On December 25, the First Congregational Church of Robbinsdale was the scene of merry festivities in which the school children, and many of the older ones, took part. A very enjoyable programme was rendered. Miss Amy Robbins entertained the audience with a fine selection on the violin. This was a novelty to a large number in attendance who had never heard Miss Robbins play before, and her splendid rendition of a rather difficult piece was heartily encored. Miss Lulu Downs by request sang “The Birthday King.” Miss Downs has an excellent voice and her appearance to sing is always greeted with applause. After several recitations by the school children, which showed great care and study on their part, the arrival of Santa Claus was announced.
Santa’s tardy appearance was occasioned by a serious attack of grippe from which Mrs. Claus had a difficult task to revive him. The appearance of Mrs. Santa was somewhat of a surprise to a great many of the children, and also some of the older ones, who had been laboring under the impression that Santa was a genial, benevolent, old bachelor whose wisdom safely guarded him from matrimonial ventures that would seriously interfere with his going out at night. But this old time theory was dispelled when Mrs. Santa announced that she had been trying all the evening to get the old gentleman out of the house.
Santa’s sleigh was loaded down with presents for both little and big. The little ones’ cheeks flushed and their sparkling eyes sparkled all the more as sack after sack of candy and oranges was rapidly given to this one or that. Howard Russ was presented with a nice dough-faced girl, but Howard said that appearances are very deceiving, as her constitution consisted principally of ginger.
Pastor Rodgers did himself proud. He was apparently as happy and excited as any of the enthusiastic little ones, and was really entitled to take the cake for his splendid behavior, but he didn’t. He got the next thing to it in the form of a great big pumpkin pie, and the care that he took in keeping it out of everyone’s reach was fully warranted by the appetizing appearance of the pie.
From Thomas Girling’s Picturesque Robbinsdale
Christmas Issue, 1894
