The early ‘40s were a sad time for a lot of American families and their allies across the world. They watched as their loved ones were being sent off to fight yet another world war.
On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and it wasn’t long before America was at war with Germany. Our great country had just come out of The Great Depression, but now we were facing a world at war.
On the home front, moms did the best they could to make things as normal as possible, especially during Christmastime.
“God and Mr. Roosevelt will save us all” was a familiar saying during the early ‘40s. Folks were encouraged to buy war bonds, and send care packages and Christmas cards to our troops overseas.
V-mail, or Victory Mail, was a valuable tool for the military during the war. It was an early version of our modern day email but it was censored both going and coming. A letter could be written on regular stationary and later put on microfilm. It took up less space on planes and ships as did regular mail. Although it was not like getting a fruit cake from home, it did remind our troops that somebody cared.
We think Christmas shopping today starts early. During the war, you were advised to send your Christmas packages to the troops from Sep. 15 to Oct. 15. A lot of the time, Christmas would be long gone before their packages caught up with the service person, but a package of cookies, candy or warm socks was always greatly appreciated.
On the home front, as the war went by, manpower was harder to come by. Why, on some occasions, women would dress up as Santa Claus and ring their bells in front of large department stores.
There was also a shortage of live Christmas trees during the war. Seems there wasn’t enough manpower to cut the trees down, plus there was a shortage of space to ship the trees to their destinations. Why, some folks went out and bought an American-made Visca artificial tree which cost about 75 cents.
With all types of metals or ornaments in short supply, folks used natural materials such as strings of popcorn, pine cones or nuts to decorate their trees. To give the Christmas tree a snowy look, folks would mix a box of Lux soap powder with two cups of water and brush or spray the mixture on the tree’s branches.
During the war, all sorts of materials and foods were rationed or in short supply. Things like sugar, coffee, gas and metal products were hard to come by.
With gas and tires rationed, travel was limited. A lot of Americans saved their food coupons, such as sugar, to use during the holidays.
Even as the war was going on, music played a big role in the lives of Americans and their troops. Songs like “White Christmas” and “I’ll be home for Christmas” were written and played to ease the war-weary pain that people both at home and on the front were experiencing.
“Home Alive by ‘45” was also a familiar expression during the war. Horrific fighting was still going in the South Pacific during the Christmas season of ‘45. The Germans had launched a last-ditch assault in the cold and snowy Ardennes Forest on Dec. 16 of ‘45. The battle lasted until January and there were many soldiers on both sides that never saw another Christmas.
Although being separated from family and friends during the holidays made war more difficult, troops entertained themselves by being creative with what they had to work with and generous with what they had. Military cooks, whenever possible, prepared turkey, ham and all the fixings for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Countries like England tried their best to entertain our troops and make them feel at home during the holidays. Hot tea or alcoholic beverages were served along with a hot meal.
In the post-war years (1945 to the early 1950s) Christmas in the U.S. reflected a period of peace, productivity and prosperity.
In the early ‘50s, Christmas songs like “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Silver Bells” and “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” were written and sung in a more festive atmosphere.
Yes, the late ‘40s and early ‘50s were a time of peace on Earth and good will to mankind. It was accomplished through the sacrifices and deeds of some of America’s finest and their allies during World War II.
I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone, especially to our service people serving at home and abroad. May God bless you all.
J.A. Bolton is the author of “Just Passing Time” and co-author of “Just Passing Time Together.” He is also a member of the Anson County Writers Club, the Anson and Richmond County Historical Societies, the N.C. Storytelling Guild and the Story Spinners of Laurinburg. Contact him at ja@jabolton.com.
