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Holiday Gift Crazes And Fads Of The Past Century

The holidays are about family, friends, feasting, and yes, if we're being honest, presents. Overall, holiday spending is expected to reach record levels in the 2023 season, up to $966.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation's holiday forecast. (That's $37 billion more than in 2022.) The number is inclusive of gifts, food, decor, and other holiday-related purchases, but there's no doubt the first category is a hefty portion of the total spending.

A Sunday school teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took
Jesus with them to Jerusalem. A small child replied: "They couldn't get
a baby sitter."
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A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her
five and six year-olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy
father and thy mother," she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches
us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat one
little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill."

Rex K. Williams // Shutterstock

Top Holiday Toys From The Year You Were Born

Growing up, kids who celebrated Christmas always had that one toy they were hoping to see under the tree on Dec. 25—the one that they whispered about in Santa's ear, wondering if he and his trusty reindeer would come through.

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said,"Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold,silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

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My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes too, our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag not in icepack coolers, but I can't remember getting infected with e-coli?

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Christmas 1944

By Dr. Sylvia Morris

No snow capped mountain in this Southern climb

No brightly decorated homes this Christmas time

No clanging sleigh bells in the evening air

No voices blending Christmas carols fair

No cheery Merry Christmases across the backyard fence

Hi there. We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas.

Photograph from 1952 of Donald Wike on the left, Santa Claus in the middle and Franklin Wike on the right

U S Legacies Magazine December 2005

This building was dedicated 88 years ago in 1935!

Santa's Candy Castle!

The History Of Santa's Candy Castle

Once Upon a Time in a Place Called Santa Claus…

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

What Christmas was like the year you were born

On Christmas Day in 1914, British and German troops emerged from the trenches of World War I as weeks of bad weather cleared and called a truce. It was spontaneous and not approved by any higher-ups, but many soldiers on both sides ended up taking part. Soccer games were played between the British and German troops before they returned to their respective sides at dusk and continued fighting.

U.S. Declaration of War on Germany

The President's Message

To the Congress of the United States:

On the morning of December 11 the Government of Germany, pursuing its course of world conquest, declared war against the United States.

The long-known and the long-expected has thus taken place. The forces endeavoring to enslave the entire world now are moving toward this hemisphere.

Never before has there been a greater challenge to life, liberty and civilization.

German Declaration of War with the United States : December 11, 1941

December 11, 1941

(Including the circumstances of the delivery of the note as released to the press by the Department of State, December 11, 1941.)

­Paul Harvey’s Famous “Warning to America” Essay from 1965.

Selected Dispatches

Dispatches

The following is a collection of dispatches relevant to the topic. Care should be taken in noting that not all the information enclosed was known to all parties and that some of the coded messages were not deciphered until well after the commencement of hostilities.

To: Tokyo Date: 16 Jan. 41

Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" Speech

To the Congress of the United States:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

Japanese Note to the United States December 7, 1941
(Generally referred to as the "Fourteen Part Message")

(Dept. of State Bulletin, Vol. V, No. 129, Dec. 13, 1941)

On November 26 the Secretary of State handed to the Japanese representatives a document which stated the principles governing the policies of the Government of the United States toward the situation in the Far East and setting out suggestions for a comprehensive peaceful settlement covering the entire Pacific area.

(Dept. of State Bulletin, Vol. V, No. 129, Dec. 13, 1941)

The following message from the President to the Emperor of Japan was dispatched Saturday afternoon, December 6, and public announcement was made at that time that this message to the Emperor had been sent by the President:

Author Unknown

It was Christmas Eve 1942. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas.

We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Daddy wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Daddy to get down the old Bible.

Connie Sychowski

Editor Genealogy Corner

In 1928 at the age of 5, my grandfather was building a table and chairs for my mother for Christmas. On Christmas Eve when he was bringing it down from the attic, my mother who was to be sleeping there on the day bed (sofa), wasn’t. She didn’t dare let on that she was lying there awake, he would have been so angry! He had painted it a beautiful bright red.

Amanda Light Long

As a result of recently attending the Long family reunion , I can identify one of your pictures. If you look at #85, that is Amanda Light Long.

She was married to David Long. He was gassed during WW I.

By Sonya Lichte

December is upon us. With Christmas just around the corner, we all have planning to do, presents to buy, trees to decorate, presents to wrap, and goodies to make. This year will be my daughter Libby’s first Christmas. I find myself wondering if her childhood Christmases will be as special as mine were.

When I was in the prime of my adult life, it was easier to keep track of the years, because I would simply try to remember what woman I was dating, or what state I was living in during the Christmas season. But as the number of years that I have been around continue to add up, combined with the fact that I am no longer living in a different location every couple of years or concentrating on a “social life”, it becomes harder for me to remember where I was or what I was doing during any particular year of my life.

Thanks to  James Bullington, who sent us the question,

"Does anyone know when, how and why the name Uncle Sam started?"

James,

Although historians are not entirely certain the origin of the term "Uncle Sam," the most prevalent theory is that "Uncle Sam" was named for a man by the name of Samuel Wilson. Wilson was born on September 13, 1766 in Arlington, Massachusetts. In 1789 he and his brother Ebenezer walked to Troy, New York.

In our recipe section, we have two types of recipes. Our main goal is to publish recipes that were handed down from one family member to another. Sharing these recipes, it helps to preserve the legacy of the person that passed them on. Preparing and eating the same foods as your ancestors, also helps family members to feel closer to their relatives that have passed away.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

by Lois Monroe

In this 1960’s Broadway hit, Holly Golightly, has a dream of going to Tiffany’s Jewelers and ordering anything she wants. Well, it was much this format of going to Grandma Fern’s for breakfast as a child in Marion, Indiana. She was so excited when our family visited from Ohio for a weekend, that in the evening she would go around to each of us and “get our order” for breakfast.

The History of Veteran’s Day

November 11, or what has come to be known as Veteran’s Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor Armistice Day the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislature that was passed in 1938, November 11 was dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as Armistice Day. As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

Grandmas Kitchen

Mrs. Krieders Caning Corn

From blackdiamond15

I was wondering if someone could inform me if the 14 cups of corn in Mrs. Krieder’s Caning Corn recipe [posted on your website] is cooked corn or uncooked corn. Thank you!

Mrs. Krieders Caning Corn

From Franklin T. Wike

MaParker’s Apple Crisp

Legacy of Ida M. Parker nee Hasenmyer

Newtonwille, Indiana

5 6 cup chopped apples

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg1/3 cup melted butter

cinnamon

Directions:

Mix flour, sugar and baking powder and crumble over apples.

Take 1/3 cup melted butter Pour over top.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

By Ruthann Held Wike

By Franklin T. Wike, Jr.

Going Home

A trend started during the 1940s and 1950s where people from smaller towns left their birthplace, usually because of money or marriage, and spent a good portion of their life in foreign lands. Those foreign lands turned out to be the bigger cities throughout this country where higher paying jobs were available.