CHRISTMAS Going for the Christmas Tree Joe, Kevin, Dianne, Patsy, Gary and Blair Christmas usually began at our house with a trip to the woods for a Christmas tree. Patsy recalls that the whole family dressed warmly for the trip back to the woods, Joe would hitch up the horse "Queenie" to the sleigh, and we would hold on tight as Dad drove the horse. After some time we would return with a tree that we thought could surpass no other. Dad carried the tree into the living room, and before long, it was adorned with garland, and decorated with miniature houses and churches. Dianne recalls that I made sure that I had the ingredients in the house for the Christmas baking long before the season arrived, I was teaching school, so, if there was a stormy day I would be prepared to do some of my baking. Some of the Christmas goodies included meat pies, fruitcakes, raisin bread, peanut butter balls and plum pudding cooked in a bag and steamed on top of the stove for three hours. Gary recalls on Christmas Eve of being sent to bed for a rest, because they would be up late that night. He vividly remembers that there was so much excitement that no one even thought about trying to get a wink of sleep. Memories of Midnight Mass still prevails in their minds. Santa seemed to arrive while they were attending Midnight Mass, so the excitement of opening presents and eating special foods lasted into the wee hours of the morning. One year Dianne was very interested in getting a guitar, so she was doing some babysitting, and was saving her money to buy one. In the mean time, we had purchased a guitar for her for Christmas. We kept it in the school until Christmas Eve, because it was difficult to hide it from those watchful eyes. That evening we hid it on top of a bulk of potatoes in the basement. Dianne wondered why there were only a few presents for her under the tree. During her search after Midnight Mass, she found an envelope stating that she was to 111