Summerland Stories #9: Happy New Year 1959!

Happy New Year’s Eve 2024! On the advice of quite a few people following my Summerland Stories project blog posts — and some beta readers, too — I have taken off a week or so from the project to enjoy relaxing during the Christmas holidays 2024. Now it’s New Year’s Eve, and (sadly…) with no big celebratory plans, here I am looking through some of my old letters written by my grandparents back in the 1950s and some pictures from that time period, too. Maybe you’d like a sample? Here goes!

Date: January 1, 1959
To: Marjorie & Bill Wright & children (Revelstoke)
From: Emily Mott

Because this is a new year, I must not make errors, but start it out right. I was getting quite good again, after doing the Aunties’ [Miss Banks] songs and recitations for their Sunday School classes and many Christmas letters. But, as Uncle Ernie put it to me once when we were practicing shooting, “It is not what you used to be able to do, but what you do now.”

Daddy has had his telescope out looking at a woodpecker sitting on top of the barn. He will get pleasure from it. He had the car warmed last evening so that we might take the Killick family with us to Watch Night service, but a storm brought snow enough to make the roads slippery.

So we were happy to go with Joe James, paying him instead of a taxi. He, of course, offered to come, for Bob was to take the song service, and a good one it was. Joe had a Bible quiz, then bible reading and prayer. Quite a few were out including Y.P. [Young People] and some children. ‘Member how pleased you were, Margy, when you could stay up till 12?

Summerland Free Methodist Church – back in the day

Hyacinths will be out soon, two purple, 1 rose and I think 2 whites. Two trumpet shaped flowers are out fully. [They did lots of “forced” bulbs in the house in winter!]

Harold and Alma … stayed for supper [during Christmas week], and asked to see Preston’s boat pictures and others they had not seen. Alma brought icecream, so I got bananas to go with it; also they had packaged, sliced ham at Overwaitea, and we had a nice, light supper.

After I finish this for mailing today [New Year’s Day], I must get the vacuum busy. Yesterday morning [New Year’s Eve] I did the washing, and then we went to town. I hung only a few things on the line and finished drying them inside, for the wind was strong from the south. Then around 9 p.m. there really was a wind. There was no snow, and soon it turned colder and we wondered how the snow could come so fast, but just enough to make the roads slippery.

Daddy says it may melt by noon, and if not he’ll put on chains, for we are to go to Sylvia’s along with her folks to New Year’s dinner at 12.30.

Daddy [John Mott – who did maintenance work at hospital] says Betty [nurse] was still on at 9 am this morning; no nurse had come to relieve her. Ruth Pearson was on till midnight. Mr. Elsey had an operation yesterday.

God help us all to live for Him this 1959!

Famchon’s house down the lane from Mott’s; Mott barn on the left, below their Lipsett house

What do you remember about New Year’s Eve celebrations back in the day? I remember “Watch Night services” when we were young — the one night of the year when we children were able to stay up until midnight (we had to have a nap ahead of time). Those church services usually started with a few group games like Bible quizzes, then a variety of hymns and choruses, and finally, at midnight, we’d “pray in” the New Year.

And on New Year’s Day we’d often have a big extended family dinner with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and lonely folks my mom would gather in.

Family dinner around the ping pong table in our basement – the little folks sat at a small table and I was always appointed to look after them…

In later years, New Year’s Eve Church events were more lively — pot luck supper, lots and lots of desserts, and lots of table games and other fun activities. And after counting down the New Year and blowing noisemakers and such, a prayer for the New Year before we all headed home.

In my college years, I sometimes went to New Year’s parties; I particularly remember one at Capri Hotel in Kelowna during the disco years. It was pretty loud and crazy — as disco parties tended to be with all those wild outfits and crazy disco dancing!

Now, while I have fond memories of New Year’s Eve celebrations in the past, it seems that a lot of folks my age like to take it easy and hit the sack early. Still, I like to struggle to stay awake till midnight to watch fireworks and listen to all the racket that young folks in our neighborhood make at midnight! (Anyone want to come over and play table games and eat lots of snacks and goodies? Come on, then! … Or next year, maybe?)

Come on! Share your New Year’s memories in the comments 🙂 Thank you!

Happy New Year 2025!

Norma J. Hill

a pen and paper mama site

Summerland Stories #9: Happy New Year 1959!

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