On the 8th Day of Christmas Past,
Question: What mischief happened in these two pioneer Christmas accounts?
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“Kane County Caroling Band”
“It was tradition in Kane County, Utah, for a band to serenade the citizens on Christmas Eve. The band members were often invited into the homes for refreshments.
The story is told that one time they went into a home where they were served a dried-peach pie. The filling lacked sufficient sugar and the crust was very tough. When no one was looking, several members of the band slipped the remainder of their pie into the big bass horn. The owner of the horn, Nels Johnson, did not see them do this, so when they were about to leave, he said, “Let’s play one more tune for these good people.” “No it is too late,” the rest of them said. He persisted, but when he blew into the horn, no sound came out. Puzzled, he turned the horn upside down and out poured the pieces of pie. The band was never again received an invitation to partake of refreshments at that home.”
Taken from: Christmas a Joyful Heritage, Susan Madsen, p. 13-14
“December 25, 1885”
by Ariel Warren Perry
“It was Christmas morning at 4 am in the year 1885. The ground was covered with snow and the moon was shining very bright. My brothers, Will, Jesse and I, thinking it was morning, got out of bed to see if old Santa Claus had been there and found our stockings. I found my first big doll and a small jewel box. The lid had a little Red Riding Hood figure with the big gray wolf attached to it. The boys found a tool box, and the baby found a little toy horse with a cart fastened to it – when the wheels went round a bell would ring. He would run and play with it and then we would all run with him.
We decided we would take our baby brother for a ride in the snow. We went out in our nightgowns and took turns riding on mother’s rocking chair – one pushing the other. Mother prized the chair very much. It was made by Stephen C. Perry – an early pioneer. The wind began to blow and we were cold, so we went back inside and enjoyed eating our candy and nuts; then we began to run and play around mother’s kitchen stove. As we were running, my baby brother (2.5 years old) fell and cut his forehead on the bench. Mother woke up, bandaged his head, and put us all to bed until morning.”
In the first Tail, members of the little band have been invited into a home for refreshments after playing Christmas music. They didn’t like the pay very much so try to conceal it in their instruments when no one was looking but it was found and they were asked to play one more song and they weren’t invited to that home again to play. LOL tail, members of the little band have been invited into a home for refreshments after playing Christmas music. They didn’t like the pay very much so try to conceal it in their instruments when no one was looking but it was found and they were asked to play one more song and they weren’t invited to that home again to play. 😂 The second told of children who woke up very very Christmas morning, God and their gifts, went outside and played in the snow and wrapped on their mothers beloved rocking chair in the cold and came back inside and eat their candy and nuts. Their baby brother cut his forehead and the mother woke up and put them all back to bed until morning.
I meant “tale” ;)
In the first story some of the band members did not care for the unsweetened and dry pie so the put their pieces into the big horn without the horn members knowledge. The horn would not play and it was discovered the reason why. The band was not invited back to play again.
In the second story on Christ Eve night some children awoke during the night (as it was bright outside and they thought it was morning) and not in the morning. They played with their presents and ate candy, While running around the stove the youngest fell and cut his head. The wound was bandaged by the mother and the kids were sent back to bed.
Cute stories.. The first one made me laugh. The musicians were invited into a home for pie. The pie wasn’t very good and
some band members got rid of theirs by stashing it in the bass horn. They were busted when the bass horn player thought they should play another tune. He couldn’t play and discovered the pie in his horn.😁
Christmas can be a time of mischief. One caroling band had members slide unwanted pie into the bass horn, so that the horn player couldn’t play. The other story had little children wake up very early and get into their gifts and while playing around, one fell and cut himself. After getting medical attention from mom, they were sent back to bed, and although it doesn’t state so in the story – the children always remembered that Christmas.
The band did not like the dry pie they were served so they hid it in the brass horn of the unsuspected band member who later insisted in playing one more song, not knowing his horn was full of pie!
The awoke in the middle of the night, opened their stockings & played with their toys. Then they used their mother’s prized rocker to take rides on in the snow.
In the first story the band that went door to door serenadeing the citizens were often invited into a home for refreshments. At one home the pie wasn’t very good so several members of the band put their pie in the bass horn. This good man wanted to play one more song for the family. I thought that was nice, even though the pie wasn’t good, he wanted to show his gratitude. Anyway, the pie was discovered in the hour and they were never invited into this home again.
In the the second story the children woke early Christmas morning and found their presents, played with them, went outside and played, and then came in and ran around the kitchen. The baby got hurt. Mom came and bandaged the baby’s head and put everyone back to bed!
Too bad the band players got caught for putting “bad-tasting” pie in a horn. Too bad the kids managed to get up early (the middle of the night!) and play with their Christmas gifts and in the process their little brother got hurt.
These stories are an example of how innocent acts can have a less than perfect ending. In the first story, the band members were trying to save the pie baker’s feelings, but you might say that their music hit a “sour note” and ended with the “Unfinished Symphony.”
In the second story, the kids’ “mischief” seemed unintended but certainly resulted in a “bump in the road.”
The story of the band reminded me of my mission. When I was invited in after a discussion or just meeting someone they may give us a treat and sometimes those treats or even a meal were much different than I was used to. It was difficult to eat all of it but I did not throw any away. I wish my companion had carried a big horn. Haha.
From a crusty Christmas Eve concert to eager early morning munchkins, Christmas time has always brought innocent mischief.
Story 1. Members of the Kane County Caroling Band didn’t care for the pie offered by one of the families they seranaded. They hid their pieces of pie in a big brass horn. But, when one more Christmas tune was offered, the horn wouldn’t make a sound. The unwitting musician turned the horn upside-down and out poured the unwanted pie, much to the offense of the family.
Story 2. Three children decided to have a 4 AM celebration on Chistmas morning. They delighted in playing with their toys, frolicing in the moonlit snow, and munching on goodies … until their 2.5 year old cut his forehead open.
The mischief mentioned involved hidden pie in a bass horn and a middle of the night rocking chair sleigh ride and a cut on the head.
Haha the brass band didn’t like the refreshments that were served them. Sour peach pie, they disposed of it in the big bass horn, then the owner of the horn wanted to play another song for the family, not knowing his horn was full of sour pie. They were never invited back to that house again..
The second story, the kids woke up early found their presents and played while their parents were still sleeping. The baby fell and cut his head open and woke up the mom, she fixed his cut and made them go back to bed until morning.
The first story told of a band visiting homes to play Christmas tunes. They were often rewarded with a treat, but in one home the peach pie was terrible, but trying to not offend the host, they scraped it into the bass horn. The musician unknowingly insisted on playing one last tune and the deception was discovered. The second story told of children waking very early on Christmas morning and having way too much-unsupervised fun with the presents until the mother discovered them and made them return to bed. I smiled at both of these memorable stories.
In the account of the Kane County Caroling Band, the local band members went into a home and were served a dried-peach pie, which was not sweet enough and the crust was too tough. The pie was slipped into a horn and when they played music again, the pie came out and fell onto the floor. The band was never invited to that home again.
In the account by Ariel Warren Perry, they told of a Christmas morning where siblings gathered together at 4 AM to look at their treasures for the holiday. Afterward they took their baby brother for a ride in the snow. They took their mother’s rocking chair, which was prized by their mother. The children went inside, ran around the kitchen stove, and the baby brother fell and cut his forehead on a bench. Their mother woke up, bandaged their baby brother and put the children to bed until morning.
I could just see the boys putting their uneaten pie in the large horn, not thinking that it would be found out so soon. I enjoyed this story very much.
The second story was so real for kids who wake early before their parents even know they are up. I wondered how the rocking chair turned out after all that fun?