HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

Christmas

Let me begin by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Even though the Christmas season has changed dramatically since I was enthralled by the prospect of the arrival of Santa Claus, everyone can still bring back the spirit of Christmas.

When I was in the second grade in 1950, St. Francis held a midnight Mass. Being one of the two smallest boys; I was one of the lead pair of acolytes in the Christmas procession that led to the altar. The adrenaline rush that got me up the aisle quickly wore off and I was just like any other seven-year old at that time of night. When we had finished marching up the aisle and were seated, I think I immediately fell asleep. I continued this ritual throughout my early years at St. Francis.

Christmas did not officially begin until well after Thanksgiving. It was about the second week of December that the stores started decorating and displaying their Christmas wares. The stores downtown all had fabulous merchandise. White and Leonard Drug Store had a toy display set up on the second floor. L. W. Gunby Hardware Store had a special “not-for-sale” Christmas display in their window that showed many antique toys.

The annual Christmas parade was always on a Saturday. This was because the stores were prohibited from opening on Sunday, and the local merchants loved the fact that the parade brought many shoppers downtown. The parade had bands from the local high schools and many floats from local organizations.. At the end of the parade was good ol’ St. Nick. We had one motorcycle in the Salisbury Police Department fleet at that time, and it was always ridden by Sgt. Paul Barnett. In time, he donned a red suit and became known as Sgt. Santa Claus.

Many organizations spent a lot of time on their floats, and the results were everything a young boy full of the season could ask for. It always seemed to instill in everyone a generous amount of Christmas cheer that carried over throughout the entire season.

Usually, the majority of presents were clothes that were sorely needed. But there was always that special large toy that I had been asking for since October. One year, my father and mother (Santa) got me a tin filling station. Years later, they admitted that putting it together after I went to bed was quite a task for my Pop. Now, he was a mechanical engineer, but I don’t think his work included tin filling stations. He was much better at the gas pumps at real filling stations. It was a great thrill when I raced downstairs on Christmas morning and saw it.

We were never the type of family that scrimped all year and went all out at Christmas. As I came into my years of having a car, I might get a set of tires in September along with a hearty “Merry Christmas”. My father’s brothers and sisters were all in Buffalo, and their package was always eagerly anticipated, because they always gave toys. Mom set up her nativity scene every year with the baby Jesus carefully missing until Christmas day, and we always had a real tree. The only outside lights we had was one string of Christmas lights around the front door. Early on, my parents didn’t put up the tree until my sister and I had gone to bed. That must have been a lot of work in a very short time. But, I’m sure the looks on our little faces as we came down the stairs on Christmas morning made it all worthwhile.

Christmas can still be a time of magic if you just remember why we are celebrating the occasion. No matter what the stores proclaim in their never-ending pursuit of the almighty dollar, we can still wish someone a “Merry Christmas”. If you have the proper spirit, nothing can diminish the joy you will feel at this very special time of the year. MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!