Did I talk about ‘Treats’?

Our (Shirl & I) childhood was build around the church because our dad was a pastor. Every church dad pastored the parsonage was next door. For my entire child hood our churches gave out what we called ‘Treats’. It was a brown bag that contained two apples, an orange, a tangerine, a hand full of mixed nuts (in the shell) a small bag of hard candy and possibly a small candy cane. These were handed out to all church attendees following the worship service the last Sunday before Christmas.

 

Of course bags were set aside for the ‘shut-ins’ (members who were bed fast or too old or sick to attend church services). If a family had four children and two adults they had plenty of fruit for Christmas. It was a blessing for many mill workers who never had the extra money to buy fruit.

As preachers kids we were always expected to be present on Saturday night before the last Sunday to help ‘put the treats together’. It was a simple assembly line process. A bag opener, who slid the bag down a pew to the apple person, who put two apples in and slid it to the orange person etc until the candy that went in last. I had so much fun on that night and the workers got to eat the odd and ends that were left over. Ever since my youth, the citrus smell has been a Christmas smell.

I guess that is no longer needed but our church still gave out a gift. This year it was a neat little package of a yearly planning calendar and a little flat pen to go with it. The flat pen is neat because it can stay with the little planner without a lot of bulk.

I do not know if all churches do this, but I thought it was neat. I didn’t ask if they did anything special for the kids, I don’t think they need a yearly planner. But who knows nowadays. LOL

Anyway, the ‘treats’ have always stuck with me.

(Do churches take pictures anymore, this is Sherry and her brother Johnny before I knew them)

Thanks for reading this, and I am sorry If I am repeating myself. One of those ‘OLD TIMERS’ thangs.

 

NIte Shipslog

PS:

RED SKELTON'S RECIPE

FOR THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

***Two times a week we go to a nice restaurant, have a

little beverage, good food and companionship.

She goes on Tuesdays; I go on Fridays..

*** We also sleep in separate beds.

Hers is in California , and mine is in Texas ..

(This is a random picture from the web, I don’t have any of ours but churches used to do this, I don’t think they do it anymore!)