Latest / Nebraska History Podcast / Omaha's Christmas History

Transcript

Omaha's Christmas History · Nebraska History Podcast

0:00
The following episode features a historic article from the
0:02
Nebraska History magazine. This article may reflect the
0:04
language and attitudes of its time and while it offers
0:06
valuable insight into the past, may contend expressions or
0:08
viewpoints that are outdated or offensive by today's standards.
0:10
Any outdated terms do not reflect the current views or
0:12
perspectives of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
0:16
Welcome to the Nebraska History podcast.
0:18
I'm your host, Chris Goforth. Each episode we explore articles
0:21
written and published in Nebraska History Magazine.
0:24
Many Christmas activities and unique holiday customs developed
0:27
in Omaha beginning in the 1850s. Beautiful downtown store window
0:31
displays had disappeared by 1980, but a strong tradition of
0:34
charitable work had endured for more than a century.
0:38
Today we revisit the history of the holiday season in Omaha in
0:41
the 1987 article Sales, Santa and Goodfellows Celebrating
0:46
Christmas in Omaha, written by Tommy Thompson.
0:49
Omaha was a small city of less than 2000 people in the 1850s.
0:54
As the capital of Nebraska Territory and a major outfitting
0:57
point for gold seekers and freighting firms, the community
1:01
grew quickly. Yet amid rapid change, Omahans
1:05
continued traditional Christmas activities and developed unique
1:08
holiday customs that have survived for more than a
1:10
century. In the 1850s and 1860's, the
1:14
Christmas season was a busy and festive time in Omaha.
1:17
About two weeks before Christmas, local merchants
1:19
arranged attractive displays of toys and fancy goods in their
1:23
windows and advertise their wares in small newspaper ads.
1:27
Many Christmas shoppers found gifts at ladies church bazaars.
1:31
During the last third of the 19th century, holiday activities
1:35
became more elaborate and sophisticated.
1:37
As Omaha grew to be Nebraska's largest city and industrial
1:41
center, the commercial aspects of Christmas became more
1:44
pronounced. Although merchants generally
1:47
refrain from advertising holiday wares until after Thanksgiving,
1:51
most began holiday advertising the first Sunday after
1:54
Thanksgiving. A few stores waited until a week
1:57
or so after that date. Occasionally a merchant opened
2:00
the Christmas season as early as the middle of November, but such
2:04
instances were rare. Newspaper advertisements
2:08
remained small and plain until the late 1880s, when some stores
2:12
begin using ads that ran 1/2 page to perhaps a full page or
2:16
more. Ads also became more appealing,
2:20
with drawings of toys and other merchandise designed to pique
2:23
the interest of Christmas shoppers.
2:26
Merchants tried to draw customers into their stores by
2:29
other means as well. Customers who purchased a
2:32
certain number of items or items of a prescribed value would
2:35
receive a free gift from some merchants.
2:38
In the mid 1880s, LO Jones and Company offered shoppers a free
2:43
coffee lunch all day December 18th.
2:47
The sale was also an enticement to customers.
2:50
Frugal citizens could wait for the Christmas closing sale,
2:54
which became fairly common during the four or five days
2:57
before Christmas. Many parents must have rushed to
3:00
Hayden Brothers just before Christmas in 1890 to buy a pair
3:04
of Acme Steel Runner ice skates for 45 cents, regularly priced
3:09
at $1.25. Some merchants preferred a post
3:12
Christmas sale. 1 practical businessman advertised his
3:16
Christmas wares at 20% discount effective December 27th with the
3:20
suggestion that the merchandise would make good New Year's
3:23
gifts. Extended hours were another
3:26
approach. As early as December 1st,
3:29
merchants notified customers that their stores would remain
3:31
open evenings until Christmas. The owner of the Boston store in
3:35
1895 announced that his store would be open until 11:00 PM on
3:39
Christmas Eve, and some stores even remained open on Christmas
3:43
Day. While advertising sales and
3:47
longer hours were effective appeals to customers, merchants
3:50
also tried to create a festive Christmas spirit by using
3:54
elaborate decorations in their establishments.
3:57
Evergreen garlands and holly were common, but merchants also
4:01
focused on the display of their wares.
4:03
A reporter for the Omaha Daily Herald in 1883 wrote that James
4:07
Bonders home furnishing store glittered inside like a palace.
