
making cards for the children whose names' had been
sent in by the teachers — out of, the hollows. Herma
frantically searched among all the letters from the
teachers asking for "pretties" and tree ~trimmings,for
the one letter that had been tucked away on the bottom
before it could be filed - finding it, hurried to make
up the last package that went over the hill to Trouble—
some. ”June," our beloved educational director, went
her way among the boxes of toys, her hands filled with

   

 

  

 

the Christmas tags Holly had made, assisting the girls

and boys who had been commissioned to wrap and tag the

gifts that went out to the little schools m up the lit-
tle hollows. Boys were busy tying and labeling the box—
es. Those for the schools tee far away for the jolt—

wagon to reach them in time, were addressd to go by

parcels post " there were many relays of the mails

sacks before they reached their destinations.

A few days before Christmas the jolt—wagons rolled
down the steep incline near the post office, decorated
with sparkling tinsel, beautiful paper chains,with big
scarlet bells tied to the harness of the mules, which
were wrapped with red, and green, and silver garlands
laden with boxes and parcels, labeled and tied with
pretty string_ for the teachers and the children and
the parents in the little schools w in the little hol—
lows.

AND. .dashing up to the main entrance of the campus
around the Caney Creek Community Center, on a spirited

horse or low—eared mule, the rider, a teacher from a

far off hollow, ascended hurriedly up to the managers

office to get his package — since he lived off the

main trail where the jolt—wagons passed. Sometimes the

bQX?§“§93§h§92i}§§§§ to go into the sack he brought,

and the gifts were taken out and placed in the sack

carefully, so as not to break the precious dolls for

the little girls —— many who had never had a real doll,
before. ‘

After Christmas the letters poured in from the teach—
ers. Telling of the Joy that was created for 18,000
children and parents; Thanking the Caney Creek Com“
munity Center fer the gifts and the candy and the joy;
from happy teachers who were fortunate to be the first

‘ to hold a Christmas Tree in the Community. Telling of

the quietness along the creeks, "and not a single per—
son was drunk" wrote more than one teacher.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Christmas! Magic word! Used to be different in the
mountains.Weeks before there would be no fir—tree cut,
but the men and bays would begin to store up ammunit—
ion and "Moonshine." Christmas now in the mountains
means Peace and Joy, with the story of Christ where
liquor did flow.

 

 

 CANEY‘S OWN COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS TREE

THROUGH THE DIM SHADOWS THEY CAME ..... on mule—back,
walking, and in jolt-wagon, to the miracle of the
GREAT GIFT.

THERE ITS SYMBCL STOOD TOWERING ..... on the high
porch of the new dining hall, covered with "pretties"
and tinsels.

THE PALE BLUE SHADOWS CLUSTERED ..... thicker, but the
hearts of the six hundred people beat high with the
hope of the MIRACLE,

"It's falling weather" an old man whispered, "But God
holds the storm Off till after the gifts are over."

THEN, SAINT NICHOLAS, A THIN, TALL, MOUNTAIN SAINT,

came Pied—Piper~like leading the children, close,
ever closer .....

SO THE MIRACLE BEGAN

WHILE ..... a window of carols opened to the Manger of

 

 

urmw~ », . ( ‘-

W1 — . war, “Maw , . ..,..,_~..H. “— »—~ -~

 

 

SWIFTLY, AND AS WITH A SINGLE MOTION, a thousand
eyes shot upward and there, from beneath the’ fir—
giving—tree, — THE TREE of the Christ Child - came
the Center's children, with huge family sacks for
the pilgrims:

CANDY AND TIES
PENCILS AND BOOKS
SCARFS AND THICK STOCKINGS
MITTENS AND TOYS
”DOLLS AND CAPS
SHOES AND WARM CLOTHES

SO AS THE PILGRIMS WENT BACK THROUGH THE SHADOWS....
Light were their hearts for they kept singing, chant~
ing, the OLD Christmas Hymn.

"ALL GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST"

AND SO ..... Caney's Community Christmas was over!

(Printed at the Caney Creek Community Center)