Christmas in Carlisle: 1930

“The town is now in holiday garb” proclaimed the Evening Sentinel newspaper on December 19, 1930. The Christmas tree on the Court House portion of the square was decorated solely with red lights, the tree on the Episcopal corner with yellow, and the Presbyterian corner with blue. Strings of red and green lights also lit up the square. The windows and interiors of many stores and businesses were decorated, and Conlyn’s jewelry store on West High Street displayed one of the official Hamilton watches used by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition. The decorations on Dickinson’s campus were turned on for the first time on December 18. “The large evergreen tree near the main entrance is festooned with strings of red and white lights and makes an impressive feature.” Floodlights lit up Old West and fraternity houses near campus were decorated.¹

Christmas greens were plentiful at the Market House, and freshly made wreaths were selling for 15 and 20 cents each. Dressed chickens and ducks were also plentiful as were pies and cakes. Gilbert P. Searight, the Market Manager, advertised that the market would be open on the evening of December 24.

Postal workers were swamped. On December 22, the post office hit a new single-day record with 51,000 letters and greeting cards passing through the stamping machine. More than one thousand packages were insured in two days and $2,000 worth of stamps were sold.²

Service organizations, local charities, and welfare groups distributed food to the needy. Arthur Glaser, manager of the Strand Theatre, held several Saturday morning matinees in December for children who were given a free admission if they brought canned goods, non-perishable food items, or five or more potatoes to donate to the Salvation Army.

Several of the largest factories in town held Christmas parties for their employees’ children. Schools presented programs of Christmas music, and pageants and Christmas carol services were held in Carlisle’s churches on the Sunday before Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, the people of the Barracks will gather around the lighted Christmas tree in the center of the Post and sing carols at 6:30. “The band will furnish the accompaniment to the singers, who will later stroll from house to house to sing to their neighbors…finally to return home and hang their stockings and await the visitor from the far north.” Meanwhile the Army chefs and bakers will be hard at work preparing for a Christmas dinner. ³

Amid “…Yuletide decorations that would do justice to any banqueting hall, the fifty-four prisoners at the County Jail will sit down to a sumptuous Christmas dinner,” reported the Evening Sentinel in its Christmas Eve issue.⁴ The “guests at the local Bastile,” had been looking forward to this for weeks. The dinner was to be held in the long corridor in the prisoners’ quarters which they decorated with Christmas trees and greens that they hung themselves. The meal would be prepared by Samuel Lindsey, the jail cook, a veteran of WWI who was a cook in Co. “A” 109 Machine Gun Battalion, 28^th Division.⁵ The feast, to be served on China plates instead of the tin plates that the prisoners usually ate on, will consist of five turkeys provided for by the prisoners, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, filling, gravy, corn, and cranberry sauce. Pies were donated by the Salvation Army and cakes by Coulson’s Bakery.

Twenty-one patients at Carlisle Hospital would be treated to a delicious Christmas dinner. Abram Bosler, former president of the Carlisle Shoe Company, donated two large turkeys which will be accompanied with all the trimmings. Each patient’s tray will hold a rose bud, a gift of the hospital auxiliary.

Three inches of snow fell on the night of Friday, December 19, and as it was melting the temperature dropped to 15 degrees and turned the slush to ice. Both streets and pavements were slippery and caused many spills and accidents. Fortunately, the ice melted in time for the rush of shoppers buying last minute gifts and food for their Christmas celebrations.