Creed said, “At Christmas we would hang up one of our own socks. In the morning, we would find three pieces of fruit and nuts…. and we were excited to get them” They would all receive one toy as well. However, each of the girls got the same toy and each of the boys received identical toys.
“We never had a Christmas tree in the house. That’s probably why I love to decorate my house now.”
This year, the Creed’s have eight decorated trees and at least 100 Santa statues adorning their living room and kitchen. She also shops all year long for her children David and Daphne and grandchildren Jillian and Ricky.
But her love of sharing also extends beyond her family.
Creed said, “Everyone who comes to our house during Christmas leaves with a present.”
Although she said there was never a special Christmas dinner when she was growing up, the one treat was a store bought spice cake. Creed said, “We looked forward to that every year.”
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Santa would visit the town of about 1,400 by train.
Creed said, “He would throw presents and candy from the train windows.”
According to Creed, their small four-bedroom house was located in a “holler” (communities built between two hills).
She said, “The girls shared one bedroom and the boys all slept in another room.”
“Everyone around us lived like that. We didn’t know that other kids had more than we did,”she said. “We never wore shoes in the summer since we had to save the shoes for school.”
With no television in the house, Creed said her family played with a jump rope and jacks…and endless “hide and seek” in the hills.
Chores were also a part of everyday life. She said, “We had to carry water from the neighbors’ house since our well went dry every summer.”
Her mother, Matilda, was a stickler for cleanliness and insisted that every floor in the house was mopped every day.
The family had the same paper route for at least 30 years, according to Creed. She said, “When one of us would leave, the next one in line would take over the route.”
Fun and neighborliness extended from their home and to the community as well. Creed said, “We were all “hill-billy” square dancers. Her brothers continue to square dance for events, but donate any money that they are paid to community projects or to put a new roof on a neighbor’s house.
One of her five brothers takes a truckload of watermelons to the local nursing home every year.
Vida was the first one of the children to finish high school. When she was in high school she worked at the local Merle Norman Studio.
She said, “I always said I would have my own store someday.” This year marks the 30th year that she has owned her own Merle Norman business. Creed said, “I guess we were all determined.”
The highlight of her summer continues to be the family reunion held in Kentucky. Creed said, “We have over 100 family members there…and that’s just the immediate family.”
—
Anita Belt, from LaPaz, has six sisters, four brothers and one half-sister. She and her identical twin, Angie, were the “babies” of the family.
She said, “Since we were spread out over more than 20 years, there was never more than five or six of us home at a time. I have nieces and nephews who are older than I am.”
Belt added “Mom and dad always made sure we had plenty. There was only one bathroom in the two-story house, but we managed. I was always very content. Money is nice, but family is everything.”
The siblings include Pat, Sandy, Jene, John, Joan, Pam, Don, Trish, Charles, Anita, and Angie
Belt said, “Kids in general get used to what they have. I never felt shortchanged.”
Until last year, the family gatherings were held at her mother’s home.
Belt said, “Now we go to one of the homes of my brothers or sisters and we have between 40-50 people at a time. We all just enjoy each other’s company.”
Her mother, Doris Weaver, is now 83.
Belt said, “We all take turns visiting with her and making sure she has everything she needs.”
Belt’s love of children led her to having a home day care business, Mickey and Minnie Day Care, for 20 years and now working full time as the Director of Kids Are His Day Care.
She also spends a great deal of time caring for her husband Ron and daughters, Melissa and Carmen.
Her mother influenced her greatly.
Belt said, “I remember my mother sitting at the table praying that if anybody needed help to send them in.”
All of her siblings live close by except her brother who now lives in Arkansas. Belt said, “He always comes home for the holidays.”
Every summer, the six sisters have a “sister’s campout.”
Belt said, “It’s just for us. No husbands or children.”
In July, they have an all family “camp in” when everyone is invited.