“For many thousands of people this is going to be a different Christmas,” wrote the editor of Successful Farming magazine in the December 1932 issue. “It is fellowship, love, understanding, sympathy that is most needed this year. All the tinsels and lights, all the extravagant show, cannot take the place of the real spirit of Christmas. This should be predominately a children's Christmas. And that need not be done extravagantly [as] the greatest happiness comes from the simple things of life.”

Not everyone had a Christmas tree, but some did—often people who lived in the country and could cut it down themselves. City dwellers who couldn’t afford to buy a tree sometimes still got one by waiting until late on Christmas Eve when tree vendors had abandoned their extra stock, leaving it free for the taking. People usually adorned their trees with homemade decorations like paper chains and strings of popcorn and berries, though some might have store-bought ornaments left over from the more prosperous days of the 1920s.
However paltry and makeshift some of these celebrations may sound today, Depression-era children didn’t see them that way. As many put it, everyone was poor, so they didn’t see themselves as more unfortunate than others; they were simply happy with what they did have. Those practical gifts of coats and clothing were hailed almost as eagerly as toys, for they meant warmth during winter days of sledding, snowballing, and other games in the snow—amusements which, then as now, provided hours of enjoyment for no cost at all.
Today, our economy is in the midst of a recession, and many believe we will see another Great Depression before long. I wonder—how would those caught up in the rush, expense, and commercialism of a modern Christmas react if they found themselves in the same position as our grandparents and great-grandparents? Would our generation be able to celebrate a happy and contented holiday with only the little that love and resourcefulness can make out of a few meager dollars? Only time will tell—but at any Christmas, prosperous or difficult, we would do well to remember and learn from the courage and Christmas spirit of those who were able to make so much happiness out of so little.
POSTED BY: Elisabeth Grace Foley
In Elisabeth's newly released short story, two efforts to concoct a bit of cheer for a Depression-era Christmas intersect in a surprising way. Some Christmas Camouflage is available as an ebook for Kindle, Nook, Kobo and at Smashwords and other ebook retailers.
And check out the Legacy Vintage Collection's Christmas offering:
The Romance of a Christmas Card by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Professionally edited and formatted for today's e-readers, and featuring chapter artwork, a glossary, and the touching Christmas poem "Das Krist Kindel." Download the Legacy Vintage Collection Enhanced eBook Edition today for 99₵!