Dec. 20-26
Mr. Smith preached Ellen Gilmer's funeral sermon in our church this morning ....Cousin Howel with us. Miss
Vallant gets up on Wednesday in time to mutter her incantation over the John Bull pudding for Xmas. I can't
say whether she calls up spirits from the very deep but her spiel seems to aid the mixing. Mary Lewis' friends,
Peggie Carr, Peggie Taylor and Sarah Leitch with Johnny Macmurdo, Sam and Nannie Leitch, Miss Vallant
and we Pantopians make up our Xmas party. We were disappointed that Ellan Macmurdo could not come.
Xmas Day it snowed forth until two o'clock. The tree came off at early candle light and it was very handsome.
Ellen [Anderson] was in a perfect whirl of delight. Seemed not to know what to do with herself. At last got
down on the floor and rolled. The old folks and children were much pleased with Santa Claus' offerings. Mine
was a little brown jug filled with sweet breads. Sue, Miss Vallant and I decked off the parlor very prettily with
greens in honor of the season. On Saturday, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Michie and her sister, Miss Budd, dined with
us. We are soon to lose them as neighbors as Mr. Michie gives up the place the first of the new year. We join in
a few Xmas games with the youngsters in the parlor but Miss Vallant, Sue and I take our real enjoyment up in
the Lodge around a nice Xmas fire. A joint letter from Aunt Ria wishes us all a merry Xmas. A letter from Sally
Williamson. She tells me they are going back to Woodville to live. Will move this week. Ellen Bankhead is to
be married sometime in January to Mr. Merideth.