Christmas Eve - 1894
“Between Saturday night and Sunday morning 102 sacks of British mail matter and 150 sacks of United States mail matter were received here, and by British parcel post, over 300 parcel were received. The parcels contained a heterogeneous collection of articles, noticeable amongst which were pieces of dress goods, bottles of hair oil, Christmas puddings, pastry and one parcel contained a cake and a bottle of wine.
“The piles of bags in the sorting department were so great yesterday that for several hours the clerks at work amongst them were hidden from each other. The clerks worked faithfully all day and the result was that today the office is much as usual,
“One of the happiest recipients of mail matter today was Rev. Thomas Geoghegan, of St. Peter’s house.. Amongst his parcels from England was a little box containing $17.05, the savings of the children of a family formerly residing here, but now living in England, who had been encouraged by their mother to run a little self-denial movement during the year to aid St. Peter’s house.
“At the Post Office: Large Receipt of Christmas Mail Matter :”
Hamilton Times. December 24, 1894.
On Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the various national benevolent societies set up distribution locations for those in need to receive assistance:
“If there are any empty larders in the city tomorrow, it will not be the fault of any of the national benevolent societies”
For Hamiltonians with a British backgrounds, they went to the St. George’s Society where space had been provided by the Lawry & Son compnay:
“This
morning both sides of the big warehouse were piled high with baskets filled
with bread, flour, tea, coffee, sugar, raisins, currants, meat and vegetables.”
In all over 4000 pounds of beef were distruted and 475 families aided.
The St. Andrew’s Society helped 75 families:
“Good things of all kinds to supply the inner man and many tons of
coal that will bring warmth and brightness to many homes, were distributed
in the society’s usually unostentatious manner.”
At Parish Hall of St. Mary’s R.C. Church on Park street north, 500 families from the various Catholic parishes in the city arrived to be served by members of the St. Mary's Ladies Benevolent Society:
“The cheer covered
three large tables and included about 800 pounds of meat, several dozen pairs
of chickens and turkeys, vegetables of all kinds, a hundred loaves of bread,
many pounds of tea, sugar etc.
Economic times had been hard in 1893, not only in Hamilton but all across Canada and the United States. A modest recovery had happened in 1894. Hamilton's City merchants had a successful Christmas season of sales:
“Merchants in all parts of the city report that Saturday’s business was grand – the best of any single day for some years.
“Saturday was a great
day for out-of-town business.
“The evening train going
south on the Northern branch of the G.T.R. presented a sight worth seeing.
There were five coaches, all full, and every man and woman had a parcel or an
arm full of them.
“Every car on the
H.&D. and H.G.&B. roads in the afternoon and evening was full of
parcel-laden people.”
The Times editorial from its December 24, 1894 read as follows:
“Christmas is a holiday
which even printers are capable of enjoying, therefore the Times will not be
published tomorrow. It therefore presents to its readers today the compliments
of the season and wishes them all a merry Christmas and many of them.
“Without ice for
curlers and skaters or snow for sleighing and sledding, the holiday will be bereft
of some of its usual features, but the bright sunshine is pleasant in
mid-winter, and the open weather is a boom and a blessing to the poor, not only
on account of the saving of fuel, but because it permits the performance of
outdoor work
“The modern Santa Claus
can get to Hamilton without a smooth road, and the little ones are on the
lookout for tokens of his visit.”
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