4:11
Glistening crystal, polished silver, delicate China and other
4:15
treasures glowed under the light from electric lamps which had
4:19
arrived in the city only a few months before.
4:22
Even more impressive were the window displays.
4:25
Merchants competed to arrange the most attractive displays,
4:29
and shoppers looked forward to these annual holiday scenes,
4:33
gathering around the windows to await the official unveiling.
4:37
Then suddenly before them was a winter landscape with Santa
4:41
Claus and his sleigh, a country scene complete with a log cabin,
4:45
real trees, a pond, and animals playing on cotton snow.
4:50
Or children asleep in bed next to a lovely tree draped with
4:54
presents. Some stores changed their
4:56
windows two or three times before Christmas.
5:00
The advent of electrical lighting in the early 1880s made
5:03
the displays even more fabulous. Tremendous crowds viewed the
5:07
Christmas windows from morning until night, and many children
5:11
retained fond memories of them for years, Even the beautiful
5:15
window displays could not capture the attention of young
5:18
people like the magical figure of Santa Claus.
5:22
Gradually, Santa became a regular Christmas attraction at
5:26
Omaha department stores. By the 1880s, his arrival marked
5:30
the opening of the shopping season.
5:32
Hayden brothers drew tremendous crowds with an annual Christmas
5:35
parade, and hundreds of Omaha children lined the street to
5:38
watch Santa ride past on a Hayden delivery wagon.
5:42
Other wagons followed, displaying holiday items from
5:45
various departments of the store, although the children
5:48
probably paid little attention since they were scrambling for
5:51
the candy that was thrown by Santa.
5:54
As the Omaha World Herald noted in 1890, the arrival of Santa at
5:58
Hayden's was always a dazzling hit.
6:02
Between 1900 and 1920, merchants continued the custom of waiting
6:06
until after Thanksgiving to open the Christmas season.
6:09
Occasionally a business began it's Christmas advertising in
6:13
mid November, but most stores stressed Thanksgiving sales
6:16
during much of the month. Toy lands opened and Santa
6:20
arrived in stores during the second week of December.
6:24
For example, JL Brandeis and Sons Boston store, in its World
6:28
Herald ad of Sunday, December 3rd, 19 O 5, urged readers to
6:33
start their Christmas shopping the following day and announced
6:36
that Brandeis Toyland would be open on December 9th.
6:40
However, there was a tendency even then to encourage Omahans
6:44
to do their Christmas shopping somewhat earlier than in the
6:48
past. The Omaha Daily News reported on
6:51
December 12th, 1900 that Christmas shopping had started
6:55
early, while a decade later, the World Herald reminded readers on
6:59
November 20th that thrifty buyers would be doing their
7:02
shopping early. In 1911, merchants displayed
7:06
toys earlier than ever before. The Commercial Club, The Chamber
7:09
of Commerce in 1912 reported that merchants in some cities
7:13
were resisting the trend towards beginning the Christmas season
7:17
in November, but the club felt that an early start would
7:20
relieve congestion in the stores and ensure delivery of Christmas
7:24
packages in time for the holiday.
7:26
Newspapers such as the World Herald continue to endorse the
7:29
concept. In 1917, the World Herald urged
7:33
readers on November 22nd to quote, Get in line, be an early
7:37
Christmas shopper and quote. This trend towards an earlier
7:42
beginning of the Christmas season continued in the 1920s
7:44
and 30s, and by 1941 the Brandeis Toy Land opened on
7:49
November 22nd. In the 1920's, the perception
7:52
that Christmas shopping was beginning earlier each year
7:55
helped provoke some reaction by a few prominent Omaha citizens.
7:59
Although most comments came from religious leaders, critics
8:03
stress the over commercialization of Christmas.
8:06
To them, Christmas had lost its original meaning.
8:09
The World Herald responded in an editorial that materialism, as
8:13
exhibited in the purchasing of gifts really reflected the true
8:17
Christmas. Because, quote, the spirit of
8:19
Christmas is the spirit of unselfish sacrifice for others.
8:23
End Quote. In 1930, the Reverend JW
8:26
Kirkpatrick concluded that the commercial aspects of Christmas
8:30
would continue and it was up to the people to remember the real
8:33
purpose of the holiday. By the 1930s, there was little
8:37
evidence of any public concern about Christmas having becoming
8:41
too commercialized, probably because merchants continue to
8:44
refrain from promoting the holiday earlier than the third
8:47
week in November and because the changes observed during the
8:50
previous decade had now become more accepted.
