Reindeer Games - 2010
Christmas in Shady Side, 100 Years Later
A look back on past holiday traditions compared to our modern celebrations
Cannon fire and fire crackers would signal the coming of Christmas in Shady Side 100 years ago. Celebrations would start at about 4am and continue throughout the day. Life-long resident Flora Ethel Andrews (1888-1997) described the Christmas traditions of Shady Side circa 1900 in her autobiography "Miss Ethel Remembers...". Andrews described how a cannon was loaded with black powder and fired, signaling to everyone that Christmas Day had arrived. "Just as this reverberation passed through the village, sounds of firecrackers were heard coming from outside the homes, for firecrackers were fired at Christmas, never on Fourth of July (Andrews, 1991)." The cannon, which dates back to the War of 1812 now sits in front of the Captain Salem-…
