Published by : Laurie Aaron Hird

A Stress-free Christmas Celebration during the Depression
A Stress-free Christmas Celebration during the Depression

Enjoy this brief first-hand account of a stress-free Christmas family get together from 1935. It sounds like a lovely time. We observe the old custom of having our whole family together for Christmas dinner. Last year there were nearly forty of us. Each family brought a basket lunch with service for its own members. No dirty dishes to mar the…

A Shetland Pony for Christmas
A Shetland Pony for Christmas

Here is a letter written around 1915 by a young fellow named Eugene about his Christmas present, which even by today’s standards, was a pretty spectacular gift. Enjoy! One day, not long ago, my mother was reading a farm magazine and she saw a picture of a Shetland pony named “Cub,” hitched up all ready for a drive. She called…

Praying and Playing in the Great Depression
Praying and Playing in the Great Depression

This little story was first published in 1931, at the start of America’s Great Depression. As difficult as that time was, Grandmother felt that the 1870s was the “harder” time. Hard times aren’t unprecedented and for us in 2020 with our many concerns about the future, advice from past generations is always encouraging. From Grandmother: “When times were hard with…