8:53
Techniques used to attract customers to the stores were
8:56
similar to those used in the 19th century.
8:59
The half price sale and closing out sale usually occurred two or
9:04
three days before Christmas, followed by ads starting
9:07
December 24th or 25th for the after Christmas sale, the year
9:12
end clearance sale, the clean sweep sale, and eventually the
9:15
white sale. Bargains could be found,
9:18
especially in toys, if the shopper was willing to wait
9:21
until the last minute to purchase gifts.
9:25
Merchants also continued the practice of extending store
9:28
hours for the convenience of shoppers.
9:30
From about 1900 until the late 1920s, most Omaha businesses
9:35
that belong to the Associated Retailers Association remained
9:38
open until 9 or 10 in the evening, six days a week,
9:42
starting in mid-december. In the 1930s, longer hours
9:46
became the rule, starting the second week of the month.
9:50
During World War 2, some merchants extended their hours
9:53
as early as December 1st, though the longer hours applied only
9:56
one or two evenings a week. Stores also tended to remain
10:00
open until 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve.
10:03
Free gifts to attract shoppers was another merchandising method
10:06
carried over from the past. In 19 O 8, the People's Store
10:10
offered one of the most amazing gifts of the time.
10:14
Everyone who bought merchandise worth $10 or more received a
10:19
trimmed Christmas tree which included candles, holly, twelve
10:22
oranges, 2 lbs of candy, a toy horn, and one fancy toy.
10:27
In 1922, the Union Outfitting Company gave away over 50 items,
10:32
including a child's pedal powered Pierce Arrow sedan and a
10:36
Pennsylvania Flyer electric train.
10:39
A few years later, JL Brandeis and Sons gave away three
10:42
children's auto powered by gasoline engines.
10:46
In a more practical vein, the Union Outfitting Company
10:49
annually presented a free Turkey to each customer who purchased
10:52
goods of a certain value. By 1937, this tradition had
10:56
endured for 50 years. With the exception of 1927 when
11:00
the store had a supply of geese instead of turkeys.
11:04
The toy department was still the major attraction for many
11:07
prospective buyers. Described variously as a fairy
11:11
land, a glittering palace of beauty, or a paradise for the
11:15
kiddies, the toy departments became grander year by year.
11:19
Symbolically, JL Brandeis and Sons began the 20th century with
11:23
its toy land in the basement and by the 1920s had elevated it to
11:27
the 8th floor where there were 75 sales persons to serve
11:31
customers. Santa could be found in many toy
11:34
departments and sometimes he did more than just listen to
11:37
children's Christmas wishes. The Santa at Hayden Brothers 1
11:41
Christmas was described as quote, an expert pianist, a
11:44
splendid singer and a crack a Jack on the mandolin and violin.
11:49
End Quote. In 19 O 7, the Bennett Company
11:52
had a Teddy bear circus, but JL Brandeis seemed to do more than
11:56
any other store. In 19 O 8, the Brandeis Toyland
12:00
offered a Dolls Ball of All nations, a moving picture show,
12:04
and an oxetophone or phonograph concert.
12:08
During the 1920s and 30's, the store featured a circus with
12:11
ponies and acrobatic dogs. Between 1900 and World War 2,
12:16
merchants continued to adorn their stores with attractive
12:19
displays. Besides interior decorations,
12:22
window displays remained one of the most appealing aspects of
12:25
Christmas in Omaha. Parents and children eagerly
12:29
awaited the unveiling of windows to view the collection of
12:32
mechanical nursery story characters or dolls waltzing at
12:36
a Country Club. Eventually, the Brandeis store
12:39
decorated all of its front windows along 16th St. in a
12:43
continuous theme. By the 1920s, there were
12:46
contests sponsored by the city's newspapers and the Associated
12:50
Retailers Association to determine the most beautiful
12:53
animated display. In the first such competition,
12:57
held in 1920, the Daily News awarded a silver cup to the
13:01
winner, JL Brandeis and Sons. Some stores place decorations
13:06
outside. The Burgess Nash Company often
13:08
put as many as 28 trees decorated with about 1000 red
13:13
and green lights along 16th and Harney streets.
13:16
In 1924, merchants who were members of the Associated
13:19
Retailers Association began to line streets in the business
13:23
district with as many as 250 lighted trees.
13:27
The decorating of downtown streets continued until World
13:30
War 2 forced its suspension in 1942.
