It's Time to Get Ready for Christmas

The recent Black Friday commercialism signaling the start of the pre-Christmas shopping spree makes one think back to the days before the media deluge that today signals Christmas shopping.

Think back to the days of the Eaton's catalogue, the source of much Christmas shopping. Back in the 1940s, a gift as simple as a vanity set (comb, brush, mirror) was considered a very fine treasure. And because there was much more visiting between neighbors and family members, games for all ages were a common Christmas present.

 

A dresser set consisting of comb, mirror and brush deserved a special place in the bedroom.	Yahtzee, a rolling-the-dice party game, first appeared in the 1950s.

By the 1970s, many advances had been made in electronics and life in general so that by 1975, Eaton's catalogue was selling snow-blowers! And rather than a comb and brush, the lucky lady could just order a wig (but not C.O.D) in whatever colour she chose, even to match her own hair colour!

 

Why use a shovel when you can buy a snow-thrower?	"Wear one or both for a new and different you!" – hairpiece, that is.

Little Golden Books were first published in the early 1940s and were much loved gifts for young readers – they covered every topic from Bible stories and nursery rhymes and favorites like "The Poky Little Puppy". But times were changing and by 1986, with distant vacations becoming the norm, the young reader read all about airplane travel.

"Hey! Do up your seatbelt!"	Long-time Beaupré School teacher Mrs. Ulmer used this music for many years.

Some things don't change though. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" made its debut in the 1930s and has become a traditional Christmas song, hitting the top of the charts with performers like Perry Como and Gene Autry. It hasn't changed much over the years.

 

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