The other day, a song was playing on the radio that got me thinking about preparations for Christmas during my boyhood. In the late forties, early fifties we prepared for Christmas locally. This was before the big box stores, Amazon Prime and the online shipping platforms that seem to have taken over in-person shopping.

Photos-Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

Generally, most of our shopping was completed on Bridge Street, utilizing the local merchants except for the occasional item from T. Eaton or their competition Robert Simpson. A week before Christmas was “Turkey Fair Day” when members of the farming community would display freshly slain turkeys for sale from their car or truck. People purchased the turkeys which would be kept in the back sheds, which everybody seemed to have in those day, in a large roasting pan until Christmas morning when the turkey was prepared for the traditional dinner which was scheduled to occur as soon at the turkey was “done”.

Heritage Museum–This ad was found in the Dec. 6, 1956 edition of the Carleton Place Canadian.

CLIPPED FROMThe Ottawa JournalOttawa, Ontario, Canada18 Dec 1954, Sat • Page 40

This is just one memory I have of Christmas preparation but I’m sure your readers/followers would have a lot more related to their early life in Carleton Place before the advent of the internet and the convenience spawned by that technology.

Writing to Santa Claus and mailing the letters to CFRA in the hopes that they would be read by Santa over the air is another memory I recall….

Regards,

Ray

Almonte Gazette 1911

Over 300 birds have been entered for the Carleton Place Poultry Show, open Thursday evening and Friday all day and evening. Some of the handsome prizes are on exhibition in Mr. F. C. McDiarmid’s show window.

The poultry show in Carleton Place last Thursday and Friday brought a couple of Almonters to the front with the birds of Mr. Fred Blake 1 and Mr. Jas. Gilmour winning several prizes. Mr. Blake was successful in capturing the Wm. Thobum cup, besides winning five firsts, five seconds. Mr. Gilmour won the Robertson cup, two firsts and three seconds. Mr. Blake has entered 2 I twelve birds in the poultry show at Gananoque this week.

January 27 1911-Almonte Gazette