13:34
Merchants continue to use Santa Claus to draw shoppers to their
13:38
stores. In 1927, Omaha had its first
13:41
Christmas parade since the 1890s.
13:44
City High school bands marched, the schools were dismissed early
13:48
so students could attend the parades and others ended with
13:52
the arrival of Santa at his lodge on the courthouse lawn
13:55
where children could visit at certain hours.
13:58
These parades drew crowds estimated from 25,000 to 50,000
14:03
people and undoubtedly fulfilled the merchants desire for crowded
14:07
store aisles. By 1913, Omahans could visit a
14:10
city Christmas tree on the courthouse lawn.
14:13
The Omaha Daily News reported that the tree was an idea copied
14:16
from New York City. Several 1000 people watched as
14:19
the tree was lighted on Christmas Eve.
14:22
During the next several years, the tree was placed in the city
14:25
auditorium, where candy and fruit were distributed to poor
14:28
children. In 1918, the tree reappeared on
14:32
the courthouse lawn, but the scheduled victory song around
14:35
the tree had to be cancelled due to an outbreak of influenza.
14:39
However, candy, fruit, nuts and popcorn were delivered to the
14:42
homes of poor children. Festivities at the tree resumed
14:46
in subsequent years, but after the early 1920s, newspapers no
14:50
longer mentioned a city tree. There was a tree in the Benson
14:54
section of the city at the intersection of Maple and
14:56
Military Avenues. After World War 2, Omaha
15:00
merchants continue to inaugurate the holiday season by beginning
15:03
their advertising during the second and third weeks in
15:06
November. In the 1970s and 1980s,
15:09
advertising on a limited scale began in early November, but the
15:13
greatest volume of Christmas ads started late in the month.
15:17
There seemed to be a tendency after 1970 to move forward the
15:20
date for the opening of stores. Toylands.
15:23
Most Toylands continue to open the middle of November.
15:26
Some began operating by the first week of the month.
15:29
By 1981, the World Herald noted that a few businesses had
15:33
installed Christmas displays in October.
15:35
Even in September. Merchants after 1945 tried to
15:40
revive the use of decorations to attract customers, a practice
15:43
largely abandoned during the war years.
15:46
Some St. decorations appeared again in 1947, and the first
15:50
lighted displays in post war Omaha went up in 1949.
15:54
Even though the decorations often were installed a week or
15:57
so before Thanksgiving, the lights usually were not turned
16:00
on until the day afterwards. Occasionally there was a parade
16:04
with Santa, and in 1951 a reported 50,000 people viewed
16:08
his arrival in Omaha. The greatest holiday attraction
16:11
continued to be the old tradition of unveiling the
16:14
decorated store windows. In 1949, thirty stores
16:18
participated in the World Herald's Night of Beautiful
16:21
Christmas Windows contest. Until 1972, the Brandeis
16:25
department store placed a mechanical display in its main
16:28
window at 16th and Douglas and used its unveiling to signal the
16:31
beginning of the Christmas season.
16:34
The lengthening of store hours in the post war era undoubtedly
16:37
helped revive criticism of the commercial aspects of Christmas.
16:41
Just after the war, stores generally were open only Monday
16:45
and Thursday evenings for the convenience of shoppers.
16:48
By the late 1950s, they were staying open evenings Monday
16:52
through Friday, beginning in early December.
16:56
In the 1960s, some businesses, especially discount and shopping
17:00
center stores, inaugurated Saturday evening hours.
17:04
By the mid 1960s, stores crossed the Sunday closing barrier.
17:09
Discount stores again led the way by opening on Sunday in late
17:13
November or early December. A more conservative approach was
17:17
taken by businesses such as the Nebraska, which opened only one
17:21
Sunday in December. Many Omaha stores soon adopted
17:25
the policy of opening on Sunday during the Christmas season and
17:28
then permanently. The Brandeis Corporation claimed
17:31
that it was forced to remain open on Sundays because of
17:34
competition from discount stores.
17:37
When the stores did begin opening on Sundays for Christmas
17:40
shopping, they attracted large crowds.
17:43
The old concerns about the commercialization of Christmas
17:46
had resurfaced after World War 2 years before, Sunday opening had
17:50
become an issue. In 1947, the Reverend George
17:53
Bernard of Trinity English Lutheran Church declared that
17:57
quote, commercialism is making a mockery out of Christmas.
