Virgil and Pat Schoonover: Christmas traditions

By Cara L. Dempski

CONNORSVILLE — Virgil and Pat Schoonover, ages 85 and 84, have seen and enjoyed many family Christmases, but there are specific things each remembers from their childhoods and life as young adults.

The Connorsville couple, who celebrated 65 years of marriage this October, sat down recently to share special memories of when they were children and as a young family on the farm.

From food on the table, to performing in Christmas programs, to decorations, to celebrations, the Schoonovers were happy to share their stories.

Pat was born on August 21, 1932, and Virgil was born August 6, 1931. The couple actively milked registered Holsteins and farmed in Connorsville until they sold their herd and farm to their son in early 2015. Virgil has lived on the farm since his family first moved there in 1945.

Both attended school in Boyceville, though Virgil stated Pat should have gone to Glenwood City because her family was just west of Connorsville.

“I had family teaching in Boyceville, who told me ‘you might as well just ride along with us,’” Pat stated.

The couple raised their family on the farm and still live in the house there, though the farm work is now mostly taken care of by their son.

Edibles

Pat could not remember if her family ate oysters at Christmas or for New Year’s celebrations, but she does remember always having the salt-water delicacy during the holiday season when she was a child. 

“I can’t imagine going to pick them up,” she said. “But I can still see the gallon can they came in that sat around for the rest of the year.”

Virgil said he also remembers seeing oysters on the table when he was a child, stating that he remembers one year when a family member sent some of the shellfish from Washington state. He said they were very different in taste and appearance from the oysters that can be found for sale in the Midwest.

“Besides the oysters, there were fattigmann (Norwegian bowtie cookies), rosettes, and fruit soup,” Pat stated.

Virgil also said his mother ate blood sausage on occasion, but the family’s neighbors ate more of it, and even occasionally made it. He recalls butchering some of the family’s hogs one year when the neighbors asked for the blood to use in the sausages. Pat and Virgil debated about how the blood was collected, but agreed that it was not a pretty sight.

“I usually didn’t stick around for it,” Virgil said.

The couple said they still enjoy cookies and treats offered as part of a Christmas table.

Church and School

When both Schoonovers were young, there were two places Christmas celebrations usually took place: churches and schools.

Pat remembers having to know parts for the school or church program – or both – and dressing up.

“They had us dress up in goofy costumes that you wouldn’t wear ordinarily,” she stated.

She also said, depending on the weather, families often arrived at the program via horse-drawn sleigh.

While Pat does not remember receiving any treats from her school Christmas programs, she said every child in her church congregation got a little treat bag at the end of each program. These bags often included an apple or orange, some candy, and nuts.

Virgil attended an evangelical church that met each week in a nearby schoolhouse. He recalls his grandfather taking firewood over before the service to warm the building, since the school did not provide wood for church services. 

He also does not remember ever participating in a church Christmas program, but worked hard to take part in his school ones.

“There were always plays where people had to learn lines and dress their parts,” he said. 

Virgil said the people of his church put their names in a basket each year for a drawing for a big box of candy, and believes he won it one year when he was still quite young. He also said a box of candy was a big deal back then.

“It was back in the 1930s, and there wasn’t a whole lot of everything,” he finished.

Decorations 

Though their house sports two large stars covered in colored lights on the deck, the Schoonovers remember simpler decorations from when they were younger.

“We made daisy chains and strung popcorn,” Pat stated of her home’s decorations.

Virgil does not recall decorations like that at home, but he has memories of his school classrooms festooned in daisy chains and popcorn strings. He also remembers having a Christmas tree with candles on it one year.

According to his memory, the candles were lit only once, and there were several pails of water nearby in case the candle flames should touch a branch and set the tree on fire.

“All those pine Christmas trees were ready to explode,” Virgil said.

Celebrations

Virgil stated his family’s Christmas celebrations were usually held on Christmas eve because his father hauled milk and had to be on his route early Christmas morning. They hosted the family and opened gifts after church and a meal.

Pat said celebrations always expanded when one or both of her father’s sisters came home from California and Missouri. 

“The whole family came to the house to hear everything that was new with them,” Pat said.

Virgil then said most Christmas celebrations were held at their home when he and Pat were first married, but that changed not long after one memorable Christmas that gave them a scare and one of the best gifts they could receive.

Only a year and a half after adopting an infant daughter, the Schoonovers found themselves taking her to the doctor in Glenwood City the day before Christmas because her throat and chest were full. The doctor at that time gave her a penicillin shot, told Pat and Virgil to keep an eye on their daughter, and sent the family home.

As the day progressed, it became clear to Virgil that his daughter was not getting better; in fact, she was getting worse. On Christmas Eve, Virgil and Pat took Mary (their daughter) to Menomonie, where she received more penicillin.

“I remember calling her (Pat) early in the morning and saying ‘I think we’re going to lose our girl,’” Virgil said of the night he spent in Menomonie with Mary.

Early the next morning, one of the doctors attending to the toddler used a small vacuum device to clean out Mary’s throat and lungs. By the time Virgil saw her again, the medical staff at the hospital told him she was going to be all right.

“That vacuum, it made all the difference in the world,” Virgil said.

The family had its Christmas somewhat late that year, since Mary spent another week in the hospital recovering, but she was home by the following Sunday. Since their daughter did not have a chance to open her Christmas presents like her older brothers did, Virgil and Pat gave her a doll nearly the same size she was to keep her company while they stepped out to do chores.

When the couple returned to the home, their son Kevin – 10 years Mary’s senior – led them to the Christmas tree, where their daughter and her new doll were curled up fast asleep.

“It was quite a gift we got that year,” Pat said.

Nowadays, the family does its gift-giving at the home of the Schoonover’s closest son, Andy, who now operates the family farm. 

Pat said she is happy to have the opportunity to see her family as often as she does, and Virgil stated he is looking forward to the family’s Christmas gathering.