Wendell and Diane Andrews: Filled cookies are still a family favorite

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By Missy Klatt

Wendell and Diane Andrews of Wheeler both grew up on farms. Diane in the Downing area and Wendell right where they are still living today just north of Wheeler.

Diane

Diane who was the middle child of Allen and Myrtle Hoff, had one older brother (Allen) and one younger brother (Terry). They were all two years apart. Diane first lived about five miles north of Downing till the age of 12 when her and her family moved about five miles south of Downing to the Irish Ridge.

When they lived north of Downing she attended Best Valley School out in the country which she said was cold. For their Christmas program they would put wire across the room and hang curtains to create a stage. She said the kids would all receive candy bags and everyone would bring food for a big pot luck meal after the program. It was a big night out for the community. And of course Santa would make an appearance.

Despite it being cold and having to bring a sack lunch she fondly remembers those days at Best Valley as “fun times”. When they moved they then attended the “big” Knapp School where they got served lunch and milk. With the exception of the powdered eggs, Diane remarked that the food was delicious. She credits Mrs. Dunn and her crew for doing an excellent job.

Christmas programs at the Knapp School didn’t have the same type of community feel for Diane as they did at Best Valley but of course Santa made an appearance there as well.

As a young child Diane remembers getting a toy (usually a doll) for Christmas plus a piece of clothing just about every year.

They would go out and cut down a Christmas tree every year off the farm. The trees tended to be somewhat scraggly so her dad would drill holes in it to add other branches. That side always went in the back stated Diane. “Mother let us help and you could tell she was just getting hostile because we weren’t decorating the way she would do it.” To which Wendell in the background mimes throwing gobs of tinsel on the tree. Diane notes that she loves tinsel on the tree.

Besides the tinsel they would hang green and red loops of paper chains to make garland. They would also hang strings of popcorn. They had some store bought ornaments and bubble lights as well.

Diane said that they had stocking that Santa would fill but they were just the ‘blessed’ long brown socks that her mother made her wear. She said she always rolled her socks down at school but for Christmas it was nice that they were longer as Santa filled them with fruit and nuts and some candy.

Christmas dinners as a kid meant everyone came to their house. For her maternal grandparents that was easy as they lived with them for many years. The meal usually consisted of a turkey dinner with all the fixings.

Her mom’s specialty cookie was a filled cookie made with dates, raisins, nuts and sometimes orange peel but Diane said she usually puts in some lemon juice to cut the sweetness down when she makes them. This is still a family favorite and now the debate is as to who is going to take over the tradition of making them. Perhaps their daughter, Alana or one of the grandkids.

Wendell

Wendell was also a middle child but he had four brothers and two sisters. He comments that for Christmas his mom would make an extra special meal and his older sister and her husband would come and everyone else was still at home.

With the large family he said that they never got much for presents, one or two little things and some clothes. As time went on he and his brothers asked for a train. So one year he and his two younger brothers got a Marx 999 locomotive steam engine. “That was a lot of fun. We would set up a circle on the floor because at one time we had gotten three parakeets and we set them on top and they’d ride around. We counted, one rode on it 150 times around. It would just sit there and go around and around and we’d just watch it.” recalls Wendell

Another time Santa brought a sled for them and left it sit outside on the sidewalk in front of the house. Wendell said that they all went outside to check it out to see how it was going to work and his youngest brother stuck his tongue on it. And there he sat with his tongue stuck to it until his mom go some warm water and poured it on the metal till his tongue was able to break free of the sled.

Wendell said he was warned not to do it because at that time there were a lot of kids in grade school that would lick the flag pole at school and “there they’d be”.

Wendell notes that they didn’t have much but they always had a Jack Pine tree for their Christmas tree. He describes a Jack Pine as a small pine tree with little gobs of needles with cones in it but it’s kind of sparse all the way through so they would drill holes in it and add extra branches.

One time when Diane and Wendell’s kids were young, Wendell wanted what their kids called a Charlie Brown tree so they went and got one and the kids were so mad that he got a Charlie Brown tree to which Diane replied, “I just get tired of saying no”. So they decorated it and she said it will be over before you know it and it won’t happen again. Wendell states that they found out that they could get by with a Charlie Brown tree. That they didn’t need to have the perfect tree.

Wendell said that his mom also made the filled cookies and she would make kringles at Christmas time. He said sometime his aunt and uncle would come over at Christmas and they would have oyster stew or lutefisk. At Christmas it was all about getting together with family either at their place or at one of his aunts and uncles and of course all the cousins would go outside and play.

One year he recalls that his cousins from Colfax came over and they went down to the woods sliding the hills and they came back up and their clothes were soaking wet. “And did we catch the devil because they figured we took them out in the water so they fell in.” comments Wendell. He goes on to say that the snow stuck right to them and they didn’t have long underwear on and they just got soaking wet. “We had a lot of fun.”

At church (Our Saviors Lutheran in Wheeler) they usually had a program on Christmas Eve night where everyone had a part. He said they usually had to walk down to the church on Saturday for practice which they didn’t like so much but they always liked to get the bag of candy and delicious apple that they would pass out to everyone.

Wendell went to grade school in Wheeler (where the Nazarene Church is located now). He said for his first six grades there it was a two room school and then in the late fifties they decided to add on to it. So he actually had class for two years in Our Saviors parish hall while they were building on to the school.

He remembers Christmas programs there with the younger kids having very small parts. He also recalls that sometimes they would do a small gift exchange and sometimes Santa would come.

There used to be McIntyre’s Hall in Wheeler by the one bar. Wendell noted that every year at Christmas time they bought all kinds of candy and stuff and put them in bags and then all the kids would go down there and they’d be given a bag of candy and stuff.

Wendell and Diane

Wendell and Diane have been married 59 years thanks to Bob and Lynda Bird who set them up on a blind date. They have five children; Alana, Annette, twins: Todd and Lance, and Alisa. They also have eight grandchildren and two step grandchildren. Wendell and Diane have been in their current home on the farm for 42 years with Diane running a beauty shop out of their home for many of those years.

“I love Christmas and I love to splurge on the kids and grandpa he don’t like that, he doesn’t think I should spend a lot of money.” quips Diane. Wendell likes to get them outside to play and enjoy each other’s company.

One year Diane wrapped the grandkids presents so they looked like snowmen. “They were the shape of a snowman but square and we put arms on them and mittens and the scarf around and a hat.” So they all had new mittens, scarves and hats along with whatever was in the boxes.

She also noted that when her granddaughters were young she would give them a doll for Christmas and have it sitting out under the tree.

At one time Diane had seven Christmas trees set up in the house in various rooms, including one in the beauty shop. Most of which were been artificial.

Although the filled cookies seem to be everyone’s favorite, another favorite is cut out sugar cookies, and her son likes to come down and make peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Another item that they have baked over the years is fruit cake, one of Wendell’s favorite although Diane admits they don’t make as much as they used. “We’ve made up to twenty-four pounds at one time.” Remarks Diane. After they are baked Diane states they wrap them in tin foil and dab them several times with Mogen David wine to keep them moist.

Now whoever can make it, come on Christmas day to Wendell and Diane’s for a dinner that usually includes ham and Swedish meatballs. Although Diane comments that they (the kids and grandkids) are going to have to get together and start doing the cooking. Looking back she doesn’t know how she was able to do all the cooking and cleaning for these get togethers. “I was nuts, I’d stay up half the night cleaning.”