18:00
End Quote. Society said Reverend Bernard
18:04
needed a true Christmas spirit. In these disturbed times, many
18:09
people felt threatened by the Cold War.
18:11
In 1950, Evelyn Simpson, women's news editor for the World
18:15
Herald, summed up the fear of, quote, a world where tomorrow is
18:18
uncertain. We must do our Christmas
18:21
shopping early, lest tomorrow be Christmas or Christmas never
18:25
comes. End Quote.
18:27
Some citizens wrote to the Public Pulse of the World Herald
18:30
to complain about early advertising and window
18:32
decorations and what they considered an overemphasis on
18:36
the secular side of Christmas dances, parties, Santa Claus,
18:40
Rudolph the Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.
18:43
Omaha ministers were drawn into the debate and they often
18:46
disagreed with one another. The Very Reverend Robert Hewitt
18:50
of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral denied the basic message of
18:54
Christmas had been lost. He argued that quote, Christmas
18:58
will always be to everyone what he puts into it.
19:01
End Quote. However, the Reverend RR Brown
19:05
of the Gospel Tabernacle declared that quote, you cannot
19:08
substitute Santa Claus for Christ and come up with a
19:11
spiritual atmosphere. End Quote.
19:14
Several other ministers polled by the World Herald agreed with
19:17
Reverend Hewitt. They felt gift giving and other
19:20
activities at Christmas evoked a spirit of kindness among people.
19:25
The World Herald took a similar stand in several editorials.
19:28
Shopping for gifts, according to the paper, not only created a
19:32
spirit which is good, but it was a basic element of American
19:36
capitalism. Businessman did want to make
19:39
profits at Christmas, but so did the manufacturers of hymn books,
19:42
the World Herald reminded its readers in 1964.
19:45
An editorial by Victor Haas answered the critics who were
19:49
complaining about downtown St. decorations being put up in mid
19:52
November. Haas declared that the
19:54
decorations serve the purpose of creating a mood for gift buying
19:58
and were simply a part of life. Another issue which caused
20:02
controversy in Omaha after 1945 was the decision to place a
20:06
creche or a nativity scene in front of the courthouse.
20:10
The nativity scene, erected for the first time in 1955, was
20:13
purchased by the Associated Retailers Association.
20:17
At first, the only complaints developed because the scene
20:20
included a White Horse instead of a donkey, which some citizens
20:24
felt made the display inaccurate.
20:26
Four years later, the county board voted to purchase a
20:29
nativity scene with tax funds. The regional director of the
20:32
National Conference of Christians and Jews questioned
20:35
this action, but a World Herald editorial considered the protest
20:38
to be an overreaction and commented, quote.
20:41
Is any unbeliever harmed or weakened in his own faith by
20:45
taking part in this Christmas celebration?
20:47
We think not. We think the Muslims, the Jew,
20:51
the agnostic, or the tribesmen in the jungle who permits the
20:54
spirit of Christmas to come into his heart will be strengthened
20:57
and purified. End Quote.
20:59
The World Herald did suggest that all other faiths should
21:02
have their views represented on the courthouse lawn if they
21:05
desired. The Nativity scene appeared at
21:08
the courthouse every Christmas for the next 20 years, and
21:11
different organizations continue to protest to no avail.
21:15
In the late 1970's, the scene was damaged by a windstorm and
21:19
became unusable. the United States Supreme Court ruled in
21:22
1984 that a nativity scene could appear on public property as
21:27
long as it appeared with other symbols of Christmas, such as
21:30
Santa Claus and Christmas trees. Downtown parades and magnificent
21:34
window displays begin passing from the Omaha scene by the
21:37
1970s, as Omahans found suburban malls more attractive for
21:41
shopping than the downtown area. In 1980, the downtown Brandeis
21:46
store closed, though many memories remained associated
21:49
with the building. No longer could children go to
21:52
the 10th floor to see the Fairy Land, Castle Duke, the Dancing
21:56
Pony, the Scoot Over Dog Act, or Willy Wonka Land.
22:00
Christmas had moved to the malls, but it would never be the
22:04
same shopping center. Stores generally did not even
22:07
hire their own Santas because it was cheaper to hire 1 Santa to
22:12
serve the entire mall area. Despite the hustle and bustle of
22:16
Christmas shopping, parades, and family activities, Omahans
22:19
historically have remembered the needs of less fortunate members
22:22
of the community. As early as the Civil War years,
22:26
churches in the city provided gifts for poor children.
