Once and Future: Family Stories 6- The Christmas Piece

As I mentioned earlier, I'll occassionally use this space to chronicle some of my reflections and writings on my family history, particulary the stories that my grandpa Coleman passed down to us. This being the first December since he died, there's no better time to remember his recitation for the Christmas program at school:

I was just a little guy and I was in the primmer class at school. Back then you didn’t have grades in school exactly the same way that you have them now. I guess I was about five.

Well, it was near Christmas time and our teacher got up one morning and said, “Children, we’re gonna’ have a Christmas program, so anyone that knows a song or something special that they can do or a piece they can say, let me know”.

Well, immediately I raised my hand and said, “Teacher, I know one.”

She said, “OK, Emmet, I will put you on the list.”

So finally the night of the big program came, and the family all went to see me say my piece. Well, I knew the piece perfectly; my dad had said it when he was a little boy, and he had taught it to me. I was so happy.

When they finally called my name, “Emmet Coleman”, I jumped up on the stage and then I looked out on this huge crowd of people, (there had to be at least 25 or 30 people there)! I was so scared. I just stood there and looked at the crowd. Pretty soon, my mommy came up and took my hand and led me off the stage and back to my seat. I was very sad.

Well, time went by, and before I knew it, it was time again for Christmas. The teacher got up before the class and said, “Children, we’re gonna’ have a Christmas program, so anyone that knows a song or something special that they can do or a piece they can say, let me know”.

Well, immediately I raised my hand and said, “Teacher, I know one!’

She said, “OK, Emmet, I will put you on the list.”

This year I knew I was really ready to say my piece.

The big day finally came, and it was unusually warm for that time of the year. I was out playing in what we called the hog lot and I was barefoot. There was a rock wall there and lots to climb and play on. My mommy called to me, “Emmet, come on in now, it is time to get cleaned up and get ready to go to the program.”

I jumped down off of the wall and as I did, boy oh boy, I hurt myself. I had stubbed my toe; badly too. Oh it hurt so bad- I can almost feel it now. Well, I went crying into the house, and everyone was very concerned about my toe. Mom got me cleaned up anyway and I got dressed. She hoped that I would feel better before we had to leave, but I didn’t. I couldn’t even get my shoe on. Well, my Grandma Dooley lived with us and she said, “That’s OK, Emmet. We’ll stay home together, and we’ll make taffy.”

So that’s what we did. Everyone else went to the program but Grandma and I stayed home and had a great time making taffy.

Finally another year rolled around and the teacher got up before the class one day and said, “Children, we’re gonna’ have a Christmas program, so if anyone knows a song or something special that they can do or a piece they can say, let me know and I will put your name on the list for the program.”

Immediately I raised my hand and said, “Teacher, I know one!”

She said, “OK, Emmet, I will put your name on the list.”

Well, finally the big day for the program came. I got all cleaned up, and went with the whole family to the Christmas program. Before long I heard the teacher say, “Emmet Coleman.” I jumped up and went up to the front. I turned around and looked again at the huge crowd of 30 or so people that were there, and I said my piece:

“You can’t expect a boy like me
To get up here for all to see
And say a speech as good as those
That wear the bigger kind of clothes.
I will not speak of Greece or Rome
But tell you what I learned at home
I learned to read and write and spell
And I think that’s doing pretty well
For such a little boy as I
And now I bid you all goodbye
And have a merry Christmas.”

Incidentally, my grandson, Charles Coleman Strawn, said this Christmas piece at a church program at Ft. Leonard Wood Church of God in St. Roberts, Missouri in December of 1978. I have a picture that was taken of him as he was saying the piece. He was 9 years old.