Today, I invite you to read the Christmas memories of my father-in-law!
Connable Wills spent his childhood in the thirties (the years of the Great Depression) in Los Angeles. When we recently visited him in Southern California, I asked him how he and his family celebrated Christmas.
When I was very young, say 1937 or so, we did not have a Christmas tree until Christmas day. In fact, although there was the baking of cookies and various pre-Christmas activities, it wasn’t until Christmas day that Christmas arrived.
By the time my sister and I were finally allowed to enter the living room, a Christmas tree somehow would miraculously appear. It would be near ceiling height, covered with lights and ornaments, a star at the top, the base swathed with a white sheet covered with presents. We also had Christmas stockings. We sat down an opened our presents right away.
We all sat down for our Christmas dinner (which is what we called the midday meal), which the main meal of the day. My breakfast and supper were snacks. Everybody sat at the same table. Normally my grandmother Nonnie sat at the far end of the table, and I sat next to her, and she kept me in line by sticking her fork in my hand when I did not behave! No elbows on the table!
Nobody started to eat until my Grandfather had carved the turkey. We also had ham, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. Dessert was special for the occasion. My Grandmother used to make the greatest fruit cake. She took months to prepare it; I remember fruits hanging, fermenting. Brandy was used for the fruit cake. We also had persimmon pudding and brandy sauce, hard sauce and soft sauce.
There was no alcohol with the meal, other than the dessert Brandy.
There was no alcohol with the meal, other than the dessert Brandy. For drinks there were only coffee and water.
No prayers were given. We didn’t sing Christmas carols at house. Sometimes there were people who came and sang carols in the neighborhood, going from house to house.
We didn’t have a lot of family or friends to come visit. Only my first cousins visited the morning of the 25th December. We exchanged presents. The 26th of December was also a holiday. My Mom stayed at home, as the school where she worked was closed for two weeks. There were not a lot of Christmas activities for the kids. Nobody dressed as Santa Claus. There were no ice rinks. Sometimes we would walk around with parents to see the Christmas lights on the neighbour’s houses. We played card games after the Christmas meal.
Kids didn’t give parents any presents for Christmas. I didn’t receive books or clothes as presents; usually it was games. It was supposed to feel different from the everyday, and all my clothes were hand-me-down anyway.
Celebration of the birth of Christ was done on Christmas eve. We attended midnight Episcopal service with my mother and father and sister.
Christmas wasn’t the same holiday as today, and not just due to the Depression. It was much simpler than it is today, with all of the shopping events and shows and people driving back and forth to different places. It was an occasion to eat together as a family and celebrate, similar to Thanksgiving.
Connable with sister Kay
@ClickAmericana
No need for coca-cola and tones of presents to enjoy the Christmas spirit!