Christmas 100 Years Ago
One-hundred years ago, World War I was still going on and most of the attention was about the War. If you asked a kid what they wanted in 1916, this would be their normal response: candy, nuts, rocking horse, dolls, mittens or gloves, toy train, oranges, books, handkerchiefs, ice skates. Generally, each child was given only one item on this list so they would only ask for one thing. Everything here with the exception of the skates could easily have been made by hand or purchased for a small amount of money.
The cost of food was on the rise so people made what they could from what was available. An average Christmas dinner was probably brown onion soup, venison, and rice with boiled rutabegas. For dessert, baked apple dumplings with raisins.
We easily forget what people in the past had to endure. At the time, this would probably have been considered a good Christmas as there were many more families that had less than this or nothing at all. We should all be very thankful for what we have today. Merry Christmas!
Bob Stilwell
Retired Manufacturing Supervisor since 2008. I'm a member of the American Legion Post 703 In Parma, Ohio. Active Member of the Parma Heights Historical Society. I write Memorials for an internet group called "Find A Grave."