1950s Christmas

In a 1950s Christmas, a dollar might go relatively far, but in 2010, not so much. BUT nowadays, kids can hit a Dollar store, learn how to carefully spend their monies to provide gifts to their family members on Christmas. It's important and a good lesson for them to learn to give (not simply to receive...)

The Christmas Dollar

Back in the 1950s Christmas, there were seven children at home, and Christmas shopping was a very big deal.

Our parents handed us each a dollar bill and reminded us to get something for everyone. Except for occasional coins stashed away during the year, that dollar was all we had to spend.

The Christmas dollar had to purchase gifts for nine people, so quite a bit of pre-planning was required to stretch its buying power. Mom took us to the local “five and dime” to locate the best deals for the least amount of money. We considered it a lucky find if we saw a “two-fer” deal..

Then it was back home to make our lists, making sure no one peeked to see what they were getting. Once the lists were completed, Mom loaded us all in the station wagon, and we went shopping..

What fun it was.

An older child took a younger child and set out on their mission. The unwritten rule was that the older sibling bought gifts first and then helped the younger one.

That was especially helpful if the older one found a neat gift, but didn’t have enough money to buy it. It was usually easy to convince the younger sibling to “go together” on the gift, and thereby insure the necessary loan.

With gifts purchased, it was home to wrap them.. The wrapping proved to be works of art. All free edges of paper were securely taped, making gifts almost impossible to open.

If a present was particularly small, it was placed in a bigger box and wrapped. If three or four boxes in successive sizes could be found, the present was wrapped in the smaller box, that box wrapped in a bigger box, and that box in an even bigger one. We thought that idea was original...

Christmas Day was always exciting. After we checked our gifts from Santa, we settled down for the family gifts to be distributed. As each gift was handed to its recipient, cries of “That’s from me . . . I hope you like what I got you . . . That one’s from me,” permeated the air of the tiny living room.

Excitement gave way to unbridled curiosity as we tore into ourpresents. The gifts were similar every year. Daddy got at least one handkerchief; a small spiral notebook, a No.2 pencil, and a box of chocolate-covered cherries.

Mom’s gifts were usually a set of measuring spoons, a hairnet, a spool of white sewing thread, a pot holder, or a plastic scouring pad -- whatever cost ten cents.

The children got small metal cars, a small porcelain doll with painted features, a coloring book, a small box of Crayons, a toy balsa wood glider, or a roll of Life Savers.

That Christmas dollar taught us all about the real spirit of giving in the fifties.