22:29
Charity work expanded with the arrival of a small group of
22:32
Sisters of Mercy nuns on the Steamboat Montana in the fall of
22:35
1864. Soon the sisters were providing
22:39
dinner and gifts of clothing for the poor on Christmas Day.
22:43
By the late 1860s, other Omaha women organized a Relief society
22:46
to help poor widows and children during the holidays.
22:50
This spirit of sharing was one of the richest and most
22:53
persistent Christmas traditions established during Omaha's first
22:57
decades. The children at the Convent of
23:00
Mercy orphanage, run by the Sisters of Mercy, would have had
23:03
little Christmas cheer if the people had not aided them.
23:07
Starting in the mid 1870s, there were also children at the Omaha
23:10
City Mission on 10th St. between Dodge and Capital, one of the
23:13
poorest areas in the city. The mission, founded by the
23:17
Christian Workers Association, was designed at first to provide
23:21
a weekly dinner for Omaha Newsboys and boot blacks.
23:24
Later it added a Sunday school for poor children in the area
23:28
and a home where young women could learn to sew.
23:31
Each year by the late 1880's, the mission provided a Christmas
23:35
dinner and tree with presents for 400 to 500 children.
23:41
One of the major efforts to help Omaha's poor during the holiday
23:44
season was led by the Omaha World Herald.
23:47
In 1889, the newspaper asked for donations to a Poor Children's
23:51
Christmas Fund. The result was a party for 2000
23:55
children, complete with Christmas tree, Santa Claus who
23:59
entered in a dog cart drawn by an elephant, and presents for
24:03
all. In 1890, donations provided
24:07
Christmas dinner to nearly 4000 children who also consumed over
24:11
2000 lbs of candy. Children of all races and all
24:15
ages attended the dinner and quote for an hour.
24:19
All of the sordid miseries of life were forgotten for an hour.
24:23
All that was sad and sorrowful in life was banished for an
24:27
hour. Rich and poor, black and white,
24:30
were happy in the universal kinship of Christmas tide.
24:34
End Quote. The same year, volunteers
24:37
delivered presents and additional food to 700 homes,
24:41
many of them miserable shanties on the bottoms near the Missouri
24:44
River. Organizers of the festivities
24:47
felt that I'll children and those with insufficient clothing
24:51
had been unable to attend the party the previous year and had
24:53
not received a gift. Even though Omaha has responded
24:57
with open hearts to the poor, one of the city commissioners
25:00
warned 3 non residents out of town in 1890 because it believed
25:05
other communities have been sending their poor to Omaha to
25:08
take advantage of the city's charitable organizations.
25:12
Holiday charitable work during the first decades of the 20th
25:15
century became more sophisticated.
25:17
The Salvation Army and the Volunteers of America took over
25:21
from the City Mission much of the responsibility for feeding
25:24
the poor at Christmas. Annually, the Army's kettles and
25:27
the Volunteers chimneys appeared on Omaha streets seeking
25:30
donations for food baskets. At least after the Army in 19 O2
25:34
ended the policy of feeding the poor as a group in its hall.
25:38
Each of these organizations delivered between 200 and 500
25:43
food baskets to needy persons at Christmas.
25:46
The City Mission, Salvation Army, and other groups such as
25:49
the Junior League in the 1920s and 30s tried to provide gifts
25:53
for poor children. They often had a tree and
25:56
distributed shoes, clothing, candy, and perhaps a toy.
26:00
One year the City Mission included a letter of
26:02
encouragement for the waves. In 1910, an estimated 5000 poor
26:08
children received gifts. Omaha Newsboys with such
26:11
nicknames as Bad Luck, Skinny Smoke and Snakes recede from a
26:16
donor. Quote.
26:17
A live chicken, a pack of potatoes, a quart of
26:20
cranberries, 4 packages of post toasties and post em breakfast
26:24
foods like apples. Also cookies, oranges, coffee
26:28
and sugar. End Quote.
26:30
Starting in 1919 or 1920, members of the Police Department
26:35
provided Christmas festivities for some of the poorest children
26:38
in the city, those living in the Third Ward bounded by the
26:41
Missouri River and Leavenworth, 16th and Nicholas streets.
