Sarah A. Victoria Eveline (McClellan) Shuff - WikiTree Profile

Sarah A. Victoria Eveline (McClellan) Shuff - WikiTree Profile

There is a Christmas tradition that was probably passed down from my Great-Great Grandma Martha Smith McClellan. Everyone tries to be the first one to greet everyone by saying, "Christmas gift!" If you say it first, the person you say it to is supposed to give you a present.
Grandma McClellan was born and raised on a plantation in Scott County, Virginia. The tradition is supposed to have been started by the slaves.
The slave would greet the master or mistress on Christmas morning with the greeting, "Christmas gift!" They would then receive an extra gift.
The whites soon adopted the tradition. They made it into a game. The gifts were usually a small treat of some kind.
My aunt, Palmaneda Baker Smith, said that her Aunt Beulah would spend the night with Grandpa and Grandma Shuff, on Christmas Eve, to decorate the house.
On Christmas Day, when Grandma and Grandpa Baker would arrive with their children on the sled, Aunt Beulah would be waiting. She would run outside, yelling, "Christmas gift" before they got to the house. She won every year. Nobody won a gift anymore. They just enjoyed the tradition.
Although it has almost died out in the present generation, the older family members still call each other on Christmas day with the greeting, "Christmas gift!"

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