Ligonier man's Christmas story takes on new life

Dec. 23—Carl Smith was a young father, worried about disappointing his children 50 years ago when he spun a Christmas tale that became a family tradition.

At the time, he had no idea the tale would take on a life of its own, going so far as to be featured in this December's edition of Reminisce magazine.

But that's getting ahead of the story.

Back when his seven children were small, Smith, now 77, came up with "The Really, Really Long Christmas List." He created the cautionary tale of a greedy little girl who wanted too much as an antidote to the growing Christmas lists his children began penning in the days leading up to the holiday.

"I was just a young father back then, and I was worried about how long their Christmas lists were getting. I didn't want to disappoint them, but I thought I'd have to work at least three jobs to try to fill their wish lists," Smith said.

The story — and Smith's retelling of it — became an annual event at his home, part of the family's Christmas tradition.

That was enough for the special education teacher from Ligonier.

Then, a couple of years ago, one of his now adult sons suggested Smith should revive their old family tradition and recount the story to his 17 grandchildren.

Smith's youngest daughter, Mary Smith, 38, of Johnstown, remembers that day vividly.

The excited little tribe nearly spilled into two rooms as the grandchildren crowded around Smith.

Every one of them was quiet and watching their grandfather as he recounted the story, Mary Smith recalled.

She said it was obvious that the children were mesmerized.

"He's a great storyteller," she said.

Later, another son suggested Smith should put the tale in writing so the family could continue to share it.

Smith said he never thought about that when his children were younger.

"This was all in the days before Amazon and self-publishing," he said.

But his son's suggestion planted a seed, and Smith began casting about for a way to self-publish a couple dozen books. A co-worker at the Westmoreland County Prison, where Smith teaches, heard about it and suggested that his son had studied art and would love to lend a hand on the project.

So in 2019, Smith and Matt Whittaker joined forces to create a slim volume. Smith had 50 copies printed for family and friends.

He had them in his trunk when he arrived at a local club for a Christmas party. When he showed it around, friends began clamoring for copies of their own.

"I sold 30 copies that day," he said, laughing.

Last year, he had several hundred copies printed and made them available at several local outlets. They'll be available again this year, including at the Gateway Convenience stores, Youngwood Shop'n Save, RSVP, Rick's Smoke Shop, O'Shea's Candies and the Giant Eagle in Ligonier, among others.

Earlier this year, he submitted a letter to Reminisce magazine, sharing the family tradition with the national publication that focuses on traditions from bygone days. The publisher snapped up Smith's story and shared his tale in this year's December-January edition.

Deb Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Deb at 724-850-1209, [email protected] or via Twitter .