During the Great Depression, milk was expensive at 14 cents a gallon, but the cost of holiday memories was priceless.
Lifelong Addison Township resident Shirley Patterson recalls her family did not have much money during the Depression, but rich memories of stringing popcorn and cranberries to decorate the tree is what made Christmas special to her.
‘Dad always cut a cedar tree from the back property for us to decorate,? she whispered as if letting out a long-guarded secret, adding that gifts under the tree were usually handmade dresses or dolls.
‘We had small chicken dinners and you just didn’t get a lot of gifts in those days,? Patterson said. ‘But it didn’t matter, we used what we had.?
While stockings were hung by the chimney with care, Verna Heckaman, of Oxford, also grew up during the Depression and said getting fruits and nuts in her stocking was a very special Christmas treat.
‘Fresh fruit and nuts were not easily available back then like they are now, so getting fruit in our stockings was very special,? Heckaman said. ‘We felt very lucky to have it for Christmas.?
Independence Village of Waterstone resident Cathie Williams recalls Christmas packages wrapped in brown paper, tucked neatly under the carefully-preserved goose-feather tree.
‘My mother had that tree for years and we strung berries to decorate it,? Williams said, adding that family presents were usually dresses handmade from flour sacks.
The only luxury was Christmas dinner, which consisted of a goose and special dressing.
‘We were very poor and we got the bare essentials, but that was the one time of the year we splurged,? said Williams.
Christmas was a time of sharing for Oxford resident Gerry Janik, who has special memories of her father playing Santa Claus for the neighborhood, delivering packages until the wee hours of Christmas morning.
‘We all believed in Santa, so we loved to wait for those bells,? she said.
While packages were few, Janik remembers her favorite gift was a simple pair of nylons. ‘It was during the Depression so of course any small gift was appreciated, but they (the nylons) were my favorite,? she said.
Janik’s mother, who was from Germany, always filled the family home with the aroma of fresh baked European pastries, several months before the holidays. A tradition Janik eventually passed on to her own children.
With stockings full of DVDs, hand-held games, Sponge Bobs, and gourmet chocolates, these residents warmly hold on to the simple gifts of Christmas past, which remain in their family celebrations today.
A holiday tradition for Oxford resident Mary Gallinat was for her and her family to visit the animated figurines at the Rotunda Dome in Detroit.
‘It was magical to visit those moving figurines,? said Gallinat, who also remembers chopping down the Christmas tree as a great treat during the holidays, a tradition her own children have continued.