Cold weahter was baking and cooking time so there were pies, fudge, cakes and all that time. Poor (relatively) people buy seasonal foods so there was the ham, turkey, roast or whatever, and if you do not take advantage of the few times when the whole family is not working, you miss any get together.
Later my best friend would have me over, his mom did things like giving a gift anyway, having me help decorate the tree. Even kept me out of trouble a couple times when over imbibed.
Mom was not too strict, nor Dad. I suspect they knew things were not all quite right even way back then. I went to a few birthdays, trick or treated a bit, but the one year a wealthy witness relative was having a New Year party at the hall she owned and let them use for a kingdon hall they declined.
This is still a lonely time for a lot of people, no matter. I did have loving parents, was given a good work ethic and well grounded in American midwest culture, the good parts of it.