XMAS

This is a very special time of the year. Not just in Coalwood but all over the world. For those of us who grew up in Coalwood it was the only world we cared about. These pictures will give you a idea of how Christmas was special to us. The lights and decorations are always a beautiful sight. One tradition we all looked forward to in Coalwood as far back as most of us remember is that each year just before Christmas SANTA CLAUSE came to the Company Store to give treats to each child and would listen carefully as each of us would tell him our Christmas list we had prepared minutes before sitting on his lap. The Company Store to us was like the malls of this day. The store was decorated including the store front window displays. All were adored with toys and decorated packages that we knew was meant just for us. The store was packed wall to wall with toys. I remember spending days in the Company Store looking and touching and hoping Santa would bring that special toy on Christmas morning. The Santas' changed over the years but the magic was the same and the treats were just as special. A bag filled with fruit, nuts, candy and maybe a small toy. After the store closed in 1980 the local union carried on the tradition for several more years.