Every year, children around the world write their letters to Santa, telling him what they want the most that year. In The Daily Record, published in Lawrenceville, Illinois, on December 21st, 2006, they shared the letter to Santa written by local elementary school students. A common question from many of the children was asking how his reindeer were doing, and hoping they were good. One boy asked Santa for a police set and 500 police cars. Another wanted an iPod, a bike, and to ride with Santa on his sleigh. One child even made sure to tell Santa she was leaving him peanut butter cookies. I thought this was a cute look into the magic of Christmas from the eyes of today’s young adults!
We all have our special holiday stories. In The Madisonian, published in Madison, Georgia on December 21, 1989, a piece titled “Christmas is that special time of year” shared stories of their elders. A local language arts class interviewed the adults in their lives detailed their memories of Christmases long ago, and then shared them in the paper. One child asked their father what Christmas stood out the most to them. He shared that the Christmas he spent overseas serving in Vietnam stood out, as he missed his family and wife, and that he missed their first wedding anniversary because of it. Another shared her grandmother’s childhood memories of singing Silent Night and stringing popcorn on the tree in place of lights. I think these stories are cute, and remind me how important it is to record the memories of our older family members so we never forget their stories.
Next is a heartwarming story that perfectly represents the season of giving. In The Atlantic News Telegraph published in Atlantic, Iowa on December 19th, 1980, they advertised a community program where you could ‘adopt’ a family for Christmas. Families who were in financial need were ‘adopted’ by other families in the community, and would be given various gifts ranging from food to toys. No names were listed, and some chose to stay completely anonymous, while others shared details like the gender and ages of their kids. In this specific instance, 36 families had already been adopted, and only 9 others were available to be adopted. What a heartwarming story of a community giving back to its own and making sure everyone has a good holiday.
1945 was the year when World War II was escalating and nearing an ending. I found a fascinating piece in The Dawson County Adviser, published on December 21st, 1945, in Dawsonville, Georgia, titled “How our allies observed Yule around the globe”. Soldiers from the United States were experiencing a warm Christmas, different from the usual winter weather in the US during Christmas time. Other troops near Israel traveled to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the Christian Gospel, and the religious event associated with Christmas. I think this is a cool insight into how troops in World War II celebrated the holidays overseas.
The Christmas tree is a tradition in many homes during the holidays, but where do they all come from? Well in 1895, most of them were grown in Maine! An interesting piece published in The Boone County Democrat in Boone, Iowa on December 20th, 1895 shared the story of one of the biggest producers of Christmas trees. Evergreen trees are grown in Maine and then transported across the country. In fact, so many were loaded onto ten trucks that they were stopped before making it to their final destination, as the weight of the trees prevented the truck breaks from working. Who knew that so many Christmas trees came from Maine?
Stay warm and curious this holiday season, and don’t forget the traditions that have made our holiday celebrations so special today. Join me again next week to discover more of history’s hidden gems and timeless tales!
Explore the “Read All About It” archives to read stories that spotlight our partners and their communities, announcements from our team, updates on current projects, and so much more. Discover articles about engagement, outreach, primary sources, community, digitization, education, and other topics of interest. Delve into the happenings in this week in history and take a deep dive into the events and people who helped shape our communities, our nation, and the world.
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