Tag : christmas

The Best Christmas: Thoughts by Booth Tarkington, 1923

100 years ago this month, a magazine published an essay written by Booth Tarkington for a column called “I Remember a Christmas.” Booth Tarkington was an extremely popular author in his day who won two Pulitzer Prize for his works. Tarkington titled this particular essay, “The Christmas That Means Most.“ Looking ahead When we were children, we began looking to…

Simple, Old-Fashioned Christmas Gifts to Make at Home: a 1930s perspective
Simple, Old-Fashioned Christmas Gifts to Make at Home: a 1930s perspective

As homemakers, we don’t always appreciate the skills we’ve cultivated and it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. For example, I bake nearly all of our bread for several reasons, none of which have to do with being a gourmand. I like being able to control the ingredients. Since I always keep the ingredients on hand, I never have to run…

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…