Merry Christmas to all and to All a Good Night!

After homesteading in Apache Gulch on Willow Creek in about 1917, the Billy Bentz family lived on Ross’ Fork of Rock Creek where they leased a ranch owned by Al Rupp. The ranch was located on the east slope of Mt. Amerine foothill just below the Stephen’s Reservoir. Most of the ranch is currently owned by Robin Bauer. 

When my parent’s Harry and Nina (Stevens, Kamimura) Bentz first married they lived at Shillings Gulch then moved onto the ranch when Uncle Walt went into the military (WWII) and grandpa Billy became ill, so my first memories are at the ranch. The Christmas when I was three and a half, Granny and Grandpa had moved to a home in the Lewiston, Idaho Orchards so just Mom, Dad, Rosalie (my half sister, aged 5 ), “Corky” (18 months) and I were living on the ranch. Dad and I were in the shop about 300 yards from the house putting the finishing touches on a rocking horse, for Corky. Dad had carved out a really handsome horse and attached real horse mane and tail. He also made a nice rope halter and attached a child’s saddle. It was Christmas Eve and after supper, so was dark and we were using lanterns to see. We always got up early Christmas morning to open our packages from Santa so I had no expectations of anything happening that evening, when suddenly I heard sleigh bells and “Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!” Dad and I dashed out of the shop and heard sleigh bells trailing off to the south. We ran with the lantern to the house and in the kitchen found Mom and Rosalie finishing up the dishes. They had not heard anything. We opened the living room door and found brightly wrapped presents under the Christmas tree where earlier had been bare floor. Mom and Rosalie swore we were crazy and insisted they had never left the kitchen. Well then who could have been there? 

We were snowed in, which was not uncommon and never shopped more than once a month even in the summer, so did not hitch up a team to plow the roads. There were no tracks on the ground around the house and being me I was way more interested in where the packages came from than what was in them. Climbing the ladder to the roof with a lantern revealed a pair of sled tracks and deer tracks plus big boot tracks to the chimney. Whoever brought the presents actually came down the chimney! I do not remember any of the presents but have pondered who pulled this off for many decades . 

When people, especially my children, grand and great grandchildren have asked about Santa I have recounted this occurrence and let them mull over the happening. Mom died in 1997 and Dad in 2003. Neither one ever disclosed to me how this happened. Mom just always shrugged and changed the subject, Rosalie insisted until she died in 1997 that her and Mom never left the kitchen or heard anything. Dad always chuckled and said that was for me to figure out. 

The closest ranches were Christensen’s and the 3-H ranch. They had their own lives so would have never traveled that distance roundtrip in deep snow to do all of the detail. Price Townsend and Paddy Ward always helped us hay and would come by in the winter to “borrow” flour and sugar when we were away. These items were always replaced within a few weeks. My parents may have set the details up for one or both of them but that would have been real dedication to a task. Must have been more than fruit cake in payment and I know we did not have money. Although both had cabin’s on Ross’ Fork making the trip easier than from Moose Lake over Lone Pine it still would have been more than 10 miles round trip on snow shoes in the dark. I looked for days for evidence of any snow shoe tracks and did not find their route. 

So in conclusion, if anyone asked you if there is a Santa tell them my story and let them know after decades I still have to believe he landed with his deer on my roof and came down the chimney. Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night! Have a really wonderful and Happy New Year.