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Daily newspapers throughout the country, including the Norfolk Daily News, reported that Christmas was dead in Decenmber, 1945.
No — not that Christmas. Fanny Christmas, a black woman who was the daughter of former slaves, died at her home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Christmas Eve, 1945. Although family members had no documentary proof of her age, they claimed she was 114 years old and that she had picked beans on a nearby farm three months before her death.
Now for some news of local interest: For those dreaming of a white Christmas – mostly those who didn’t have to shovel it – 1945 did not disappoint. On the night before the night before Christmas, much of Northeast Nebraska was blanketed by several inches of fresh snow.
The snow started falling during the afternoon of December 23 and continued through the next day. By the evening of the 24th, drifting snow had blocked many of the highways, county roads, and city streets. Automobiles became stuck on the streets of Hartington due to the heavy snow which caused wheels to spin on a layer of ice below.
Similar conditions prevailed in Randolph although the Times said the highway remained open in most places. Travel, however, was hazardous due to the ice-coated road surfaces.
“Well, youse guys what are always hollering for a white Christmas ought to be satisfied this year,” said Editor Allison in his weekly column. “By Monday night the storm had reached nearly blizzard size and traffic was in a terrible mess. High winds blocked roads with drifts. Christmas Day found the storm had ended but left plenty of snow piled up to make travel difficult. A number of Christmas parties and visits had to be called off. Anyway, we had a real white Christmas, but after getting off the business end of a snow shovel, we were not too enthusiastic about it.“ The Coleridge Blade reported that the majority of roads remained open in that vicinity and those that were closed were open by noon on the 26th. Most Christmas Eve programs in Coleridge went on as scheduled but with abbreviated attendance.
Truck and bus traffic was delayed and mail delivery was running a day late. Part of the delay may have been due to the large volume of mail that had to be handled. Postmasters in Laurel, Coleridge and Hartington were swamped with cards, letters and gifts. The Randolph office experienced the heaviest volume of mail in the town‘s history.
Travel by train over the holidays would be extraordinarily difficult and it had nothing to do with the weather.
The reason, according to a Chicago Northwestern ad in the Cedar County News, was that no new passenger cars had been built during the war and many existing cars had been requisitioned for military use.
One fourth of all sleeping cars were being used to move discharged soldiers from clogged ports on the west coast to their homes in other parts of the country.
“Christmas this year will be more joyful because hundreds of Cedar County families will have recently discharged soldiers home this year,” said the Cedar County News.
There would be five extra guests for Christmas dinner in the Henry Stevens home in Hartington. Five sons, who had been discharged from the service, and one daughter, who had been an army nurse, all returned home for the holidays.
One of the sons, Edward S. Stevens, had worked in the County Treasurer’s office from 1926 until he entered the army in 1942 and then served as County Clerk from 1947 until shortly before his death in 1987.
The kids in Randolph were overjoyed that Santa Claus was returning to town. He had been missing in action since December 1941. “Wartime exigencies curtailed observances of a community Christmas in Randolph during the war,” said the Times. Although Old St. Nick is believed to have originated in Germany, he was never thought to have been a Nazi sympathizer.
Uncle Samta promised to bring a sleighful of Christmas joy to Great Britain. Congress agreed to forgive $25 billion in lend-lease loans as a Christmas gift to the Brits and also sent another $4 billion to spend however they pleased. Several congressmen wondered about Russia. They had received billions in lend-lease as well. But all Joe Stalin asked for was $6 billion and the atomic bomb secrets.
All things considered, Christmas 1945 turned out to be better than expected. Despite the fact that the conversion of factories from manufacturing war material to producing civilian goods was handicapped by labor unrest, sales of merchandise were surprisingly good. So good, in fact, that many stores in Laurel, Coleridge, Hartington and Randolph were cleaned out by the middle of December.
There would be no after Christmas clearance sales.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ROGER, LUCINDA, AND THE FAMILY PUGS MICKEY AND GINGER.cabinet knew that war was imminent but wanted Japan to fire the first shot in order to make it easier to get a declaration of war through Congress. The debate continues to this day.
Roger Tryon is a Laurel native. The retired teacher has written a history column for the Cedar County News for over 30 years, now.