26:44
One newspaper described these children as representing every
26:47
race, creed and color. Other charitable or civic
26:51
organizations look after children living in Omaha
26:54
orphanages. The Knights of Columbus, Woodman
26:57
of the World, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, Catholic Daughters
27:00
of America, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Masonic Orders were
27:04
just a few of the many groups that help provide Christmases
27:07
for children at the Saint James Orphanage, Kretch Social
27:10
Settlement House, Child Saving Institute, and others.
27:14
Businesses like JL Brandeis and Sons, Hayden Brothers and Sears
27:17
Roebuck and Company often donated toys annually.
27:20
In the 1920s, TA Tolley of Tolley's Hat Store distributed
27:24
at least 100 hats to needy men. Perhaps the most systematic
27:29
charitable work was carried on by the Omaha newspapers.
27:32
By nineteen O 8, the Omaha Daily News started the Santa Claus
27:35
Association. Over the next 15 years, the News
27:39
provided a gift, candy and fruit for 1500 to 3000 children
27:45
annually. Private donations supported the
27:48
association, and expenditures ranged from only $716 in 1913 to
27:54
$2567 in 1920. Eventually overshadowing the
28:00
Daily News work was the Goodfellows campaign started by
28:03
the Omaha World Herald in 1910. That newspaper adopted the idea
28:08
from the Chicago Tribune. Readers were encouraged to buy
28:11
gifts for children whose names would be supplied by the paper
28:15
or send money directly to the World Herald, which would then
28:18
purchase the presents. The first year, the Good Fellows
28:21
helped about 900 children. Within a decade, the campaign
28:25
was aiding approximately 2000 children annually and spending
28:29
from $1500 to $2000 in direct donations.
28:34
The campaign grew in the 1920s, and at one time, 4000 children
28:38
received aid. Though the Depression caused
28:41
donations to decline in the early 1930's, the program had
28:45
recovered by 1939. In that year, Goodfellows
28:48
contributed over $7000, which the World Herald used to
28:52
purchase gifts and food baskets for 2502 families.
28:57
Gradually, the focus of the Goodfellows Dr. shifted from
29:00
direct involvement by contributors, and the World
29:02
Herald assumed a greater role as Chief Goodfellow, calling upon
29:06
readers to furnish the money and he'll do the job. after World
29:10
War 2, charitable groups continue to fulfill their
29:13
traditional roles. Members of the Y Teens, Girl
29:16
Scouts, and Campfire Girls often dressed dolls for the Goodfellow
29:20
campaign. The Catholic Daughters of
29:22
America provided toys for the Saint James Orphanage, and the
29:25
Marine Corps Reserve started its Toys for Tots drive in the mid
29:29
1950s. Major contributions continued to
29:33
be made by the World Herald Goodfellows and by the Salvation
29:36
Army. In 1945, the Goodfellows Dr.
29:39
raised $6777.00 and by the early 1980s fundraising topped
29:44
$100,000. Similarly, the Salvation Army
29:49
began its Tree of Lights campaign in 1950 when it erected
29:52
a 30 foot tree at the courthouse.
29:55
The goal was to raise $25,000 and turn on a light for each
30:00
$100 collected. 30 years later the Army sought $250,000 and
30:06
collected almost 275,000. Both the Salvation Army and the
30:10
Goodfellows use their funds over the years to provide toys,
30:14
clothing, Christmas parties, food, summer camp glasses and
30:18
hearing aids for needy children. Though the fundraising took
30:21
place during the Christmas season, the benefits were
30:24
realized throughout the year. What has Christmas meant to the
30:28
people of Omaha for the last 130 years?
30:32
For some, it's magic has been tarnished.
30:35
Only older residents can remember the beauty of downtown
30:38
store window displays, and critics of commercialism
30:41
complain about the apparent de emphasis of the holidays
30:44
religious character. But continuity has been more
30:48
important than change. Strong traditions, such as
30:51
charitable work, have continued for more than a century.
30:55
The celebration of both religious and secular aspects of
30:58
Christmas continue to play a major role in the life of Omaha.
31:03
Thank you for listening to the Nebraska History Podcast.
31:06
To learn more about Nebraska History Magazine, to listen to
31:09
more podcasts, or to support our podcast by becoming a member of
31:12
the Nebraska State Historical Society, go to
31:14
history.nebraska.gov/podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to
31:19
the podcast and get notified when we release a new episode on
31:22
your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, from all of us
31:26
at the Nebraska State Historical Society, happy holidays.
31:29
I'm Chris Goldfoy.