SSI Archives

Family Memories from a Light Keeper’s Christmases

Light keeper C.O. Svendsen, his wife Annie, and their three children spent many Christmases at the St. Simons Lighthouse between 1907 and 1935. The Svendsens’ son, Carl, Jr., especially enjoyed going out into the woods with his father to cut down the Christmas tree. They always selected a pine tree, since cedar trees were “sticky and messy.” Ornaments included storebought glass balls, strings of glass beads, and tinsel garlands. Before electricity, small candles lit the tree. Carl remembered that three buckets of sand from the beach were kept nearby in case of fire.

The Christmas tree was also adorned with special edible treats, such as cornucopias filled with hard candies, red and white candy canes, and Brazil nuts. Mrs. Svendsen made a stocking for each child, which Santa filled with oranges, apples, candy, nuts, and other treats. Larger presents were wrapped and placed under the tree.

Christmas was a time for baking special foods at the Lighthouse Keeper’s Dwelling. The aroma from Annie Svendsen’s oven filled the air as she prepared gingerbread cookies, fruitcakes, and various pies and breads. At Christmas dinner, pork and beef were served, instead of turkey. The family also ate grapefruit as a special treat during the holidays.

Other island families enjoyed turkey and oyster dressing at Christmas. One family member recalled that a pig was butchered just before Christmas, providing ham for the holiday season. Sweet potato pies topped with whipped cream were a favorite, as well as pecan pies and sugar cookies with nuts. On Christmas Eve, the Svendsen family took a horse and buggy to the service at Christ Church, seven miles away. With the arrival of automobiles on the island, the rector of Christ Church organized caroling parties by hooking up a wagon to his car. Frances Postell Burns, a contemporary of the Svendsen children and long-time member of Christ Church, remembered being on the wagon when “one year he lost us and had to come back and get us.” This month’s image shows the Svendsen children, Carl, Jr., Lucille, and Helen, with their Christmas toys in front of the Keeper’s Dwelling around 1912.

Since its founding in 1965, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society’s archival collection has grown to over 15,000 historically important artifacts, documents and photographs.

Our monthly images on this page are from the vast archives of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. The Society’s mission includes the “administration, restoration and maintenance of historic facilities and resources … preserved as a living part of the historical and cultural foundations of our coastal community.” Society facilities include the St. Simons Lighthouse and Museum, the A.W. Jones Heritage Center, and the Maritime Center (formerly the U.S. Coast Guard Station). To learn more about the Society, its diverse programs, and the benefits of Society membership, please call (912) 638.4666, or visit www.saintsimonslighthouse.org.