David H Beatty - Pittsburgh Christmas Memories

Here are a few random memories as told by my grandfather's brother David H. Beatty (you will recognize him as the clown in my header graphic). This would have been during the mid/late 1920's when the family was all in Pittsburgh. These came from his autobiography he wrote in the late 1960's.

Bert & Dave Beatty - 1923

"The attic at Grand maws (Lydia & Fred Kretzer's house) was a place we stayed away from as we always thought to be haunted.   Maybe that was because each year right after Christmas Grandmaw went to the sales in Pittsburgh department stores and bought toys and other gifts for the next Christmas and kept them in the attic where we were not to go.  She always had a separate chair at Christmas time for each grandchild loaded with gifts, so of course we enjoyed going there each year. In her dining room stood a Christmas tree which touched the high ceiling and around the tree was a regular little village built with ponds, streets, houses, trees, people, and an electric train which ran all around the tree."

 

"One Christmas my Aunt Lydia (Kretzer) gave me a little pocket knife (1½ or 2 inches long) of which I was terribly proud.  Of course I was showing it to everyone and then it slipped out of my hand as I was standing over the heater and I never saw it again, so naturally my Christmas was greatly saddened by this event."

 

"Our house had two floors on the part Dad and Grandpaw Beatty added and as I remember, the second was one very large room like a combination living room and den and there was a door at the top of the stairs going to this room.  One Christmas my brothers and sister and I told Mother and Dad that we could smell a Christmas tree.  Of course we were told promptly that we were mistaken but all the same the door stayed locked.  You see it was a custom when I was growing up, as long as we believed in Santa Claus, that Santa Claus not only brought the gifts but he also brought the tree.  You can see what a job that was for Mother and Dad since we must be in bed before the tree is even put up.  Anyway they would decorate the tree, put out the gifts and a little food, and then wake us up in the middle of the night to announce that Santa Claus had been there.  Well, we were thrilled to death and ran to the living room to see the tree and open the gifts.  After playing with our toys for awhile, and having a snack, we went back to bed for a few hours before it was again time to get up.  I do believe I enjoyed this much better than the way we do now."

 

"Another thing I can remember is the Christmas tree at Grand maw and Grand paw Beatty’s (Milton & Kate Beatty) with the candles clipped to the branches.  We were allowed to light them and it was a pretty sight to behold."