CHRISTMAS REMINISCENCES BY HON. J. S. HELMCKEN.
Hudson Bay Days.
You ask me to give some information as to the observance of Christmas
Day in the early days of the Colony, say fifty-five years ago. I may
say at once that there were no set forms of celebration in those
days, save that the chaplain, Rev. Mr. Staines, held divine service
in the mess-room, a hall that served for baptisms, deaths and
marriages, also balls and other recreation. At the same time Rev.
Father Lamfpet, a missionary Catholic priest, assembled his flock in
a shanty, built chiefly by himself and plastered with clay, which had
wide cracks in it. This edifice stood on Courtney Street, between
Douglas and Government. Of course Christmas Day was a holiday.
[Portrait: Dr. Helmcken.]
In the early days changes came quickly. In 1852 Captain Langford,
wife and family arrived. They were in some way connected with the
then Governor Blanchard. T. Skinner, Esq., wife and family arrived at
the same time. These were British and cultured people. Langford and
Skinner were agents of the Puget Sound Company, so with them came a
large number of Britishers, to open up and cultivate farms at
Colwood, the latter near the now Naval Hospital at Esquimalt. Captain
Grant and Captain Cooper were here, and soon came the noble,
steadfast laird, Mr. Kenneth McKenzie, wife and family. These brought
their customs with them, so of course Christmas observances. It
will thus be seen that Christmas and other customs came with the
immigrants, and from the planting of that seed, the present Christmas
observances have grown. In Scotland and America the day is much more
observed than formerly; all did as they pleased--shooting, hunting,
fishing and visiting being the chief recreations, and getting as good
a dinner as possible, perhaps practise at the Beacon, a barrel
riddled with bullets, and standing on a long pole. This beacon was a
mark for ships. Another stood near the water to the north. Captain
Sangster used to perambulate here, a telescope in hand, watching for
the annual Hudson's Bay Company's ship, the signal being two guns.
No waits at night, no chimes, no bells, no Christmas carols, no
pianos, in fact no musical instruments of any kind, save the bell of
the Fort. On one occasion a dance and supper were determined on, but
where was the band? Nothing but Mr. Tod and his fiddle existed. Mr.
Tod, a good soul, peace be with him, ever ready to assist, assisted.
Mr. Tod had a peculiarity; when playing he would cast off a shoe, and
kept time by stamping the resounding floor with his stockinged foot.
However, an employee came forth, "I can help you, sirs; give me a
sheet of tin." He got it, and in a short time came back with a tin
whistle, on which he played admirably. This was the band, and
everyone enjoyed the dance and everything else. The band, too, was
the orchestra at a night of private theatricals, in which J. D.
Pemberton and Joseph McKay were the star actors, whilst the
others handed round port, ale, cider, ginger beer, oranges, lemons
and nuts--that is to say they would if they had them.
There were no public-houses nor public amusements at this time,
turkeys unknown and beef scarce. In fact a rudimentary Christmas
festival of a holiday, not holy-day, type.
It may be here remarked that sixty years ago Christmas Day was but
little observed in Scotland, and the same may be said of America. In
England, however, where it was and is a statute holiday, Christmas
was universally celebrated. Essentially it was a children's day and
one of family reunions, and in those days when travelling was
expensive and tedious, this meant more than it does to-day. The
visitors received a joyous welcome, not a sort of empty every-day
one. Plum pudding, roast beef, and mince pies and nuts were the order
of the day, for beverage various kinds of drinks. Holly and mistletoe
and evergreens obtained in nearly every house; in fact it was a
joyous day from morn till night. Games of various kinds were played.
Toys for children, rudimentary toys and picture books, cheap, and
such as the too knowing children of to-day would turn up their little
noses at, and my goodness! the fun of the mistletoe and mulberry
tree! Spreading of course from British Columbia, but in sober earnest
to the immortal Charles Dickens' works, particularly the Pickwick
Club and the annual "Christmas Stories."
The holly now, as in England, generally used, is not indigenous, but
grown from introduced seed chiefly. The berried holly is now in great
demand all along the Pacific shores, and American purchasers
are eager to buy it. Curiously, it grows well in Victoria and
neighborhood, but fails as it grows south. Mistletoe, a parasite,
used of old in the mystic rites of the Druids, does not grow here,
but a species thereof comes from the States, which serves its usual
purpose, in spite of all moral reformers and the scientific maxims
of the dangers of bacteria (bacteria of love) incurred in and by
osculation. Who cares about this kind of danger when under the
mistletoe at Christmas--the fun and pleasure of obtaining it or at
"blindman's buff," and the pretended wish and effort not to be
caught. None of this in Victoria in 1850. How soon after?
Oh, the merry days when we were young! Turkeys were rare, but Dr.
Trimble had a turkey which he kept on his premises on Broad Street.
Daily he and Mrs. Trimble would visit his treasure, who with his
fantail erect and feathers vibrating and with a gobble-gobble and
proud step would show his pleasure at the meeting, but the doctor and
wife, although admiring and loving the proud and handsome bird, had
murderous thoughts in their "innards," and declared he would be a
splendid bird by Christmas for dinner, so in due course they invited
some half dozen friends to eat the turkey on Christmas Day. A few
days before Christmas, the doctor and wife, on their daily visit,
found the turkey had vanished. Inquiries were made for it, and the
invited friends were assiduous in helping to unravel the mystery, and
concluded in the end that it had been stolen. They condoled and
sympathized with the bereaved, and tried to assuage the grief by
telling Trimble and wife that they would give him a dinner on
Christmas Day instead! The grief-stricken parties accepted the
invitation, as the best thing to be done under the unfortunate
circumstances. So on Christmas Day they assembled very jollily.
The earlier courses were eaten with fizz, etc. Now comes up the
principal dish, which being uncovered displayed a fine cooked turkey.
Trimble was a good-natured fellow, so you may easily foretell what
followed. Who stole the turkey? The echoes of their laughing,
intertwining shadows reply "Who-o-o?"